Can someone tell me the best way to do the "Indiana Jones" effect with Motion 5?

Best is relative.

Here's how I would do it.

-Draw out a line.

-Use the Bezier tool and add points to create your path.

-Create a small rectangle shape.

-Select the Line and chang the brush type to Image. Add the rectangle to the brush source image well.

-Change the spacing and width to create a dashed line.

-Apply the write one behavior to your line. This will do the "drawing" for you.

-Finally, go to the stroke options for the line and check "Align Brush Angle".

To adjust the drawing you may need to adjust the spacing, or width for the stroke, or the length of the behavior.

Othere's may have different methods/suggestions.

Here's a tutorial I found on line. It for an earlier version of Motion so you'll have to search out the tools and controls. http://finalcutprox.net/apple-motion-create-animated-color-line-on-a-map

It's similar to GFXZen suggestions.

Ross Hunter

Here is the free tutorial I did at macProVideo for Motion 5.

http://www.macprovideo.com/hub/motion/animating-map-lines-in-motion-5

You'll find lots of great Motion and FCP X free written tutorials there.

I'll add that video is good, but you don't have to smooth each point individually. In the Geometry section of the Shape inspector, there is a Roundness control that will smooth all points at once.

Ok I followed the two instructional videos and have my points and line. But how do I get (or make invisible) rid of the original bezier line? I want only the animated line to show.

If you follow my article I supplied the link to, Steps 5 and 6 cover that. You don't get rid of the bezier, it is your animated line. Go through my article, it is simple, makes it really easy. The bezier and animated lines should be one in the same thing. The video is good, but makes things a bit more complicated than they need to be.

http://www.macprovideo.com/hub/motion/animating-map-lines-in-motion-5

Yes, I had followed your link earlier, BenB. Very nice. But the effect I am seeking is to have a line move across a map seemingly like magic. Following the bezier curve does not give that impression. And I would prefer the line to be a serrices of dashes.

Not sure what "like magic" means. But I'll offer suggestions that may get you closer to that goal.

- First, to make it a dotted line, first draw a short line, one that will be a single dash in your dashed-line. Turn its visibility off (I left it turned on in the screen shot below, so you could see it). I'll name this layer "Single Dash".

- Next, you'll draw your Bezier line as in my article.

- In the bezier line's Outline properties, change Brust Type to Image, and drag the Single Dash layer into the image source well. This will create your dashed line.

- To animate it, first with the playhead at the start of the timeline, keyframe Last Point Offset to 0. Move the playhead to the end of the timeilne, and keyframe that to 100%.

- To make it "travel" as I think you're trying to do, move the playhead to the start of the timeilne. Then drag the First Point Offest slider slowly to the right until 3 dashes (or how ever many you want) show. Keyframe the First Point Offest to that. Move the playhead to the end of the timeline, and adjust that parameter to taste, keyframe.

- Adding a Drop Shadow could help give it some depth.

- Making the Group a 3D Group, and adding a camera, moving the camera along, maybe some special lighting, could make the whole thing really cinematic.

You'll probably want to experiment with these settings, too. And don't forget you can put a Fade In/Out behavior if needed. Let me know if this helps, or if you have any further questions.

I am sorry that I replied before I saw the output. I know now that the bezier line is not in the final rendering; and it makes perfect sence why it would not be.

Thank you for instructions on how to make a dashed line. I will be trying it tomorrow.

BenB, I still need some help. I "think" I understand your directions on creating the short line. I had to use the brush tool because I could not find a pencil tool. I then dropped it on the image well on the curve. I just cannot get it to animate properly. If I set the start point at zero and the end point (off-set) at 100 and drag the time line it just paints a solid line.

"- To make it "travel" as I think you're trying to do, move the playhead to the start of the timeilne. Then drag the First Point Offest slider slowly to the right until 3 dashes (or how ever many you want) show. Keyframe the First Point Offest to that. Move the playhead to the end of the timeline, and adjust that parameter to taste, keyframe." I just do not quite understand this instruction.

For the dashed line -- increase the Spacing (and perhaps the width) of the Outline somewhat until you can see space between the "image" line segments.

For the line, use the Line tool, and make the ends Square. Same toolbar menu as the rectangle and circle shape tools.

To animaite, you are simply keyframing the offset parameters. Are you unsure about setting those, or about how to make a keyframe?

This is the tutorial you want: http://www.larryjordan.biz/motion5-animate-a-track/

Basically, you draw a line with the bezier tool; then you change the shape style to "dots," then use the "write on" behavior to make it animate. This is easy enough to do that a Motion beginner could follow along with that tutorial.

The one thing the tutorial leaves out is timing. You can set the speed to "custom" and use keyframes to manually control the speed at which the line draws (or erases).

Edit: Sorry, just saw that you're using FCP instead of Motion. I really would recommend paying the extra $50 to get Motion -- it'll be a lot easier. Alternately, you could draw a motion path in Photoshop (or some other application) and then use an keyframed mask in FCP to make it appear as though it is drawing in.

Exactly what has been posted before.

http://www.macprovideo.com/hub/motion/animating-map-lines-in-motion-5

Similar, but the macprovideo tutorial doesn't have as many screenshots.