Custom Animation Tutorial by Example Leo Takahashi, PSU Beaver

The object below was constructed by combining three objects from the insert shapes menu shown here: The first two are formatted for no fill, the second is simply the first but rotated, and then they are stacked concentrically. Then Select was clicked in the Editing menu, Select Object was clicked, and then an area was clicked and dragged over the combined object. The format tab was clicked, and Group was clicked in the Arrange menu, followed by clicking group in the drop-down menu. To cause the object to roll, the object was clicked to select it, the Animation tab was clicked, then Custom Animation was selected from the Animation tool bar. Then Add Effect was clicked in the Custom Animation column on the right of the screen, Motion Path was selected from the drop-down menu, and straight line to the right was clicked; the length of the past was increased by dragging, and the Speed setting was changed to slow. Again selecting the object, Add Effect was again clicked; then Emphasis, and then spin, with the speed setting changed to slow, and the start to With Previous. Click to see the animation:

To make a cart with the grouped object as a wheel, simply add the cart body (from the Insert Shapes menu, send it to back (Format menu) and give it the same motion path, same speed, and with previous start, as the grouped object. Insert Shapes can be used to provide a road surface. Click to see the effect.

To make things look a bit better, Insert, Clip Art can be used to find a tractor, Insert Shapes can create a tow bar, and the cart body, tow bar, and tractor can be selected and grouped together; then a motion path can lead the tractor off the slide as it pulls the cart. The resulting animation is not elegant, but it is good enough to demonstrate the type of motion that one is describing in terms of the laws of basic mechanics. Click

There are many options for motion paths that are worth exploring under the Draw Custom Path and More Motion options. Another useful but not obvious effect is the Entrance effect called Wipe; Using this with the From Left option lets you write things on the slide, using an animated text box: Click Asin  + Bsin  - Mg = 0 One can go from the general to the specific by overwriting one text box by another, provided you use white as the shape fill for the second text box: Click, and then click again:  F y = 0 Asin  + Bsin  - Mg = 0 I hope this is useful; explore the possibilities and enjoy the results. Best wishes, Leo