motion paths

Hello, I have been using your various document apps for awhile, but mostly
in uninteresting ways. Now I am wanting to animate an object. To learn I
just made a blank Impress document and made a shape. I can select and edit
it okay. I watched several videos and looked up several things in your
"help" pages of your documentation. I tried to follow but I guess I'm
either too dumb or impatient although I've been messing with this (motion
paths and animations and transitions) for a few hours. I am able to animate
the *appearance *of text and lines and such but I get stumped when I try a
"motion path". I can create (or specify) the path (such as freeform, curve,
star, etc.) but when I either click "Play" (at the bottom of the animations
pane) or just run the slide show, it part-way works in that I can set
something to happen by "on click" but no matter what I try I only ever get
the start and the very end of the path. I NEVER see the object traveling
along the path.

I have seen in other software where I can set a portion of the path (if the
path goes from 0% to 100% I can set the "start" at 12% and the "end" at
75%, or whatever). I also do not see anything (it's grayed out) in the
direction box. I guess I'm just missing something.

What am I missing?

Thanks,
Daryl

Hi Daryl,

[..] I can create (or specify) the path (such as freeform, curve,
star, etc.) but when I either click "Play" (at the bottom of the animations
pane) or just run the slide show, it part-way works in that I can set
something to happen by "on click" but no matter what I try I only ever get
the start and the very end of the path. I NEVER see the object traveling
along the path.

What value has the field "Duration" when you edit the animation?

I have seen in other software where I can set a portion of the path (if the
path goes from 0% to 100% I can set the "start" at 12% and the "end" at
75%, or whatever).

That is not possible in LibreOffice. The shape always starts at the start of the path, even if the shape position is far away from the path. So you should always start the path in the center of the shape.

I also do not see anything (it's grayed out) in the

direction box. I guess I'm just missing something.

The path has triangles in its ends, which show the motion direction.

What am I missing?

Which version of LibreOffice do you use, which operating system?

Kind regards,
Regina