Here is a new utility that works pretty cool ...
http://www.visisketchpro.com/
you draw an avi overlay as a series of dots and it builds a
dynamic mask for you.

You can see a "map path" (including the car) on his sample
page or you can see a quick demo on Youtube at


Be sure and check out his other samples on the "samples" page.

mikey

Vol 4 #3 of my newsletters explains some ways to do this.

Lovely!
Thankyou all.
I think I'll give jetdv's mask method a go first because it gives me real time control in my project.
I smacked my forehead when I saw this in the newsletter - I first came across the principles of this method in the late 80's when I was using OS2. To forget something like that, oh well!

Thanks from me too, I was just about to start on figuring out how to do this.

rocky

I think the simplest thing to do would be to put a line with a transparent BG over your map and use a linear wipe transition to "draw it."

And if the line isn't straight? Then what?

...then you start thinking about After Effects, with its built-in functions for this sort of stuff. Why struggle so much?

Learning After Effects is one of the most worthwhile things one can do, and the later versions are actually easier to learn.

It is often possible to get AE Pro on eBay for $300 and change. This takes the form of an old AE such as AE4, plus an upgrade to CS3. You don't even need to install the AE4, and the whole thing is blessed by Adobe, as long as the licenses are legit.

If you have a Mac with FCP or FCE, there is a $50 program that makes incredible moving lines-on-a-map displays for any continent as I recall.

I've used the masking technique to make a moving line in the past and it works particularly well with lines that aren't straight (or that double back on themselves, which would look odd if the crossfade technique were used).

The mask technique can also be used to make a font look as though it is being 'written' on the screen - particularly good if you're using a font which looks like handwriting or even a font you've created out of your own handwriting.

Yes, it's possible to do all kinds of things with moving masks, and if it's a one-off, that may even be the best way.

I'm just saying that for recurring professional work, it may not be cost-effective.

And for on-screen self-writing handwriting fonts, has nobody created a LiveType equivalent for Windows?