Pie Chart Tutorial

We all know how boring business graphics can be to create (and to watch). In the old days, Boris FX had a tag line printed on the backs of polo shirts: “In Video Effects There Is Boring and There Is Boris.” The goal of our new 3D Chart generator is to live up to this old motto. In this tutorial, you will learn how to use a variety of vector tools to create a custom look for your business graphics and employ vector animation for the most impact.

Start with an empty timeline with a 2 second duration. Making a new chart is very easy – press the Add 3D Chart button in the Timeline window.

The Add 3D Chart button is in the bottom row. Red remembers the last chart type used, so the new chart reflects that type. The default is a bar chart.

Now is the time to select the chart type. If you’ve made charts before. you know that there are several common chart types. Sometimes the choice is determined by the nature of your sample data; sometimes it is just a matter of preference. This tutorial will explore the simplest and most common type of chart – the pie chart. Pie charts are only suitable for one row of numbers, each number represented by a pie piece on the chart. To switch to a pie chart, use the vertical tab buttons in the Controls window.

Now you should see four pie pieces in the Composite window, which represent the default sample data.

The illustrations in this tutorial show the chart over a black background. To display a black background in the Composite window, press the Onscreen Controls button (the blue dot under the Composite window) and deselect Checkerboard in the menu that appears.

The colors were chosen from a default set of colors. Feel free to pick your own but this tutorial uses the default values. If you like to experiment, change the “User” colors to “Random” colors in the Color menu and play with the Random Color Seed slider.

The colors were chosen from a default set of colors. Feel free to pick your own but this tutorial uses the default values. If you like to experiment, change the “User” colors to “Random” colors in the Color menu and play with the Random Color Seed slider.

The Pie Chart tab provides controls over the spacing and scale of the chart. The Opacity control makes chart pieces semi-transparent. This works very well with a background video or image.

An important feature of pie charts is the numeric value display. Switch to the Values tab and select the Enable Values checkbox.

Bump the Font Size to 80 to make the numbers more visible. The numbers appear in the default Arial font. If you want to use another font, open the Style Palette to apply your favorite font and style.

To apply the style, double-click the style thumbnail. The Values tab in the Controls window must be open to apply the style . Notice that the Apply Current Text Style checkbox turns on automatically.

Next, change the Value Type menu to Currency. Set Precision to 0. This rounds the values to a whole number value, eliminating the decimal points. You have many other choices over the numeric data type and format. Change the Value Type and Format menus to most closely reflect your sample data.

So, where does the numeric data come from? So far you’ve been using the default sample data. Use the Chart Editor window to edit your own data. Double-click the Chart Container track in the Timeline or choose Chart Editor from the Window menu.

The Chart Editor is a modal window that allows you to view, edit or import numeric data. Notice that the first row and the first column are used for the legend notation and not for numbers. Your pie chart is using uses the numbers from the first row. The other three rows are ignored for this type of chart. Change the number –20.4000 to 15. Since pie charts cannot represent negative numbers a bar or a line graph chart would be the right choice when your data includes negative values.

After entering numbers, click the Save Changes button to apply the new data to this chart.

To move the values over the chart pieces, use a simple trick: change the Scale parameter to 60.

Now you are ready to work on the next common element of charts – the Legend. Switch to the Legend tab in the Controls window. Click to select the Enable Legend checkbox. Use the Location menu to position your legend. The examples show the Lower Right Location menu setting. This is how your preview should appear after the changes:

Next you will use the other vector tools available in Red to add a backdrop and a title to your chart. Start with a backdrop. In the Timeline window, deselect the Chart container track and click the Add Spline Primitive shortcut button in the first row of buttons. Use the tool tips to identify the buttons if you are not yet familiar with them. A rounded rectangle appears in front of the chart. This is not where the backdrop usually is, so drag it down in the Timeline to position it behind the chart. It is also not the right size. To make it larger, change the Scale in the Controls window to 170 percent or drag the slider until you achieve the desired size. Press the Interpolation field and choose Constant from the menu that appears.

This is a good time to turn the Title Safe marks on in the Preview window (the blue dot button at the bottom of the Composite window).

You will add a border and a fill to make the backdrop more attractive. Select the Face track of the Rectangle in the Timeline as shown below.

Switch to the Fill tab in the Controls window. Choose Gradient from the Fill Type menu.

Next, switch over to the Border tab and turn the first border on by clicking on a checkbox. Pick the border color (the examples sampled the color from the 90 piece using the Eyedropper tool). Set an Edge Width of 5. Remember to use Constant interpolation for all parameters that you do not want to animate. Your border tab will look something like this:

You are done with the Backdrop and ready to add the chart title. Deselect the backdrop in the timeline by clicking outside of all tracks. Open the Tool window by pressing Command/Control-6. Select the Text tool.

Click in the upper left corner of the chart and start typing. If your default font size is not appropriate, select your text and change the font size in the Controls window. You also may have to relocate text by dragging the Text outline with the Hollow Arrow tool. Feel free to use the Style Palette again to apply another font or style. Your end result should look like this:

You are now ready to create eye-catching animation. Select your Chart Container track in the timeline and switch to the Animation tab. You can animate this chart in three ways: reveal and hold, hold and remove, reveal and remove.

You will try the first option by checking the Reveal checkbox.

You are now ready to create eye-catching animation. Select your Chart Container track in the timeline and switch to the Animation tab. You can animate this chart in three ways: reveal and hold, hold and remove, reveal and remove. You will try the first option by checking the Reveal checkbox.

The Chart Animation tab provides a variety of parameters. Set Fade to 0, Set the Scale to 600 in both X and Y and Rotate of 90. You are ready to play back the preview.

Two other parameters are worth mentioning: Animation Time and Overlap Time. They provide an overall control over the timing of your animation. Animation Time is the percentage of time that is spent revealing the pieces. The default value of 50 percent means that half of the time is spent animating and half holding the chart on the screen. Overlap Time allows you to start moving the next piece before the previous one finishes animating. This can help to achieve a smoother look and maybe reduce the animation time. Try the value of 200.

Render the movie by pressing Command/Control-M. Enjoy the Show.

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