Smooth vertical scrolling numbers in a slot-machine / Apple timer style format

Woland

@paz said:

The incorporation of 3D elements within Isadora is not an area I'm particularly confident in. Any support / advice from the community would be much appreciated.

I'm not super familiar with 3D either and know nothing about using Cheetah 3D, but I managed to cobble something together that might be helpful as a starting point.

Try this: spinning-number-dial-2026-05-05-4.1.3.zip

Important info (I think) is that if you have a cylinder with the numbers 0-9 on it, you have ten positions. A circle is 360 degrees, divided by the ten positions, you get 36 degrees, so adjacent positions are 36 degrees apart (rotating around the x-axis).

To get an incoming number from 0-9 and convert it to the correct rotation, I knew I'd have to use a Limit-Scale Value actor, and that makes sense to me. What doesn't make sense to me is why I needed a range of 0-10 for the incoming number and why I needed to invert the 'out min' and 'out max'. It works, but I don't know why. I guess positions 0 and 10 are the same (0 degrees and 360 degrees), so that explains why there are 11 positions, but I still don't understand why I needed to invert the outgoing range. We need someone smarter than me to explain that properly, I'm just good at guess and check. (I always describe my problem-solving approach as "bashing my head against a wall until the wall breaks".)

People smarter than me will have to work out the math to make sure all four numbers always spin in the same direction if that is what is desired. The smart way probably has something to do with modulo and could undoubtedly be done with Javascript. I would probably just brute force it by comparing the angle value of the current number to the angle value of the next number and using a Comparator to use one set of math if the angle value of the current number is less than or equal to the angle value of the next number, then use a different set of math if the angle value of the current number is greater than the angle value of the next number, switching between which math to use with a Selector actor.

Woland

@paz said:

The incorporation of 3D elements within Isadora is not an area I'm particularly confident in. Any support / advice from the community would be much appreciated.

The best advice I can give is to watch Mark's Guru Session video on working with 3D in Isadora.

Woland

@paz said:

The closest example I can think of is Apple's iPhone timer.

I take it that you mean this:

Apple iPhone: Timer verwenden | TechBone

Woland

@paz said:

In my mind the Isadora scene will fade up with each of the four numbers scrolling vertically, independently, with an element of inertia to replicate the Apple feel. I need it to be programmable so that each number comes to rest correctly in a sequence for the year in question.

@skuven said:

Did each number slow down need to be triggered separately or should it all run consecutively and in time? So all spinning, first number slows and ends, a second passes, second number slows and ends, etc until all 4 are done? Or did you need each digit to be triggered manually from something?

I have the same questions as skuven.

Also, does every number need to spin every time, or if we change from 1992 to 1883, does the 1 in the thousands place not spin because it's in the same location for both years?

Paz

@woland Massive thanks as always L it's much appreciated. I'll dig into your example file and explanation 🙏

Paz

@woland Yes I'm looking for each number to spin every time in a style similar to Apple's iPhone timer - just like the iPhone screenshot you've provided.

Woland

This post is deleted!

Woland

@paz said:

Yes I'm looking for each number to spin every time

If that's the case, I'll have to dig into this idea:

@woland said:

[...] brute force it by comparing the angle value of the current number to the angle value of the next number and using a Comparator to use one set of math if the angle value of the current number is less than or equal to the angle value of the next number, then use a different set of math if the angle value of the current number is greater than the angle value of the next number, switching between which math to use with a Selector actor.

Woland

@paz said:

I'm looking for each number to spin every time in a style similar to Apple's iPhone timer

Are they all spinning at the same time, or are they spinning one after another?

Paz

@woland Hi L I'm aiming for an outcome where they're all spinning at once, but at different speeds and they come to rest at slightly different times. I've managed to achieve this element quite effectively using @dbini suggestion of separate Ease In-Out actors for each number.

I'd upload a video file generated from the Capture Stage to Movie actor to show what I mean, but for some reason I can't attach a video to my forum messages.

Thank you for your continued help 🙏

Woland

@Paz

Figured it out: spinning-number-dial-2026-05-05-4.1.3.zip

Note:

The "4-Number Easer v2" User Actor inputs all have help text, so you can mouse over them and look at the Information View (below the Media View) to see what they do.
The "4-Number Easer v2" User Actor's 'Together/Sequential' input can be changed so that all the dials start and end at the same time (1 = Together) or so that the dials all start and end a little offset (2 = Sequential).
- In the example gif, this is why the dials all start and end sequentially in the "2006 > 1882" transition (which I think looks a bit better) and why in the "1882 > 1337" transition, all the dials start and end their spinning at the same time.
You can use the "3D Dials v2" User Actor to change the colors of the numbers and the dials.
- (This is because, on the 3d model, I made the dial bright red and the numbers bright green, then used a Chroma Key actor combined with a Background Color actor inside the "3D Dials v2" User Actor to allow the color of the numbers and dials to be changed.)

Woland

@paz said:

I'd upload a video file generated from the Capture Stage to Movie actor to show what I mean, but for some reason I can't attach a video to my forum messages.

Probably it exceeds the file size upload limit or the file type isn't on the file type whitelist.

Anyway, I use this site to convert my screen recordings to gifs: https://www.freeconvert.com/convert/video-to-gif/download