Lesson 32: Creating Animation using Timer in VB6

Learn to create automatic animations using Timer control for smooth, continuous motion effects

Key Takeaway

VB6 Timer control enables creating automatic animations by triggering events at regular intervals, allowing for smooth and continuous motion effects.

Welcome to Lesson 32 of our Visual Basic 6 Tutorial! In this lesson, you'll learn how to create automatic animations using the Timer control, which allows you to create smooth and continuous motion effects without manual interaction.

32.1 Animation using Timer Control

All preceding examples of animation you've learned required manual interaction (clicking buttons or pressing keys). To create automatic animations, you need to use the Timer control. The Timer triggers events at regular intervals, allowing you to update your animation frames automatically.

1Timer Setup

Drag a Timer control from the toolbox onto your form and set its Interval property

2Interval Value

Set interval in milliseconds (1000ms = 1 second). Lower values create faster animations

3Timer Event

Write your animation code in the Timer's Timer event to execute at each interval

Simple Two-Frame Animation

This example shows a dinosaur and a dog alternating automatically using a Timer:

Figure 32.1: Automatic Dog/Dino Animation

TimerAnimation.frm

Private Sub Timer1_Timer()
    If Image1.Visible = True Then
        Image1.Visible = False
        Image2.Visible = True
    ElseIf Image2.Visible = True Then
        Image2.Visible = False
        Image1.Visible = True
    End If
End Sub

Explanation

The Timer event alternates between two images by toggling their Visible property. The Timer's Interval property determines how frequently this toggle happens.

Complete Motion Animation

For more complex animations like a butterfly flapping its wings, use a Timer to cycle through multiple frames:

Figure 32.2: Automatic Butterfly Animation

ButterflyAnimation.frm

Private Sub Form_Load()
    Image1.Visible = True
    Timer1.Enabled = False ' Disabled until button click
End Sub

Private Sub Command1_Click()
    Timer1.Enabled = True ' Start animation
End Sub

Private Sub Timer1_Timer()
    If Image1.Visible = True Then
        Image1.Visible = False
        Image2.Visible = True
    ElseIf Image2.Visible = True Then
        Image2.Visible = False
        Image3.Visible = True
    '... (other frames similarly)
    ElseIf Image8.Visible = True Then
        Image8.Visible = False
        Image1.Visible = True
    End If
End Sub

Timer Animation Demo

This demo simulates the Timer control in action. Adjust the interval to control animation speed:

100 ms

Timer Interval: 100 ms

Important Note

For smoother animations, use a Timer with a low interval value (50-100ms) and ensure all frames are preloaded and positioned correctly.

Lesson Summary

In this lesson, you've learned how to create automatic animations in VB6 using the Timer control:

Timer Fundamentals

Use the Timer control to trigger events at regular intervals

Interval Control

Adjust the Interval property to control animation speed

Frame Cycling

Cycle through multiple frames in the Timer event for complex animations

Start/Stop Control

Enable/disable the Timer to start and stop animations programmatically

Pro Tip

For even smoother animations, consider using the Windows API for high-resolution timing, especially for games or complex animations.

Next Lesson

Continue your VB6 journey with Lesson 33: Creating a Web Browser Application.

Related Resources

Animation Part 1

Basic animation techniques from Lesson 30

View Lesson

Animation Part 2

Drag-and-drop animation techniques

View Lesson

VB6 Timer Documentation

Official documentation on Timer control

View Resource

Sample Projects

Explore VB6 animation sample projects

View Resource

Visual Basic 6 Made Easy

by Dr. Liew Voon Kiong

The comprehensive guide to mastering VB6 development, including advanced animation techniques with Timer control.

What You'll Learn:

Timer control fundamentals
Automatic animation techniques
Frame-based animation optimization
Game development with VB6
Performance tuning for animations

Get on Amazon

Visual Basic 2022 Made Easy

by Dr. Liew Voon Kiong

The modern guide to VB.NET programming with Visual Studio 2022. Master modern animation techniques with timers.

What You'll Learn:

Modern timer-based animations
WPF animation techniques
Game development with VB.NET
Performance optimization
Professional UI animations

Get on Amazon