Swirl away

Swirl away pulls an object up into a little vortex. It spirals out on a helix that widens and rises at the same time, spinning about its own centre faster than it circles, and shrinks to nothing over the second half of the move. Bringing it back plays the spiral in reverse, so it winds down into exactly the spot it left.

How it works

The circle opens quickly while the climb starts slow and speeds up, so it reads as being sucked upward rather than lifted. The spin builds faster than the orbit, which gives the classic "caught in a whirlwind" look. Put it on any object in a scene and run it on a click or hover (triggering again brings the object back), inside an action, or as the object's own entrance and exit: showing the object plays the way in, hiding it plays the way out.

Settings

• Turns: how many times it goes round on the way up.
• Radius: how wide the spiral opens, as a share of the object's width.
• Rise: how high it climbs, as a share of its height.
• Clockwise: flips the direction of the swirl.
• Duration: the length of the whole exit, and of the return.

Use it for

Magic disappearances, products that whisk away on click, or clearing a scene before the next one arrives. For a heavier, faster drain, try Vortex drain; add a Smoke trail to leave a wisp behind it.