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This day I read a question at the Expression Blend and Scetchflow Forum about how to make a ChildWindow rotate. Interesting enough to build a quick and simple solution for that, including a rotation when the ChildWindow opens. So here it is. You can view an example and download the sourcecode of a sample application at the Expression Gallery. The Sourcecode is Silverlight 3, but the implementation for Silverlight 4 is similar.

The following step by step tutorial builds a Silverlight 4 app.

This effect allows a user to click on the UI as if he taps with his finger on surface water. Since there is a RippleEffect for Silverlight 4 the implementation is quite straightforward. And the result is pretty scalable.

To reposition a ChildWindow at runtime a user does a left click on the title bar of the childwindow, drags the childwindow, moves it around and drops it at it's new position. When the user drops the ChildWindow he releases the mouse button and a MouseLeftButtonUpEvent fires. This event is fired by the Chrome, which is a ChildWinow Control Template Part. 

Short description:  

1. Import System.Windows.Interactivity.dll.

2. Add a reference to the .dll in the download.

3. Drag the behavior from the asset panel onto a ChildWindow.

4. Set a fixed width and height to the ChildWindow. Set width and height of the Layoutroot to Auto.

This example is the result on making heavy experimental use of effects on a Textblock element. It has a visual appearance that reminds me of Jugendstil (Art Nouveau). Therefore I called it "Digital Jugendstil".

I published a new demo video on how to create a light glossy 3D effect for a Silverlight 3 Textblock control with Expression Blend 3. Watch the step-by-step video at LawBot on Silverlight, my video channel on vimeo.com.