|01 Audio Visual Purpose The Audio Visual icon is a main menu icon which is used to display the submenu of audio and visual icons. It also appears in the submenu and can be placed in the outline. If placed in the outline, it is used to set up the screen resolution, to load a picture onto the screen, and/or as a parent to other audio visual children icons. Relation The Audio Visual icon can contain itself and other audio visual icons as children. It cannot contain other types of icons as children. Usage You use the Audio Visual icon to define screen characteristics including: resolution, depth, and palette. It serves several purposes and can be used in different ways. When you use the Audio Visual icon to load and display a picture, the picture will cover up any other pictures or graphics already on the screen. You may change the palette of the picture you are loading, as well as the screen resolution. You may also specify where on the screen the picture will be displayed. The Audio Visual icon can also be used to clear the screen. To do this, place the icon in the outline, but do not specify a picture file. You may specify the screen appearance of the blank screen. When you change the screen settings with the Audio Visual icon, you control whether or not the new settings can be altered by the icon's children. If not altered by a child, the settings will remain in effect until the next Audio Visual icon changes them. The Audio Visual icon and any of the icons in its submenu may be placed in a Content Window. In the Content Window, Audio Visual icons are placed as children of the File Folder icon. The Content Window serves as a library of audio and visual elements which may be copied to a Flow Window for use in a presentation. Audio Visual requester To specify the name of the picture file to retrieve, click on the File field and type in the name. You may also click on Directory to open the File requester. Under Screen Definition, there are several modes available. Click on the first gadget on the left to select between Low Resolution, High Resolution, Extra Halfbrite, Hold and Modify, or current. Each of the preceding modes may be in Interlace and/or Overscan. To select either of these options, click on the gadget, and a check mark will appear. Select Load to load the palette from the referenced picture. Choose Edit if you wish to make changes to it. The Palette requester is presented. Use the slider gadgets to select palette colors. Depth refers to the number of colors used. Raise 2 to the power indicated by the number in the depth gadget to realize the actual number of colors available. Click on the Cursor gadget if you wish to have the cursor present while displaying the picture. To change the palette definition, click on the Palette gadget. The available options are Initialize (palette specified here will be active until changed by a child icon), Master (palette cannot be changed by children icons), and Don't Care (use the existing palette). Left and Top are used to specify the coordinates of the top left corner of the picture. Click on either field to enter the Specify Value requester. Click on the Transitions gadget to specify the screen pattern to be used when switching pictures. The Transitions Requester is presented. |02 Digitized Sound Purpose The Digitized Sound icon is used to play recorded voice or sound that has been digitized. Relation The Digitized Sound icon cannot contain children. Usage The Digitized Sound icon plays back voice or sound which has been digitized. The sound file can be played alone or along with video. It may also play while a menu or stationary screen is displayed. Note that the digitized sound file used must be in 8SVX One Shot format. Most digitizing programs offer the option of creating the file in this format. Digitized Sound requester To specify the sound file to be used, click on the Directory gadget. The File requester is presented. Select Pause if you want the project to wait until the sound file has completed playing before evaluating the next icon. The Speaker gadget allows specification of Left, Right or Stereo sound. Click on the Start/Stop gadget to specify whether you want to start or stop the sound file. It may be necessary, for example, to stop the digitized sound file playback, if an interrupt occurs. |03 Synthesized Speech Purpose The Synthesized Speech icon is used to play speech which is created by the Amiga's speech synthesis feature. Relation The Synthesized Speech icon cannot contain children. Usage The Synthesized Speech icon can be used to play back a text string or a file. It allows for a synthesized speech to be played along with video, with stationary screens, or by itself. Note that synthesized speech cannot be played with animation. If a text file is used, it must be in ASCII format. This is a text file in standard format with no control codes. To create an ASCII file refer to the manual for the word processor you are using. You may specify the type, sex, rate, and pitch of the voice. You may also specify left, right, or stereo speakers for the speech playback. Synthesized Speech requester The Directory gadget opens the File Requester where you may specify the volume, drawer, and name of the file to be used. You may also click on the field and type in the desired file name. After this, be sure that the Text/File gadget specifies File, not Text. If you are entering a text string, type the desired text in the field. If you do this, be sure that the Text/File gadget specifies Text rather than File. Click on the Enable/Disable gadget to enable or disable the specification of the remainder of the requester. If you are using a file and select Enable, the parameters in the requester will override any found in the file. Click on the Natural/Robotic gadget to specify the type of voice to be used. Click on Male/Female to specify the sex of the voice to be used. Rate refers to the speed of the speech. Use the slider gadget to set the desired rate. Pitch refers to the tone of voice used. Use the slider gadget to set the desired pitch (right = higher). |04 Music Purpose The Music icon is used to play musical scores created by the Amiga. Relation The Music icon cannot contain children. Usage The Music icon may be used to play a music file by itself or along with video, animation, or graphics. The file to be played must be in SMUS (Standard Music) format. Music requester The Directory gadget opens the File Requester where you specify the name of the music file to be played. You may also click on the Score field and type in the desired file name. Select Pause if you want the project to wait until the music file has completed playing before evaluating the next icon. Click on the Start/Stop gadget to specify whether you want to start or stop the music file. It may be necessary, for example, to stop the music file playback, if an interrupt occurs. |05 Graphics Purpose The Graphics icon is used to create a specialized screen display. It enables you to place text and graphics objects onto the screen. Relation The Graphics icon cannot contain children. Usage You may use the Graphics icon to display text and objects which have been created in the Object Editor. Note that the Graphics icon will only display the text and objects you create in the Editor. The background picture that you use in the Object Editor is not displayed during presentation. If you wish to display the picture and display objects on it, use the Audio Visual or Picture icon before the Graphics icon in the outline. Graphics requester Click on the Editor gadget to enter the Object Editor where you will create the text and objects to be used on the screen. If you click on the Background gadget, the objects are stamped into the background. This means that the objects will remain on the screen until the background is removed. If Background is not selected, objects will only remain on the screen until this icon and its siblings have been performed. |06 Picture Purpose The Picture icon is used to display a specific IFF picture file or brush. Relation The Picture icon cannot contain children. Usage The Picture icon displays an image on the screen. It differs from the Audio Visual icon because it does not remove any already existing pictures or graphics from the screen. You may use the Picture icon when you want to display graphic objects alone and then with a picture. The graphic objects will still be visible when the picture is displayed. When you use the Picture icon, you may select various palette and transition choices. Picture File requester The Directory gadget opens the File Requester where you specify the name of the picture file to be displayed. You may also click on the File field and type in the desired file name. Cookie Cut will cause only the actual picture to be added and not the rectangle around it. Click on the Palette gadget to specify Current or Override. If Current is selected, the picture will be displayed using the current palette. If Override is selected, the picture's palette will be used, changing the existing colors. Left and Top are used to specify the coordinates of the top left corner of the picture. Click on either field to enter the Specify Value requester. Click on the Transitions gadget to specify the screen pattern to be used when switching pictures. The Transitions Requester is presented. |07 Video Purpose The Video icon is used to play a segment of video from a laserdisc player. Relation The Video icon cannot contain children. Usage The Video icon allows you to incorporate video segments with the graphic and interactive elements of AmigaVision. The video segments may be played alone or accompanied by voice, text, or graphics overlays. After the video is finished playing, the last frame remains on the screen. You may wish to clear the screen by using another video icon to search to a blank screen. Video requester Click on the Unit # field to specify which unit will play the video. This opens the Specify Value requester. Only one videodisc unit is supported at this time. Select Pause to cause the project to wait until the video is finished before evaluating the next icon. Click on the gadgets for Video, Audio 1, Audio 2, and Index to specify their status. If On/Off is selected, the item will be turned on/off. If --- is selected then the status of the player will remain as is. Index refers to the frame number in the upper right corner of the screen. Click on a command in the window at the right. The command will appear in the field labelled Command. If you know the video frame numbers, you may enter them yourself by clicking in the fields below the Command. This opens the Specify Value requester. Click on the Controller gadget to enter the Videodisc Controller. Here you may select frame numbers and view them at the same time. Any frame numbers selected will be entered into the two fields under the Command. |08 Animation Purpose The Animation icon is used to play back an animation file. Relation The Animation icon cannot contain children. Usage The Animation icon plays animation files which have been created in paint or animation packages. The animation file must be in ANIM5 format. Animation may be used in place of video to display moving pictures. You may also play animation files along with video to combine the effects of live video with animated characters. Animation files may be played with Digitized Sound or Music. They may not be played with Synthesized Speech. If there was a background image before starting the animation, the first frame of the animation becomes part of the background before the animation begins. When the animation terminates, the background becomes a copy of the last frame. Portions of the last frame which contain display objects are not saved. The Audio Visual, Picture, and Animation icons can all be used to stop the current animation. Animation requester The Directory gadget opens the File Requester where you specify the name of the animation file to be played. You may also click on the File field and type in the desired file name. Select Pause to cause the project to wait until the Animation is finished before evaluating the next icon. Select Loop if you wish to play an animation which has end frames that loop back to the beginning frame (a looped animation). If you select Loop, specify the number of repetitions in the Reps field. When you click on the field, the Specify Value requester is presented. Note that if you specify zero in the Reps field, an infinite loop is created. Click on the Palette gadget to specify Current or Override. If Current is selected, the animation will be displayed using the current palette. If Override is selected, the animation's palette will be used, changing the existing colors. Left and Top are used to specify the coordinates of the top left corner of the picture. Click on either field to enter the Specify Value requester. Click on the Transitions gadget to specify the screen pattern to be used when switching to the first picture of the animation. The Transitions Requester is presented. |09 Text File Purpose The Text File icon is used to display text from a file onto the screen. It is possible to specify text window size and location on the screen. Relation The Text File icon cannot contain children. Usage You may use this icon to display text on the screen. The text comes from a file and is displayed in a text window on the screen. You may specify the size and placement of the text window. The text file must be in ASCII format. The Text File icon display text, but it does not erase any underlying pictures. If the text is smaller than the screen, the picture will still be visible around it. Text File requester The Directory gadget opens the File Requester where you specify the name of the text file to be displayed. You may also click on the File field and type in the desired file name. The four fields labelled Left, Top, Width, and Height are used to size the window. You may click on any click on any of these fields to open the Specify Value requester. You may also size the window by clicking on the Edit gadget. A window with a drag bar and sizing gadget will be presented. You may move the window and change its size. After placing and sizing the window, click on the close window gadget. The coordinates and size values for the window will be placed in the appropriate fields in the requester.