DigiWorks 3D About Access Technologies You have purchased one of the advanced computer graphics products that was developed by the staff at Access Technologies, Inc. We believe in our company slogan, "Pioneering in Tomorrow's Computer Graphics," and as such have developed to date four unique products for the Commodore Amiga Computer. Our focus has been and will continue to be, that of developing professional graphics products that provide innovation in the computer graphics marketplace, and at a fair price. Previous to DigiWorks 3D, we released two products in 1988, and one in 1989 for the Commodore Amiga computer. Our first was Fancy 3D Fonts, a professional quality font data set, for use with the Sculpt-Animate series of programs. Later in 1988 we re- designed this font data set and released Fancy 3D Fonts - Turbo Silver Version. Our third program, the ACAD translator, became available in March 1989. Our font sets were created specifically for use on the Amiga using an early version of our DigiWorks 3D program. Fancy 3D Fonts is a two disk set of three proportionally sized fonts. The fonts called Bold, Ital, and Fanc, and emulate the font sets traditionally known as Helvetica Bold, Bookman Italic, and Clarendon Medium. Each font set includes upper case, lower case, numbers (except Bold), symbols, and many international characters. With Fancy 3D Fonts you can now create images and animations which are similar to the computer graphics used in many sporting, news, movie and other entertainment shows viewed on both network and cable TV. Fancy 3D Fonts, in either Sculpt- Animate or Turbo Silver version, has a retail price of $79.95. The ACAD Translator was developed for the professional Sculpt- Animate user who needs a link with the enormous base of computer aided design (CAD) applications. With this program, you can convert files from CAD programs which are able to output their drawings as AutoCAD compatible DXF files, running on systems as diverse as MS-DOS compatibles, Macintosh computers, and Sun or Apollo workstations. These DXF files can contain drawings of structures which are very complex, such as entire buildings, airplanes, intricate industrial parts, and other items that require high degrees of accuracy. By providing the Amiga user with a means for translating those DXF files into the Sculpt- Animate file format, these complex objects can now be rendered in color and even animated using the Amiga's unique abilities. The ACAD Translator retails for $179.95. Access Technologies plans to continue meeting the needs of the expanding Amiga graphics user base, both in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and the other hot beds of Amiga graphics excitement. And as such, our staff is always eager to hear from a customer regarding the use of one of our products, or a fresh need or request that person may have, and would like to share with us. Contents Chapter 1: Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 1 Program Concept . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 About This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Chapter 2: Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Chapter 3: Tutorials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Tutorial A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Loading The Program Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Automatic Edge Detection & Tracing . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Adding Vertices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Generating 3D Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Tutorial B. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Loading Complex Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Redrawing vs. Recalculating. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Tutorial C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Drawing & Measuring Objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Filling the Object Outline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Sizing Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Tutorial D. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Manipulating Multi-Colored Images. . . . . . . . . . . .27 Changing Tracing Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Chapter 4: Forms of Input. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Chapter 5: Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Project Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Edit Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Image Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Output Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Hot Key Combinations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Chapter 1: Introduction Your wold of Amiga 3D graphics and animation is about to expand into new territory now that you are embarking on the use of DigiWorks 3D. As you are no doubt aware by now, creating quality two and three dimensional objects, even in the best of 3D modeling editors, can be a nightmarish experience. And even if you are able to create an object that resembles your initial intentions, it probably took you two or three or ...times longer to create than you ever expected. Fortunately, with DigiWorks 3D, you can now employ a combination of very powerful tools to easily create certain types of 2D and 3D objects of the quality that you previously only dreamed of. We sincerely hope that this program will be as great a benefit to your world of 3D as it has been to ours! Program Concept We too were in your shoes just a short year ago! Having started Access Technologies with the intentions of being a pioneer in the Amiga graphics field, we first decided to respond to the many requests for high quality, professional three dimensional fonts for use with popular 3D programs like Sculpt-Animate and Turbo Silver. However, when we looked at the options for creating these sophisticated character sets we soon found that the only option was to set down with these programs and painstakingly try to create these letters, numbers and symbols by hand. This obviously was not the answer we were after. So, the founders of Access Technologies set out to define and develop a new method, by utilizing the Amiga's best graphics capabilities. First, we turned our attention to the high quality graphic images which thousands of Amiga users were capturing with Digi-View. Our programming staff had the idea of digitizing high quality printed fonts sets and then taking these graphic images and turning them into 2D or 3D objects which could be loaded into any of the popular 3D rendering programs. Since the Amiga was already perfectly suited for capturing and displaying the high quality images that we wanted to convert, we set out on the development of such a program. When DigiWorks 3D was in its early stages, Access Technologies used it to create the first professional font sets now known as Fancy 3D Fonts. Due to the success of the Fancy 3D Font series since its introduction in the summer of 1988, we received a large number of customer responses asking us when and if we intended to release the program that was used to create the Fonts. In addition, another very interesting and related question kept popping up again and again. Our customers liked the fonts so well that it prompted many of them to wonder if our "proprietary process" could be used to -1- convert other bit mapped data such as company logos, professional line art, and even multi-colored images to vector based formate. The clear and simple answer to that question was a resounding "YES!" In the continuing development and testing period that ensued, we uncovered uses which went far beyond our initial thrust of producing professional quality three dimensional font sets. And, it is because of our customers insistence and encouragement that DigiWorks 3D is now commercially available and in your possession today. With this in mind, please let us know what you create with this program, how it makes you more productive, and what additional features you would like to see added. About This Manual The DigiWorks 3D manual has been designed in such a manner so as to give you quick and complete access to information about the program's features. One of the main sections of the manual is the comprehensive Tutorial. By going through all four sections of the tutorial in successive order, you will become familiar with each of the tools, options, and commands found in the program. There is also a Reference chapter which lists and documents each menu item and tool used in the program. System Requirements To use DigiWorks 3D, you Amiga will need a minimum of 512K of random access memory and AmigaDOS 1.2 or latter version of the Amiga operating system. Technical Support To receive technical support from the staff at Access Technologies, you must fill out and send in the registration card that came with this program. Also, we encourage you to do this as soon as possible, so that we may keep you informed regarding future updates to this program. -2- Chapter 2: Getting Started The DigiWorks 3D program file is located on the root (or main) directory of your DigiWorks 3D disk. In addition to this file is an important drawer labeled "Tutorial." In it are sample IFF and RGB images that will be used in the tutorial section of the manual to introduce you to the features and tools used in the program. The DigiDemo file and "show" program files are included to show you demonstrations of images that have been traced with DigiWorks 3D and then rendered in one of the 3D rendering programs that it supports. We first recommended that you make a backup copy of your DigiWorks 3D disk and put in a secure place. If you are unfamiliar with the procedure for making a duplicate coy of a disk, we would like to refer you to the manual that came with your Amiga entitled "Introduction to the Commodore Amiga." In it, you will find information on how to perform this operation. You can run DigiWorks 3D with the program disk in either a floppy drive or with the program installed on a hard disk. The program can also be loaded into and executed from RAM memory should you desire to do so. Also, the DigiWorks 3D program can be started from Workbench or CLI. Installing DigiWorks 3D onto a hard disk is a simple process and can be done more than once since the program does not employ any form of copy protection. However, you should remember that this is copyrighted software and that your DigiWorks 3D License agreement permits you to install or use it on only one computer at a time. From Workbench, to copy the DigiWorks 3D program and the "Tutorial" drawer to your hard dish you should open the target window or drawer icon on the hard disk and then select and drag the DigiWorks 3D program icon and Tutorial icon into this target area. The program is now ready to run from your hard disk. -3- Notes -4- Chapter 3: Tutorials Tutorial A This tutorial section is designed to introduce you to DigiWorks 3D's operation and the many editing and design tools that are found in the program. To facilitate this goal, we have included a number of previously digitized images, along with a few image files that were created with Deluxe Paint. These example images can be found in the "Tutorial" drawer on your floppy disk, or on your hard disk, if you followed the hard disk setup instructions found in "Chapter 2: Getting Started." In addition to the tutorial, all of DigiWork's requesters, tools, and gadgets will be discussed in "Chapter 6: Reference." Loading the Program and Data You can begin the DigiWorks 3D program by either double clicking on the program's icon or by typing "DigiWorks3D" from the CLI and then pressing the return key. Now that the program has begun, you will first want to load in an image that has been digitized. All you need to do is to tell DigiWorks 3D which file you wish to load, and the program will transparently determine what type of file you have chosen (IFF/Snapshot/RGB) and automatically load that file. By clicking and holding down the right Amiga mouse button, the screen will show its four menu headings: "PROJECT", "EDIT", "IMAGE", and "OUTPUT." Now position the cursor over the "PROJECT" heading and the following menu will appear. PROJECT Load A 1 Save A s Snapshot A . Redraw A w Color A c ReCalc A r Erase QUIT A Q -5- It is in this section that you can choose how and which images are loaded into DigiWorks, which images are saved when you are done with the editing process, and even the screen colors you would prefer to use if the default colors do not suit your needs. You can also erase all the edges from the screen or erase the entire screen image, and quit the program from this menu. In addition, each sub-menu item under the PROJECT heading, as well as under the other menu headings, has a HOT KEY equivalent. These HOT KEYS are keyboard shortcuts that can be used to activate a particular command without using the mouse. Each of the HOT KEY equivalents is activated by pressing the Right Amiga Key and the key associated with that particular command. The HOT KEY equivalents are listed to the right of each menu item and also in a table in "Chapter 6: Reference." To begin the process of converting a 2D image into either a Sculpt-Animate or Turbo Silver three dimensional object, we will load a digitized image (640x200 resolution) of the Helvetica letter Z. Simply move your Amiga cursor over the Project menu heading and then the Load menu item and release the cursor. If you prefer, you can use the Hot Key equivalent of "Right-Amiga L." The load requester that appears will have the heading: "Input pathname" and will look similar to the following diagram. This file requester has a number of features that allow you to list the various files that are present on your disks, as well as the RAM disk, if one has been created. It has been designed so as to let you quickly search your disks and directories for a desired file, and to provide you with tools for easily adding or modifying directory and/or file names. You should note that the commands "Delete", "Copy", and "Rename" are irrevocable. 6 The three areas of the requester that make up the pathname 'tree' are in the "Device", "Drawer", and "File" gadgets. The Device gadget will display the location name of a disk, such as "df0:", as well as its actual name, such as "DigiWorks3D." Clicking on either one will activate that disk and place its root (main) directory names in the Drawer gadget and list the files in the root directory in the File gadget list. To progress through the 'directory try' and view the contents of one of these directories, simply click on the directory name within the Drawer gadget, and the filenames in that directory will be listed in the File gadget area. Clicking on one of the filenames will cause the name to be placed in the pathname requester in the lower portion of the screen, so that the desired action can be taken. Since we want to load the image of the letter "Z" into DigiWorks 3D's editing screen we need to locate the file "Z.image" on the disk we are using. If you are running DigiWorks 3D from your floppy disk drive, then click once in the Device gadget on the name "DigiWorks3D" or on the name of the disk drive that holds that disk, such as "DF1:". If you are running the program from your hard disk, then click once on the name of the hard disk or the hard disk partition that holds the DigiWorks 3D program and Tutorial drawer. Now, click once on the directory labeled "Tutorial" in the Drawer gadget. When you do this, the contents of the "Tutorial" directory will be listed in the File gadget area. One of the file names listed in the file gadget will be "Z.image." Click on that name once and it will now appear in the Pathname requester. Then, press the OK button and the image will be loaded into your DigiWorks 3D editing screen. Automatic Edge Detection & Tracing One of the main benefits of the DigiWorks 3D program is its ability to detect the outline of an object, trace that outline, and then place critical vertices along that outline. As such, you can see now that the letter Z has been surrounded with blue and green lines and yellow vertices. (Note that if you make significant changes to your color settings in DigiWorks's Color Selector then the lines and vertex colors may be different from what we have described above). The letter Z is not alone on the screen as you can see. When we digitized this letter from its printed format, the camera also picked up images of data that was on the same page. However, since we only want to turn the image of the letter Z into a 3D object, we need to somehow inform DigiWorks of the difference between the extraneous data that must be discarded and the pertinent date (letter Z image) that we want to work with. 7 One simple method for doing this involves putting a "box" around the area that you wish to keep, while excluding all data outside of the box. First, you should execute the INVERT command found under the IMAGE heading by dragging the cursor over this heading and then releasing it once it is over the INVERT option. Issuing the INVERT command will reverse the screen colors that are used in displaying the image and background colors. By swapping these two colors before telling the program what "area" we are going to select in the next step, only the actual image of the letter Z will be outlines, as opposed to the letter and the "box" around the letter. Next, drag the cursor over the AREA command also found under the IMAGE heading, and the cursor will change into a small box with a cross hair inside of it. Position this cursor just below and to the left of the bottom left hand vertex that makes up the letter Z. Now, press and hold down the left mouse button and drag it diagonally to just above and to the right of the vertex that forms the upper right hand most corner of the letter Z. Be sure to look at all sides of the "box" that is formed when you are performing this operation so as to insure that none of the image Z is outside of the boxed area. If this is done correctly, the only image on the screen now will be the letter Z. If, while performing this operation, you find that you have not started the AREA function in the proper position, and you wish to start the operation over, you can abort your current actions by moving the mouse so that the cursor is on top of the Title Bar and then release the mouse button. Then you can simply start the AREA operation again, in the desired position. We have implemented a Heuristic Automatic Tracing (HAT) algorithm that makes sophisticated estimates of where the outer edges of an image are located. However, because the data saved in the digitization or image creation process is usually not free from defects (i.e. jagged lines, stray or missing pixels, etc.), the automatic trace that is performed by DigiWorks may not conform exactly to the final outline you desire. And, therefore, because of image irregularities and the HAT algorithm that must be used to perform the edge detection, some of the lines and vertices that comprise the trace may be placed along an area that you would deem less than perfect. With this in mind, and to add user customization and flexibility, we have provided a number of tools that allow you to make quick and easy alterations to the lines and vertices that make up the trace of your image. As you can see by looking at the letter Z on your screen, some of the vertices are not needed, such as when they breakup what would normally be a straight line. To take care of this first case we need to go to the next menu heading to the right of "Project" called "Edit". By pressing and holding down the right mouse button over the EDIT heading, the screen menu will appear like in the following diagram. 8 Since we would like to remove a number of vertices that are not needed in our trace, we need to select the EDIT menu item called DELETE. Dragging the cursor over the DELETE VERTEX and then releasing will activate the delete tool which is shown below. You should note that for some of the menu items (commands), if you reissue that command, by mouse or by hot key, the program will turn that function off. Menu items that would fall into this category include: INSERT, DELETE VERTEX, DELETE EDGES, MOVE, DRAW, COORD, AREA, EXTRUDE, and POLY FILL. \|/ --- --- /|\ Now we want to place the DELETE cursor over one of the vertices that is not needed and click the left mouse button. The vertex to be deleted must fall within a fixed center area of the cursor. When you do this, you will notice that the vertex disappears but leaves the line intact by connecting the adjacent vertices. You can continue at this point and remove other unneeded vertices, until you are left with vertices at the areas that seem necessary. After you have removed the unwanted vertices, you will likely notice that the remaining vertices are not all in exactly the right location. Fortunately, they can be moved easily by exchanging the DELETE tool for one called the MOVE tool. Once again, you will need to enter the EDIT menu at the top of the screen, and then move the cursor over the sub-menu item listed as MOVE. When you do this, the cursor will change to one that looks like the one found on the following figure. Now look closely at your screen image and the figure shown that represents your screen. Notice that the trace lines that fall outside of the letter Z image are an aqua color, while the ones that fall on or inside of the letter are blue. The key to creating a correct trace representation of any image that you bring into DigiWorks is to align all of the vertices so that the majority of each line is blue and falls on the edge of the image. 9 | | ---- ---- | | Since our image has a couple of aqua lines, and a couple of blue lines that are too far inside of the letter Z image, we will need to use the MOVE tool to position them into the proper places. You should note here that the MOVE tool will not allow you to place two vertices together in such a way that more than two edges would be joined. This is also true for the DRAW tool which will be discussed later. Continue, by positioning the MOVE cursor over one of the vertices that you would like to re-position. Next, press and hold down the left mouse button and then move the mouse so that the vertex is moved to the desired position. Then when you release the mouse button the vertex will stay in its new position. If you select a vertex and then move it into the title bar and release, the screen blinks and the program aborts that particular move. This has been done to give you an easy recovery procedure in the event that you selected and move the wrong vertex. To re-position that same vertex or any others, you simply repeat the process of selecting and moving the vertex. At this time you should move the rest of the vertices so that all of the trace lines are in their proper position. When you have moved the necessary vertices to their proper positions, you should have ten vertices and ten individual trace lines. If you have more than 10 vertices or 10 lines, you have either not deleted the appropriate vertices, or have moved them to positions that are not the most ideal. Also, none of the lines should be overlapping. Should this be the case, we recommend that you LOAD the image into the screen editor again and start this tutorial section over again. Adding Vertices Before we turn our trace of the letter Z into either a three dimensional Sculpt-Animate or Turbo Silver object, we will introduce you to another important DigiWorks tool called INSERT. To see the value of this tool, first go back to the EDIT menu and change the cursor from the current MOVE tool to the DELETE VERTEX tool. Now, delete the vertex in the upper right hand portion of the letter Z. Notice that when you do this, the two lines that once connected to it turn into one line that snaps into place like a rubber band. To correct this type of situation you can use the INSERT tool. 10 Go back to the EDIT menu again and this time exchange the DELETE tool for the INSERT tool by holding the cursor over the line called INSERT and then releasing the right mouse button. When you do this, the cursor will look like the figure below. | | | | ------ ------ | | | | Now, simply position the INSERT tool cursor anywhere over the single line that was created in the last step and then press and hold down the left mouse button. When you do this a new vertex will immediately appear on the line and the INSERT cursor will disappear so as to allow better positioning of that vertex. You should note that if you have not placed the INSERT cursor over a line, then the screen will flash and no vertex will have been added. Bring the trace line back into its proper position in the upper right hand corner of the letter Z. If you are unable to correctly position the cursor in this combined step method, you can simply activate the MOVE tool and move the vertex to its proper place. Generating 3D Output An important feature of DigiWorks 3D is its ability to save your outlined object in its own internal file format, so that it can be re-loaded in the screen editor at a later time. The SNAPSHOT is also useful as a means of periodically saving your edited object, so that in the event of a major editing mistake, you could re-load the latest SNAPSHOT outline and continue editing from that point. The SNAPSHOT command is located within the PROJECT menu, and the file can name does not require any particular extension. However, you may wish to name your SNAPSHOT files with a ".snap" extension so you know which files they are. Tutorial C will direct you through an exercise with this command. Now that the two dimensional trace of our letter Z is complete, we can move on to the final step of having DigiWorks output a 3D polygon filled version of the trace. Move the cursor over to the right most menu heading called OUTPUT. With the right mouse button held down, move down to the sub-menu item called POLY FILL and then release the button. By doing this, you have just instructed the program to fill the inside of the traced letter Z with polygons, or more specifically, triangles. This is a requirement of most of the 3D rendering programs found on the Amiga. 11 Open the OUTPUT menu once again and select the sub-menu item labeled EXTRUDE. When you do this requester will appear that looks like the following diagram. This requester allows you to either choose DigiWork's default settings for the 2D to 3D extrusion process, or to change the various settings to meet your particular needs. If you choose to change any of the settings, then you will want to click on the ACCEPT button at the bottom of the requester, whereas if you would like to use the default settings, just click on the DEFAULT button. The output data from the DigiWorks 3D is automatically that of the Sculpt-Animate Scene file unless you tell the program otherwise. If you wish to have the data saved in the Turbo Silver object format, then you will need to activate the final sub-menu item under the OUTPUT heading listed as OUTPUT FORMAT, and then select TURBO SILVER. 12 Up to this point, you have only instructed the program how you would like the output to be generated, as the extrusion has not yet taken place. This operation takes place when you save the output data in the desired object format. To accomplish this last step you re-enter the PROJECT menu and select the sub-menu item listed as SAVE. DigiWorks will then display its "Output Pathname" requester which looks and functions just like the "Input Pathname" requester used at the beginning of this session. Select the disk and drawer location that you wish to save the output file in, and then give the file a name. If you are saving the file in the Sculpt-Animate format, the name Z.scene would be appropriate, which Z.obj would work well for the Turbo Silver format. Choosing the file name, file format, and then pressing the OK button at the lower right hand portion of the requester will result in the completion of a polygon fill and the 2D to 3D extrusion. The polygon fill that was performed will be represented on the screen, while the 3D extrusion will not. At this point you can either go on to the next tutorial example, or enter your chosen 3D rendering program and load and render the example letter Z that you have just created. 13 Notes 14 Tutorial B The previous tutorial section introduced you to many of the key functions and tools that are necessary to complete a trace and conversion of a simple two dimensional image. Now we would like to advance to the next stage of image complexity and demonstrate how these and other DigiWorks tools and functions can aid you in object creation. Loading a complex Image with Curves You can begin this session by loading the digitized image called "Ampersand.image" in the Tutorial directory. As in the previous tutorial section, INVERT the image and then activate the AREA tool and "box" in the entire Ampersand image. When you do this correctly, you will notice that parts of the adjacent images can not help but fall into the "box" created by the AREA tool. Next, delete the vertices and edges that were formed on these adjacent images by activating the DELETE VERTEX tool that is located under the EDIT heading. Position the DELETE cursor over each of these vertices, one at a time, and as before, click the left mouse button to eliminate each unwanted vertex. At this time, you should also delete any unwanted vertices that are part of the Ampersand image itself. A guideline for checking for these unwanted or "extra" vertices would include corner areas of the image, vertices that subdivide what should be a straight edge, and vertices that are spaced very close together. As with most automatic image traces, you will also need to re- position one or more of the vertices so that the outline conforms more accurately to the image on the screen. By simply exchanging the DELETE tool for the MOVE tool, by using either the mouse or HOT KEY equivalents, you will see the cursor once again turn into its single cross hair mode. Now, you can proceed to re-position any vertices that need to be moved. Another major function of the DigiWorks 3D program is found in the DRAW tool. To demonstrate one of its uses, we would first direct you to exchange the current MOVE tool for DELETE VERTEX tool. Next, use the DELETE VERTEX tool to remove each of the vertices that makes up the inner polygon inside of the lower half of the Ampersand image. 15 Next, drag your cursor over the EDIT heading and then over the sub-heading labeled DRAW and release the mouse button. When you do this, the cursor will change to a small cross hair with a circle at its center. Begin using the DRAW tool by positioning it over one of the corners in the same area of the image where you just a moment ago deleted all of vertices that comprised the inner polygon. Press and hold down the left mouse button and then drag the mouse so that the line that is now being formed connects to the next corner of this image area. The DRAW cursor will disappear during this operation so that you can clearly see where you are positioning the end points of each line you create. When the end of the line appears to be in place, click the right mouse button (while still depressing the left mouse button). Then continue moving the mouse so that the line proceeds to move around the edge of this inner polygon area, while clicking the right mouse button every few steps to place a new vertex along this edge. To complete the operation, position the last vertex over the top of (or at least next to) the first vertex you created with the DRAW tool, then release the left mouse button. The distance between these first and last vertices that you have created will determine whether or not a "closed" polygon has been formed. If they lie perfectly on top of one another, the DigiWorks program will sense this and automatically convert them into one vertex, and thereby "close" the polygon that you have drawn. However, in most cases they will not be perfectly on top of one another but will be very near each other. When this is the case, you will need to tell the program to join them as one vertex. To do this, you can activate the CLOSE command which is found under the EDIT heading. A requester will then pop onto the screen that looks like the following diagram. By clicking on the OK button you will be telling the program to convert all vertices that are within the default value of two pixels distance into one vertex. This value of two pixels distance should be sufficient in most circumstances. If you need to change this value, you can click on the number "2" with the left mouse button and then change its value. However, you need to be aware that changing this number to one which is larger than "2" may join together other pixels that you did not intend to convert into one vertex. To verify that you have successfully converted the beginning and ending vertices of your drawn polygon into one vertex, you can activate the MOVE tool under the EDIT heading. 16 Now, position the cross-hair of this tool over the vertex that should have been formed out of these other two vertices. Press the left mouse button and move the mouse. When you move the vertex you should see edges connected on both sides of this vertex move with the vertex. If only one edge is connected to the vertex then the close operation was not successful, and the vertex must be moved closer to the appropriate vertex and the close operation must be performed again. When the close operation has been successful, you can then proceed to re-position any of the other vertices that are part of your drawn polygon so that the major portion of their attached edges are primarily blue in color, once again meaning that they fall on the edges of the image itself. At this point the outline of the Ampersand image should be complete and ready for conversion into a three dimensional object for use in either Sculpt-Animate or Turbo Silver. Proceed to the OUTPUT heading menu as was done in the first tutorial and turn on the POLY FILL and EXTRUDE options. You can also click on the TURBO SILVER Format option if you wish to create a Turbo Silver file. Now, save the Ampersand outline with the SAVE command under the PROJECT menu. When you do this the Ampersand image will be filled with internal lines that represent the polygons that were formed by DigiWork's polygon fill algorithm. Performing the steps in the above portion of this tutorial as outlined would result in the correct outlining, polygon filling and saving of the Ampersand image. One of the key items that you should check your screen image for, is that neither one of the two internal polygons in the Ampersand was filled with lines. If any line falls within either internal polygon area then there is a problem with your outline, and you should start this tutorial section over. Redrawing vs. Recalculating an Image When the tutorial has been followed correctly up to this point, we could look at the outline of the Ampersand image on the screen and decide that a vertex or two are not exactly in the positions that we would like. Deciding that you would like to make further edits to this image, you could activate the REDRAW command found under the PROJECT menu. When you do this, you will notice that the outline (both vertices and edges) is refreshed on the screen while the lines that once made up the polygon fill disappear. You should remember that the internal edges that make up the polygon fill are only there as a visual aid and can not be manipulated. 17 Now, go ahead and move any vertices that need re-positioning, or even add a vertex to the outline in an area that could use another. After making these adjustments, go back to the PROJECT menu again and activate the SAVE command. When the "Output Pathname" requester appears on the screen, you will see that the name of the file that was previously used is still in the "Pathname:" string gadget. Instead of giving the adjusted outline a new name, just click on the OK button. when you do this, you will see a requester that says "File Exists! Replace?" with both a "Cancel" and an "OK" button. Click on the OK button and the file will be overwritten with your new data, and the outline will be refilled with lines representing the new polygon fill. Now, lets assume that for some reason you wanted to start the editing process over for the Ampersand image from the beginning. Instead of going all the way back to the LOAD command, you could simply activate the RECALC command also found under the PROJECT menu. When you do this, you will see that all of the edits to the Ampersand image are thrown out, and that DigiWorks retraces the image using its trace algorithm. We would like to take this opportunity to pint out to you the vast difference between using the REDRAW and RECALC commands. As issuing the RECALC command disregards all previous edits you have made to the image, we caution you to use it only when absolutely necessary. With that in mind, we would suggest that you take the time now to further practice using any of the tools or commands that we have used in this tutorial section. 18 Notes 19 Tutorial C Taking advantage of the automatic tracing abilities of the DigiWorks 3D program will no double save you many precious hours. Even so, there will be times when you need to create or draw an outline of an object for which there is not presently an image to trace. The object that you need to draw may be part of an image that has already been traced on the screen, or it may be independent of anything else you have done so far. In any case, we would like to show you how to use a few more tools within the DigiWorks 3D program that will help you in creating these types of outlines, and in refining your automatic traced images as well. Drawing and Measuring Objects To begin this tutorial section, you should either perform an ERASE ALL under the PROJECT menu, or start DigiWorks over. Either case will provide you with a blank DigiWorks edging screen. Our first objective will be that of creating an accurately sized and symmetrical capital letter H like the one shown in the following diagram (without the numbers). 1 --------- 2 5 ----------- 6 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! --------- ! ! 3 4 ! ! ! ! 10 9 ! ! --------- ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! --------- ----------- 12 11 8 7 Using the DRAW tool under the EDIT menu, create an outline that represents the diagram shown above. You should draw the letter in such a way that it is about 2/3's of the screen's height, which can be easily done by observing the cursor coordinate positions in the Title Bar. Begin by pressing and holding down the left mouse button. Then move the mouse in the appropriate direction to begin forming one of the line segments in the 20 letter H. When you have moved the mouse so that the line is the proper length and has its second end point in the desired position, then click once with the right mouse button (while still holding down the left button). Now, proceed to draw the rest of the line segments for this letter, in sequential order, by positioning the mouse and clicking the right mouse button. The last line segment should end on or near the original vertex of the first line segment. Next, activate the CLOSE command found under the EDIT menu, and click on the OK button when its requester appears. This should insure that the line segments form a "closed" polygon and you should now have 12 vertices. However, if you can still see that there is an opening in the polygon, move one of the two vertices in question closer to the other vertex that it should be connected too, and then perform the close operation again. The outline that you have drawn of the letter H is most likely not a symmetrical image, even though you may have a good eye for accuracy and were careful in each of the above steps. Regardless, you can use a couple of DigiWorks' editing tools to make the letter H an exact predetermined size, and perfectly symmetrical. The first step to take is to turn on the Absolute Coordinate system by activating the command ABS COORD which is located under the IMAGE menu. The Absolute coordinate system will allow you to position vertices that make up your letter H in exact locations on the screen, by displaying a vertex's X and Y coordinate location in a small boxed area on the right side of the Title Bar. To begin moving the H's vertices to their proper locations, you will need to exchange the DRAW tool for the MOVE tool, also found under the EDIT menu heading. With the MOVE tool, select and move the upper left hand vertex, #1, to a position so that the "dy" coordinate value reads "dy=050", while maintaining roughly the same "dx" value. Now move the bottom left hand vertex #12 to a dy value of 175. In doing so, you should also make sure that this line segment of the letter H is absolutely vertical. (The two vertices that make up this vertical line will then have the same "dx" value.) The next step may seem obvious, in that you will want to move vertex #2 so that it is horizontal with vertex #1, and vertex # 11 so that it is horizontal with vertex #12. In order to make the letter H symmetrical, you will need to measure the distances between, and the lengths of certain line segments. To do this, first turn off the Absolute Coordinate system by de-selecting the ABS COORD command (or pressing the HOT KEY combination "Right Amiga" and "b". Next, exchange the MOVE tool for the Coordinate measuring tool by activating the COORD command in the EDIT menu. Measure the distance between vertex #1 and #2, first by positioning the cursor so that 21 vertex #1 can be seen between the two arrows of the COORD tool. Now, by pressing and holding down the left mouse button, then moving the mouse so that vertex #2 can be seen between the two arrows, you will be able to read the "dx" value in the coordinate value bar which tells you the distance, in screen pixels, between these two vertices. Please note that this measuring method is accurate to within one pixel. Now that you know this dx value, we would like you to move vertex #12 so that the dx value between them becomes 100 pixels. Once again, to do this, you will need to exchange the COORD tool for the MOVE tool before you can re-position the vertex. When you are moving the vertex, you will see that the dx and dy values in the Title Bar are showing you how far you have moved it in this particular move operation, relative to the last position where the left mouse button was pressed. By paying attention to the dx value, you will know when you have moved vertex #2 far enough. To verify that you have moved vertex #2 far enough, you will need to activate the COORD tool again and re-measure the distance between vertex #1 and vertex #2. You may need to repeat this particular exchange of operations a couple of times before the vertex #2 is correctly positioned. 1 --------- 2 5 ----------- 6 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! --------- ! ! 3 4 ! ! ! ! 10 9 ! ! --------- ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! --------- ----------- 12 11 8 7 With Vertex #1, #2, and #12 in place, you can now proceed to re- position the other vertices using similar methods. Continue, by reactivating the ABS COORD command and make sure that your cursor is in the MOVE tool mode. Now, select vertex #3 and move it so that the line connecting it to vertex #2 is exactly vertical, to a position where 22 the dy value is equal to 100. When you move vertex #3 into place, make a note of its dx position as well. Then, position vertex #11 so that its dx value is the same as the dx value of vertex #2. Next, position Vertex #10 so that its dx value is also the same as vertex #3 and adjust its vertical position so that its dy value equals 125. When you have completed these last few steps, you will see that the left side of the letter H is now vertically symmetrical and in place. The right side of the letter H can be symmetrical with its left side by following similar methodology to what was used above. You will first need to position vertex #4 so that the line between vertices #3 and #4 is horizontal, and has a length that we will set at 50 pixels. Once again, to measure this distance, you will need to turn off the ABS COORD system, and then activate the COORD tool. Now, re-position vertices #5, #6, #7, #8, and #9 by using the same techniques that were used above. You should note the different data types provided for dx and dy values when the Absolute Coordinate system is activated, as opposed to when it is not. Absolute Coordinates can be especially informative when used with the MOVE tool to ascertain the exact position of a vertex, or to place a vertex in the same horizontal or vertical line as another vertex. The ABS COORD values can indirectly be used to measure the distance between vertices, however measurement of distance is easier with the Absolute Coordinate system turned off. Filling the Object Outline In the next step you will save the outline of the letter H with the POLY FILL option turned on under the OUTPUT menu. Activate the command FILL IMAGE under the IMAGE menu. When you do this, you will see that the interior of the polygonal letter H has been filled with a dark red color. This is now similar to the an image that you may have loaded from Deluxe Paint or Digi-View, etc. It may help you in determining if your outlined object has been created to your satisfaction. Now perform the SAVE function, naming the file H10.scene or H10.obj, depending on which Output Format you have selected. Since the interior polygonal edges are displayed only to show you how the outline of the letter H was subdivided into triangles, you may wish to clear them away by executing the command REDRAW. You will then be left with the outline edges and the filled inner area. Once again, you should note that the interior edges are saved in the output file, but are not retained in the programs data structure, and therefore are not accessible. 23 As mentioned in Tutorial A, an important feature of DigiWorks 3D is its ability to save your outlined object in its own internal file format, so that it can be re-loaded in the screen editor at a latter time, allowing you to continue editing your object. SNAPSHOT is also very useful as a means of periodically saving your edited object, so that in the event of a major editing mistake, you could re-load the latest SNAPSHOT outline and continue editing from that point. The SNAPSHOT command is located within the PROJECT menu. At this time you should activate the SNAPSHOT command, saving the file as "MyH.snap". You will need to load this file later in the tutorial, so save it onto either a floppy disk or a hard disk. Sizing Objects When you save your outline as either a Sculpt-Animate or Turbo Silver object, the DigiWorks program uses a default multiplier value to enlarge the data structure so that the object will be of a sufficient size to view and manipulate in the 3D rendering program. This default multiplier value is called the "Y SIZE" and can be changed by activating the Y SIZE command found under the OUTPUT menu. To demonstrate its use, you can change the Y SIZE value to 20000. Then perform another save of the object, only this time naming the file H20.scene or H20.obj, depending on which rendering program you are using. Pause now, and exit the DigiWorks 3D program. Enter your rendering program, load the H10 object first, and then load the H20 object into the same scene or cell. You will quickly see that the H20 object is twice as large as the H10 object. With this in mind, you can decide when it is appropriate to change the Y SIZE value when tracing and saving your outlines. There is one other DigiWorks function that will have an impact on the size of your saved object. This function is called UNIFORM SIZE and is automatically set to "on" each and every time you load the DigiWorks program. The UNIFORM SIZE operation insures that every outline that you save as an object file for your rendering program has the same vertical dimensions for a selected Y Size. This can be a very important option, especially if you are outlining a series of images that are intended to all be the same size, but whose images are different sizes, as measured by vertical pixels, when loaded into the DigiWorks' editing screen. 24 The perfect example would be that of digitizing a set of capital letters in a font set. In most cases the capital letters all have the same vertical height. However, when you digitize the individual characters in the font set, the images may sometimes vary in height due to camera lens settings or the distance of the lens from the image being digitized. By leaving the UNIFORM SIZE function in its "on" mode you can compensate for any height (and therefore, also width) aberrations. To demonstrate the UNIFORM SIZE option, restart the DigiWorks 3D program, turn on the POLY FILL option, and load the Snapshot file "MyH.snap". When you have this outline loaded, activate the FILL IMAGE command found in the IMAGE menu. Now, use the DRAW tool to create a rectangular box, next to the letter H, that is about 100 pixels wide and about 1/2 of the letter H's vertical size. In the next step, we would like you to delete all 12 vertices that make up the letter H. At this point the only outline on the editing screen should be that of the rectangular box. Now, with the Y SIZE value set at 20,000, and UNIFORM SIZE set to "on", perform a save and name the file Box20on.scene or Box20on.obj whichever is appropriate for you. Next, do a REDRAW and then turn the UNIFORM SIZE option off. Save the outline again, only this time name it either Box20off.scene or Box20off.obj. At this point in the tutorial, we would suggest that you quit the DigiWorks 3D program and load your rendering program, if it is not already running. Then, load the object file "H20. " and also load the file "Box20on. ". You will be able to see that even though the rectangular box and your letter H were different sizes on the DigiWorks' editing screen, they are the same height now. To see what has happened when you turn the UNIFORM SIZE option off, load the file "Box20off. " and you will see that it is smaller than your Box20on object and is the same proportionally to the H20 object now as it was in the DigiWorks' editing screen. 25 Notes 26 Tutorial D This final tutorial section will introduce you to the tools and options in DigiWorks 3D that have not already been covered. To examine these, we will use an IFF image that was generated in Deluxe Paint. This will also be the same time that the image we are loading has more than two colors. In fact, this particular Deluxe Paint image has five colors, including its background color. Manipulating Multi-Colored Images Enter the DigiWorks program, if you have not already done so. Now, load the image in the Tutorial directory called "DPAINT.image." When you do this, you will see two triangles, one at the top of the editing screen, and one at the bottom. However, there id more to this image than what is currently being shown. In addition, to the two triangles, there are three concentric circles which are located between the two triangles. Each of these circles was painted using a different color, and none of the colors are the same as the triangles. For this reason, additional Bit-Planes had to be used to store the information in the Deluxe Paint program. (If you have the Deluxe Paint program, or another IFF viewing program, you may wish to load and view the color version of this image.) DigiWorks 3D will allow you to view a representation of the multi-colored image by selecting certain Bit-Plane combinations. First, enter the IMAGE menu and activate the sub-menu item under PLANE listed as PLANE 2. Now go back to the PROJECT menu and reload the image again (Right Amiga L). When the image reloads, you will see that two of the circles are now showing. You can also see that the final circle is missing, and that it has disrupted the middle circle. since it is not always possible to know which Bit-Planes to turn on and which to leave off, you may need to experiment with different combinations. Also, the tow options listed at the top of the PLANE sub-menu set conditions which tell the programs how the various Bit-Planes will interact. (For a further description of Bit-Planes you can read the description of PLANE in Chapter 5: Reference.) 27 To bring the remainder of the image data into view you will have to again go to the PLANE sub-menu, this time turning on PLANE 3. Then, once again, re-load the image. This time you can see that three circles appear in the DigiWorks editing screen. If you had previously looked at the color image outside of the DigiWorks 3D program, you would be able to recognize the entire image has now been revealed. Depending on what type of color images you may be working with in the future, the PLANE options may be invaluable in manipulating your data. Threshold Now that the entire image data is displayed on the screen, we will look at two other functions listed in the IMAGE menu that help determine how the outline data is calculated and displayed. First, activate the menu item listed as THRESHOLD. A requester labeled Threshold will appear in the middle of the editing screen that has a default value of 1. Make the value 2, by backspacing over the original value and/or by using the delete key. After you have changed it, click on the OK button. Before going to the next step, take a good look at the image and its outline. Notice how the outline conforms fairly closely to the image. Specifically, look at the vertex and adjoining lines in the lower left-hand corner of the bottom triangle. You can see that the vertex has been placed one line higher than the exact corner of the image. After looking at the image closely, perform a RECALC (From the Project menu, or Amiga r). Again, look closely at the image. You can now see that the lower left-hand vertex of the bottom triangle is now further away from the triangle's exact corner. Also notice that the outlines around the three circles are not as accurately placed as before. However, with these apparent degradations in tracing quality, also comes a reduction in the number and frequency of extra or potentially unwanted vertices. There may be times when you need to increase the value in the THRESHOLD requester, either due to an image's poor quality, or possibly to conserve memory by creating an outline that will produce a smaller data file. Through much testing and use, we have found that the default THRESHOLD value of 1 is usually most appropriate. 28 Closure At this time, you should change the THRESHOLD value back to 1, and then perform another RECALC. With this done, we will look at the next function in the IMAGE menu called CLOSURE. This function determines how close together two vertices of an outline must be before they are consolidated into a single vertex. By activating the Closure command, you can see that the default value is set at 2 pixels. Before changing it, take a look at the left-hand corner of the upper triangle, and notice that is has a single vertex at that point. Now, change the value in the Closure requester to 1 and click on the OK button. Perform a RECALC and then take another look at the same point in the upper triangle. You will now see that there are two vertices side by side at that position, one of which is certainly not needed. There are actually a number of extra vertices along the outline that were not present when the Closure value was set at 2. If you would like to make any additional edits to this image, and/or save it in one of the 3D formats, now would be a good time. You may also wish to experiment with different CLOSURE values with the images that you load into DigiWorks 3D. You can gain different results in the automatic tracing function by changing both the CLOSURE and THRESHOLD values simultaneously. 29 Notes 30 Chapter 4: Forms of Input We would like to point out that two dimensional imagery is in abundance not only on the Amiga, but on computers in general. It is the nature of the machine that has dictated that we view everything on a two dimensional plane. Even when we are looking at "3D Graphics," we are still viewing it on a two dimensional screen. Fortunately though, this 2D constraint that we face has forced the invention of many sensational tools for representing images and data in two dimensions. Consider that most of the stunning 3D images that you have seen on various types of computer systems took incredible amounts of time and effort to create. It is the nature of the beast. Since the computer has to expend tremendous computing power to "render" a viewable two dimensional representation of three dimensional data, it has followed that someone, not the computer, had to "make up" the 3D data in the first place. We, however, believe that there is tremendous potential for using the vast two dimensional computing resources available to help the computer users create what would have once been considered complex 3D data. With those observations in mind, we hope that you will re-think the way you have traditionally used the computers two dimensional format, to now include the transformation of 2D data into workable 3D structures. And as was demonstrated in the Tutorial sections, two common types of 2D input include; digitized data and images from paint programs. Because of their importance and widespread use, that we have chosen to briefly elaborate on each one in this section. We have found that digitizing images, including line art (such as company logos), sets of letters, and other pictures that have definite contrasting outlines, is a simple and direct approach for converting 2D images into a 3D data format. In particular, the use of NewTek's Digi-View, has proven to be an inexpensive, but powerful tool for this task. if you choose to use a digitizing system such as this, we highly recommend that you heed their advice on proper lighting and the process of digitizing using only two colors. If done correctly, you will be able to quickly capture intricate images and then convert them into a 3D rendering format. Digitizing data for use with DigiWorks 3D can eliminate the need for ever having to mechanically trace, or manually recreate what you can plainly see. 31 Another great resource for input data to DigiWorks 3D is the output that comes from the many powerful Amiga paint programs in use today. Paint programs, unlike 3D modeling programs, have tools that are particularly suited for creating two dimensional images in a fast and easy manner. Whether you are working with amiga fonts in your favorite paint program, are creating freehand work that is of a most original nature, or are using popular clip art, you may very well have the data at your finger tips that is keenly suited for transformation into a 3d data format. 32 Chapter 5: Reference The intention of this chapter is to put needed information at your fingertips quickly and easily. If you have already completed the preceding tutorial sections then the majority of the material you will find on the following pages will be repeat information. There are five sections covered in the Reference Chapter. The first four cover the four program menu headings: Project, Edit, Image, and Output, while the fifth section covers DigiWorks' Hot Key shortcuts. Project Menu The PROJECT menu commands control the file operations of the program, as well as overall image and outline operations, and the selection of colors used throughout the program. The diagram below shows the PROJECT menu. Also, each menu item is subsequently listed with an explanation. Load Hot Key Combination: Amiga l The load requester is represented in the following diagram. You will notice that is has the heading; "Input pathname:". this distinguishes it from the SAVE and SNAPSHOT file requesters discussed later. With the Load requester, you can load RGB files, IFF images, and DigiWorks 3D SNAPSHOT files into the DigiWorks editing screen. After the image is loaded, the program automatically performs edge detection, and 2D edge and vertex generation. Pressing either mouse button during the trace operation will abort the trace. 33 IFF images other than those in the 640 x 200 format, are loaded and handled as follows: - Interlace: Every other line is dropped - HAM Mode: Planes 4 & 5 are not processed - 320 Resolution: Every horizontal pixel is doubled The DigiWorks file requester allows you to list the various files that are present on your disks, as well as the RAM disk, if one has been created. It has been designed so as to let you quickly search your disks and directories for a desired file, and to provide you with tools for easily adding or modifying directory and/or file names. The three areas of the requester that make up the pathname 'tree' are the "Device", "Drawer", and "File" gadgets. The Device gadget will display the location name of a disk, such as "df0:", as well as its actual name, such as "DigiWorks 3D". Clicking on either one will activate that disk and place its root (main) directory names in the Drawer gadget and list the files in the root directory in the File gadget list. To progress through 34 the 'directory tree' and view the contents of one of these directories, simply click on the directory name within the Drawer gadget, and the filenames in that directory will be listed in the File gadget area. Clicking on one of the filenames will cause the name to be placed in the pathname requester in the lower portion of the screen, so that the desired action can be taken. The various buttons on the right side of the file requester allow you to perform Amiga DOS operations without leaving the program. Please note that the commands "Delete", "Rename", and "Copy" are irrevocable. Parent: Clicking on this button returns you to the previous directory if there is one. Delete: Erases the file currently specified in the Pathname gadget. A requester will appear asking you to confirm or rescind this command. Rename: Allows you to rename the current file listed in the Pathname gadget. A Destination gadget will appear on the screen with the same path and filename listed as in the Pathname gadget. You can then type in the new name for the filename. The requester will then wait for you to either confirm this command by clicking on the EXECUTE button, or ignore it by clicking on the ABORT button. Copy: Allows you to make a duplicate of the file currently listed in the Pathname gadget. A Destination gadget will appear on the screen with the same path and filenames as is listed in the Pathname gadget. You can then type in the duplicate name for the file. The requester will then wait for you to either confirm this command by clicking on the EXECUTE button, or ignore it by clicking on the ABORT button. MakeDir: Allows you to create a new directory on any of the devices on your system, as well as within any current directory. A Destination gadget will appear on the screen with the same pathname as is currently listed in the Pathname gadget. You can then type in the new name for the directory you wish to create. The requester then waits for you to either confirm your selection by clicking on the EXECUTE button, or by clicking on the ABORT button. 35 SAVE Hot Key Combination: Amiga s The Save requester is essentially the same as the Load requester shown in the diagram above. However, the Save requester has the heading; "Output pathname:". The Save requester provides you with the functionality to be able to save your outline or 3D object data on any of the available disk devices on your system. A file saved, using the SAVE requester, will be saved by default in the Sculpt-Animate file format. This can be changed to the Turbo Silver format by checking the TURBO SILVER option in the OUTPUT FORMAT sub-menu under the OUTPUT menu. To gain a full understanding of the Save requester's operations and features, you will need to read the Load requester section above. SNAPSHOT Hot Key Combination: Amiga . The SNAPSHOT file requester operates in the same manner as the LOAD and SAVE requesters discussed above. The SNAPSHOT requester is distinguished from these other two file requesters by the heading "Snapshot pathname:" near the top left of the requester. Issuing the command SNAPSHOT will bring up this requester and then allow you to save the outline edges and vertices that make up your trace and/or freehand drawing. The data file is neither in the Sculpt-Animate nor Turbo Silver format, but a DigiWorks internal file format. Using the DigiWorks internal file format allows you to save your outline trace and/or drawn outline, with all of the current edits in tact, so that it can be reloaded into DigiWorks at a later time. This is very useful if you are not finished editing your outline, but need to quit the program at the present time. You may also wish to save a Snapshot before making a major editing change. If you have saved a snapshot of your outline and have exited the program or erased your original image, then you can reload the image you were working on, perform the ERASE EDGES command, and then use the LOAD requester to reload the SNAPSHOT outline over the current screen image. This procedure, coupled with the FILL IMAGE function, is also useful to visualize the progression of changes on a series of images on the editing screen. 36 REDRAW Hot Key Combination: Amiga w The Redraw command, when issued, will refresh the entire editing screen, by redisplaying an image and/or an outline, and discarding any Poly Fill lines or any unwanted stray pixels. Poly Fill lines are generated when the POLY FILL command is activated. COLOR Hot Key Combination: Amiga c The COLOR requester provides you with control over all 16 colors which are used through the menus, requester, and editing screen. The default colors are preset to provide a pleasing and effective display. The colors interact with one another to form certain types of data on your editing screen. For instance, the color of a vertex would be yellow if it is on top of both a line segment and an image, while it would be white if the line segment was not present. Since all 16 colors are used to convey unique information about the image, edges, and vertices, changing a color so that it is more appealing in a requester, may make a vertex, or edge very hard to detect on the editing screen. RECALC Hot Key Combination: Amiga r Issuing the RECALC command will automatically discard all lines, edges and vertices currently on the editing screen, and perform a re-trace of the image. ERASE All Hot Key Combination: Amiga e Edges Hot Key Combination: Amiga z ERASE ALL will clear the entire editing screen. If the AREA or INVERT commands have been used prior to an ERASE ALL, they remain in effect, should you load in another image. ERASE EDGES will eliminate all of the edges and vertices that are currently on the screen. 37 QUIT Hot Key Combination: Amiga Q Issuing this command will quit the program. You will not be prompted for further input. EDIT MENU The EDIT menu contains commands that give you direct control over edge and vertex placements. And, because these are the programs primary editing tools, the majority of your program time will likely be spent using these commands. We recommend that you become familiar with their operations by completing the Tutorial exercises in this manual. Memorizing the HOT KEY equivalents for these items can be of great benefit as well. INSERT Hot Key Combination: Amiga i When activated, this command will change the cursor into the INSERT tool that looks like the following diagram. | | | | ------ ------ | | | | Placing it over an outline edge and pressing and holding the left mouse button, will add a vertex that intersects the line at the cursor position. The cursor will disappear, indicating that the program is now in "MOVE" mode, and then the new vertex can be positioned anywhere. Releasing the left mouse button places the program and cursor back in "INSERT" mode. 38 DELETE Vertex Hot Key Combination: Amiga d Edges Hot Key Combination: Amiga = The DELETE VERTEX command will change the cursor to the tool that looks like the following diagram. \|/ --- --- /|\ With this tool, you can delete any vertex on the screen by placing the cursor over the vertex and clicking once with the left mouse button. The DELETE EDGES command allows you to delete any outline edge on the screen, without disturbing any vertices. It appears slightly different than the previous command tool, as can be seen in the diagram. MOVE Hot Key Combination: Amiga m The MOVE command is probably the most used tool in the DigiWorks program. By placing its cursor over a vertex, and pressing and holding down the left mouse button, you can re-position that vertex anywhere on the screen, simply by moving the mouse. The MOVE tool cursor appears as shown below. If the wrong vertex is inadvertently chosen, releasing the mouse button when the cursor is positioned over the Title Bar will abort the move operation, and will restore the vertex and adjoining edges to their prior position. | | ---- ---- | | 39 COORD Hot Key Combination: Amiga o Activating the COORD command will transform the cursor into a measuring tool. With this tool, you can measure the distance, in pixels, between any two screen points. Simply, move the cursor to the position of the first point, press and hold down the left mouse button, and then move the mouse so that the cursor is located over the second position. By following this procedure, you can measure the distance between vertices, outline edges, or images. CLOSE Hot Key Combination: Amiga j The CLOSE command was developed as a means for consolidating two or more vertices into one vertex. When this command is issued, a requester will appear that looks like the following. The default number of 2 which appears in the requester tells the program how close together the pixels must be before they are combined into one vertex. The default number can be changed to any integer number between 0 and 9. DRAW Hot Key Combination: Amiga k The DRAW command activates a tool that can at times be invaluable. With this tool, you can make single vertices, draw straight lines that are by themselves, or draw lines that are connected to other lines. Simply begin by placing the cursor over the screen position where you want to draw. Now, if you just want to make a single vertex, then click the left mouse button once, without moving the mouse during the click. 40 To draw a line, press and hold down the left mouse button and then move the mouse so that the cursor extends the line to your desired ending position. Then, release the left mouse and the ending vertex will be placed. To draw two or more connected lines you use a similar process. But instead of releasing the left mouse button to create the ending vertices, click the right mouse button when the cursor has been positioned properly. IMAGE MENU The IMAGE menu provides tools that control how your image appears on the editing screen, as well as functions that determine the nature of the automatic trace. A diagram of the IMAGE menu is shown below. INVERT Hot Key Combination: Amiga v The INVERT function inverts the value of every pixel on the editing screen. This menu item serves two purposes. When checked, the data being loaded is inverted. The second purpose is to interactively invert the image currently on the screen. This is accomplished by toggling the checkmark on for the INVERT menu item. (i.e. if it is already checked "on," you must toggle it off and then back on again). AREA Hot Key Combination: Amiga a The AREA function allows you to "box in" an area on the editing screen that contains the image data that you wish to work with. This command can be most efficiently used if activated following the loading of an image. The AREA specified will remain in effect throughout an editing session, unless another AREA is specified. Subsequent AREA commands will operate on the image as it exists on the editing screen. Loads will use the AREA as defined before the load process. ABS COORD Hot Key Combination: Amiga b Issuing the ABS COORD command will activate or de-activate the Absolute Coordinate values listed in the Title Bar. Absolute Coordinates give you the exact cursor position on the screen within the screen parameters of 639 by 199 pixels, 0 relative. The alternative to Absolute Coordinates is Relative Coordinates, which displays the differences between the current mouse/cursor position and the previous cursor position where the left mouse button was last activated. THRESHOLD Hot Key Combination: Amiga t The THRESHOLD value is one of the user definable controls that affects the program's automatic edge detection and tracing functions. It has a default value of 1 pixel, which can be lowered or raised. A higher value will tend to ignore stray pixels or jagged edges, but will do a poorer job of defining definite line direction changes, such as a 90 degree angles. 42 CLOSURE Hot Key Combination: Amiga ; The CLOSURE value is one of the user definable controls that affects the program's automatic edge detection and tracing functions. It has a default value of 2 pixels, and can be lowered or raised. The value represents how close together two vertices must be before they are consolidated into a single vertice. FILL IMAGE Hot Key Combination: Amiga g Activating the FILL IMAGE command will accurately fill in any outline that you currently have on the screen. First, the screen will be erased, and then the outline and the filled area will be re-displayed. This can be very useful when you are using the DRAW tool, and you want to fill in the area bounded by the outline. If you are editing an existing image and you invoke this command, the image will be discarded and a new image will be drawn, once again bounded by the current outline on the editing screen. PLANE Plane and Hot Key Combination: Amiga n Plane or Hot Key Combination: Amiga h Plane 1 Hot Key Combination: Amiga 1 Plane 2 Hot Key Combination: Amiga 2 Plane 3 Hot Key Combination: Amiga 3 Plane 4 Hot Key Combination: Amiga 4 Plane 5 Hot Key Combination: Amiga 5 The PLANE functions can be used to view various bit-planes that make up color images. The Planes used to determine color are determined by the input file's image palette. This set of menu items directs DigiWorks 3D to select appropriate color combinations for editing. By activating individual Bit-Planes, or combinations of Planes, DigiWorks 3D will be able to display image structures that are in the color image, even though the image will not appear in color on the DigiWorks editing screen. By checking the appropriate Plane options, a Boolean 'And' or 'OR' function is performed on the selected Planes. 43 OUTPUT MENU The OUTPUT menu contains commands and options that give you control over the data that is output when you perform a SAVE. Each of these have either a default value or condition. You may wish to change these values and conditions to meet specific needs of your object. Y SIZE Hot Key Combination: Amiga y The Y SIZE is a multiplier value used by DigiWorks to enlarge an object so that it will be appropriately sized and viewable once it is in the 3D rendering program. The default Y SIZE value is 10000. It can be lowered or raised. UNIFORM SIZE Hot Key Combination: Amiga u The UNIFORM SIZE option, which is checked on by default, guarantees that images of varying vertical heights, displayed on the DigiWorks editing screen at separate times, will be the same vertical size when saved in a 3D output format. This can be very useful when digitizing images, to compensate for differences in image sizes due to lens focus, camera distances, or other variables. ASPECT Hot Key Combination: Amiga p The ASPECT value has been pre-set at 2.31, which represents the ratio of an individual screen pixel's height and width. If you are using a standard Amiga monitor, this value will not need to be changed. As an example, its correct use will insure that a square drawn on the DigiWorks editing screen will be saved as a square and then loaded as such in a 3D rendering program. 44 POLY FILL Hot Key Combination: Amiga f The POLY FILL option will subdivide your outline into the necessary triangles required by most 3D rendering programs. When activated, the program will display within your outline the line segments that represent the various triangles. These lines are displayed for representation only, and are not accessible. Note, that you must have the POLY FILL option checked during the SAVE process if you want your Output file to be filled with polygons. If your outline has unclosed polygons, you will be warned of this when you activate the command. At that time you can decide to either cancel the operation, or proceed by filling the remaining closed polygons (outlines) if any. For ease of detection, the unclosed polygons are highlighted with a different color. EXTRUDE Hot Key Combination: Amiga x Activating the EXTRUDE command will bring to the screen the "2D to 3D Extrusion Options" requester. This requester allow you to define an exact value to be used in calculating the 3D extrusion depth. You can also manipulate the front and side colors and textures of the 3D object that is being generated. This requester is shown below. 45 The Face colors and textures can be manipulated by clicking on top of their respective text strings. The texture options correlate to the options within Sculpt-Animate, and include DULL, SHINY, MIRROR, LUMINOUS, GLASS, and METALLIC. Clicking on "Select Face Color" or "Select Side Color" will bring up a requester with slider bars which can be used to adjust the color. Simply choose the desired color and then click on the "OK" button. If you do not want to keep your current selection, you can click on "CANCEL" and the color will revert to either the default color of white, or to the most recent previously accepted color. When you have made the desired color, texture, and or extrusion value changes you can click on the "ACCEPT" button. If you want to use the program defaults, simply click on the "DEFAULT" button. Clicking on either of these two buttons will take you back to the DigiWorks editing screen. The extrusion parameters that you have just chosen will be implemented during the SAVE process. If you decide that you do not want to have your object extruded, then you will need to toggle off (so that there is no checkmark) the EXTRUDE menu item. OUTPUT FORMAT SCULPT 3D Hot Key Combination: Amiga \ TURBO SILVER Hot Key Combination: Amiga / The OUTPUT FORMAT sub-menu allows you to choose which 3D format you would like to use for saving your objects. The default is Sculpt 3D. Simply clicking with the left mouse button on Turbo Silver, or using its Hot Key equivalent, will change the selection. TITLE BAR When DigiWorks 3D is loaded, the first item to appear on the screen is the Title Bar. It contains the program name and version number, as well as it coordinate position box, and can be moved anywhere on the editing screen. It also contains the Back Gadget, on its far right side, which can be used to push the DigiWorks 3D editing screen to the back. 46 The Title Bar is also used as a means of aborting certain editing functions. This is accomplished by placing the cursor over top of the Title Bar, and releasing the left mouse button. Editing functions which can abort in this manner include: DELETE, MOVE, DRAW and AREA. 47 Hot Key Combinations Hot Key Combinations, which are sometimes referred to as "keyboard shortcuts", allow you to use key strokes in place of mouse initiated commands. The use of DigiWorks 3D's Hot Keys can save valuable editing time, especially if they are memorized and used frequently. All of these Hot Key Combinations use the Right Amiga Key in conjunction with another key. The following is a list of the available Hot Key Combinations. Hot Keys: Function: Amiga 1 Plane 1 Amiga 2 Plane 2 Amiga 3 Plane 3 Amiga 4 Plane 4 Amiga 5 Plane 5 Amiga . Snapshot Amiga = Delete Edges Amiga ; Closure Amiga \ Output Format - Sculpt 3D Amiga / Output Format - Turbo Silver 48 Hot Keys: Function: Amiga a Area Amiga b Absolute Coordinates Amiga c Color Amiga d Delete Vertex Amiga e Erase All Amiga f Poly Fill Amiga g Fill Image Amiga h Plane or Amiga i Insert Amiga j Close Amiga k Draw Amiga l Load Amiga m Move Amiga n Plane and Amiga o Coordinates Amiga p Aspect Amiga q Quit Amiga r ReCalc Amiga s Save Amiga t Threshold Amiga u Uniform Size Amiga v Invert Amiga w Redraw Amiga x Extrude Amiga y Y Size Amiga z Erase Edges 49 ============================================================================ DOCS PROVIDED BY -+*+-THE SOUTHERN STAR-+*+- for M.A.A.D. ============================================================================