Automated DCTV Animation Maker Copyright 1991 by Daniel J. McCoy Introduction Amiga users have always enjoyed being able to produce animations in the native resolutions. Up to now, the HAM format has been the best you could get and had certain limitations and quirks. Today, new output devices permit higher resolutions and more colors available than the native Amiga display modes. One such product is DCTV by Digital Creations. DCTV is a display device that allows one to display to any composite output device with the resolution and color capabilities as that of NTSC. Also, since DCTV's file format is a modified IFF type, you can use any of the available programs to view and construct both still images and animations in NTSC color! Although animations are possible, it hasn't been easy. Most of the available products that save out to the new IFF 24 bit file format and don't directly support DCTV's own format (Scenery Animator by Natural Graphics is an exception). You must first convert the IFF24 or Impulse's RGB8 format to DCTV's format using either the full DCTV software or their IFFTODCTV CLI based conversion software. When having a program generate multiple frames for an animation, these IFF24 or RGB8 files can consume large amounts of file storage space. Once the program is done generating, THEN you can convert the multitudes of frames and compile an animation using Deluxe Paint by Electronic Arts or the programs available publicly like MakeAnim. Not only can this take a lot of time, it is also tedious! Several people, myself included, have written either ARexx scripts or AmigaDOS scripts that help automate this task. These scripts can wait for a frame to be generated and convert them to DCTV's format once completed and then generate the animation for you once the last frame is converted. This allows you to render to RAM: (saving lots of file space and speeding up the rendering time) and save only the DCTV images. ARexx and AmigaDOS scripts are fine for those comfortable with the CLI environment. Others wish for a user interface of some sort. Enter ADAM. ADAM was constructed using CanDo 1.5 by INNovatronics. Without having any Amiga programming knowledge whatsoever, you can make complete applications that are freely distributable and even sellable! One drawback is that you either need the CanDo.library or you have CanDo tack on this library to your application, make it at least 128K in size. Since most people dealing with animations already have many megabytes of memory, this shouldn't cause grief (and if it does, either buy more memory, wait for me to write this in C or by all means, do it yourself!). ADAM will wait for Imagine (Impulse), LightWave (NewTek) or VistaPro (Virtual Reality Lab) to generate frames, converting them to DCTV frames using IFFTODCTV, storing the DCTV frames where you want them, either moving or deleting the original 24 bit file, and even creates an animation once the last frame is converted using MakeAnim. You also have the capability of having ADAM wait for one specific frame over and over again to try out settings in the rendering program. The picture is displayed using a IFF view of your choice (as long as it's named SHOW) once completed and the wait continues until you abort it. ADAM isn't limited to waiting for Imagine, LightWave and VistaPro. You could have files you need to convert already complete. Tell ADAM where they are and what the source program is and let it convert and construct an ANIM for you. Requirements * Any Amiga with the requirements the rendering program. ADAM works under Kickstart 1.3 and 2.0. * You need the following in the directory ADAM is in or in your C: directory. * IFFTODCTV from Digital Creations. * MakeAnim by Right Answers, Inc. * ANY IFF viewing program as long as it is named SHOW in the directory. * CanDo.library in your Libs: directory OR use ADAM-FULL that has the CanDo.library embedded in the application. Installing ADAM To install ADAM, all you need to do is drag either the drawer icon to the directory you would like it in or drag the application (ADAM if you have CanDo 1.5 installed, ADAM-Full if you don't) where you want it. Don't forget to have IFFTODCTV, MakeAnim, and a program called SHOW in your C: directory or in the directory with ADAM. Using ADAM To use ADAM, simply click on the icon or call it from CLI. A screen should pop up. You will see three separate sections. I'll start with the section in the top left hand corner of the screen. -> Source Program The button to the right of this text is the program you are using to generate frames. Imagine, LightWave and VistaPro are supported. Simply click on the Source Program button to cycle through the three different options. You will notice other fields may change when you cycle through. -> Input Path Input Path is the path and base file name your source program is saving the frames to. Clicking on the button pulls out a CanDo file requestor that allows you to specify this path and base file name. Clicking on the text field to the right of this button allows you to bypass the file requestor and enter what you want. One note here. Imagine saves out frames with a base file name of "pic." with "0001" appended to indicate frame one. You don't have to enter in "pic." and ADAM will filter out any file name entry. It will only accept the path. LightWave and VistaPro allow a base file name to be entered. You will need to enter this base file name in either the file requestor or text field. Don't include the frame numbers or ADAM will look for the wrong file name. -> Output Path This is the path where IFFTODCTV will save the DCTV files to. Clock on the button for a file requestor or enter the path in the text field to the right of the button. -> Move Path This path entry is used when the "Move Frames When Done" option is selected. Your original 24 bit frames will be moved to the path specified after conversion allowing you to render to RAM: and save the 24 bit frame where you want. Press the Move Path button for the file requestor or use the text field to the right. -> Anim Path This path and file name entry is used to tell MakeAnim where to put the animation you can have ADAM generate. Just as the above path options, press the button for a file requestor or use the text field on the right. Remember to specify a file name. -> Start This numeric entry is the start frame to have ADAM wait for. This should be the same start frame as the program you are using to render the frames. -> End This numeric entry is the end from that ADAM will stop waiting at. This should be the same as the end frame as the program you are using or whatever you want. It can't be less than Start. -> Step This numeric entry is use to indicate the step rate the program is using. A value of 1 means that frames are created in increments of 1. By specifying 2, your program may start from frame 1 and go to frame 17 and skip the even frames. Now for the box on the upper right corner. These are the parameters used for IFFTODCTV. -> Screen (Presets) Selecting this button cycles through preset heights and widths. To the right of the button are two more buttons, one with a "<" character, the other with a ">" character. Clicking on either will cycle the presets down or up respectively. The presets are: HiRes Lace OScan = 704 x 482 (High res, interlace, normal overscan) HiRes Lace SOscan = 736 x 482 (High res, interlace, severe overscan) HiRes Lace HOScan = 704 x 400 (High res, interlace, horizontal overscan) HiRes Lace SHOScan = 736 x 400 (High res, lace, severe horiz overscan) HiRes Lace VOScan = 640 x 482 (High res, interlace, vertical overscan) HiRes Lace = 640 x 400 (High res, interlace) HiRes OScan = 704 x 241 (High res, normal overscan) HiRes SOScan = 736 x 241 (High res, severe overscan) HiRes HOScan = 704 x 200 (High res, horizontal overscan) HiRes SHOScan = 736 x 200 (High res, severe horizontal overscan) HiRes VOScan = 640 x 241 (High res, vertical overscan) HiRes = 640 x 200 (High res) The Width and Height fields and Interlace button are set when cycling through the presets. -> Width This numeric entry specifies the screen width IFFTODCTV will save the file to. Limits are : 640 to 736. Once a value is entered, it is compared against the presets. A match in both width and height will set the preset text. No match results in "Custom" being displayed. -> Height This numeric entry specified the screen height IFFTODCTV will save the file to. Limits are 200 to 241 with the Interlace turned off, 400 to 482 with Interlace turned on. Like Width above, a value entered here is compared against the presets. If a match is found, the preset text will be set to appropriate preset text. No match results in "Custom" being displayed. -> Interlace This toggle button is used to toggle interlace on and off. The Preset text will change if required. -> Bit Planes IFFTODCTV can save the DCTV frame in either 3 bit planes or 4. The defaults is 4. -> Filter This tells the IFFTODCTV program to filter out bad color values that don't look right under NTSC. The default is ON. -> Center This tells the IFFTODCTV program to center the frames instead of aligning the frame to the top left corner. The default is OFF. Now for the third and last box... -> Delete frames when done? With this box selected, ADAM will delete the original frame once the conversion is done. Of course, when this box isn't selected, the original files are left intact. -> Move frames when done? With this box selected, ADAM will move the original frame to the path specified with the Move Path button or text field. This allows you to render to RAM:, saving time, and then moving the original frame for later use. -> Continuous Start frame show? With this box selected, ADAM will convert the original frame and then call SHOW to display the DCTV image once the Start frame is complete. This allows you to have ADAM sit in the background waiting for the Start frame so you can try out settings in the rendering program. Once the frame is rendered, ADAM has the frame converted and shown and the waiting process begun again so you can continue to fine tune settings. Note that either Delete frames or Move frames MUST be selected in order to use this option. If this option is selected and you select both Delete and Move frame is deselected, this option will automatically be deselected. -> Do NOT convert when done? If you don't want to convert the 24 bit files just yet, select this option. This allows you to render to RAM and move the files elsewhere without converting the frames to DCTV format. -> Generate ANIM when done? If you want ADAM to call MakeAnim once the last frame is complete, select this option. Do have a path and file name specified as mentioned above (see: Anim Path). -> Looping ANIM? This instructs MakeAnim to create a looping animation by tagging the first two frames to the end of the animation. -> Delete DCTV frames? Selecting this instructs ADAM to delete all DCTV frames once the animation generation process is complete leaving only the animation. At the bottom of the screen, there are two buttons, one on each side. Quit will quit ADAM. DO IT! tells ADAM to start doing it's job! A requestor will come up giving the status. Select Abort to tell ADAM to stop. That's it! Use this and sit back while creating animations! ADAM is shareware and may be distributed anywhere. I reserve all rights to this program and can't be held liable for the use of this program. If you wish to distribute this commercially, please contact me prior to doing so. Send whatever you think this deserves (be it money or programs you have written you find useful) to the address below. Daniel McCoy 13324 Aetna Street Van Nuys, CA 91401 I can also be reached on the following systems: CompuServe : 73617,2626 Bix : dmccoy Portal : Daniel James McCoy (I've GOT to change the name to just Dan McCoy or something!) and I frequently call the following BBS: Mike's Video House : (818) 240-1593 or (818) 240-5769 Those with DCTVs and a modem and don't mind the toll call, call The Summit at 1-916-649-3288, a hangout for many other DCTV owners with tons of worthwhile messages and files. All products are registered with their respective company. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Software Changes: 0.20 - Initial release to the public. 0.21 - Changes have been made here and there... * You no longer have to append a "/" when entering a path using the text field instead of the requestor. * Screen to back (BACK) button in the DO IT! requestor. * Change made to how the status in the DO IT! requestor is displayed. Most of my debugging was under 2.0. Under 2.0, the screen refreshing is quicker than under 1.3. Once I saw the speed 1.3 (or lack thereof) was displaying the text, I HAD to change it! * Some cleanup and removal of unneeded routines in CanDo. * "SYS:C/" was added to DOS function calls DELETE and COPY just in case the path to C: is not defined. * When doing VistaPro conversions, the Status window wouldn't display that it was at frame 0. Fixed... 0.22 - * ADAM no longer opens up on a custom screen. It'll open up on WorkBench instead. Not everyone has either 2.0 or utilities that permit screen flipping with the Right-Amiga-M combination. When ADAM is waiting and you select the BACK button, ADAM WOULD disappear however you may not have been able to get back to ADAM's screen! This shouldn't happen any more. Simply click the backgadget as you would any normal window. ADAM will determine which Intuition version you are running and attempt to make the embossed interface look correctly under 1.3 though the gadgets won't look that great under 1.3 since I can't control those colors like text colors. * DCTV Default button now replaced with a rollo gadget permitting the user to flip between presets. Two other gadgets to the right of the rollo gadget cycle down or up through the presets. A change in the Width or Height fields or the Interlace button may change the preset text in the rollo button if the values match a preset or "Custom" will be displayed.