Demo 1 and 2 - Thanks to Jose Ignacio Pertegaz (developed on Tracer 1)
Demo 3 Filled Shape and Bitmap Morphing Demo
B. Download and expand the example movies from the Tracer web site (address below) and view them using the Apple Quicktime Movie Player.
C. Now try this worked example: "Triangle to Square"
1. Draw a triangle with the Line/Arc Pen tool (Menu Draw/Line Arc Pen) using double click or the SPACE bar to lift the pen between contours).
2. Move to frame 2 (using View Menu/Next Frame)
3. Draw a square with the pen tool (or any other shape you like)
4. Return back to frame 1 (using View Menu/Previous Frame)
5. Select the Morph option in the Morph menu, press "OK"
6. Watch Triangle morph to Square
Try the following: change one of the frame's colours; make both "Filled Shapes"; re-size, reposition, rotate, copy frames by drag and drop (select the Frame/Frames menu option); insert curved lines (arcs); insert a nine-sided regular polygon; insert text shapes; save the morph results to file (by the Morph/Output-to-file command).
Read the "Tracer Help" under the HELP menu for a description of the controls. A Frequently Asked Questions document is available, email etchelon@kagi.com with subject "FAQ". By all means add your own question too!
System Requirements
Etchelon Tracer requires a colour Macintosh. It will run on both 68nnn and PowerPC systems. It has been tested on MacOS 7.5.5, 7.6.1, 8.0, 8.1 and 8.5 and should run on earlier systems. It requires at least 1.5Mb of RAM but allocating more space will allow more complex filled shape morphs. If limitations within the software are stopping you, let me know and I'll see what I can do!
Bug reports are welcome. Please send them to etchelon@kagi.com
Bugs and Version History
New Features in Version 2.5.1
Corrected memory leak on "Frame Size" command.
Corrected bug where frames more than 75% full suffered colour distortion during a morph
Selected object frame box now dotted rather than solid.
Minor corrections to Help text.
New Features in Version 2.5
Improved multi-layered animation facility (See Menu/Morph/Background Sequence)
- Animation frames can be drawn over a moving background.
- This functionality previously provided by separate Backgrounder program.
- Backgrounder program removed from Tracer Package.
New font to provide:
- single shape to improve morphing
- transparent holes within A,B,D,O,P,Q,R,4,6,8,9 characters and other symbols.
Selected objects can be moved with arrow keys.
Selected lines can be converted into dotted or dashed lines. (Dashed lines are drawn solid during a morph).
Selected objects can be individually inverted and mirrored (as well as the whole frame).
Cursor position now displayed during object insertion.
Several bugs with Output-to-file selection and operation corrected.
Windows no longer disappear behind main drawing window.
Improvements to Move Trace Image function.
Bug associated with deleting lines removed.
Problem with re-draw after closing windows corrected.
Correction of bug which stopped the correct height of text being selected.
Version 2.4.1
Optimization of new Fill algorithm - version 2.4 was quite slow for small circles.
Correction of frame re-size bug which sometimes stopped the command palette being redrawn.
Selection of shapes when in zoom mode or during no "Display Filled Shapes" view option, now possible.
Version 2.4
New Fill algorithm which allows complex Arc shapes.
Shapes can be selected by clicking anywhere on shape.
Lines can be selected by clicking anywhere on the line.
Point edit mode is entered directly when a point is clicked.
When window is larger than drawing frame, the frame is centralised in the window.
Improvements to colour/fill window and revised colour table.
Version 2.3
New Colour/Fill window - easier access to colour picker.
HELP screens and main screen can viewed at the same time.
Option click on HELP window closes all HELP windows.
Menu options enabled/disabled appropriately.
Selected items can now be deleted with delete keys and CLEAR menu item.
Save, Don't Save or Cancel options.
Version 2.1, 2.2, 2.2.1, 2.2.2
Bitmap morphs off screen/on-screen improved
(Bitmap image remains in proportion rather than compressed)
Appearance improvements for MacOS 7.n
Help now available from Help Menu.
Memory leak (which affects 2.0, 2.1 and 2.2) fixed in version 2.2.1
SHIFT forward frame copies current frame data to next frame.
Window re-size separated from frame re-size.
Version 2.0
Bitmap Morphing
- Shapes can be inherit the underlying Trace Image bitmap, or
- Shapes can be "holes" to the background image
New Morph Control Window
New Pen - the Freedom Tool - the old Pen has been renamed as the "Line/Arc Pen"
All co-located points are now moved during point-edit mode
Progress bar during morph
Program now re-loads Trace Images automatically
Move Trace Image now also achieved by mouse drag action
Frame size is set by Frame Size and not by changing Window Size
Objects can now be properly inserted in zoom mode.
Version 1.6, 1.6.1 & 1.6.2
New "Move Trace Image" function.
Version 1.5, 1.5.1, 1.5.2
Onion-skin command.
Star objects (from 4 - 20 pointed stars).
New Background function
Version 1.3, 1.4, 1.4.1
Ability to reduce size of output animation.
Morph any-frame-to-any-frame control through the Frame Navigator.
More colours allowed per frame.
Colour and fill commands combined into a new window.
Version 1.1, 1.2, 1.2.1
New feature: Text Shapes.
Version 1.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.0.3
Versions before 1.0.3 have bugs associated with the CLOSE and SAVE commands .
Licensing
Etchelon Tracer is licensed for use for 30 days after which time you should be expected to pay the registration fee. The registration fee is inexpensive and easily paid through the Kagi payment system which includes on-line payment. Registration information can be found in the file "Tracer Registration". Assuming that you wish to support Shareware for the Macintosh platform and you do not want to register for any reason, please email etchelon@kagi.com with that reason - it may change our future programming efforts!
Etchelon Tracer can be freely distributed providing that this file and all programs are not changed and also included in the distribution. The correct operation of this program cannot be guaranteed.
New versions can be found at:
http://website.lineone.net/~andy.pritchard
If you are pleased with any work you've developed using Etchelon Tracer and want to share it with other Tracer users, send a Tracer data file to me at etchelon@kagi.com and I'll put it on my web page.
Etchelon Tracer for Macintosh (c)1998 Andy Pritchard
