PC Shareware 2000 January/PCShareware-1-00.iso/s3d/SIMPLY3D/DOCS/UG_ANIM.DP

Common Ground | 1995-02-17 | 129.9 KB | 643 lines

)CGDC
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The Animation Designer
GRenderize Live EZ supports full camera animation.  When an animation is
*2Ogenerated, the position and orientation of the camera is updated in each frame.
*2MIn addition, the camera's field of view is updated, so the lens optics can be
*2Hchanged during an animation.  You can also "mount" a light source on the
*2;camera such that it will move with it during the animation.
*AMAn animation is defined using a series of "keyframes".  Each keyframe defines
*2Ja camera position in space.  Any view resource can act as a keyframe in an
*2Nanimation.  Usually, all of the keyframes in a given animation are the same in
*2Jall respects except that the camera position is different from keyframe to
*2    keyframe.
*ALThe Animation Designer window is used to "queue up" a series of keyframes to
*2Fdefine an animation path.  The total number of frames in the animation
*2Kdetermines the length of that animation, and the amount of distance between
*2Hany two keyframes determines the speed at which the camera moves between
those two positions.
The Animation Resource Icon
*cQAnimation resources are different from other project resources in that they don't
*2Pappear as icons until you begin to define an animation.  That is, you won't find
*2Ha "default" animation resource icon on the interface.  You must open the
*2GAnimation Designer by selecting the Edit, Animation command on the Menu
*2NBar, then select Save on the Animation Designer to generate an animation icon.
*AMOnce an animation is created, the animation icon appears in the View Resource
*2JPalette.  This icon differs from normal view icons in that it has the word
*2I"Anim" written across it.   However, like other resource icons, it can be
*2?dragged and dropped into command wells on the Project Designer.
*AFWhen an animation icon is dropped into the View Well, the animation is
*2Kloaded into the Project Designer viewport and the viewport changes to a Top
*2Jview.  If the Path option is enabled on the Animation Designer, the camera
*2Mpath is displayed in the viewport; if the Angle option is enabled, the camera
*2&angle at each frame is also displayed.
*AKWith an animation icon dropped into the View Well, you can now drop it into
*2Mthe Move Well to edit the animation path and execute wireframe animations for
*2Epreview purposes.  When you drop an animation into the Move Well, the
*2HAnimation Toolbox is displayed, with commands that control the animation
path.
*AKThe "Anim" animation icon can also be dropped into the Edit Well to re-open
*2 the Animation Designer Window.
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Opening the Animation Designer
*cHThe first time you open the Animation Designer window, you must do so by
*2Hselecting  the Edit, Animation command from the Menu Bar.  Once you have
*2Jdefined an animation and saved it (using the Save command on the Animation
*2JDesigner), an animation icon appears in the View Resource Palette, and the
*2HAnimation can subsequently be opened by dropping this icon into the Edit
Well.
"Defining an Animation: an Overview
*cKDefining an animation is done by creating two or more views, then assigning
*2Mthese views as "keyframes" so that they define a camera path.  Once the basic
*2Qcamera path has been set, it can be fine-tuned using a variety of features in the
*2FAnimation Designer windows and on the Animation Toolbox on the Project
Designer window.
*ANThe basic steps involved in defining an animation are defined in this section.
*2MThe use of each specific interface entity on the Animation Designer window is
*2<discussed in the Animation Designer Interface section below.
Create Views
*PHViews are used as keyframes in an animation.  These keyframes define the
*2Nbasic path of the camera.  Keyframe views are created in the same way as other
*2Mviews, using a combination of a camera position, objects and lights organized
in 3D space.
*ANUsually, each of the views that are created as keyframes should share the same
*2Nobject and lighting information: only the camera location changes from view to
*2Pview.  Therefore after you create your first view, you can simply copy that view
*2Kand change the camera position for each of the subsequent keyframe views in
the animation.
*ALThere are several ways to copy views.  First, you can load the view into the
*2HView Designer window, assign a new name to the view, then press the Save
*2Lbutton to save a new copy of the view under this name.  Or, you can point to
*2Mthat view's resource icon and hold down the right mouse button to display the
*2Ipop-down menu for that icon, then select the Copy option on that pop-down
*2Jmenu and a new name will be assigned to the copied view by default.  After
*2Ncopying a view, make that view current in the viewport, then drag and drop the
*2Fview into the Move Well to enable the Move Toolbox commands for camera
manipulation.
*AFThe Animation Designer includes a command to facilitate the process of
*=(creating keyframes.  When you press the
$ button, the view that is current in
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tKthe viewport is copied, and the copied view is made current in the View and
*26Move Wells so that the camera position can be changed.
*AMThe keyframe views can be created "on the fly" as you define an animation, or
*2<they can be created before you begin to define an animation.
*d%Determine the Length of the Animation
*PKThe length of an animation is determined by the number of frames.  The time
*2Llength of an animation depends on the speed at which frames are played back.
*2JStandard video displays 30 frames per second to achieve a smoothly flowing
*2Lanimation.  Therefore, to display 10 seconds of smooth video animation, your
*20animation would need to be 300 frames in length.
 Number of Frames
/ type-in is used to determine the length of the
tBanimation.  Just type in the total number of frames and press the
 button
t+beside the type-in to execute the change.
Assign Views as Keyframes
*PMAfter creating a series of two or more views with different camera locations,
*2Iyou can begin defining an animation.  The views are assigned to different
*2Mframes in the animation as keyframes.  The order in which keyframes appear in
*2Gthe list for frames, and the distance (in frames) between each keyframe
*2Hdetermines the camera path and the speed at which the camera moves along
that path.
*AJTo add a view as a keyframe, first select the frame number on the Keyframe
*2FList where you wish the keyframe to be assigned, and that frame number
*2Ibecomes highlighted.  Now drag the desired keyframe view from the list of
*2Kviews in the Animation Designer and drop it into the Set Key Well below the
*2LKeyframe List.  That view's name now appears at the selected position in the
Keyframe List.
*AKRepeat the process of assigning keyframe views to locations on the Keyframe
*2LList to determine the desired camera path, and the speed at which the camera
*2Imoves along the path.  The fewer frames between keyframes, the faster the
*2Fcamera will move between these frames.  To modify the number of frames
*20between keyframes, use the Resize Range type-in.
*ALIf after defining an animation you wish to increase the number of keyframes,
*2Lyou can create new keyframes at specified frame positions using the commands
*2/in the Animate Toolbox on the Project Designer.
*d"Select the Desired Range of Frames
*PKHighlight the frames in the Keyframe List that you wish to display, edit or
*2Qanimate.  To select all of the frames in the current animation, simply select the
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K button on the Animation Designer and all frames will be highlighted in the
Keyframe List.
*AJTo select a range of frames, either drag the mouse in the Keyframe List to
*3(highlight the desired range, or use the
Range From
 type-ins to define the first
Fand last frame of the range that you wish to display, edit or animate.
*d Display and Edit the Camera Path
*PJOnce the keyframes have been assigned, a camera path is created.  That is,
*2ORenderize Live EZ creates a spline (a curved line) that runs through all of the
*2Ocamera positions as defined in the keyframes.  This spline can be displayed and
*2(edited in the Project Designer viewport.
*ANTo display a camera path in the Project Designer viewport, first make sure the
*2PPath option is selected in the Display area of the Animation Designer: this will
*2Mensure that the animation path is displayed.  In addition, you can select the
*2KAngle option to display the camera angle (lens optics) at each frame of the
*2Manimation.  After enabling at least the Path option, save the animation using
*2,the Save button on the Animation Designer.
*ALNow drag and drop the animation icon from the View Resource Palette into the
*2JView Well.  When you drop an animation in the View Well, Renderize Live EZ
*2Lchanges to the Top viewport display and shows the camera path.  Keyframes in
*2?the path are indicated with frame numbers highlighted in red.
*ALOnce an animation is current in the viewport (loaded into the View Well), it
*2Jcan be dropped into the Move Well.  When you drop an animation in the Move
*2HWell an Animate Toolbox appears, displaying commands to step through the
*2Panimation, edit the curve of the spline that defines the camera path, and create
*2#additional intermediary keyframes.
*AKThe use of the commands in the Animate Toolbox are described in full in the
Project Designer chapter.
Preview the Animation
*PIThe buttons on the Animate Toolbox also includes commands to step through
*2Mthe animation sequence, or play that sequence in its entirety.  These buttons
*2Gallow you to preview the animation in a wireframe mode, either from the
*24camera view or from one of the orthographic views.
Generate the Animation
*^6Once you have defined an animation, simply select the
 button to begin
Fgenerating the animation.  When you select this command a File Browser
*2Gappears, and you are prompted to set a drive, path and filename for the
animation.
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tNThe animation is rendered according to the aspect ratio and resolution defined
*2Kin the Render to File area of the Render Toolbox, up to a maximum animation
*2Joutput resolution of 320x240.  In addition, all rendering options that are
*2Hselected in the Render Toolbox are in effect during the generation of an
animation sequence.
 The Animation Designer Interface
*cKThis section details each of the commands in the Animation Designer Window.
*2BHowever, many of these commands are interrelated.  The Defining an
*2GAnimation section, above, explains how the individual commands are used
*2)together to define an animation sequence.
The Keyframe List
*POLocated on the left side of the Animation Designer, the Keyframe List displays,
*2Min sequential order, all of the frames in the current animation sequence (the
*2Ntotal number of frames in this list, and hence in the animation, is determined
using the
Number of Frames
 type-in).
tLKeyframes are added to this list at intervals to determine the camera's path
*2Kduring an animation, as well as the speed at which the camera moves between
*2Leach of the keyframes.  The camera path is determined by the camera position
*2Kin each of the keyframe views, and the order in which these views appear on
the keyframe list.
*AKTo add a keyframe to the Keyframe List, first highlight the frame number on
*2Pthe list where you wish to insert a keyframe.  Next, drag the view that you wish
*2Gto use as a keyframe and drop it into the Set Key Well on the Animation
*2NDesigner.  This view is now assigned as a keyframe at the highlighted position
on the Keyframe List.
*AHThe number of frames between each keyframe determines the speed at which
*2Nthe camera moves between the positions represented in each keyframe.  If there
*2Fare 10 frames between two keyframes, the camera will move more quickly
*2Nbetween these two camera positions than if there are 20 frames between the two
*2Ikeyframes.  If after setting keyframes you decide to change the number of
*36frames between two keyframes, you can do so using the
Resize Range From
type-in.
The Set Key Well
*PKLocated directly below the Keyframe List, the Set Key Well is the well into
*2Kwhich view resources are dropped to inset them as keyframes on the keyframe
*2Nlist.  As described above, simply highlight a position on the Keyframe List by
*2Jhighlighting the desired frame number, then drag and drop the desired view
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Iinto this well.  That view is inserted as a keyframe at the current frame
*2    position.
The Copy Current View button
KThe easiest way to define an animation is to create one "master" view, then
*2Hcopy this view and change the camera position in each copy to create the
*2Odesired number of keyframes.  This button facilitates the creation of keyframes
*2#by executing several steps at once.
*AKBefore using this button, an animation must exist in the View Well, and the
*2Jview that you wish to copy must exist in the Move Well.  Then, select this
*2Lbutton, and the current view in the Move Well is copied, and the new copy is
*20placed int he Move Well, ready for manipulation.
*AONotice that this new copy is not yet added to the animation.  You must add this
*2Kview into the desired position of the Keyframe List in order to add it as a
keyframe in the animation.
The Number of Frames Type-in
*PLIndicate the total number of frames in the current animation.  The number of
*2Kframes that you set determines the length of the animation.  The higher the
*2Qnumber you enter, the longer the animation is, but it also takes longer to render
all of these frames.
*AKGenerally, you need to display 30 frames per second of video to generated a
*2Jsmooth looking animation.  If you know how long you want your animation to
*2Pbe in terms of time, multiply the total number of seconds by 30 to determine the
*2;number of frames you need to generate and enter that value.
*O,After entering the desired value, press the
 button beside this type-in to
Kupdate the Keyframe List.  The list will now contain the selected number of
frames.
The Range From Type-in
*PQSelect the range of frames that you wish to display, edit or animate.  Only those
*2Jframes that are highlighted are manipulated, so you must select a range of
*21frames before you can do anything of consequence.
*ANThe frames that are selected appear highlighted in the Keyframe List.  When an
*2Manimation is loaded into the Project Designer viewport, the animation path is
*2Mcalculated only for those frames that are highlighted.  In addition, when you
press the
< button to generate an animation, only those frames that are
+highlighted will be generated and rendered.
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tHTo select all of the frames in the current animation, simply select the
tLbutton that appears beside the Range From type-in, and all the frames in the
Keyframe List are highlighted.
*ALTo select a range of frames to animate, you can either drag the mouse in the
*39Keyframe List to highlight the desired range, or use the
Range From
     type-ins
tQto define the first and last frame of the range that you wish to display, edit or
animate.
The Resize Range From Type-in
*PLUse this type-in to insert or remove frames between keyframes.  This is very
*2Luseful to fine-tune the pace of an animation sequence.  If you find that the
*2Jcamera moves too quickly between two keyframes, you can insert a number of
*2Nframes between these keyframes to increase the time it takes for the camera to
*2 travel between these two points.
*ALBefore you use this command, you must highlight a frame or a range of frames
*2Kon the Keyframe List.  To highlight frames on the Keyframe List, point to a
*2Gframe on the list and drag the left mouse button to expand the range of
*2Khighlighted frames.  The number of frames that are highlighted is displayed
next to the
Resize range from
y     type-in.
tNThe value that you enter in the Resize range from type-in indicates the number
*2Mof frames that will replace the highlighted frames.  For example, if you have
*2Lhighlighted one frame in the Keyframe List and you enter a value of 5 in the
*2PResize range from type-in, the single highlighted frame will be replaced by five
*2Lframes, for a net increase of four frames.  If you highlight 5 frames in the
*2OKeyframe List and enter a value of 5 in this type-in, there is no net change.
The Display Options
*PHWhen an animation is displayed in the Project Designer viewport, you can
*2Kenable or disable the display of the animation path and the camera angle at
*2$each of the points in the animation.
)SA option in the Display area of the Animation Designer enables the
tHdisplay of the camera path when the animation is loaded into the Project
*2MDesigner viewport.  Usually you will want to leave this option enabled so you
*2<can see the animation path that is displayed for the camera.
 Angle
)tA option in the Display area of the Animation Designer enables the
tKdisplay of the camera's view angle at each frame in the animation.  This is
*2Hespecially useful if you are changing the camera's view angle during the
animation sequence.
Length
@type-in in the Display area of the Animation Designer allows you
tQto determine the length of the lines that represent the camera direction and lens
*2Langle when viewing an animation in the Project Designer viewport.  Sometimes
*2Sit is useful to draw these lines long in order to better understand what is falling
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Kwithin the camera's field of view.  However, at other times these lines can
*2Dbecome overwhelming, obfuscating the display of the animation in the
*2    viewport.
The Spline Slack Type-in
*PHThe value in this type-in determines the amount of slack between any two
*2Jkeyframes.  The more slack that exists between two keyframes, the more you
*2@can manipulate the curve of the spline between these two points.
*AMThe slack value can be set anywhere between 0 and 2.  The default value is 1.
*2PValues less than 1 create a "tauter" line between keyframes; values greater than
*2Ocreate a looser line between keyframes.  The more slack that exists between any
*2Ltwo keyframes, the more the curve of the spline can be altered between these
two points.
*ANThe Slack value that you set here only takes affect over those frames that are
*2Kcurrently highlighted in the Keyframe List.   As soon as you change a Slack
*2Nvalue, that change is implemented over the highlighted range of the animation.
*ANIn addition, you can duplicate a Slack setting over another range of frames by
*=Ehighlighting the desired range in the Keyframe List and pressing the
Ibutton.  The highlighted frames will now take on the current Slack value.
The Reset Tangents Button
w    tHp
w    tHw
w    tHwp
    wwtDDGw
tDDGww
w    tHwp;3
w    tHw
w    tHp;
JWhen a camera animation path is defined using keyframes, Renderize Live EZ
*2Hautomatically connects the keyframes with a curved line, or spline.  The
*2Hamount that the spline curves between keyframes depends on the amount of
slack
)\I in the spline.  The way in which the spline curves around these keyframe
Lpoints is controlled by changing the direction of the tangent lines at these
*=Lkeyframe positions.  The direction of tangent lines is controlled using the
, commands on the Move Toolbox for animation.
FWhen you first create an animation, Renderize Live EZ sets the tangent
*2Npositions to generate a smooth spline curve throughout the animation path.  To
reset the tangents, select the
1 button.   This is useful to recalculate tangents
w    tHp
w    tHw
w    tHwp
    wwtDDGw
tDDGww
w    tHwp;3
w    tHw
w    tHp;
Jafter changing keyframe positions, or if you have edited tangent positions
*20manually and are not satisfied with the results.
*AMWhen this button is selected, the slack between the keyframes is also updated
*24according to the current value in the Slack type-in.
*ACThis command only takes affect over those frames that are currently
*2Mhighlighted in the Keyframe List.   Therefore, be sure to select the range of
*2Dframes whose curve you wish to redraw before selecting this command.
Note: if you select the
Loop to Beginning
u"option (discussed below), you must
select
2 to recalculate the tangents based on this option.
w    tHp
w    tHw
w    tHwp
    wwtDDGw
tDDGww
w    tHwp;3
w    tHw
w    tHp;
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The Loop to Beginning Option
*POSelect this option to modify the curve of the animation spline at the first and
*2Olast keyframes in order to optimize the animation path for a looping animation.
*90After you select this option you must press the
 button to execute the
w    tHp
w    tHw
w    tHwp
    wwtDDGw
tDDGww
w    tHwp;3
w    tHw
w    tHp;
change.
*AOThis option does not automatically create a looping animation.  To do this, the
*2Efirst frame and the last frame in the animation should share a common
*2Lkeyframe.  This option simply changes the Slack value that you set here only
*2Mtakes affect over those frames that are currently highlighted in the Keyframe
*2LList.   As soon as you change a Slack value, that change is implemented over
*2'the highlighted range of the animation.
*AJKeyframe tangents are discussed in the Editing an Animation in the Project
*20Designer Viewport section later in this chapter.
The Skip Frames Type-in
*POThe value that you enter in this type-in tells Renderize Live EZ to skip frames
*2Qwhen rendering the animation to disk file.  This is useful to speed the rendering
*2Kprocess by rendering fewer frames so that you can quickly generate a "rough
cut" or a storyboard animation.
*ANThe default value here is 0, meaning that no frames are skipped.  If you enter
*2Nthe value 1, Renderize Live EZ will skip every other frame when generating the
*2Manimation.  If you enter 2, every third frame is rendered when generating the
animation.
The Flashlight Well
*PGDrag and drop a light resource into this Well to assign that light as a
*2R"flashlight" in an animation.  A flashlight is a light source that is "mounted" to
*2Jthe camera, and therefore moves with the camera.  This feature provides an
*2Peasy way to insure that the area of a scene that is in the camera view is always
well illuminated.
*ANAny light type can be used as a flashlight, and the flashlight can display any
*2Slighting characteristics.  However, if a light source is dropped into this Well, it
*2Mautomatically is positioned at the camera position, even if it was previously
*2Qadded to a view at a different point in space.  Therefore, be careful how you use
*2Tthis feature, as it can cause some confusion.  The safest thing to do is to create a
*21light source specifically to use as a flashlight.
The Animate Button
tNSelect this button to generate an animation and render each frame out to disk.
*2IRemember, only the range that is highlighted in the Keyframe List will be
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Oanimated, so be sure to select the desired range of the animation that you wish
*2)to generate before you press this button.
*AKTo select a range on the Keyframe List, you can highlight the desired range
*3"with the mouse, or you can use the
 Range From
 type-ins to determine
Qthe range of frames to render.  If you wish to highlight all of the frames in the
animation, select the
 button beside the
Range From
 and
 type-ins.
KWhen you select this command a File Browser appears, from which you can set
*2Qthe desired output drive, directory and file type for the for the animation.  The
*2Pdifferent file types and their comparative advantages are discussed later in the
*2?section titled Selecting the Output File Type for an Animation.
*APBefore you select this button, be sure that all rendering and animation settings
*2Lare to your liking.  There is nothing more frustrating than executing a long
*2Kanimation sequence only to find that you forgot to enable a desired option.
*2OSpecifically, check the output resolution and Final Aspect as set in the Render
*2Pto File area of the Render Toolbox, and well as the settings on the Options area
of the Render Toolbox.
*PBTo abort the generation of an animation, you must first press the
 button on
Nthe Render Toolbox to abort the rendering of the current animation frame, then
immediately press the
d2 button on the Animation Designer to terminate the
generation of the animation.
The Render Icons Button
    wpwp
SPress this button to render all of the view icons in the project.  After creating a
*2Inumber of keyframes by copying them from a master view and changing their
*2Kcamera positions, it can be useful to get a visual display of each of these
*2Jkeyframes.  Instead of dropping them into the View Well and rendering them
*2None at a time to update their icons, you can select this button, and Renderize
*2MLive EZ will render the views and update their icons to provide more detailed
visual feedback.
The Clear Keyframe List Button
HClear a range of the Keyframe List, removing any keyframes that may have
been inserted.
*AKBefore using this command, highlight those frames on the Keyframe List that
*8'you wish to clear.  When you press the
~! button, all the keyframes in the
Mhighlighted range are removed.  No frames are deleted; only the keyframes are
removed.
*AKTo select a range on the Keyframe List, you can highlight the desired range
*3"with the mouse, or you can use the
 Range From
 and
 type-ins to determine
Lthe range of frames to clear.  If you wish to clear all of the frames in the
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animation, first select the
 button beside the
Range From
 and
type-ins
t%to select all frames, then press the
( button to remove all previously defined
keyframes.
,Editing an Animation in the Project Designer
Viewport
*cKOnce you have indicated an animation length (in number of frames), inserted
*2Nkeyframes in the Keyframe List, and selected the display of the camera Path or
*2Nlens Angle,  you can save the current animation as a new resource by selecting
*2Dthe Save button on the Animation Designer.  An icon appears for this
*2Manimation in the View Resource Palette, and this icon can be used to load the
*2>animation into the Project Designer viewport for manipulation.
*ALTo make an animation current in the viewport, drag that animation's resource
*2Nicon from the View Resource Palette and drop it into the View Well (or drop it
*2Ldirectly into the viewport).  When you drop an animation into the View Well,
*2>the viewport updates to display the animation from a Top view.
*ALWhen an animation is current in the View Well, you can edit the animation in
several ways.
Modify the Animation Path
*PKDrag and drop the animation icon into the Move Well to edit the camera path
*2Iand preview the animation in wireframe mode.  When you drop the animation
*2Jicon into the Move Well, the Move Toolbox displays a group of commands for
changing the camera path.
*AMThe camera path is modified in several ways.  First, you can alter the camera
*2Llocation at a keyframe, and the animation path will update according to this
*2Bnew position.  You can modify a keyframe camera position using the
*2Icommands in the Move Toolbox for animation, or if you require full camera
*2Kmanipulation capabilities, you can leave the animation in the View well and
*2Hdrop the keyframe view  into the Move Well to update the Move Toolbox so
*29that it now displays the Toolbox for camera manipulation.
*ANIn addition, you can control the way the animation path curves between each of
*2Mthe keyframes by modifying the direction of the line that runs tangent to the
*2Fspline curve at the keyframe camera location.  Finally, you can create
*2Ladditional keyframes along the animation path and modify these new keyframes
as discussed above.
*AGThe commands used to modify a camera animation path in the viewport are
*2Mdiscussed in full in the Orienting Project Resources in a View section of the
Project Designer chapter.
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Preview the Animation
*PFYou can preview an animation in wireframe mode in the Project Designer
*2Nviewport, either by stepping through each frame one at a time, or  by pressing
E button to step through each frame automatically.  You can preview an
Kanimation path from an orthographic view, or you can change the viewport to
*2Jthe camera display and preview the amination in wireframe from the camera.
*ACThe commands used to preview a camera animation in the viewport are
*2Mdiscussed in full in the Orienting Project Resources in a View section of the
Project Designer chapter.
*d3Add Lights, Objects and Backgrounds to an Animation
*PHOnce an animation has been defined you can add objects, lights and image
*2Ibackgrounds to all of the keyframe views in the animation simultaneously.
+<AMAdd a light to all of the keyframe views that are associated with the current
*2Janimation by dropping a light resource over the animation in the View Well
*2((or drop it directly into the viewport);
*AGAdd an object to all of the keyframe views that are associated with the
*2Jcurrent animation by dropping an object resource over the animation in the
*22View Well (or drop it directly into the viewport);
*ABAdd an image as a background to all of the keyframe views that are
*2Hassociated with the current animation by dropping an image resource over
*2Gthe animation in the View Well (or drop it directly into the viewport).
,Edit Light, Object and Views in an Animation
*PPEdit the position of a light or object in an animation by dropping that light or
*2Kobject resource into the Move Well.  These resources are manipulated in the
*2Gsame way as they would be manipulated when a normal view is in the View
*2:Well, and any changes are reflected in all keyframe views.
*ANEdit the position of a view by dropping that view resource into the Move Well.
*2KWhen you change the position of a keyframe view, that changes the animation
*2Npath.  Note that you can also reposition a keyframe when the animation icon is
*2Hin the Move Well.  Dropping the view into the Move Well simply gives you
*22more commands for the reorientation of the camera.
Lighting and Animation
*cMLighting views for animation is different than lighting views for still frame
*2Nrendering.  Instead of optimizing lighting for a specific camera location, the
*2Kscene must be nicely illuminated when viewed from various camera locations.
*2PIf you light your view from a single direction, that view might look fine at the
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tMcurrent camera location, when viewed from a different direction, many objects
may now appear too dark.
*AOYou can solve this problem by increasing the ambient lighting, but this reduces
*2Qthe contrast in the view.  You can also define different lighting characteristics
*2Kfor each view, but Renderize Live EZ does not animate these changes, so the
*2Eresulting animation would show a discontinuity when the keyframe that
*2*represents a new lighting model is played.
*APYou might be better off using multiple light sources, with one or two key lights
*2Lwhich cast shadows and define the overall illumination model, and additional
*2Ofill lights which serve to illuminate specific areas of the scene.  Fill lights
*2Gshould be of lower intensity and should not cast shadows.  When you are
*2Lworking with multiple light sources, avoid over-illuminating by reducing the
*2)intensity of lights to achieve a balance.
*APFinally, Renderize Live EZ allows you to define a "flashlight", which is a light
*2Msource that is mounted to the camera.  This light, unlike other lights, moves
*2 with the camera in an animation.
&Setting the Resolution of an Animation
*cOAnimation resolution is set in the same way as it is for still frame rendering,
*2Kusing the the X Res and Y Res type-ins on the Render Toolbox of the Project
*2;Designer window, as well as the Final Aspect pop-down menu.
*AIThe resolution at which you generate an animation should be determined by
*2Gyour presentation format.  If you are going to output your animation to
*2Gvideotape, you probably want to output the animation to a resolution of
*2O512x486 (the standard overscan video resolution).  If you plan to output to the
*2GAVI (Video for Windows) format to play back on your VGA display, output
*2Hresolution should be based on the performance of your computer's CPU and
*2Lgraphics display card.   Most 486 PCs don't have enough horsepower to update
*2Kthe screen fast enough to display a smoothly flowing animation of more than
200 or 300 lines.
/Selecting the Output File Type for an Animation
*cHRenderize Live EZ supports the output of animations to a variety of file
*2Lformats.  The file format you choose depends on what you wish to do with the
*2 animation after you generate it.
*AJAnimations can be output to the AVI and FLC animation file formats.  These
*2Lare formats that store all of the frames of an animation into a single file.
*AJAnimations can also be output to any of the bitmap file formats (TGA, TIF,
*2JGIF, BMP, RAS, and RAW) in a sequential order so that they can be read  in
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Norder by a VTR controller software.  Each frame in the animation is saved to a
*2Pseparate file, and the filenames are numbered sequentially.  For example, if you
*2Jgenerate an animation named "ROOM" in the TGA file format, the first frame
*2Jin the animation will be stored in a file called "ROOM001.TGA", the second
*2Dframe in "ROOM002.TGA", and so on.  The last three characters in the
*2Ffilename are reserved for the frame number.  Given the eight character
*2Kfilename limit placed by DOS, Renderize Live EZ will truncate any animation
*2:filenames that are greater than five characters in length.
Playing an Animation
*cIRenderize Live EZ cannot play animations on the screen. However, a number
*2Fof utilities are available to play the various animation output types.
*AIAnimations saved into the AVI file format can be played using Microsoft's
*2DVideo for Windows, or the Media Player.  The Media Player comes with
*2NWindows, and the Simply 3D installation process installs the drivers necessary
*2Pto load and play AVI files.  The Media Player is included as one of the icons in
the Simply 3D program group.
*AJAnimations saved into the FLC file format can be played using the Autodesk
*2NAnimation Player utility.  This utility is included as one of the icons in the
Simply 3D program group.
*AIAnimations saved into a bitmap file format can be played using the Visual
*2QPlayer utility.  Each frame in the animation is saved to a separate image file in
*2Osequential order.  For example, if you create an animation and output it to the
*2LTGA file format under the filename TEST, the animation would be saved into a
*2Fseries of files named TEST0001.TGA, TEST0002.TGA, etc, for each of the
*2Mframes in the animation.  Note that due to this naming convention, animations
*2Psaved to bitmap files in sequential order should not have filenames greater than
*2Hfour characters: anything beyond that will be truncated after the fourth
*2Pcharacter.  This limitation is not applicable to animations saved in the AVI and
*2NFLC file formats, as these formats save all the frames in the animation into a
*2Ksingle file, so there is no need for sequential numbering in the filename.
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Nick Josephs

Visual Software, Inc.

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