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- README.DOC
- IPAS DISK #1 -- IMAGE PROCESSING
- From YOST GROUP, INC.
- 11/4/92
-
-
-
- GENERAL NOTES:
-
-
- - If you're using these IXP's and you get an "Out of memory"
- or "No RAM for summing tables" message, and you know that
- you've got enough memory/hard disk space, the Phar Lap-managed
- memory has become fragmented. When this happens, save your
- project file and then exit to DOS and restart 3D Studio.
-
- - Likewise, if you're using these IXP's and you are experiencing
- system crashes, it is because Phar Lap isn't able to
- allocate an entire full-screen chunk in one operation. This
- is usually caused by a lack of an expanded memory manager
- (such as QEMM) or, if you are using QEMM, its status may be
- mistakenly set to OFF. To check QEMM status, type QEMM at the
- DOS prompt, and it should report back ON or AUTO/ON.
-
- A sure-fire way to test to see if a crash problem is due to your
- memory manager is to render the scene in VGA320x200. If it works
- correctly at that resolution, but not at higher resolutions, it is
- because the 320x200 screen fits into one 64K expanded memory page,
- and that size doesn't require expanded memory management.
-
- - Important: When using FLARE (with Occlusion-sensing ON), or
- GLOW, BLUR, or HILITE, and "keying off" of HUE, there are a
- few things to make sure of:
-
- 1) The material must be self-illuminated, and ONLY the
- Diffuse color should be set (the Ambient and Specular
- should be left at 0,0,0 black).
-
- 2) Do not use a Hue value of (or near) 0. To be sure that
- the hue will be detected, stay at least 10 hue units
- away from 0.
-
-
- SAMPLE FILE DESCRIPTIONS:
-
- Notes:
-
- - When rendering flics of the sample files, in order to save
- disk space, render in 320x200, Dither-256 OFF, using Medium
- palette mode, and with Phong shading when a .3DS file/KF
- Scene is referenced in the Video Post Queue.
-
- - Many of these sample files require that you load a .3DS file
- from the Keyframer and then a .VP file inside of Video Post.
- Although this could have been handled with one .PRJ file
- (which contains both the .3DS and .VP data), the .PRJ files
- also contain machine-specific DOS pathnames, and we felt it
- would be simpler (and less confusing) for you to load the
- separate files and retain your current paths.
-
- Some of these .VP files, however, reference .gif or .tga
- files, and do not require a .3DS file. This is noted where
- applicable.
-
- - It's recommended that you print this readme.doc out and use
- it as a reference as you go through the sample files.
-
-
- ____
- BLUR
-
- BLURLUMA.VP: This file references BLUR.GIF (and does not
- reference a KFScene). It keys off of the
- Brightness threshold (of 0 in this case) to blur
- the entire image.
-
- BLURHUE.VP: This file references BLUR.GIF (and does not
- reference a KFScene). It keys off of the Hue of
- the purple letters only (H=209). Note that since
- the RGB 0,0,0 (black background) isn't blurred in
- this case, the effect is different (and more
- subtle) than that with blurring the luma at 0
- threshold, which blurs the black and the letters
- together.
-
- Note: A 320x200 flic (BLUR.FLI) will be unarchived from
- IMAGES.EXE into your images subdirectory. It demonstrates
- blurring of a second (background) layer in Video Post.
-
- ____
- GLOW
-
- GLOWDEMO.3DS: Load this file and then turn Use-Alpha on (in the
- Info/System Options dialog). This will set you up
- (in the Front viewport of the Keyframer) for the
- three following demos:
-
- GLOWLUMA.VP: This glow is based on a brightness
- threshold of 200. This will only
- put a glow around the specular
- highlight of the (far-left) tan
- hemisphere. Note the size of the
- specular on that object as it's
- rendering, and how it gets larger
- after it's been glowed.
- GLOWHUE.VP: This glow is based on a hue of 216,
- which is used by the purple
- material in the center hemisphere.
- In this case, the hue of 216 would
- have the same effect as if you'd
- glowed using the 1-color method
- with an RGB value of 102,0,94.
- GLOWALPH.VP: This glow uses the alpha channel
- created when rendering GLOWDEMO.3DS
- with the Use-Alpha option on. It
- will create a red silhouette around
- the three hemispheres. (If Use-
- Alpha is off, you won't get the red
- silhouetted glow around the
- rendered objects because there
- won't be an alpha channel
- information for glow to use.)
-
- GLOWSHIP.3DS: Load this file and then load GLOWSHIP.VP. This
- animation demonstrates how two different self-
- illuminated materials are used in one scene with
- two different instances of GLOW.IXP in the Video
- Post Queue... each set to glow a different hue.
-
- Note: A 320x200 rendered flic version of this
- animation (GLOW.FLI) will be unarchived from the
- IMAGES.EXE file into your images subdirectory.
-
- _____
- FLARE
-
- FLARE1.3DS: Load this file and then load FLARE1.VP. This
- animation demonstrates how the Occlusion-sensing
- features of FLARE.IXP are used to block the
- flaring object behind the columns.
-
- FLARE2.3DS: Load this file and then load FLARE2.VP. This
- still image (rendered from the Front viewport of
- the Keyframer) is an extreme demonstration of how
- FLARE.IXP can be used to create dramatic
- highlights on multiple objects at once. In this
- case, 64 octahedrons are being simultaneously
- flared (without secondary flares) with the *
- wildcard in the "Object to Flare" field. Also
- note that since there are 64 objects being flared,
- this file may take a couple of minutes to process
- on a 486/33.
-
- Note: There is a rendered image (unarchived from the IMAGES.EXE
- file) that demonstrates the use of FLARE.IXP and GLOW.IXP
- together. (The geometry was built with the Fractalize and
- Silicon Garden programs from IPAS Disk #5.)
-
- ______
- HILITE
-
- HILITE1.3DS: Load this file and then load HILITE1.VP.
-
- This is a demo of a hilited object being occluded
- as it passes behind another object. The sun
- object's material is a green self-illuminated
- diffuse color, and hilite is keying off of a hue
- of 72.
-
- HILITE2.VP: This file doesn't require a .3DS file, since it
- references a pre-rendered HILITE2.TGA (which was
- in the MAPS.EXE file and should now be installed
- in your MAPS subdirectory). HILITE2.TGA is a
- 640x480 32-bit file, and in order for this demo to
- work correctly, you must turn Use-Alpha ON in the
- Info/System Options dialog. (Note that it can be
- used in any resolution since Video Post rescales
- bitmaps automatically.)
-
- HILITE2.TGA contains six dots made from a diffuse
- self-illuminating materials. The Video Post
- sequence looks for these hues and produces various
- rotating hilights on them. Plus, when Use-Alpha
- is on, the GLOW.IXP process will put a purple neon
- silhouette around the text.
-
- Note: A 320x200 rendered flic version of this
- animation (HILITE.FLI) will be unarchived from the
- IMAGES.EXE file into your images subdirectory.
-
- ______
- STARS2
-
- STARS2.3DS: Load this file and then load STARS2.VP. Render
- the camera view with Video Post and you'll see how
- the (1.5-pixel-wide) motion-blurred stars become
- evident by frame 3.
-
- ____
- MONO
-
- MONO1.VP: This file demonstrates how the monochroming
- process can be used to create a sepia-toned
- version of an image. (This file references
- BLUR.GIF.)
-
-
-
- [end]
-