Flipbook

Selecting animations

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Section contents

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changing directory

Any animation image file that is rendered by GIG's 3D-GO Advanced through "render still" or "render ani" in the "render menu" is stored in the subdirectory GIG production of the current project. Any other rendered file in 3D-GO is saved in GIG picture. The animation files might also be stored in any other directory.

There are several ways to retrieve the directory with the rendered animation files:

  • by selecting a project while the GIG production is selected.

  • manually by browsing through the directory tree to the directory where the user has stored to rendered images. This can be done in two ways:

  • by typing the complete directory path-name in the horizontal entry box on top of the listbox. The entry box displays the path name of the current directory and the listbox displays the contents of that directory. Only existing directory paths may be selected. Any other will not be accepted. By pressing the right mouse button or the keyboard escape key the selection will be cancelled.

  • the user can browse through the directory tree up and down by double clicking with the left mouse button on a directory name in the listbox. By clicking on the ".." you browse on step back in the tree. With clicking on a directory name you browse on step further in the tree. This can be done until the desired directory with the rendered animation images is found.
  • Now the animation files can be selected from the listbox or by name in the entry boxes.

    change project

    Purpose
    To change between different projects with saved animation fies in the GIG production directory.

    Usage
    After selection a list of projects is shown in a listbox. By double clicking with the left mouse button on a project name the project is selected and the user is back in the main menu. By a single left mouse click on the name of a project in the list the selected name becomes visible in the entry box at the right side. By pressing the confirm button the new project is selected. By pressing the cancel button the user is back in the current project.

    GIG production

    Purpose
    To select the production directory of the current project.

    Usage
    After selection the contents of the production directory of the current project is displayed in the listbox.

    GIG picture

    Purpose
    To select the picture directory of the current project.

    Usage
    After selection the contents of the picture directory of the current project is displayed in the listbox.

    selecting from listbox

    Select an animation name in the listbox with a left mouse button click. This will be the first frame to be played. The name will be highlighted. Scroll the listbox to an animation name in the listbox that will be the last frame to be played. While holding down the keyboard Shift button select the file with a left mouse button click. The whole range from the first selected file until the last selected file will be highlighted.

    When the selection was succesful the animation name and the start and end frame numbers will be displayed in the entry boxes next to the listbox. When this does not happen then the selected files can not be displayed because:

  • different animation names were encountered, or
  • one or more animation files that had no ".tif" extension were encountered, or
  • the frame numbers of the selected animation files were not in a continiously increasing order.
  • Some of the problems can be simply fixed. Add or remove the wrong selected names from the selected files.
  • a right mouse button deselects one listbox entry at a time.
  • holding down the keyboard Shift key and a left mouse button selects all listbox entries from the first selected to the new selected name.
  • holding down the keyboard Control key and a left mouse button selects one listbox entry at a time.
  • selecting by name

    When the user knows the animation name and begin and end frame to be displayed the files might also be selected through the entry boxes.

    animation name

    Purpose
    To display the selected animation name.

    Usage
    When the animation is selected in the list box the name is displayed in the entry box. When an animation name is typed in the box, the animation range of all displayable animation files with that name are selected in the list box. The start frame and end frame entry boxes will accordingly be updated.

    start frame

    Purpose
    To display the frame number of the first selected animation file of the selected file range in the list box.

    Usage
    Any frame number of a rendered animation file may be typed in. Accordingly the range in the listbox is updated. When the frame number does not exist the current selection will not be changed.

    end frame

    Purpose
    To display the frame number of the last selected animation file of the selected file range in the list box.

    Usage
    Any frame number of a rendered animation file may be typed in. Accordingly the range in the listbox is updated. When the frame number does not exist the current selection will not be changed.

    single/double buffer

    Purpose
    To display the frames in single or double buffered mode.

    Usage
    Select double buffer for a smooth and non flickering display of the animation sequence.

    Comment
    The buttons and this option is only available on those machines that allow double buffered display. (SGI)

    zoom

    Purpose
    To display the image animation files in a bigger format than rendered.

    Usage
    Select the zoom checkbutton. Type a number, usually between 2 and 4 according to the rendered size. The application does not check whether the image is bigger than the screen or not. Also displaying large images will have an effect on the displaying rate.

    dithering

    Purpose
    To display the image animation files in a dithered mode. To save memory space while loading a large animation sequence. The best result will be obtained when for red 3, green 3, and blue 2 bits are selected.

    Usage
    Select the dithering checkbutton. Type three bit numbers. The total number of bits should not be bigger then 12.

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