CompuServe Messages

What I do is create a solid white screen flic in AniPro of the maximum resolution and maximum number of FIELDS I want for the transition (a one second transition would therefore be 60 frames). I save that out under the name NTSCWHIT.FLC. This only needs to be done once for the maximum resolution and maximum transition length you expect to use. Be generous, since you need to do it again if you need a transition later at a higher resolution or longer time period. Now, for each transition, I start off with a New Flic at the desired resolution, and set it to the desired number of frames (60 per second, not 30, if you want to "fieldize" it later!). I then select "Join" and pick NTSCWHIT.FLC as my second flic. In the dialog box, I turn off "Match Size" (it just slows things down, and if you followed the first paragraph correctly, NTSCWHIT.FLC will already be as big as or bigger than your desired resolution, so chopping won't adversely affect the end results). I then pick a desired transition (there are a total of 34 built into AniPro's Join capability!), and set the overlop number of frames to the length of the first flic. I then let AniPro do its magic. You can save the result at this step, and the transition is now usable, but you may want to perform some Unzagging (antialiasing) and maybe Softening passes on it first, especially if the transition is one of the circle or diagonal or diamond ones. Finally, I run it through my nifty little POCO "Fielder" routine I did which can render any .FLI or .FLC to fields. Since you don't have that, you can simply exit AniPro (save the .FLC, of course, under a temporary name like TEMP.FLC), then start up 3DS and render no geometry with the .FLC as a background (Configure the correct resolution first!), rendered to Fields, and output to a Flic with an appropriate name like WIPETPBM.FLC or IRISOPEN.FLC or BARNCLOS.FLC, etc., and make sure the path is in one of your Map Paths. (I made a path called "\3DS2\TRANS11" where the "11" refers to Targa+ Mode 11 — other TRANS directories exist for other common Targa+ modes.) The resulting .FLC can now be used as a Transition by selecting the TRANS column on a Video Post line (the line of a copy of the item you want to transition TO!! — set its time bar to the correct length, ending at the ending point of the item(s) above it that will be transitioned FROM — have a second copy of the To item below it with no Trans, and starting just after the transition ends.), and selecting "Image" and entering the Flic in the resulting dialog box. A sample Video Post should look like this: Queue Alpha Trans (Transition) —– —– —– /—-^—-\ ANI1*.TGA *=========================* ANI2*.TGA Image *—————*=========* ANI2*.TGA *———-*================