CompuServe Thread

#ANIM7 & AGA!

28 messages in this thread
#27990From: Mark D. ManesMar 22, 1993 10:33 PM
ANIM7 IS GREAT! Folks I too have waited a long time to see some of the fruits of AGA on my A4000. Tonight I was amazed! I have long been a VistaPro addict. VistaPro 3.0 with its outstanding AGA support has allowed me to create stunning pictures in Ham8 mode. Unfortunatly there was not enough time to write the program to support the Anim7 format. So I had to put up with either the pesky VANIM format or an Amim5 format that was nearly as slow. Then came viewtek v1.4. It has the ability to convert ANIM5 format files to ANIM7 and the results? Breathtaking. I have *never* achieved the frame rates on my A3000 or on this A4000 doing VistaPro animations. Now I grant I can't create giant animations due to memory limitations (10MB), but I am now convinced that AGA was worth it, and the claims of high speed animation made by Commodore is true. It is good to have an A4000, now all I gotta do is put 64MB of RAM in it and I'll be set! -mark= Drivin' on Otto Pilot
#28022From: jeff HolinskiMar 23, 1993 1:40 PM
Clint Woeltjen, the Amiga tech support guy from VRLI has been doing a lot of upgrades to VistaPro 3 the last little while. If anim 7 is that good maybe he can add it to the next update. He's usually in this SIG and it don't hurt to ask. ;^)
#28044From: Mark D. ManesMar 23, 1993 10:43 PM
<grin> Believe me… I bug Clint all of the time. I did a lot of work with the beta VP3. -mark= Drivin' on Otto Pilot
#28025From: Paul GerhardtMar 23, 1993 4:12 PM
Mark Have you gotten Viewtek to play overscan animations (736×482). On my 4000 Viewtek plays non-overscan anims (640×400) fine, but overscan anims lock up my system after displaying the first frame. …AutoPilot Engaged… -Paul-
#28045From: Mark D. ManesMar 23, 1993 10:43 PM
Haven't tried overscanned animations yet. If I get a chance to do it, I will let you know my results. -mark= Drivin' on Otto Pilot
#28085From: john bennettMar 24, 1993 5:04 PM
Paul, Are making DCTV 3-bit plane or 4-bit plane anims w/ Rend24? I haven't had any problem with DCTV 3-bit 736×482 anims. They play Quite fast, I'll have to try 4 bit plane anims…… ….John
#28094From: Paul GerhardtMar 24, 1993 7:35 PM
John, I first ran into the problem with my 736×482 DCTV anims (both 3 & 4 bit plane). But I then made some simple 60 frame NON DCTV anims in Dpaint. Again Viewtek played non overscan anims fine, but locked up my system with either of the Dpaint overscan settings. Now keep in mind this was true for BOTH the original anim5 format and those converted to anim7. The last version of Viewtek had none of these problems. Are you also running a 4000? If so what are you screen and overscan prefs? …AutoPilot Engaged… -Paul-
#28153From: Bill GoelkelMar 26, 1993 2:44 PM
'scuse me for jumping in here, but the problem you describe sounds exactly like one I had a couple of weeks ago attempting to run 736x482x256 anims from DPAINT on a 4000 — computer would lock up. Work around was to pull DPAINT window down so that menu bar is visible in Max Overscan (no, I don't under- stand why, but after I stumbled onto it, I tried it enough times with enough different files to be certain it works). Using the previous version of ViewTek, same anim refused to run (brief screen flash, then back to VT requester) the first time I ran it — but after another reboot it ran OK in VT.
#28163From: Paul GerhardtMar 26, 1993 5:41 PM
Bill, Since I was rewarded for being an early supporter of C='s 4000 (I bought mine in 92) by NOT being sent a free copy of Dpaint AGA and ADpro I have not been able test any AGA animations on Dpaint. I guess I'll wait for Brilliance! …AutoPilot Engaged… -Paul-
#28177From: Christopher LapriseMar 27, 1993 1:40 AM
"I guess I'll wait for Brilliance!" You may have a veeeery long wait then. Digital Creations took about a year to deliver DCTV after they started advertising it. -Chris
#28240From: Paul GerhardtMar 28, 1993 2:36 PM
Chris, Well then I guess I'll just have to wait because I will NOT buy Dpaint while everyone else is being sent free copies. I have my dealer working on getting C= to send me the power up software. Until then I'll use DCTV paint. As long as stay with the 24bit file format I have found there is no "harm" done to the image by passing it through DCTV paint since DCTV paint works with a 24bit palette internally. BTW since Dpaint AGA (from what I understand) does NOT use a 24bit palette internally its usefulness is some what limited for me. If I bring a 24bit file into a paint program I would like to be able to get it back out in the same condition. Brilliance has a "true color" mode that uses AGA for display, but maintains 24bit acuracy internally. …AutoPilot Engaged… -Paul-
#28309From: Christopher LapriseMar 29, 1993 4:46 PM
Are right about DPaint's color accuracy. Still with the AdPro/DPaint link arriving, you have to wonder if DPaint will go 24bit before long. I would not even rul eout the possibility of a 24bit Dpaint hitting the shelves before Brilliance does. -Chris
#28228From: Peter GreciMar 28, 1993 9:59 AM
Get the new View 3.6 it supports AGA Anims botjh 256 color and Ham8 if I'm not mistaken. I got my Adpro replacement disk today and it was on their. If you have Adpro 2.3 It'll compie Ham8 anims as well
#28242From: Paul GerhardtMar 28, 1993 2:36 PM
Thanks Peter I'll look for it. …AutoPilot Engaged… -Paul-
#28321From: Peter GreciMar 29, 1993 5:16 PM
Glad to help, View 3.6 is Astounding.
#28362From: Paul GerhardtMar 30, 1993 4:57 PM
Peter, If View 3.6 is still PD why don't you upload it. …AutoPilot Engaged… -Paul-
#28399From: Peter GreciMar 31, 1993 4:08 PM
I'll reread the Docs and if they don't say anything about Distributing it I'll UL View 3.6 Tommorow.
#28327From: Bill GoelkelMar 29, 1993 6:56 PM
I know how you feel. Bought my 2000 the day the 1-Meg Agnuses came in and said, sure, go ahead and put one in, whatever it is. Next day they were free with purchase of computer, thru some Commodore program. Never pays to be the first one on the block to buy anything having to do with a computer. I, too, am eagerly awaiting Brilliance. I like DPaint, but I can't rely on it because it has too many bugs. IMHO, it will need a pretty severe overhaul (esp. memory management) to adequately support the new resolutions.
#28363From: Paul GerhardtMar 30, 1993 4:57 PM
I agree! Dpaint needs a major overhaul. I've played with the Demo AGA version and some of the hold overs from the old code are need dumping. Those HAM palette and range requestors just don't make it in a 24bit world. …AutoPilot Engaged… -Paul-
#28298From: jeff HolinskiMar 29, 1993 2:01 PM
I seem to rember reading somewhere that some software had trouble with screen resolutions that are not a multiple of 64. 640 wide is OK, 704 is OK, but 736 is not OK. 768 might work but not with a DCTV. Might be worth trying on a HAM8 anim.
#28328From: Bill GoelkelMar 29, 1993 6:57 PM
Well, DPaint offers 736 on 2 menu choices: max overscan and video overscan, so it's not a custom size I came up with. Just another of many indications of their rigorous beta testing, I guess.
#28214From: john bennettMar 28, 1993 12:56 AM
No, I don't use an AGA system YET. I have a 2000 pretty much Maxxed out, can't wait for info from NAB and Newtek. I want an A4000 bad, but only if it uses my Toaster and SCSI !!!!!! ….John
#28241From: Paul GerhardtMar 28, 1993 2:36 PM
John, You are better off waiting. Except for the gee wiz factor I gained nothing by jumping in early. We are just now starting to see AGA software and the mythical full speed animation still eludes me. And "SCSI II by the end of the year" – ha! The only "benefit" I got from supporting C= and the 4000 early is the be excluded from the power up offer! 🙁 …AutoPilot Engaged… -Paul-
#28353From: Paul ToalMar 30, 1993 1:58 AM
Plus you got stuck with a Buster chip that will screw up your SCSI-2 when you do get it, or actually, don't. –Paul < Motorola Inside >
#28364From: Paul GerhardtMar 30, 1993 4:57 PM
Yeah I forgot about that one :(! My dealer has PROMISSED me a motherboard swap if necessary to get SCCI-2 to work. That is if I am not pushing up daisies by the time it gets released! …AutoPilot Engaged… -Paul-
#28380From: John GagerMar 30, 1993 11:25 PM
Just to start a new rumor <g>, someone mentioned on FidoNet that they had received the power-up software for their 4000 and was an early purchaser like us. So maybe CBM had a change of heart and is now sending it out to all current 4000 owners? Nah…..couldn't be true, we are talking about CBM here <g>. // \X/ John – K7KB (Being artistic via AutoPilot)
#28398From: Paul GerhardtMar 31, 1993 2:20 PM
Yeah, yeah, and C= is going to licence "QuickTime" and build it into WB 4.0! 😉 …AutoPilot Engaged… -Paul-
#28401From: Peter GreciMar 31, 1993 4:47 PM
Tis Doubtful, that CBM would do that, after all when I got my FREE CDTV with the purchase of an A3000 a while back and some folks who'd bought their machines days before me found out. They figured they'd be able to get a CDTV too, CBM said essentially "I laugh in your genereal Direction" or so I was told.