#RotoScope Sanyo GVRS950
25 messages in this thread
Hello out there. Is there anyone that can give some information on rotoscoping
into 3D Studio using the Sanyo GVR- S950? Another question . What about output
and input software for time coded frame grabbing for DOS and Windows? The
software needs to support the Targa 64+ and the GVR-S950. So far I've had a
hard time finding any software or any one with a real answer.
Please help
Mike White [SDP]
I know this probably won't be much help, but I own the Fast Video Machine and
the Sanyo, and have written VB code that does rotoscoping and time coded frame
grabbing. Unfortunately, controlling the Sanyo is the easy part — unless
there is some sort of DLL call you can make for your Targa board to grab a
frame it won't help you.
Basically my VB code positions at each frame and then makes the appropriate
Fast Video board capture call.
That sounds interesting. I would like to hear more. I've tried Video
for Windows. It will control my Sanyo VTR completely. The only
problem is the Targa MCI driver seems too not want to work. If I
could get that to work I would be one step further. Then I just need
some thing for DOS. Mike
Actually, if you've got Video for Windows controlling your Sanyo
you're probably better off than I am. If the Targa came with an MCI
driver then I guess I'd give Truevision a call and see what's up with
that. Does the Targa come with a DLL that has documented calls for
video capture?
With VB you can make MCI calls which is how I'd approach the problem
(because I always think in programming solutions). As for DOS —
well, except for 3DS, isn't that pretty much a dead issue?
Well this might be some good news I have some one willing to write a
roto-scoping driver for 3DS just for us users. The only catch is he want's to
know it has a place, and price on the market. I let you know more on this
development.
Now on VFW subject. I called Truevision and they said the MCI driver
will only work with VFW 1.0. I'm using VFW 1.1 e, and can't find 1.0.
They don't plan on making a updated driver. They expect the user too
develop their own drivers. The MCI driver you can find in the
Truevision forum. Go Truevision. Mike
I have a rotoscoping utility for the GVR-S950 used with a T+ on my BBS. It
works perfectly; I've used it a lot in my work. I recently rotoscoped 1200
frames into an animation and the results were perfect. My BBS number is
816-525-8362.
Jim
Thanks Jim
I'll give you BBS a call tonight. I'll E-mail you my results.
Mike
>>I'll give you BBS a call tonight. I'll E-mail you my results.
The file you want is called TGRAB5P, but I think you should scan for all the
ones with GVR-S950 in the description and get them, you'll use them all. To
scan, type "Z;GVR-S950;A" at the main menu. BTW, it's not a free bbs, you'll
have to subscribe to download most of the executable files.
Thanks for your interest.
Jim
Thanks Jim.
I will sign up. Thanks again for the help.
Mike
Let me know if you have any difficulty. The key thing to getting TGRAB5P to
work right is to tell it what the source is when you run it. /S is for the
S-VHS connection that I always use, so I run it with "TGRAB5P /S" and then
follow the prompts to tell it what range of frames to capture. The TGA grabs
are about a meg each, so if you're going to let it run all night capturing 1000
frames from your VTR while you sleep, better have a gigabyte of free space! <G>
Jim
Thanks for the tips. I have three gigs right now with a 8 gig DAT in which /I
plane on getting the render to DAT software. Then I should Have plenty of space
.
Mike
>>Thanks for the tips. I have three gigs right
>>now with a 8 gig DAT in which /I plane on
>>getting the render to DAT software. Then I
>>should Have plenty of space .
You mean TapeDisk? You have 3GB and need Tapedisk too?? <G>
I have a DAT too, they're almost indispensible for animators who don't like to
discard Gigs of rendered frames. I've seen the cost of DATs getting better all
the time, maybe $600 now for a DDS1 model.
Jim
Yes that's the truth, before I bought the DAT I lost many gigs of
animation, and hundreds of megs of meshes. I really couldn't do with
out it. With the software render to DAT it makes it even more
valuable. I knew I made a good decision. My DAT unit coast was fairly
reasonable 1,100.00. With the coast of tape as low as 9.99 you can't
beat it. I really could, tell you my model number. I looked on my
box , and all I could find is DDS-DC format. I assume it's the DDS2
since it can store up to 8 gigs on a single tape.
<<You mean tape disk? You have 3GB and need Tape disk too?? <G>>>
Tape disk, Is this a software that will work like render to dat ? Will
it work like a hard drive with tape disk. Yes I know 3 gigs is enough
hard drive space , but to utilize my DAT as a 8 gig drive I would be
very happy.
I get up on your BBS as soon as I finish my Siggraph tape. I have one
more rendering to finish. Keep in touch.
Mike
>> With the software render to DAT it makes it even more valuable. <<
PMJI, but what s/w will allow you to render to your DAT drive. This sounds
_very_ good to me!
<< PMJI, but what s/w will allow you to render to your DAT drive. This sounds
_very_ good to me!>>
Ernie if you have the Autodesk Multimedia Partner Catalog you'll find
on page 44 a description of the hardware and software. Here's a
basic description If you all ready have the 5 to 8 gig HP DAT you
just need the software. It works in DOS and Windows. You can render
directly from 3 D Studio to tape. Saves PAR and MAX streams. It's
available through AeroData Visualization Services, Phone number is
(810)-488-0588. Hope this is some help . Mike
<<PMJI, but what s/w will allow you to render to your DAT drive. This
sounds _very_ good to me!
Also Tapedisk works for me. Just like another hard drive and not
really much slower as long as the files are sequential. Tapedisk,
Jim Dempsey, 414 231 3333, cis 73777,145
>>>Tape disk, Is this a software that will work like render to dat ? Will it
work like a hard drive with tape disk. Yes I know 3 gigs is enough hard drive
space , but to utilize my DAT as a 8 gig drive I would be very happy.<<<
Yeah, it's a device driver that makes your DAT a hard drive. I think you'd see
4GB on a DDS2 drive, though. You have to format the tape before use. It works
pretty well, but I don't use it to render to – too much unnecessary wear.
Jim
>>>>Yeah, it's a device driver that makes your DAT a hard drive. I think you'd
see 4GB on a DDS2 drive, though.<<<
Jim where can the end user get this software. I would be happy even
with 4 gigs. Writing to hard drive then transferring it to tape
without having too back up. I like that. Mike
Jim,
I looked at the TGRAB5P specs and since you've done some rotoscoping
(sounds like a lot!) maybe you can give me some feedback. On my Fast
video card you can grab a frame which is essentially both fields (it
interpolates them). I note that using a Targa you need to specify
which field you want to grab. Now, my question — if I use a Targa
and grab this way, am I missing the alternate field for each frame
captured? And, if so, how does this affect the video captured? My
(limited) understand of frames/fields is that each field contains
valuable information and thus this method of capture would not be as
good as getting the interpolated info my Fast card can provide.
If my understanding is right, for quality rotoscoping you'd have to grab each
field, fieldify them somehow, and then process the info (my primary use of this
would be adding special effects digitally to live video) and finally render
them back onto tape.
I'd like anyone involved in rotoscoping to comment, as I have a Targa+ that
I've yet to install due to this understanding (because I use my Fast for
rendering as well).
Mike:
>> If my understanding is right, for quality rotoscoping you'd have to grab
>> each field, fieldify them somehow, and then process the info (my primary
>> use of this would be adding special effects digitally to live video) and
>> finally render them back onto tape.
Correct! Except for the fieldify part – you want to keep the fields
if you are going to process the effect and send it back out
full-screen.
Another method of doing this is to bring in every field as a separate
1/2 size file, process them, then re-combine them when sending back
out. You need a reasonably sophisticated system to pull this off
easily, however.
>Correct! Except for the fieldify part – you want to keep the fields if you
are going to process the >effect and send it back out full-screen.
Okay, assuming I don't have a reasonable sophisticated system (I
don't) how exactly am I going to be able to process these
field/frames? I mean, let's say I want to combine this with a 3D
studio effect (say a fireball heading across the screen). So I get
all the frames in sets of two fields — then what? I can't exactly
combine them in Video post with the animation. I can't produce an
animation field by field. And even if I could do these things, how do
I then render them as one frame?
I may be getting into more than I can chew, but it seems to me I could do some
very nice effects if I can figure this out (and I appreciate any help, Greg).
Mike:
>> I mean, let's say I want to combine this with a 3D studio effect (say a
>> fireball heading across the screen).
Hey there, no changing the rules in mid-stream!!! <bg> Your first message
talked about image processing, a very different beast from compositing, which
is all you need to do in this example!
All you have to do here is bring in both fields as a series of Targa
files, composite the fireball with fields either as a background in
the Keyframer or as a layer in Video Post, and send the frames back
out to tape.
Simple, no?
Greg Pyros
Hey Greg any luck with the clouds using Tmaker.
Mike White
<Your first message talked about image processing, a very different beast from
compositing, >which is all you need to do in this example!
Yeah, but suppose I want to do both <g>? I hate to belabor this,
Greg, but for the field impaired, could you go over this just one
more time? I mean, I thought that when I render an animation using
fields (which I always do) that I'm really getting both fields in the
one frame (in whatever field order I tell 3DS to render in), and thus
lay them to tape two fields/one frame at a time. Is this not the
case?
This all came up because the Targa+ utility asks which field you want
to grab off the video for a sequence. I assumed (silly me!) that if
I wanted to get a 10 second sequence, of 300 frames, that I would
need to grab 600 TGAs containing first field a, then b, then a…
Somehow I would need to put them back together to work on them (say
to apply effects and to overlay 3D animations), and then I could
output them as normal. If I didn't put them together, then I don't
understand how I could overlay animations on them (rendered how I
understand them) or, even if I could overlay/process the frames, how
I would then render them back to just a 10 second sequence.
I know you know this stuff, but fields really still confuse me, so any help
would be appreciated.
TGRAB5P allows you to specify the TRIGGER field, but both fields are
grabbed by the utility. So it looks just like a rendered fields
image, with alternating lines in each field.