#NASA Image problem.
27 messages in this thread
Hi Ben, Just got me another 4 meg o' RAMA for my Amiga 3000, so now I have
2 meg o CHIP and 7.5 meg o FAST (512K is lost to kickstart). I was trying
to get Imagemaster to load some of them cool NASA images. I have one called
"C2678216.IMG" and its size is 672980. After I choose the type of file
from the PIE list and select the file with the requestor it asks me about
saving that text file header. After I select that it proceeds to render
nothing but a black screen. Am I doing something wrong or do I need even
more memory??
Nick
Imagemaster's NJPL loader only works with compressed FITS images so far. I
think most of those have an .IMQ sufix. An enhanced loader is rumoured to
be coming real soon. The sequence you describe is exactly what I see when I
try to load an uncompressed image. The header is ASCII and will mention
"Huffman encoding" if it is a compressed image.
….Mark Sterling 74335,1677
If the image is 800×800 (very likely), then it will take 800x800x7, or 4.48
megs to hold it – add to that the size of Imagemaster itself (about 1.7
megs) for 6.18 megs… should be fine, unless you're severely fragmented or
something.
Next attack; turn off your undo buffer – that makes the memory use
800x800x4=2.56 megabytes, much better. 4.26 megs total use.
Make sure that there is a stack command _ahead_ of the "rexxmast" in your
startup sequence, set it to 20k or so.
–Ben
The new NASA FITS loader in the new PIE works great with those images
I had problems with Ben! Too bad the 2 images I had sucked though.
😎 Would you believe one was just of space?? Just nothing but
blackness…. over 600K worth. Can you upload some real good ones to
the BBS BBS?
Those kind of images are a good reason for file compression, eh? <grin>
Glad you finally got to see them. I'm still trembling in my boots
waiting for the NEXT set of unloadable NASA files to rear their ugly
head, but for now I think we've gotten all that our customers have
told us about. :^)
I *think* it's ok to distribute those images (after all, we paid for
them via taxes) but I'm not sure. Let me see what I can find out; if
it IS ok, I'll encourage users to post them. Keep in mind that as of
yet, we don't have a CD-ROM drive ourselves, nor any of the NASA
disks – we just have a few images sent to us by users.
Hi Ben, What CD rom is it on? The GRIPS disc? I just picked up a drive
for the (uggh) IBM. I use one for some mundane things. The grips disk has
some nice things on it I wonder if thats what you are talking about?
Nick, :-)) had a good laugh at that one.
Perhaps it's like an SF movie and is THE clue that somethings actually
there looking back……Laurie
Laurie Carroll AKL NZ
Amiga-Via Falnet.APb
"Nick, :-)) had a good laugh at that one.
Perhaps it's like an SF movie and is THE clue that somethings actually
there looking back……Laurie"
Maybe it was a cloaked spaceship! Like in Star Trek! Yeah!! 😎
Nick
Also – as your other reply states – if the image is compressed, it won't
load but the text will tell you that it is compressed in that case.
There are at least !25! different formats on those disks that we have
uncovered so far. Some are contradictory, so the loader is becoming riddled
with exceptions; we're continuing to work on it though, and you can always
upgrade from the PIE.lzh archive here on CIS when we release the various
revisions.
–Ben
Twenty-five variations? Are you kidding? They must have a FITS File
Format Extension Committee. Gee, that would be hard to imagine from a
bunch of government bureaucrats. 🙂 What do they do so differently?
Didn't the PC C code I sent handle the variations – after all, that's the
code in the PC loader they provide, and it handles those images…
John,
I sent a bunch of examples, docs and code samples to BBS's programmer
too. I think we will see a much more capable loader when IM9.13 ships.
….Mark Sterling 74335,1677
Not only did the PC code you sent not handle all the variations, it didn't
even come close to it. And no, I'm not kidding. It would seem that FITS is
developed in a "loose" environment, to say the least.
John, in your recent article in AmigaWorld, I notice that you state "Both
ASDG 's Art Department Professional and Black Belt Systems Imagemaster
_now_ support the FITS image format used on these discs."
When did ASDG _release_ this? I've not heard a word about it, and I am a
registered owner of AdPro. With the long lead times of the magazines, I
must assume they had this out, what, three months ago, right when we did?
Sure was a lot of noise in the ASDG section of people begging for it, I
guess there were a lot of us who didn't get any info on it from ASDG. I
know you didn't say WE had it just because we said we were going to do
it… you said (in AmigaWorld) that we said we WOULD have it.
Or is this vaporware? Enlighten me. I'm quite curious.
–Ben
ASDG hasn't released it, as far as I know. At the time I wrote the
article, they demonstrated a working loader to me at their office. For a
relatively insignficant part of an article, and from their assurances it
would be out in time, I stated that. I think I had the same sort of
justification when I printed that ImageMaster handled it, at the time I
wrote the first AmigaWorld piece. In this case, BBS stuck to their word,
ASDG didn't, but I'm sure they'll release it someday. I haven't talked to
them about it since then – maybe they're having the same trouble with FITS,
and haven't released it. Maybe when ASDG's customers call about it, and
they say they don't have it, maybe they'll call you. 🙂
Ah, but you didn't print that "Imagemaster handled it". You printed
something like "they say they should have it by the time you see this" or
something of the sort. I was just surprised to see the different handling.
That's ok.
Maybe you should consider something insignificant to you might be
significant to others (like us, or ASDG if the footwear was on the other
hoof), and stick to "if it ain't released, it aint real".
I always had trouble predicting the future, anyway.
–Ben
Could you put some of the good FITS files on your BBS BBS 😎 that work
with the current loader? I am dying to try it out but I only have 2
non-compressed FITS images at the moment.
Nick
Actually, I'll do better than that; I'll upload the new PIE.lzh system
(which contains the new loader code for the FITS stuff, among other
changes, and works fine with earlier IM releases) within a day or so.
–Ben
"Actually, I'll do better than that; I'll upload the new PIE.lzh system
(which contains the new loader code for the FITS stuff, among other
changes, and works fine with earlier IM releases) within a day or so."
Kewl dude. I can deal with that!
Nick
Don't delay…do it today. I've ordered 9.13 but since it is delayed a
little the new pie would be real nice to have. Waiting for ASDG to release
their loader could be a career!
….Mark Sterling 74335,1677
Well, you have to talk to ASDG about that. We'll post the PIE.lzh today, if
I can get a little time to bang it on here.
–Ben
Thanks Ben. Gonna put it on your BBS as well? I can DL at 14.4K from
there.
I have learned very patient when waiting for anything from ASDG. Snore.
….Mark Sterling 74335,1677
Yep, it'll be on the BBS.
–Ben
Ben:
Does your COCOMM program have an option to handle the RTS/CTS lines like
the original RS232 spec? I have an OLD Bell202C 1200bps half duplex modem
that I'd like to try and get working on my Amiga (basically for the fun of
it), but it uses the RTS/CTS lines to determine which computer should have
it's carrier on. I know that lots of Ham operators use 202 class modems
for packet, so I thought you might have the proper term program. Thanks
-Mike Schiller
In sunny Fort Lauderdale
MIke,
No, it doesn't – it just handles whatever your serial prefs are set up for.
Sorry.
–Ben
I'd just like to slip a quick question in here. I just recently picked-up
ImageMaster and would like to try out some of the FITS images also. What
NASA disks are a good choice to start with? Is the Sampler Pack Ok?
…….. Paul McCarthy – Whapping! – from New York City!
I just grabbed a few images off a friends CD-ROM, I don't remember even
what the disc was called. It may have been the sampler.
Nick
Until the new FITS loaders are available ( maybe in a couple days?) the
Sampler Pack is NOT a good choice. The Voyager discs work very well. I have
the 2 disc Sampler but it has very few images that will load at this point
in time. Try Jupiter or Saturn for some really good images.
….Mark Sterling 74335,1677
Thanks for the info Mark! I'll start wiht the voyager disks.
…….. Paul McCarthy – Whapping! – from New York City!