#AA Snow
3 messages in this thread
Grant,
I guess we differ on the definition of hardware versus software problems.
If AAPLAY displays snow with a large number of mainstream VGA boards, and
GRASP never does, then I'd describe AA as having a software problem. To
call it a hardware problem is like a propane vendor claiming
gasoline-powered cars are defective.
I do agree that I'd prefer better quality VGA hardware, and some set of
standards so one could compare them intelligently. AutoDesk should publish
a list of VGA chipsets/boards they know are "fully" AA-compatible, as they
now do for CPU's…for a graphics product it's every bit as important.
I'm a little sensitive on this point, because after buying AA on the
strength of its creative potentials, I was extremely disappointed in its
actual usefulness, all because of the serious limitations of AAPLAY. It
almost appeared to be an afterthought.
For example, most of my work ends up being transferred to videotape and the
simple inability to control precisely when a FLIC begins to play was a big
headache. Eventually I created the workaround of starting and ending each
script with a black (or image) 1-frame endlessly-looping FLIC from which I
could use [Esc] as a start/stop switch, but even this still had the snow
problem with my Tseng3000-based SVGA board. GRASP simply eliminates these
problems and several others, and offers considerably more power and
flexibility in putting graphics on the screen.
Make no mistake, I think AA is a great program, and by far the preferred
tool for creating animations in the first place, but until AAPLAY comes up
to the high standards of AA itself, GRASP is an essential tool for
completing the job.
There's an opportunity for AutoDesk here. Even the older screenshow
programs like Show Partner and Harvard have a better interface than AAPLAY,
and GRASP has the disadvantage of requiring true programming. How about a
practical, versatile, friendly shell (much like Show Partner had) that puts
FLICs to work properly?
A couple of things:
1) Grasp doesn't exhibit snow during fades because it does its fades
algorithmically. It uses the same "bucket-brigade" technique that the new
version of AAPLAY (ANIPLAY) does… only shifting 64 color registers per
retrace. ANIPLAY does this great, and lets you fade to/from any color.
2) You could get the same effect in a flic if you did it manually, but it
would take days to get the effect right by hand whereas ANIPLAY does it
automatically.
AAPLAY is a public domain program. It was never designed to solve
everyone's problems. That's why there are over a dozen 3rd party programs
out there that read .fli files and do things with them. ANIPLAY includes a
more-robust interactive scripting language, but even that's not a complete
solution.
For a friendlier interface, Autodesk has just announced a Windows player
for flics under MS Windows. It's a point-and-click environment for
scripting that allows assignment of sound effects and music as well. This
will be available later this month, along with over 400 Mb of animations on
CD-ROM, for well under $200 as part of the Autodesk Multimedia Explorer
toolkit.
– G
I think its great that Autodesk is releasing its Multimedia Explorer
toolkit package on CD-ROM!!! Can't wait till it hits the shelves!