#New User
6 messages in this thread
Jeff,
I'm also pretty new to 3D Studio but I've been using a Targa-16 for display
since about '85. It has a standard NTSC video output which can be recorded
on any VCR. There are a number of comparable boards out these days
including VGA-to-video converters for a few hundred dollars.
Targas will NOT play FLI files back or anything approaching real time
playback. For animating I use a Panasonic AG-6720A S-VHS time lapse VCR.
I mail ordered it for about $1500 and the interface to the computer
consists of two wires connected to the parallel port. It's simple. It's
cheap. And it let's take a video tape to your client which he can view on
any VHS VCR. (The 6720A records S-VHS or regular VHS. "S" is better but
won't play back on regular VCRs. I use the S-VHS for the animation master
so I can edit it into a final production and keep the higher quality. If
you don't want to mess with S-VHS, you can set it for regular or, I
imagine, buy an even cheaper deck that just handles regular.)
I have an interest in doing architectural walk-throughs too, but I don't
have any good DXF files of bildings to practice on. I'm wondering how much
the original AutoCAD work needs to be done with 3D Studio in mind. The
tutorial has that nice walk through that converts from DXF in a breeze. Can
I expect most DXF files from Engineers and Architects to convert that
easily?
Happy animating.
Dewey (and your intended message reader – Jeffrey),
One caution. Time lapse decks can be used for simple frame-by-frame
animation with appropriate triggers. I know folks doing this with JVC's
model BR9000U. Unfortunately, there is always something wierd re: sync
under these circumstances, and the resulting video generally does not play
well in any other deck. So, when creating a VHS animation, it's necessary
to playback on the machine that recorded it, or playback and dub *TO* a
standard deck in real-time.
Kevin Krell – Computer Support Associates
Kevin,
True, there is a rather serious time-base error on playback. I've found
it to be very watchable when played back on my Panasonic AG-1960, even when
edited to a dub. The Panasonic AG-7650 is a high-end S-VHS editing deck
with a built-in time base corrector. It manages to play back the
animations nicely in real time. A local production house charges $15 to
dub a short piece to, say, 3/4" U-matic.
I've played a test tape with color bars (animated a frame at a time)
through a number of external TBC's. I-DEN'sIVT-7 seems to do alright.
Even the frame synchronizers in Panasonic's WJ-MX50 switcher do an OK job
(steady image but a little color shifting at the top). Some other TBC's
could NOT fix the problem. A TBC designer I've talked with believes that
an engineer could tweak most TBC's to handle it.
It might not make an animation for network TV, but it's very satisfactory
for "industrial video" uses. I first heard of it from Hannaway &
Associates doing early runs for a video for HP in Ft. Collins, Colo. The
final video was shown at SIGGRAPH.
The 6720-A ain't perfect but the price is right. Thanks for the feedback.
Dewey
targas will play back fli/flc's with the animator pro driver available here
somewhere.
sherwood sherwood animations
Really? I'm surprised they can get data into the Targa fast enough. That
would be handy to have. I wonder if the driver you speak of will work with
the fli player in 3D Studio. I don't have animator pro.