#Decal…
19 messages in this thread
Thanks for the replies…! Though I guess I still can't visualize the
cookiecut map… Any thoughts on this one….?
I'm trying to work through this manual page by page… And when it started to
describe and talk about the various types of mapping, well OK, I started to
panic…<G>
But I do have a question about applying a decal… I used Windows Paintbrush
to create a VERY basic decal to put in my ship design, I converted it to a TGA
file with Graphics Workshop, I'm thinking on using it a an IMAGE map, but the
background color of the decal blocks the segment color, which I wish to have
show through…
How do I keep the decal design, and knockout the decal background color without
it affecting the segment color…
A poser for me, a cinch (hopefully) for the rest of you…
Any help appreciated… Thanks!
Christopher Hoffman
"Is that a Segment in your pocket, or are you just happy to animate…??"
@8>
Christopher,
Every application has its own way saving data in a way that makes sense to
itself. I use 4 apps to create maps – CorelDraw!, Aldus Photostyler, Fractint,
and Vistapro. If you have or can get Corel and Photostyler or Photoshop, you
can do about anything. When I create a decal for my ships, I use Corel and
export it out as a 24 bit .tga file with the 'Export Selected Only' option
turned on. That is for image maps. I use Corel to create cookie cut maps the
exact same way, except that after exporting from Corel, I open the exported
graphic in Photostyler and remove the white border to create a solid black
background. I use Fractint to create diffusion and specular maps by making a
plasma fractal, saving it as a .gif, then opeing up the file in Photostyler,
convertying it to grayscale and then applying some effects such as brighten,
contrast, blur or soften and then save it as a .tga file.
When you create something in Windows Paintbrush, try creating your image
on a solid white background. With Corel and Photostyler, I use a solid black
background, but for some reason white is what I think you need to use for
Windows Paint. Then, when you paste it on youe segment in DECAL, whever there
is white some become transparent and show the segment color.
Micahel S. Flynn
Thanks for the reply Mike…
I did use a standard white background… Using it as an Image map, I even tried
changing the percentages from 5 to 50 and then 100… It still seems to block
the seg colors… Of course I only know this from the Quick render, I did not
try to long render it using the Render Module… Does this matter?… (Even a
Quick Render take approx. 40 minutes on a 486/66 VLB with 8Meg… So I'm wary
at this point to take it over to full-render…. <G>)
If I was to buy one of the packages you described in your post, which would you
recommend (I'm interested in features versus price…) and about how much are
we talking…? I've realized through the posts here that I will have to buy a
photo styling package to create some of the things I want… Any/all
suggestions would be appreciated…
Christopher Hoffman
"We need a 4D animation package, One that finishes rendering before you create
any models…" ;>
Christopher,
Before replying, I tried creating a simple decal in Windows Paintbrush. I
brought it into Photostyler to resize it and saved it as a .tga and it worked
fine. Possibly the conversion utility you used is causing the problem. If I
were you, I would get Photoshop 3.0 ( Retail – $795, Street – $540?) and
CorelDraw! 5.0 ($400 – 600 depending upon whether you get CD ROM only, 3.5 only
or both).
Michael S. Flynn
Whew….! That's outta my range for now…<G>
I still have to justify the A:M purchase at this point… And besides, If they
can create those great animations that are on the Demo tape with just A:M, then
I should be also… No matter how difficult it becomes, it'll just make me a
better animator… Or psychotic… <G>
Thank you for your advice though, I will save that suggestion for future use…
Creating the .TGA wasn't the problem, the problem is that when I use a
background of straight black or straight white, then cut the box out with the
design and save, the transfer it through Graphics Workshop for Windows into a
.TGA… When I bring the .TGA up in the Decal module, I have the rectangle box
with the design, and the white or black background… I am sure you probably
understood this the first time I posted, but I wanted to go over everything
once more in detail to see what I may have missed…
I then take the decal which is brought up as an IMAGE map (I've tried varying
percentages, nothing works as it should), size it place it on the Segment…
And watch as the black or white background blocks out the segment's originally
designated color… This shows up when I "Quick" render in DECAL… I have not
tried it, saved it, and taken it through the other modules to take it to the
end render… So I don't know if this "Quick" render in decal is the actual
picture…
OK I'll shut up… Any thoughts… Is it the type of map I'm using…? The
percentage…?
Christopher Hoffman
Christopher,
My best guess is that the program you are using to convert to .TGA is
saving the graphic info in a way that is causing the problem. Why don,t you
send me the original Windows .BMP file and I'll see what happens using a
different conversion.
Michael S. Flynn
I'll try and do that this weekend… Or soon thereafter…
Thanks for your help!
Christopher Hoffman
"Life In A 2D World" By I. B. Flatt
Chris…. Great Saying!!! That one is going to go on the wall in the head for
sure!! As for you decal problem… the technique you are using should work
fine… you do need to do a finshed render to see the effects of a transparency
map…
Steve, Hash Inc.
Thanks!
Perhaps you guys can work on that in Ver. 4… <BG>!
Christopher Hoffman
Christopher…40 minutes for a quick render? I got those kinds of times when I
had 4 meg of RAM and was using Virtual Memory.
I have an NEC Ready 433es with a 486DX2 66 chip sitting in the overdrive socket
and 20 Meg of RAM. I increased the setting in the prefs.hsh file from the
installed
setting (I think it comes as "memory = 3000" which tells Render that 3000K
(3Meg)
of RAM is available. It's in the "play" file and can be read with an ASCII text
reader like most word processor programs). I turned off virtual memory but
still
have 32-bit disc access on. I also use Drive Rocket software to improve my IDE
drive's performance, which does dramatically speed things up for this program
except in Render. Most of the calculations are happening in RAM. Disc thrashing
also went away when I turned off virtual memory. Render times are more like 5
minutes for me with 640×480 VGA setting and photo and anti-alias using the
Windows Render (approximately per frame…differs sometimes and always with
different settings)
So, I guess my advice is, buy those neat programs you want, but buy some RAM,
too, so you can increase your prefs.hsh setting and turn off virtual memory!
<g>
Kevin
Thanks for the advice Kevin… I set my Prefs to equal 5000 (5 Meg) using the
guidelines included with A:M… I have a 19 meg virtual in windows, but the 32
bit access selection does not come up… I'll have to check the manuals to get
this fixed…
My normal quick renders in sculpture are fine, they only take a minute or so…
It's when I open the surface maps and/or segment colors in decal that the
"Quick" render takes forever…
Is this the same with everyone else? Or do I gotta tweak this demon some
more…?
There I go, selling my soul to the PC demons again…
Christopher Hoffman
Christopher…
It really sounds like you are being slowed by the virtual memory being on. I
used
to use it before I bought more RAM. Of course you need it now for the program
to
function well, but as soon as you can afford 4-8meg more of RAM, get it and
reduce or shutoff virtual memory and see what happens to your times. I have
seen
20 meg of RAM recommended if you're going to be importing large DXF files, so
if you could buy 12 more meg of RAM you'd be OK.
Back when I had only 4meg of RAM and was using close your current amount of
virtual memory, everything was slower. And some neat programs I had crawled or
barely came up at all. Fauve Matisse just would not draw! But worse yet, A:M
crawled in Render…taking as much as 6 hours to render 30 640×480 frames VGA
with photo on and anti-alias on. And the hard-drive was thrash city. Getting
the
extra RAM, turning off virtual memory but leaving 32-bit access on (it's a box
at
the bottom of the screen where you select and set your virtual memory size) and
upping my prefs.hsh setting to 15000 worked wonders. Now 30 frames takes 30-
40 minutes to render, instead of 5-6 hours! And that's using the Windows
Render.
Your render slows down when you open those other modules because you're
using more memory and probably going into virtual memory, and that slows
everything down because, and you may know this, virtual memory uses the hard
drive and all that reading and writing of data is so much slower than real RAM.
Good luck!
Kevin
I knew about the box for 32-bit in the virtual setup… It doesn't come up
though when I bring up the setup… I will have to check the manual to see why,
it is probably some kind of wierd setup thing that I missed… In the mean
time, I will try lowering the Virtual as you suggest, and save for
upgrades…<G>
Thanks for your suggestions and help!
Christopher Hoffman
"This dang PC has evolved more times than all my ancestors put together…"
<<This dang PC has evolved more times than all my ancestors!>>
Tell me about it! <g> I think I've sunk a fortune in mine, and it's not all
paid for
yet! If I knew then what I know now…..
One cautionary note…you may find that you'll have to set your virtual memory
higher than needed for certain parts of A:M to work properly until you get more
RAM…of course you have 8Meg, so you may not run into the same problems I had
once upon a time with only 4…but thought I'd just caution you.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Kevin
The Windows manual states that the 32-bit option will only appear if you have a
Windows-recognized 32-bit controller (or something to that effect…)… I have
a SCSI fast and wide controller by ADAPTEC… Recently I reformatted my disk
drive using DOS instead of the ADAPTEC utilities. Thus I think that I have a
problem, the 32-bit option does not show, meaning Windows does not see my HD or
controller as 32-bit, which means that I will probably be backing up and
reformatting my drive again this weekend…. GAAAAHHHHH!
"How many floppies does 200MB equal?" <G>
Christopher Hoffman
Christopher…
I don't know if you went all the way in, but I'll run this by you…Click on
Control
Panel, click on Enhanced 386, click on Virtual Memory, click on Change and the
box should appear at the bottom with the new suggested swap file sizes.
I don't think it matters what DOS you used, other than it caused a change in
recognition. I just upgraded today with the Windows 3.11 add-on to get more
32-bit file access besides 32-bit disk access. I used Express Setup and sure
enuff
it called my hard-drive 16bit..though it's local bus and capable of 32-bit,
especially
with Drive Rocket software on. The 32-bit disc access box was still clicked on
from the previous settings and I clicked on 32-bit file access (available with
3.11)
and set the Virtual Memory back to none (It had picked a small setting during
setup) and voila! Windows now recognizes my hard-drive as 32-bit access and
my files are flyin'! My GIFs have never loaded as quickly…AND…in A:M, when
I
bring in a Targa image in Rotoscope…There's still the @10 second wait for the
image to load, but zooming and moving the picture is almost instant…no
waiting!
BTW, Microsoft Workgroup Add-On For Windows (3.11 and it'll work solo, without
a network) is only $47.35 right now at Egghead Software (-5% with the Cue
card).
I'm still doing quick rendering tests with the supplied Clam.Cho and it seems
to be
promising in picking up a little time.
The problem is not which DOS I'm using, rather that I formatted my drive using
DOS to begin with… <G>
The ADAPTEC SCSI controller card comes with utilities designed to format the
drive properly… I am familiar with the virtual setup and other aspects of
Windows, heck, nowadays you have to learn about such things or else you are
dead in the water…
When I bring up the Virtual Memory Setup… I get no box, no words, no
choice… The option is NOT there… I know though that it was there before…
(before the format…) So that leads me to believe the format changed
something…
I will format the drive and reinstall this weekend, it's all I can do for God
and country…
I will update you on the situation on Saturday or Sunday… 40 minutes IS
ridiculous for a Render, and now that I know something is wrong… Well let's
just say I'm a man on a mission now…!
"…Back off man, I'm an animator…" -Ghostbusters (kinda… <G>)
Christopher Hoffman
Chris, It sounds like you are probably having the dreaded "not enough ram"
syndrome Unfortunately there is no solution but patience or more ram…
Steve, Hash Inc.
No sir… I don't like it…. <G>
That is the problem… I fixed the 32 Bit disk access problem, loaded 3.11
Workgroup for Windows, turned on the 32 bit File access, loaded WIN32 upgrade,
all this after low-level and high-level formatting my drive… And I still
have a problem… I have 2 options, DX4 or 8-16 more meg memory… Either/or
will cost a bundle, upwards to $600.00…
Ah well, you throw the dice and…. …. Snake eyes! Crapped out… <G>
Christopher Hoffman
"I skinned my segments, now I need a Band-Aid…"