Education (Super OZ Shareware)/Education (Super OZ Shareware).iso/aaplay.doc

Text File | 1994-07-09 | 29KB | 912 lines

         APPENDIX E: THE AUTODESK ANIMATOR PLAYER PROGRAM

         The Autodesk Animator Player program (aaplay.exe) is a flic
         "projector" program that lets you play your animations or display
         your pictures. You can freely distribute this program, along with
         the aaplay.doc file, and your animations to friends and business
         associates. The aaplay.doc file contains instructions for using
         the Autodesk Animator Player program.

         The Autodesk Animator Player can be used either interactively,
         with mouse or keyboard, or through scripted control. Scripted
         control uses an ASCII text file to instruct Autodesk Animator
         Player to display a sequence of animations or pictures in any
         order, with assigned individual speeds and other special effects.


         INTERACTIVE CONTROL

         The Autodesk Animator Player program is in the directory in which
         you installed Autodesk 3D Studio.

         To run Autodesk Animator Player in interactive mode:

         1.   Go to the directory containing Autodesk Animator Player.

         2.   Enter the following at the DOS prompt:

              aaplay

              A black screen appears with a menu bar at the top and
              control sliders at the bottom.

         You can use Autodesk Animator Player with a Microsoft-compatible
         mouse or by keyboard. (Be sure the mouse driver is correctly
         installed.

         This appendix describes mouse input first then keyboard input. If
         you do not have a mouse device, skip ahead to the section on
         keyboard input.



         MOUSE INPUT

         This section describes how to use a mouse to load a flic, play a
         flic, view individual frames, and change a flic's speed.


         Loading a Flic

         Use the following steps to load a flic using a mouse:

         1.   Select Fli Load from the File menu.

              The file selector appears. If desired, you can exit the file
              selector (and take no further action) by right-clicking on
              the viewing screen.






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         2.   If the flic you want is listed in the file window at the
              left, double-click on the flic's name to select and load the
              flic. Another method is to click once on the flic name (which
              will appear in the File field), then click on OK.

              The flic files (extension .fli) are listed in the window at
              the left of the file selector. If there are more flics than
              will fit in the window display, scroll through the window by
              clicking on the up and down arrows in the slider bar to the
              left of the window or by dragging the slider bar up and down.
              (To drag, point the mouse at the slider, hold down the left
              mouse button, and move the mouse. Release the button to
              release the slider.)

              If the flic is located in another drive or directory, click
              on the following icons:

               A: D:   to go to another drive. Each drive you have is
                       represented by a drive button.

               \       to go to the root directory of the current drive.

               ..      to go up a directory.

              You can enter any directory listed in the file window by
              clicking on that directory's name. (Directories are listed in
              the window preceded by a slash (\) mark, for example,
              \FLICS.)

              Note: Autodesk Animator flics are designed to be played from
              a hard disk or a RAM disk. If they are played from a floppy
              disk drive, the animation speed will be very slow.

              After you have loaded a flic, it will appear on the screen
              with menu displays that let you view individual frames, play
              the flic, change the flic's speed, load another flic, and
              exit Autodesk Animator Player. You can toggle the menu
              displays by right-clicking on the viewing screen.


         Playing a Flic

         The slider bar at the bottom of the screen is the playback bar,
         which lets you view individual frames or play the entire flic.

         To play the entire flic, do this:

         1.   Click on the double-arrows:

              The menus disappear and the flic plays through.

         2.   To stop the flic, right-click on the viewing screen.

              The flic stops and the menus reappear.







         AUTODESK ANIMATOR PLAYER (10/19/90)                      Page 2



         Viewing Individual Frames

         The slider bar at the bottom left of the screen also lets you view
         individual frames of a flic. Click on these icons to perform the
         following actions:

              up arrow       moves to first frame.
              left arrow     moves back one frame.
              right arrow    moves forward one frame.
              down arrow     moves to last frame.
              slider bar     drags to desired frame.

         Click within the numbered bar to jump to another frame in the
         animation. For example, clicking on the right side of the numbered
         bar takes you to a frame near the end of the flic.


         Changing a Flic's Speed

         The slider bar at the bottom right of the screen controls the
         flic's playback speed. The numbered bar represents the duration of
         pause for each frame. A lower speed setting plays the flic faster,
         a higher speed setting slows the flic down. To change a flic's
         speed, click on the left or right arrows to adjust the speed by
         single increments or drag the bar to a desired speed.

         The speed you set is temporary. After you exit the flic, the
         original speed settings return.

         The following section describes keyboard input. If you have a
         mouse device, see "Further Keyboard Input," later on in this
         appendix, for keyboard controls available during flic playback.



         KEYBOARD INPUT

         This section describes how to use the keyboard to load a flic,
         play a flic, view individual frames, and change a flic's speed.
         You can use the keyboard for these functions even if you have a
         mouse.


         Selecting Menu Items

         Select any item in the menu bar by first pressing the key on your
         keyboard corresponding to the first letter of the menu title, and
         then pressing the key corresponding to the first letter of the
         menu item. For example, to select GIF Load from the File menu,
         press the F key (to select File), then the G key (to select GIF
         Load).










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         How Keyboard Entry Works in the File Selector

         There are two modes of keyboard entry when the file selector is on
         screen: keyboard entry mode, and keyboard alternate mode.

         Keyboard entry mode lets you enter text. When the cursor in any
         one keyboard entry box (such as the File or Dir) is a solid box,
         you are in keyboard entry mode, and keys you press will enter text
         in the keyboard entry box in which the cursor appears.

         Keyboard alternate mode lets you enter commands. When the cursor
         in all keyboard entry boxes is a thin vertical line, you are in
         keyboard alternate mode, and keys you press perform selections on
         the file selector-in much the same way as pointing with a mouse.

         When the file selector is displayed, press the following keys as
         needed:

              KEY:                FUNCTION:

              TAB                 Toggles the keyboard entry mode (as well
                                  as the cursor display) and to move from
                                  field to field

              ESC                 Clears a field

              left arrow key      Moves the cursor left

              right arrow key     Moves the cursor right

              up arrow key        Scrolls up the list of files in the file
                                  selection window

              down arrow key      Scrolls down the list of files in the
                                  file selection window

              BACKSPACE           Deletes characters left of the cursor

              A B C etc.          Selects another disk drive. Each drive
                                  you have is represented by an
                                  alphabetical key.

              \                   Moves to the root directory of the
                                  current drive

              . (period)          Moves up a directory

              ENTER               Selects OK


         Loading a Flic

         To load a flic using the keyboard:

         1.   Press the F key (to select File), and then press the F key
              again (to select Fli Load).The file selector appears. If





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              desired, you can exit the file selector (and take no further
              action) by pressing Tab followed by the spacebar.

         2.   Press TAB until the block cursor is active in the File
              keyboard entry box.

         3.   Press ESC to clear the field, then type in the name of your
              flic. (You don't have to type in the .fli extension, which is
              assumed.)

         4.   Press ENTER to load the flic.

              The first frame of the flic appears on screen to indicate
              that it is ready to be played.

         If the flic is located in another drive, do this:

         1.   Press TAB until the cursor is in the Dir field.

         2.   Press ESC to clear the field.

         3.   Enter the flic's pathname (e.g., c:\directory\filename).

         After you have loaded a flic, it will appear on the screen with
         menu displays that let you view individual frames, play the flic,
         change the flic's speed, load another flic, and exit Autodesk
         Animator Player. You can toggle the menu displays by pressing the
         spacebar.


         Playing a Flic

         The slider bar at the bottom of the screen is the playback bar,
         which lets you view individual frames or play the entire flic.

         To play the entire flic:

         1.   Press ENTER.

              The menus disappear and the flic plays through.

         2.   To stop the flic, press the spacebar.

              The flic stops and the menus reappear.


         Viewing Individual Frames

         The slider bar at the bottom left of the screen also lets you view
         individual frames of a flic. Press the following keys as needed:

              KEY:                FUNCTION:

              up arrow key        Moves to first frame







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              left arrow key      Moves back one frame

              right arrow key     Moves forward one frame

              ENTER               Plays flic

              down arrow key      Moves to last frame


         Changing a Flic's Speed

         The slider bar at the bottom right of the screen controls the
         flic's playback speed. The numbered bar represents the duration of
         pause between frames. For example, a high setting will slow the
         flic down, not speed it up. Press the - (hyphen) key to increase
         the speed by single increments; press the + key to decrease the
         speed by single increments.

         The speed you set is temporary. After you exit the flic, the
         original settings return.

         To enter a specific speed (e.g., a setting of 4), see "Further
         Keyboard Input," below.


         FURTHER KEYBOARD INPUT

         The following keys, which can be used by both mouse and keyboard
         users, affect the flic during playback.

              KEY:                FUNCTION:

              BACKSPACE           Freezes current frame (press any key to
                                  continue playback
              +                   Increases speed setting by single
                                  increments. The flic is slowed down.
              -                   Decreases speed setting by single
                                  increments. The flic is sped up.
              F1                  Speed 0
              F2                  Speed 3
              F3                  Speed 6
              F4                  Speed 9
              F5                  Speed 12
              F6                  Speed 18
              F7                  Speed 24
              F8                  Speed 36
              F9                  Speed 48
              F10                 Returns to original speed (speed loaded
                                  with flic)
              ESC                 Breaks loop (only during script playback)


         Locking the Keyboard During a Playback

         A "keyboard lock" is a command you enter to render the keyboard
         inactive until the next time you enter the keyboard command. You





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         can use a keyboard lock any time an animation or a script of
         animations is running. It is designed to keep curious fingers from
         halting your demonstrations.

         To lock the keyboard, do this:

         1.   Hold down the CTRL key and press any alphabetical key (A
              through Z).

              Note: For an 80286 machine, hold down the CTRL key and press
              the M key.

              Be sure to remember which key you pressed! If you forget, the
              only way to exit is to reset your computer by pressing CTRL-
              ALT-DEL simultaneously. (Or you could try every letter in the
              alphabet while holding down the CTRL key.)

         2.   To unlock the keyboard, hold down CTRL and press the same
              key.



         SCRIPT FILE CONTROL

         A script file is simply a text script containing a list of flics
         and/or GIF pictures to display in succession. GIF files are single
         pictures, which you can load and display individually by selecting
         GIF Load from the Files menu. In script mode, you can display a
         GIF file and leave it on the screen for a specified number of
         seconds.

         Note: Autodesk Animator GIF files are 320X200 resolution only. Use
         the Converter utility to translate other resolution .gif files
         prior to using Autodesk Animator Player.

         You can write a script file with any text editor or word processor
         that produces a standard ASCII (or DOS text) file. Script files
         can be created in Autodesk Animator itself, if desired. To do so,
         use the Text tool to enter the script text. It is recommended that
         you create the text using the System (default) font, since it
         creates the dash necessary to specify parameters (e.g., -S). After
         you exit Autodesk Animator, the script text is saved in a .txt
         file (e.g., myscript.txt), which then can be loaded in Autodesk
         Animator Player as a script file.

         Caution: The native file format of most word processors is not
         ASCII and does not work as a script file. However, most word
         processors have the ability to save text in ASCII format.

         At its simplest level, a script file that plays three flics and a
         picture in sequence looks like this:

              D:cartoon.fli
              C:\flic\astonish.fli
              C:\pics\portrait.gif
              D:bounce.fli





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         Notice that you must specify the full filename and extension for
         each flick or GIF picture. However, you need to specify the drive
         path only if the file is not in the same path as Autodesk Animator
         Player.

         Note: You can use any mixture of upper- or lowercase letters to
         create a script file.



         PLAYING A SCRIPT FILE

         You can give the script file any filename and/or extension.
         Assuming the above script file is named myscript, you can invoke
         it in one of two ways:

         o    From the DOS prompt, enter the following command:

                   aaplay myscript

         o    From within the Autodesk Animator Player, select Script Load
              from the Files menu, and then select myscript from the file
              selector.

         In the four-file script example described earlier, the first two
         listed animations each play through once, the GIF picture is
         displayed for 5 seconds, and then the last animation plays through
         once. At the end of the last animation, you are returned to the
         DOS prompt if you start myscript from the DOS prompt or to the
         Autodesk Animator Player screen if you started myscript from the
         Autodesk Animator Player.

         Note: Because of the time taken to decompress GIF files, GIF
         pictures display relatively slowly, sweeping down the screen as
         they appear. We recommend that you make your GIF pictures frames
         in a flic then load the flic from the script file. (If desired,
         use a slow playback speed for a slide-projector effect.)


         Additional Script Options

         In addition to its function specifying which flics or pics to
         play, the script file can include these parameters and options:

         o    Special parameters describing how to play the flic (such as
              its playback speed).

         o    Special options describing how may loops (or cycles) that
              each flic (or script file) plays through, and choosing
              whether to return to DOS or the Autodesk Animator Player at
              the end.










         AUTODESK ANIMATOR PLAYER (10/19/90)                      Page 8



         Script Parameters

         Script parameters consist of a hyphen followed by a single code
         letter specifying the speed, the number of loops, and the type of
         transition between the flics. The parameter letters and a control
         number or word are listed behind the flic filename in the script
         file.

         Parameters you can set are listed in the table below:

         PARAMETER:          CONTROL EFFECT DEFAULT

              -L             0..999 Loops 0
              -S             0..120 Speed File speed
              -T             FADEIN..FADEOUT..CUT Transition Cut
              -P             0..14400 (14400=4 hours) Pause FLI=0, GIF-5

         You can list one, two, all three, or no parameters behind each
         listed filename in your script file. If no parameters are listed
         after a filename, the default flic playback is a single loop at
         the speed specified by the file with no transition (a clean cut).

         Loop, speed, or pause parameters are simply a matter of listing
         the parameter letter followed by its control:

              fli1.fli -L3 -S6
              fli2.fli -S3
              fli3.fli -L2
              pic1.gif -P10
              fli4.fli -P20

         In the above example, fli1 plays through three times at a speed of
         6; fli2 plays once at a speed of 3, and fli3 plays twice at the
         speed at which it was originally saved. pic1.gif remains on screen
         for 10 seconds. The last frame of fli4 remains on screen 20
         seconds.

         Note: Loop (-L) and speed (-S) have no effect on GIF files.

         Transitions are fades to or from a white screen, and they require
         one or two control words following the parameter to describe the
         type of transition at the beginning and end of the flic playback.
         If one control word is omitted or if both are, a straight cut is
         assumed for the transition:

              fli1.fli -t fadein fadeout
              fli2.fli -t cut fadeout
              fli3.fli -t fadein cut
              fli4.fli -t fadeout
              fli5.fli -t fadein
              fli6.fli

         In the above example, fli1 fades in from a white screen, and fades
         out to a white screen; fli2 cuts in, and fades out to a white
         screen; fli3 fades in from a white screen and ends with a cut;






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         fli4 works like fli2; fli5 works like fli3; and fli6 cuts in and
         out. As you can see, the control word cut may be left out in all
         cases.

         Here are some other examples:

              fli1.fli -L3 -S6 -t fadein fadeout
              fli2.fli -S3 -t fadein
              fli3.fli -L2 -t fadeout

         In the above example, fli1 fades in, loops through three playbacks
         at speed 6, and fades out; fli2 then fades in, plays once at speed
         3, and cuts; fli3 cuts in, loops twice at its file speed, and then
         fades out.


         Script Options

         You can affect the playback of the entire script by using the
         following option commands:

              OPTION:             EFFECT:

              LINK FILENAME       Loads and plays the specified script file

              LOOP 0..999         Loops through the statements above this
                                  statement (999 means loop infinitely)

              EXITTOPLAYER        Exits to the Autodesk Animator Player
                                  after playing the script file

              EXITTODOS           Exits to DOS after playing the script
                                  file

         Note: You can enter the above option words in any combination of
         upper- or lowercase, but you can't include spaces between the
         letters (for example, ExitToPlayer is fine but Exit To Player
         isn't).

         These are examples of script options:

              fli1.fli
              fli2.fli -l2 -s5
              fli3.fli -t fadein
              loop 3

         Fli1 plays once; fli2 loops twice at a speed of 5; fli3 fades in
         from white and plays once; this entire combination repeats three
         times before ending.

         Another example:

              fli1.fli
              fli2.fli
              loop 999
              fli3.fli





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         Fli1 and fli2 alternately play through once in an infinite loop,
         which you can halt by pressing ESC. Fli3 never plays since it
         follows the loop command.

         Here is yet another example:

              fli3.fli
              fli2.fli
              fli3.fli
              loop 2
              link d:\flic\script1

         Fli3 followed by fli2 followed by fli3 loops through twice,
         followed by the combination of flics described by the script1
         script file plays.


         Scriptfile Formatting

         The Autodesk Animator Player lets you arrange the text in your
         script files in a very free fashion. As mentioned earlier, letters
         can be either upper- or lowercase. In addition, you can list
         parameters after the flic filenames in any order, and you can use
         any number of white spaces, tabs, and carriage returns:

              fli1.fli -s 2 -l 3 -t fadein

         is exactly the same as the culmination of upper- and lower-case:

              FLI1.FLI -l3 -T FADEin -S2


         Keystrokes During Script Playback

         Unless the keyboard is locked, the keystrokes described in the
         "Further Keyboard Input" section earlier affect only the flic
         currently playing. Thus if a keystroke breaks out of the current
         flic's loop, the next flic listed in the Script file immediately
         begins playback. If the speed is altered by the keyboard during
         the cycle of one flic, the following flic in the script file
         reverts to its programmed speed.

         If a script loop (as opposed to a flic loop) is in effect, only
         the ESC key breaks out of that loop.

         When you have locked the keyboard by pressing CTRL and another
         key, all keyboard activity is inactive until you repeat that same
         CTRL key combination.


         Error Messages

         If you have made a typing mistake in your script file or included
         an instruction the Autodesk Animator Player does not understand, a
         message similar to the following one appears:






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              ERROR NEAR LINE 5 IN SCRIPT1.TXT
              ERROR IN PROCESSING SCRIPT FILE

              [4] FLI1.FLI -L3 -S5
              [5] FLI2.FLI S7
              [6] FLI3.FLI -L2

         The first two lines of the message might change, depending on the
         error. The line most probably containing the error is displayed
         between the preceding and subsequent lines of the script file.
         Examine the lines closely for an error. (In the above example, the
         hyphen was left out before the speed parameter in line 5.)

         Note: In some cases the error might have occurred somewhere other
         than in the indicated line. If you can't find an error in the
         noted line, examine your entire script file carefully for a
         mistake. If you still can't find it, use a process of elimination
         by first making a backup copy of the script file, and then
         deleting certain lines until the script file works.



         EXAMPLES OF SCRIPT FILES

         The following are some example of valid script files:

         Example 1

              \fli\astonish.fli
              \fli\frogger.fli
              \fli\bounce.fli
              \gif\boats.gif
              \fli\cartoon.fli
              \fli\redbaby.fli
              \fli\starring.fli
              \fli\test_jet.fli

         Example 2
              \fli\astonish.fli
              \fli\bounce.fli
              \fli\cartoon.fli
              \fli\test_jet.fli
              \fli\frogger.fli
              \gif\boats.gif
              \fli\edbaby.fli
              \fli\starring.fli
              \gif\oldman.gif

         Example 3
              \fli\astonish.fli -l 10
              \fli\frogger.fli
              \fli\bounce.fli -l 2
              \gif\boats.gif
              \fli\cartoon.fli







         AUTODESK ANIMATOR PLAYER (10/19/90)                      Page 12



              \fli\redbaby.fli
              \gif\oldman.gif
              \fli\starring.fli
              \fli\test_jet.fli
              loop 999

         Example 4
              \fli\astonish.fli -l 10
              \fli\frogger.fli -p2
              \fli\bounce.fli -l 2
              \gif\boats.gif -t fadein fadeout
              \fli\cartoon.fli -l 4 -p10 -t fadein
              \fli\redbaby.fli
              \gif\oldman.gif -p 30
              \fli\starring.fli -l999
              \fli\test_jet.fli
              loop 3
              link a:\script3.txt

         Example 5
              ExitToPlayer
              \fli\astonish.fli
                  -l 10
              \fli\frogger.fli
                  -p2
              \fli\bounce.fli
                  -l 2
              \gif\boats.gif
                  -t fadein fadeout
              \fli\cartoon.fli
                  -l 4
                  -p10
                  -t fadein
              \fli\redbaby.fli
              \gif\oldman.gif
                  -p 30
              \fli\starring.fli
                  -l999
              \fli\test_jet.fli
              loop 3 link a:script3.txt





















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