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Autodesk Animator Pro Player User's Guide (AAPLAYHI.EXE) This program and its support files can be freely distributed by you. It is designed to let you deliver your presentations independently of Autodesk Animator Pro. (Note: This program is functionally similar to a licensed utility called aniplay.exe, but aaplayhi.exe is freely distributable). We would appreciate you giving copyright acknowledgement to Autodesk somewhere in your presentation and have provided an opening credit for this purpose. This screen may be suppressed if necessary (see below). If you wish to include aaplayhi.exe as part of a commercial software product, we would appreciate copyright acknowledgement in the package and/or documentation. The Autodesk Animator Pro Player is Copyright 1991, Autodesk, Inc. Table of Contents ================= 1.0 Introduction 2.0 Using a Mouse 3.0 Running in Interactive Mode 3.1 Menus 3.1.1 Selecting Menu Items 3.2 The File Selector 3.2.1 Using the Mouse in the File Selector 3.2.2 Using the Keyboard in the File Selector 3.2.3 Editing Text in Text Entry Blocks 3.2.4 The Plus Function 3.3 Playing Flics 3.3.1 Loading or Opening a Flic 3.3.2 Playing a Flic 3.3.3 Viewing Individual Frames 3.3.4 Changing a Flic's Speed 3.4 Loading and Displaying Pictures 3.4.1 .Gif and .Pcx Files 3.4.2 Other Picture and Animation Files 3.4.2.1 Picture Files 3.4.2.2 Animation Files 4.0 Scripting Mode 4.1 General Rules For Script Files 4.1.1 Comments 4.1.2 File and Path Descriptions 4.2 Playing a Script File 4.2.1 Keystrokes During Script Playback 4.2.2 Locking the Keyboard During Script Playback 4.3 Script Options and Commands 4.3.1 Options Affecting One File 4.3.1.1 Default Flic Playback 4.3.1.2 Default Picture Display 4.3.2 Loop, Speed, and Pause 4.3.3 Transitions 4.3.4 Picture Type 4.3.5 Commands Affecting More Than One File 4.3.5.1 Loop (count) 4.3.5.2 Break 4.3.5.3 Subroutines 4.3.5.4 Return 4.3.5.5 Call <script file and path> 4.3.5.6 Link <script file and path> 4.3.5.7 Keychoice 4.3.5.8 Loadflic <file and path> 4.3.5.9 Freeflic <file and path> 4.3.5.10 Exitscript 4.3.5.11 Exittoplayer 4.3.5.12 Exittodos 4.3.6 Script Limits 4.3.7 Script Error Messages 5.0 Special Configuration Options 6.0 Required Files 6.1 Font Files 6.2 Picture File Drivers 6.3 Display Drivers 6.4 Pointing Device Drivers 6.5 Other Files 6.5.1 AA.MU 6.5.2 AA.CFG 1.0 Introduction ================ The Autodesk Animator Pro Player program (aaplayhi.exe) is a flic "projector" program that lets you play animations or display pictures, either one at a time or following a text script file. By using the sophisticated scripting capabilities, you can prepare and present complex animated presentations, complete with variable screen resolutions and keyboard-controlled menus. Autodesk Animator Pro Player can display flic, anim cel, and image files from Autodesk Animator Pro, Autodesk 3D Studio, Autodesk Animator, and any other application that generates compatible files. Autodesk Animator Pro Player adds many new features to those of AAPLAY, the Autodesk Animator Player program. These features include: o - Loading and displaying .flc, .fli, .gif, .pcx, .seq, .lbm, .rif, .mac, .sld, .tif, some .tga files and .cel files (anim cel files from Autodesk Animator Pro). o - Keyboard branching control during script playback. o - Subroutines and script linking and calling. o - Variable screen resolutions. o - Special configuration options. 2.0 Using a Mouse ================= You can use Autodesk Animator Pro Player in the Interactive mode with the keyboard or a Microsoft-compatible mouse. If you have never used a mouse, please read this section for instructions. If you are familiar with a mouse, you can skip this section. When you move the mouse on your desk, a cursor moves on the screen. You use this cursor to select items from menus or to activate options on the Frames panel while Autodesk Animator Pro is in Interactive mode. The mouse has left and right buttons. In Autodesk Animator Pro Player, there are several ways to operate these buttons: Click Press and release the left button to select menu options and items on the Frames panel. Right-click Press and release the right button to cancel certain operations and to suppress menu and Frames panel display. Drag Press the left button and hold it down while moving the mouse. Double-click Press and release the left button twice, quickly. 3.0 Running in Interactive Mode =============================== To run Autodesk Animator Pro Player in Interactive mode: 1. Go to the directory containing Autodesk Animator Pro Player. 2. Enter the following at the DOS prompt: aaplayhi Result: A dialog box containing copyright information appears. Click on Continue or press <CR> to continue. A black screen then appears with a menu bar at the top and the Frames panel at the bottom. Note: You can specify the video driver and the configuration file to use when you run Autodesk Animator Pro Player. You can also use Autodesk Animator Pro Player with either a Microsoft-compatible mouse or the keyboard. If you have Autodesk Animator Pro, you can create a special configuration file that lets Autodesk Animator Pro Player use other pointing devices, such as a Summagraphics 1201 or Wacom graphics tablet. See the "Autodesk Animator Pro Reference Manual" and "Special Configuration Options" in section 5.0 for instructions on how to create and use a configuration file. To run Autodesk Animator Pro Player without having the copyright dialog box appear, enter either of the following commands at the DOS prompt: aaplayhi -a or aaplayhi -auto 3.1 Menus ========= When you start Autodesk Animator Pro Player without specifying a script file on the command line, it is in Interactive mode and has the following drop-down menus: The Player Menu About Displays information on Autodesk Animator Pro Player. Memory Displays information on current memory usage. Quit Exits Autodesk Animator Pro Player. The File Menu Load Flic Loads a flic into memory (if possible) and prepares it to be played. Open Flic Opens a flic without loading it into memory and prepares it to be played directly from the disk. Load GIF Loads a .gif picture onto the screen. Load PCX Loads a .pcx picture onto the screen. Load Other Brings up the Pick image format menu for you to select the type of file, then the file selector to load a picture file onto the screen. Play Script Opens, scans for errors, and plays a script. Screen Size Brings up the Screen Format menu for changing the screen driver and resolution (size). Warning: All options on the File menu clear the computer's memory of any files that may already have been loaded. 3.1.1 Selecting Menu Items ========================== To select any menu item with the mouse, move the cursor over an item in the menu bar, the banner across the top of the screen. A drop-down menu appears; when you move the mouse away, the menu disappears. To select a drop-down menu item with the mouse: 1. Move the mouse onto the menu bar so that the cursor is over a menu title. The menu title turns red and the menu is displayed. 2. Move the mouse over the list of items until the one you want to select is outlined in red. 3. Click on the item. 4. To exit a menu without selecting an item, move the mouse into the main area of the screen and the menu disappears. To use the keyboard to select a drop-down menu item: o - On your keyboard, press either <P> for the Player menu or <F> for the File menu. Then press the key corresponding to the first letter of the menu item. Where the first letters of two or more menu items are the same (such as Load Flic and Load GIF), another letter is used, and the letter is usually underlined in the menu. The keyboard equivalents of the various items are listed below. Player Menu <P> About <A> Memory <M> Quit <Q> File Menu <F> Load Flic <F> Open Flic <O> Load GIF <G> Load PCX <X> Load Other <L> Play Script <P> Screen Size <S> For example, to select Load GIF from the File menu, press the <F> key (to select the File menu), then the <G> key (to select Load GIF). 3.2 The File Selector ===================== When you select any function from the File menu other than Screen Size, the file selector appears. You can use either the mouse or the keyboard to select a file. 3.2.1 Using the Mouse in the File Selector ========================================== To select a file with the mouse: If the file you want is listed in the file window at the left of the file selector, double-click on the file's name to select and load the file. Another method is to click once on the filename (which appears in the File field), then click on Load. Files in the current directory are listed in the window at the left of the file selector. Depending upon the function you choose from the File menu, there will be two or more wildcard buttons that limit the file list to those with matching filename extensions. For example, if you choose Load Flic and Open Flic, there are four wildcard buttons. You may choose to display all files (*.*), only Autodesk Animator Pro files (*.FLC), only Autodesk Animator files (*.FLI) or both Autodesk Animator Pro and Autodesk Animator files (*.FL?). Anim cel files use the .cel extension and are not shown in the file selector when you use the *.FLC, *.FLI, or *.FL? wildcard buttons. To see the names of any available anim cel files, use the *.* wildcard button. If there are more files 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 file you want is located in another drive or directory, click on the following icons: A:, B:, C:, etc. 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 one 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 backslash (\), for example, \FLICS.) To exit the file selector (and take no further action), right-click on the viewing screen or click on the Cancel button. 3.2.2 Using the Keyboard 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 a keyboard entry box is a solid box, you are in Keyboard Entry mode. You can type text into the keyboard entry box, such as the path or filename. Keyboard alternate mode lets you select the current drive using the keyboard. In Keyboard Alternate mode, keys you press perform selections on the file selector in much the same way as pointing with a mouse. To enter Keyboard Alternate mode, press the <Tab> key until the cursor is in the directory or wildcard keyboard entry box, then press <CR>. The box cursor becomes a thin, vertical line, as the cursors in the other two keyboard entry boxes appear. In the Keyboard Alternate mode, you can change the current drive by pressing the key corresponding to the drive letter. For example, to change the current drive to drive E, press the <E> key (using either lower- or uppercase letters). You can also change the current directory by pressing <.> (the period key) to move up one directory, or the backslash (\) key to move to the root directory of the current drive. 3.2.3 Editing Text in Text Entry Blocks ======================================= While you are in Keyboard Entry mode, you can use the following keys to edit text: <Esc> Clears the keyboard entry box. <Delete> Deletes the letter under the cursor. <Backspace> Deletes the letter to the left of the cursor. <Left arrow> Moves the cursor to the left. <Right arrow> Moves the cursor to the right. <Home> Moves the cursor to the start of the text. <End> Moves the cursor to the end of the text. <CR> Accepts the text. Note: When entering the name of a file to load or open, you must enter the complete name, including the filename extension. 3.2.4 The Plus Function ======================= The plus function changes the current filename by removing the seventh and eighth characters, if they exist, and substituting two digits for them. If the current filename ends in a number, the new digits will be one higher. If the current filename does not end in a number, the plus function starts its numbering at 01. For example, if the current filename is box.flc, the new filename after using the plus function will be box01.flc. If you attempt to load a file named, say, filename.flc, and inadvertently use the plus function, Autodesk Animator Pro Player will search for a file named filena01.flc. The plus function is especially useful for creating, loading, or opening a series of sequentially numbered files. If you are using a mouse, click on the + button to use the plus function. If you are using the keyboard, you must be in Keyboard Alternate mode to use the plus function. Press the keypad <+> or the <Shift-+> keyboard combination. 3.3 Playing Flics ================= This section describes how to use a mouse or the keyboard to load and play a flic or anim cel, view individual frames, and change a flic's speed. 3.3.1 Loading or Opening a Flic =============================== In Autodesk Animator Pro Player, you can either load or open a flic file. If you load a flic file, Autodesk Animator Pro Player loads as much of the file as it can into memory. This will achieve the fastest playback speed. If you open a flic rather than load it, Autodesk Animator Pro loads into memory only as much of the file as it needs to manage the playback. When you play the file, Autodesk Animator Pro Player takes each frame's information from the disk as needed. Note: Autodesk Animator Pro and Autodesk Animator flics are designed to be played from a hard disk or a RAM disk. If you play them from a floppy disk drive, the animation speed is very slow. To load a flic using a mouse, select Load Flic from the File menu and follow the procedure described in section 3.2.1, "Using the Mouse in the File Selector." After you have loaded a flic, it will appear on the screen with the menu bar and the Frames panel. You can now view individual frames, play the flic, change the flic's speed, load another flic, and exit Autodesk Animator Player. You can toggle the menu bar and Frames panel by right-clicking on the viewing screen. To open a flic using a mouse, select Open Flic from the File menu and follow the procedure described in section 3.2.1, "Using the Mouse in the File Selector." Note: You can also load Autodesk Animator Pro anim cel files, using the Load Flic options or open them using the Open Flic option. Autodesk Animator .cel files cannot be loaded into Autodesk Animator Pro Player. To load a flic or anim cel file using the keyboard: 1. Press <F> (to select File), and then press <F> again (to select Load Flic). Result: The file selector appears in Keyboard Entry mode. If desired, you can exit the file selector (and take no further action) by pressing <Esc> twice. 2. Press <Esc> to clear the field, then type in the name of your flic or anim cel file, including the filename extension. 3. Press <CR> to load the flic. Result: 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 path name (for example, c:\directory\filename). You can also switch to Keyboard Alternate mode and change the current directory using Keyboard Alternates. See section 3.2.2, "Using the Keyboard in the File Selector." After you have loaded a flic, it appears 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 Pro Player. You can toggle the menu displays on or off by pressing the spacebar. 3.3.2 Playing a Flic ==================== At the bottom of the screen is the Frames panel. At the top of the Frames panel is the playback bar, which lets you view individual frames or play the entire flic or anim cel. You can move the Frames panel by clicking on the Frames button. The Frames panel will disappear, leaving a marquee box. Move the marquee box where you want it with the mouse and click again to place it. If you want the Frames panel to return to the bottom of the screen, right-click on the Frames button. To play the entire flic or anim cel using the mouse, do this: 1. Click on the double-arrows. Result: The menu bar and Frames panel disappear and the flic or anim cel plays through. 2. To stop the flic or anim cel, right-click on the viewing screen. Result: The flic or anim cel stops and the menu and the Frames panel reappear. To play the entire flic or anim cel a flic using the keyboard, do this: 1. Press the <down arrow> key. Result: The menu bar and Frames panel disappear and the flic or anim cel plays through. 2. To stop the flic or anim cel, press the <down arrow> key again. The following keys control playback in the Interactive mode: Key Action <Down arrow> Plays the flic; while playing, pauses playback. <Up arrow> Moves to first frame. or <Home> <End> Moves to last frame. <Spacebar> Toggles menu bar and Frames panel on and off. In addition, the following keys offer additional controls: Key Action <Q> or <Esc> Brings up the Quit dialogue box (while no flic is playing). <Ctrl-C> Aborts the current script during script playback and returns you to the menu bar. Any other key Halts the play of a flic or anim cel. 3.3.3 Viewing Individual Frames =============================== The slider bar in the Frames panel also lets you view individual frames of a flic. With a mouse, you can click on these icons to perform the following actions: Icon Action Down arrow Moves to last frame. Left arrow Moves back one frame. Right arrow Moves forward one frame. Up Arrow Moves to first frame. Number box In upper slider bar, drags to desired frame. Double arrows Plays entire flic or anim cel. Click within the numbered bar in the Frames panel to jump to another frame in the animation. For example, clicking on the right side of the numbered bar takes you to a frame nearer to the end of the flic, while clicking to the left takes you to a frame nearer to the beginning of the flic. To view individual frames using the keyboard, first toggle the menu bar and Frames panel off by pressing the spacebar. Then use the left and right cursor arrow keys to move through the flic or anim cel one frame at a time: Key Action <Left arrow> Moves back one frame. <Right arrow> Moves forward one frame. 3.3.4 Changing a Flic's Speed ============================= The slider bar at the bottom of the Frames panel controls the flic's playback speed. The numbered bar represents the duration of pause for each frame, measured in "jiffies" or 1/70 second. 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. You can also use the keyboard to control playback speed. Press the keypad or keyboard <-> (minus or hyphen) key to increase the play speed (decrease the time each frame is displayed) by single increments; press the keypad <+> (plus) key or the <Shift><+> key combination to decrease the play speed (increase the time each frame is displayed) by single increments. Both mouse and keyboard users can use the following keys to control speed during the playback: Function Key Speed in Jiffies F1 0 F2 3 F3 6 F4 9 F5 12 F6 18 F7 24 F8 36 F9 48 F10 Sets to speed specified in the file. 3.4 Loading and Displaying Pictures =================================== 3.4.1 .Gif and .Pcx files ========================= You can also load other animation and image files into Autodesk Animator Pro Player. On the File menu, there are specific items for loading .gif and .pcx pictures. To load a .gif picture using a mouse, select Load GIF from the File menu, either with the mouse or by pressing the <F> key and then the <L> key. Then follow the procedures described in section 3.2.1, "Using the Mouse in the File Selector," or in section 3.2.2, "Using the Keyboard in the File Selector." After you have loaded a picture, it will appear on the screen. Because a picture file is a still image rather than an animation, it will only have one "frame." To view a picture without the menu bar or Frames panel, right-click on the viewing screen. To load a .pcx picture using a mouse, follow the same procedure; however, begin by choosing Load PCX from the File menu, rather than Load GIF. 3.4.2 Other Picture and Animation Files ======================================= Using the Load Other menu option from the File menu, you may also load and display other picture and animation files into Autodesk Animator Pro Player. Picture files consist of a single image, while animation files have more than one image in sequence. Note: Autodesk Animator Pro Player loads only the first frame of non- flic animation files. 3.4.2.1 Picture Files ===================== Autodesk Animator Pro Player loads the following types of picture files in addition to .gif and .pcx files: DEGAS (Atari ST DEGAS .pi? and .pc? picture files) LBM (Amiga and IBM Deluxe Paint III, etc. .lbm picture files) MAC (Macintosh .mac monochrome picture files) NEO (Atari ST NEOchrome .neo picture files) SLD (AutoCAD .sld picture files) TARGA (Autodesk 3D Studio and other .tga and .pix picture files) TIFF (Tag Image File Format .tif picture files) 3.4.2.2 Animation Files ======================= Autodesk Animator Pro Player loads the first frame of the following types of animation files in addition to Autodesk Animator .fli, and Autodesk Animator Pro .flc and anim cel .cel files: RIF (Amiga Zoetrope and Live! .rif animation files) SEQ (Atari ST Cyber .seq animation files) ANIM (Amiga Anim, Deluxe Paint III .ani animation files) If you want to load the entire animation into Autodesk Animator Pro Player, you must first use the Autodesk Animator Pro Converter to convert it to a .flc or .fli file. To load a picture or animation file using a mouse: 1. Select Load Other from the File menu. The Pick image format to load selector appears. If desired, you can exit this selector (and take no further action) by right- clicking on the viewing screen or by clicking on the Cancel button. 2. Choose the image format you want to load. You may select it by double-clicking on it or by clicking on it and then clicking on the Load button. To read the characteristics of a particular file type, click on its name and then click on the Info button. A window appears listing the characteristics of that file type. Once you have selected the image format you want, the file selector appears. If desired, you can exit this selector by right-clicking on the viewing screen or clicking on the Cancel button. Follow the procedure described in "Using the Mouse in the File Selector," or in "Using the Keyboard in the File Selector" to select an appropriate file to load. After you have loaded a picture, it will appear on the screen. Because a picture file is a still image rather than an animation, it has only one "frame." To view a picture without the menu bar or Frames panel, right-click on the viewing screen. To load a picture or animation file in one of the listed formats using the keyboard: 1. You must not have a mouse driver installed. If you do, remove it and reboot your computer. 2. Follow the instructions listed above for selecting a file using a mouse. In place of the mouse, use the cursor arrow keys to position the cursor, the left <Shift> as the left mouse button, and the right <Shift> as the right mouse button. 4.0 Scripting Mode ================== A script file is a text script containing a list of flics and/or pictures to display in succession. Think of a picture as a single- frame animation, which you can load and display individually by selecting Load .GIF, Load .PCX or Load Other from the File menu. In script mode, you can display a picture file and leave it on the screen for a specified number of seconds. 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 or Autodesk Animator Pro, if desired. To do so, use the Text tool to enter the script text. Choose a font that is easy to read in the Text Edit window for the screen resolution you are using. Also, be sure that the font you use includes the hyphen (-) you need for specifying certain parameters (e.g., -t). From within the Text Tool, save the script in a text file (e.g., myscript.scr). Then, when you exit Autodesk Animator or Autodesk Animator Pro, you can load this text file into Autodesk Animator Pro Player as a script file. Autodesk Animator Pro Player uses the filename extender .scr for script files. However, you can give a script file any filename and/or extension. 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. 4.1 General Rules for Script Files ================================== At its simplest level, a script file that plays three flics and a picture in sequence looks like this: d:bldg.flc c:\flics\juke.flc c:\pics\dunes.gif d:sign.flc If you do not specify any options in a script, the same script could also be used in Flitape and Flipaper, as well as in Autodesk Animator Pro Player. The result would be radically different, of course. However, once you add any options to the script lines, the commonality ends. Caution: As a general rule, however, do not attempt to use a script from Autodesk Animator Pro Player in Flitape or Flipaper, or to use a script from one of those programs in Autodesk Animator Pro Player. At best, the results may be unexpected or cause an error that stops the program; at worst, you may lose some of your work. Notice that you must specify the full filename and extension for each flic or picture, unless the file is in a drive's current path. Autodesk Animator Pro Player will set the current path to the same directory as that of the script. In the above example, if the script shown is in the same directory on drive d: as bldg.flc and sign.flc, the program will locate those files even if you don't specify the directory and subdirectories. Every discrete "word" of a script line must be separated by white space, although the amount of white space is up to you. Also, you may insert blank lines in between script lines in order to group and order your scripts. In this context, a word can be a filename and path, a command, or a number. The double slashes (//) indicate that comments follow. See "Comments" in the next section. A filename and path are treated as one word, and you can use any mixture of upper- or lowercase letters to create a script file. In addition, you can list parameters after the flic filenames in any order: flic1.flc -s 2 -l 3 -t fadein is exactly the same as the combination of upper- and lowercase: FLIC1.FLC -l 3 -T FADEin -S 2 For some parameters, you may use a period "." or a set of parentheses, ( and ), to set them off from the other words on the line. For example, the command "color" takes three arguments: color(0,255,0) Arguments must be set off by beginning and ending parentheses and be separated by commas, but without a trailing comma after the last argument. 4.1.1 Comments ============== You may add comments to a script file by inserting two slash characters (//). Anything after these characters is ignored by the program. For example: d:\flics\testfile.flc // This is a comment. d:\pictures\greatpic.gif // This is // another comment. Comments are very helpful in designing and organizing your presentation, particularly before you become totally conversant in the scripting language. Similarly, comments can be very helpful to others who may need to use and understand your script at some later point. 4.1.2 File and Path Descriptions ================================ When Autodesk Animator Pro Player runs, it checks the current paths for all devices. It remembers these paths as the current paths for all fixed devices, such as hard disks or CD-ROM drives. For floppy drives, however, the current path is assumed to be the root (e.g. a:\ or b:\). When you run a script, the current directory changes to that of the script while the script is running. For example, if you run Autodesk Animator Pro Player from the c:\ani\ directory and call a script from the d:\present1\ directory, Autodesk Animator Pro Player will set the current path for your hard disk to the d:\present1\ directory while the script is running and reset it to c:\ani when it is finished running. Using the previous example, if you wanted to include the flic d:\present1\intro.flc in your presentation, you would only need to list its path as d:intro.flc. However, in general, it's almost always safer to include the specific path when listing a file. If you load flics or pictures from floppy disks, you must make sure that each file has a unique name. There is no way for the Autodesk Animator Pro Player to know the difference between a flic called a:\myflic.flc and a different flic also called a:\myflic.flc on a different floppy disk. Autodesk Animator Pro Player stores the filename for each path in RAM, but can only store a single name for each. For example, if you load a:\myflic.flc from one floppy and then load a second a:\myflic.flc, Autodesk Animator Pro Player will remove the first flic from the computer's memory before loading the second. 4.2 Playing a Script File ========================= You can play a script file in one of two ways. For example, if you want to play the script named present1.scr, you have these alternatives: o - In Interactive mode, select Play Script from the File menu, and then select present1.scr from the file selector. o - From the DOS prompt, enter the following command: aaplayhi present1 Note: If the script file has an extension other than .scr, you must include it on the Autodesk Animator Pro Player command line. When you start a script by including its name on the command line, as in the above axample, before the script plays, a dialog box appears with Autodesk copyright information. To play the script, click on the Continue box or press <CR>. If you want your script to begin without showing the copyright dialog box, add -a or -auto to the command line that starts the script. For example, to suppress the dialog box while playing the script called present1.scr, enter the following: aaplayhi present1 -a In the four-file script example shown at the beginning of the Scripts section, the first two 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 that is where you started, or to the Autodesk Animator Pro Player screen if you started it from the Autodesk Animator Pro Player. Along with the program name and script filename, you may also include on the command line one or more special configuration options that control the program configuration, the display driver and its display mode. See section 5.0, "Special Configuration Options," Note: Because of the time taken to decompress them, .gif pictures display relatively slowly, sweeping down the screen as they appear. We recommend that you make your .gif pictures into flic frames, then load the flic from the script file. (If desired, use a slow playback speed for a slide-projector effect.) 4.2.1 Keystrokes During Script Playback ======================================= There are a number of ways to control the playback of a script with the keyboard: o - You can lock the keyboard. See the next section, "Locking the Keyboard During Script Playback." o - You can define a specific set of keys that control the progress of the script using the keychoice command. See section 4.3.5.7, "Keychoice". o - You can press any of the following (assuming the keyboard is not locked and that none of these keys has been used to lock the keyboard: Key Action <Esc> Breaks out of script loop; see below. Aborts keychoice if at choice point; returns to previous keychoice, if any, or aborts to DOS or interactive mode, if none. <Ctrl-C> Aborts the current script. Any other key or right-click Proceeds to the next file; if during fade-in, aborts right-click fade-in and goes to next image. If during flic playback or pause, aborts current action and starts fade-out, if any. Unless the keyboard is locked, these keystrokes 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. 4.2.2 Locking the Keyboard During Script Playback ================================================= A keyboard lock is a command you enter to render the keyboard inactive until the next time you enter the same keyboard combination. You can use a keyboard lock any time a script of animations and/or pictures 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>-<Z>), with the exception of <Ctrl-C>. Result: A dialogue box appears asking you to confirm that you want to lock the keyboard with that key combination. If you do, click on Yes or press <Y>. To cancel the keyboard lock, click on No, right-click or press <N> or <Esc>. Caution: Be sure to remember which key lock you chose! Check the dialogue box to make sure that the key combination shown is the one you want. If you forget, the only way to exit is to reset your computer by pressing <Ctrl>, <Alt>, and <Delete> 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. A dialogue box appears advising you that you are canceling the keyboard lock. Press any key or click on Continue to proceed. 4.3 Script Options and Commands =============================== 4.3.1 Options Affecting One File ================================ The options affecting a single flic or picture in a script are controlled by adding a particular parameter in the script line after the name of the flic or picture file. These parameters consist of a hyphen followed by a code letter or word specifying the speed, the number of loops, the type of transition between files, whether the last frame is held on screen and the file type of a picture file. These are the available options: Option Action -l (x) Loops flic; x is the number of times a flic plays (must be an integer) -s (y) Sets playback speed for flic; y is the number of jiffies (1/70 second) per frame -p (z) Pauses flic at the end; z is the pause time in seconds (can be decimal) -t (options) Transitions (fade-ins, fade-outs and cuts); options include the type of transition, whether it is an in transition or out transition, and the time in which the transition is to occur (can be decimal or integer) -type (pdr load type) Specifies the type of picture to load; pdr is the filename of the picture driver; do not include the filename extension .pdr You can list any combination-or none-of these parameters after each listed filename in your script file. Autodesk Animator Pro Player can accept a script line of up to 255 characters long. 4.3.1.1 Default Flic Playback ============================= If no parameters are listed after a flic filename, the default flic playback is a single loop at the speed specified by the file with no pause on the last frame and no transitions (a clean cut from one flic to the next). If you specify a loop control value of 0, the flic will play indefinitely or until it is interrupted by a key press. 4.3.1.2 Default Picture Display =============================== If no parameters are listed after a picture filename, the default picture display has a duration of 5.0 seconds with a cut to the next picture or animation. 4.3.2 Loop, Speed, and Pause ============================ Loop, speed, and pause parameters are simply a matter of listing the parameter letter followed by its control, separated by a space: flic1.flc -l 3 -s 6 // Plays three times at a speed of six jiffies per frame. flic2.flc -s 3 // Plays once at a speed of three jiffies per frame. flic3.flc -l 2 // Plays twice at the speed set in the file. pic1.gif -p 10.3 // Displays the picture for 10.3 seconds. flic4.flc -p 8 // Plays the flic once and holds the last frame for 8 seconds. Note: Loop (-l) and speed (-s) parameters have no effect on picture files. If you want a single flic to loop, it's more efficient to use the -l loop parameter than to use the script loop control. See section 4.3.5.1,"Loop (count)". 4.3.3.Transitions ================= Transitions are fades to or from a one-colored screen, and they require one or two options following the parameter to describe the type of transition at the beginning and end of the flic playback. The default transition is a straight cut (i.e., a switch from one image or animation to another). You can also specify the time over which the transition is to occur after the type of transition. The default color for cuts and fade-outs is black. If you want to specify a fade to or from a color other than black, you can list its RGB (red, green, and blue) component values in parentheses after the command color. You can also specify the color white by name, rather than as color (255,255,255). If you specify a color other than black for a fade-out and then follow that with a fade-in without specifying a color, the fade-in will be from the color you specified. As an example of this, note the transitions from flic2 to flic3 in the following sequence: flic1.flc -t fadein color (255,0,0) fadeout color (0,0,0) // Fade in from red, fade to black. flic2.flc -t cut fadeout 1.5 white // Cut from black, fade to white over 1.5 sec. flic3.flc -t fadein 1.0 cut // Fade in from white over 1.0 seconds, cut to flic4. flic4.flc -t fadeout // Cut from flic3, fade to black. flic5.flc -t fadein // Fade in from black, cut to black. pic1.gif -t fadein 0.5 -p 3.0 // Fade in from black over 0.5 sec, hold for 3.0 sec, then cut to flic6. flic6.flc // Cut from pic1, cut out - no transition options are necessary. Each color is described by a combination of its RGB components in range from 0 (0%) to 255 (100%). Pure white is composed of 100% red, 100% green and 100% blue, or (255,255,255). Pure red is (255,0,0); pure green is (0,255,0) and pure blue is (0,0,255). Other colors are specified by the combination of different RGB values. The timing for fade-ins and fade-outs is specified in seconds and tenths of seconds. If no time is specified, the fade takes place over 0.8 seconds. If you specify a fade time of 0 seconds, the result is a cut. Cuts occur as fast as the system speed allows. There are usually several ways of defining a transition. For example, if you want to fade in from white over a time of 0.8 seconds and fade out over one second, you may define this transition in any of the following ways: flic1.flc -t fadein 0.8 white fadeout 1 color(255,255,255) flic1.flc -t fadein color(255,255,255) fadeout 1 white flic1.flc -t fadein white fadeout color(255,255,255) 1 Similarly, a fade-in from white over 0.8 seconds can be defined by any of the following: flic1.flc -t fadein white flic1.flc -t fadein cut color(255,255,255) flic1.flc -t fadein color(255,255,255) cut flic1.flc -t fadein 0.8 color(255,255,255) flic1.flc -t fadein white .8 flic1.flc -t fadein 00.8 color(255,255,255) cut flic1.flc -t fadein white .8 cut 4.3.4 Picture Type ================== You may specify the type of still picture to load by using the -type parameter after the filename. If you do not specify a picture type, Autodesk Animator Pro Player first attempts to load the file as a flic, then as a .gif file, and finally as a .pcx file. If it can't load the file as any of those, an error results. If you want to load a type of picture other than the default, you must specify its file type using the -type parameter: c:\pictures\opening.tif -type tiff e:\targas\gears.tga -type targa d:\ani\gifs\lake.gif 4.3.5 Commands Affecting More Than One File =========================================== There are also a number of options in Autodesk Animator Pro Player to control the playback of groups of flics and/or pictures. Autodesk Animator Pro Player lets you define a group of flics and pictures as a subroutine, so that any time you want to play through that group, you need only name it in the script. Also, Autodesk Animator Pro Player lets you start one script, leave it to play another, and then return to the first, all under program control. Moreover, Autodesk Animator Pro Player lets you play a series of scripts, moving from one to the next automatically. Autodesk Animator Pro Player lets you set up a menu system using a wide range of key choices to control the flow and direction of your presentation. Finally, Autodesk Animator Pro Player lets you determine what happens when your presentation plays through completely. These are the available scripting commands: Command Effect Loop (count) Repeats portion of script within loop, count times. Break Aborts loop and proceeds to next script command. Subroutines Means of organizing and modularizing scripts; called using the gosub command. Return Returns program to main script from subroutine Call <script file & path> Transfers program control to new script file; returns to original after run. Link <script file & path> Transfers program control to new script file; does not return to original. Keychoice Method of setting up keyboard-controlled actions during script playback. Loadflic <file & path> Loads flic file into computer memory for later playback. Freeflic <file & path> Releases flic from computer memory. Exitscript Exits current script. Exittoplayer Exits script and goes to Interactive mode. Exittodos Exits script and returns to DOS or Interactive mode. 4.3.5.1 Loop (count) ================== This command tells Autodesk Animator Pro Player to loop (repeat) a set of instructions the number of times specified by the parameter count. Each loop begins with the command loop and ends with the command endloop. The parameter count must be an integer value greater than one (or the word forever) enclosed in parentheses. Forever causes the loop to continue until you exit the script. You may nest loops up to five deep. For example: loop (forever) // Start main loop which will play until stopped. intro.flc // Play first flic. flic2.flc // Play second flic. loop(4) // Start second loop, to play through four times. pic1.gif -p 3 // Show pic1 for 3 sec. pic2.tif -type tiff -p 2 // Load TIFF driver, show pic2 for 2 sec. pic3.gif -p 4 // Show pic3 for 4 sec. endloop // The end of the inside loop. epilog.flc // Play the final flic. endloop // End of the outside loop; // return to the outer loop and start over. Suggestion: The indenting shown in the above example is a matter of style only, but it tends to make a script easier to follow. Note: You can use the loop command to play a single flic more than once, but it is more efficient to use the -l option. 4.3.5.2 Break ============= If Autodesk Animator Pro Player is playing a script in a loop and it encounters a break command, it will abort the loop and continue playing the script from the point after the endloop for that loop. The primary purpose of the break command is for use within keychoice lists to specify a choice that will terminate a loop. See section 4.3.5.7,"Keychoice". If Autodesk Animator Pro Player encounters a break command outside a loop, an error results. 4.3.5.3 Subroutines =================== Subroutines are script modules, or small "chunks" of script, that you can define to include almost any instruction to Autodesk Animator Pro Player. Once you have defined a subroutine, you can run it at any point in the script with the command gosub <module name>. This command lets you simplify your main script and place all your repeatable modules in separate locations at the end of the script. To define a subroutine, you mark its beginning with the word subroutine followed by its name on the same line. The end of a subroutine is marked by the word endsub. All subroutines must be defined at the end of the main script; in fact, the word subroutine tells Autodesk Animator Pro Player that it has reached the end of the main script. There is a limit to the number of subroutines you can have, but in practical terms, you need never approach it. See section 4.3.6, "Script Limits". A subroutine can consist of a single line or multiple lines, and you can call a subroutine any number of times within a script. A subroutine can't call itself, however, nor can you define a subroutine within another subroutine. The following is not valid: . . . <end of main script> subroutine sub1 // Begin the definition of subroutine sub1. flic1.flc // Part of sub1. subroutine sub2 // Begin definition of subroutine sub2; // This is an error! flic2.flc // Part of sub2. endsub // End of sub2. endsub // End of sub1. 4.3.5.4 Return ============== If Autodesk Animator Pro Player encounters a return command while in a subroutine, it will immediately stop the subroutine and return to the main script. This is very useful for branching control. If Autodesk Animator Pro Player encounters a return command not in a subroutine, it is treated as an exitscript; see section 4.3.5.10, "Exitscript". 4.3.5.5 Call <script file and path> =================================== Another method for organizing a script is to place portions in a second script and then call it from the first script. If Autodesk Animator Pro Player comes upon a call <script file and path> command, it will open the second script, follow the commands there, and then when it has finished the second script, return to the location from which it left the first script. You must include the path of the called script in the command, unless it is in the same path as the current script. Note: If the called script includes an exittodos or exittoplayer command, Autodesk Animator Pro Player will follow that command and abort the called script and all other scripts. 4.3.5.6 Link <script file and path> =================================== Like call <script file and path>, the link <script file and path> command transfers control from the current script to a second script. Unlike the call command, link does not return to the first script (the caller) when the second script is finished. Before starting the second script, Autodesk Animator Pro Player clears all flics and pictures from memory. If you link from one script to another, it is possible to link back to the first script by including a link in the last script directing Autodesk Animator Pro Player back to the first. Autodesk Animator Pro Player will not return to where it left the first script; instead, it will restart the first script from the beginning. 4.3.5.7 Keychoice ================= The keychoice command is one of the most powerful commands in Autodesk Animator Pro Player. It lets you set up a branching presentation and define the keyboard control available during playback. If Autodesk Animator Pro Player encounters a keychoice command, it monitors the keyboard during the playback of a flic or picture. If the user presses one of the keys you have defined as valid for that point, it immediately performs the commands you defined. The list of keychoices is marked at the start by the word keychoice and at the end by the word endchoice. In between, each choice is defined by the word choice, followed by a key. There must be at least one choice in a keychoice list. Keys available for choices include 0 through 9 and a through z. Autodesk Animator Pro Player does not distinguish between upper- and lowercase, so a and A are the same keychoice. You may use the same key in more than one keychoice list. A command that displays a picture or plays a flic must come immediately before a keychoice command. If you want to have a flic play continuously until a keychoice is made, use the -l 0 option to provide an infinite play loop. If you want to play a flic and pause on the last frame until a keychoice is made, Autodesk Animator Pro Player will do so automatically at the end of any flic that precedes a keychoice command. If you specify a pause in the flic preceding a keychoice, and that pause time has passed, any fade-out or cut you've specified for that flic will take place. Autodesk Animator Pro Player will then resume the script immediately after the endchoice command for the keychoice immediately following the flic or picture display specification. After the commands defined under a choice have been performed, Autodesk Animator Pro Player continues playing the script from the point immediately after the endchoice. Here's an example of how to use keychoice: intro.flc // Play first flic. menu1.flc // Play second flic, a menu. keychoice // The start of the first keychoice list. choice 1 // What happens if you press 1 flic3.flc choice E // What happens if you press E. flickee.flc choice 2 // What happens if you press 2. flic5.flc choice escape // What happens if you press the Escape key. exittodos // Exits play, returns to DOS or menus. endchoice // The end of the keychoice list. Autodesk Animator Pro Player monitors keys other than the keychoices while a keychoice flic or picture is displayed. If you want to lock out any keys other than the defined keychoices, you may lock the keyboard, as described in section 4.2.2, "Locking the Keyboard During Script Playback." Keychoices may also be nested, one set inside another. 4.3.5.8 Loadflic <file and path> ================================ The loadflic command is used to load a flic into memory for faster playback. You can use the loadflic command anywhere within a script, but you must play the flic somewhere in the script. The loadflic command will be useful only if you have sufficient memory available. If there is not enough memory to load the flic or flics, you will be asked in turn if you want to play each directly from the disk. If you answer Yes, that flic will play from the disk in turn. If you answer No, the program will abort. You may load several flics if you have sufficient memory to do so. You must, however, play them all within the script. If you fail to do so, an error will result. Here is an example of loading two flics: . . . loadflic d:\flics\flic1.flc loadflic d:\flics\flic2.flc . . . You may also use loadflic to load a flic from a floppy disk. When Autodesk Animator Pro Player encounters a command such as this: . . . loadflic a:\flic1.flc . . . it will ask you to insert the disk in the drive. After doing so, click on Continue in the dialogue box. The script will abort if no disk is present in the indicated drive. If no memory is available for loading a file from a floppy disk, the script will be aborted. Specify the full path for the file, as Autodesk Animator Pro Player disregards the current path both when it scans the syntax at first and later when it loads the file; the path a:flic1.flc is interpreted as a:\flic1.flc. The floppy disk containing the flic must be in the drive when the script is started. Important: Memory usage can't be fully estimated when the script is scanned during the syntax check pass. The only way to make sure a script will have all the memory it needs is to run it in its entirety. 4.3.5.9 Freeflic <file and path> ================================ The freeflic command removes the named flic from memory if it has been loaded; it is the reverse of loadflic. If the flic is not in memory, an error message appears telling you that the flic was never loaded. The program then aborts. All flics in memory are freed when the script exits or transfers control to another script via the link command. You must include the same path to free a flic as you used in the loadflic command. Example: . . . freeflic d:\flics\flic1.flc freeflic d:\flics\flic2.flc . . . 4.3.5.10 Exitscript =================== The exitscript command is used to exit a script playback; it's like reaching the end of the current script. If Autodesk Animator Pro Player encounters an exitscript command in a script called via the call command, it will stop playing it and return to the script that called it. For example, if Script1 calls Script2, and Autodesk Animator Pro Player encounters an exitscript command in Script2, it will return to Script1 and continue playing at the point immediately after the command that called Script2. If Autodesk Animator Pro Player encounters an exitscript command in a linked script or a stand-alone script, it treats the exitscript command as an equivalent to exittodos. For example, if Script1 is linked to Script2 and Autodesk Animator Pro Player encounters an exitscript command in either script, it quits the script it's in and exits. 4.3.5.11 Exittoplayer ===================== The exittoplayer command is used to exit a script and return to the Interactive mode of Autodesk Animator Pro Player. Note that this command is all one word, with no spaces. 4.3.5.12 Exittodos ================== The exittodos command is used to exit a script and return to the mode of Autodesk Animator Pro Player from which the script was played. If the script were played using the Play Script command on the File menu in the Interactive mode, the exittodos command would return you to that point. If, however, the script were played from the DOS prompt, you would be returned to DOS. Note that this command is all one word, with no spaces. 4.3.6 Script Limits =================== Every script played by Autodesk Animator Pro Player is allowed 24 levels of Loops, Gosubs, and Keychoices, combined. If you attempt to nest more than 24 levels, you will receive the error message "Out of stack space." You can avoid this error by dividing your script into several smaller scripts, as each script has its own separate script limit. You can then use the call or link commands to transfer control from script to script. 4.3.7 Script Error Messages =========================== If you have made a typing mistake in your script file, or included an instruction the Autodesk Animator Pro Player does not understand, a message similar to the following appears: Error in scriptfile "d:\present1\present.scr" line 10 Unable to display "d:\present1\flic7.flc". File not found. (File name misspelled?) The last four lines of the message may change, depending on the error. The line number displayed is the line that most probably contains the error. Examine the lines closely for an error, then correct it and retry the script. 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. 5.0 Special Configuration Options ================================= Important: If Autodesk Animator Pro Player is run from the same directory as Autodesk Animator Pro or Autodesk Animator Pro Converter, changing the Screen Size from within Autodesk Animator Pro Player overwrites any existing aa.cfg file. The next time you run Autodesk Animator Pro or Autodesk Animator Converter without specifying a different configuration file, it will read the aa.cfg file created by Autodesk Animator Pro Player and configure itself accordingly. If you wish to avoid having Autodesk Animator Pro Player overwrite your aa.cfg file, you can either run it from another directory or specify a path and filename for Autodesk Animator Pro Player's configuration file when you run it. In the first instance, for example, if Autodesk Animator Pro Player is in the c:\aapc\ directory and this directory is on the DOS path, you may start Autodesk Animator Pro Player from any directory on your system. Autodesk Animator Pro Player will then create an aa.cfg file in the directory where it is run, rather than the directory where the executable (aniplay.exe) is located. If you run it from a directory called d:\wp51\, Autodesk Animator Pro Player will create the file d:\wp51\aa.cfg file. If you want to specify the configuration file for Autodesk Animator Pro Player to use, type the following at the DOS prompt (assuming either that you are in the Autodesk Animator Pro Player directory or that you have added the directory to the DOS path): aaplayhi -cfg path\filename You may also use -c in place of -cfg. For example, if you wished to use a configuration file you have renamed to aapp.cfg in the ani directory on the c: drive, you would type the following to start Autodesk Animator Pro Player: aaplayhi -c c:\ani\aapp.cfg If you do not specify a path, Autodesk Animator Pro Player will look in the current directory. You may also specify that Autodesk Animator Pro Player use a specific display driver when you start the program. At the DOS prompt, type: aaplayhi -drv path\filename mode number You may also use -d in place of -drv. For example, if you wished to use the VESA driver in its mode 1 (720X540), you would type the following at the DOS prompt: aaplayhi -d vesa 1 Modes can be determined by examining the Screen Format menu. In the scrolling list of display drivers, the mode number is listed directly following the driver name. For example, mode 0 for vesa.drv is 640X400, mode 1 is 720X540, etc. You do not need to include the filename extender .drv; Autodesk Animator Pro Player assumes that this is the extension when it looks for the driver. You must, however, include a mode number. Autodesk Animator Pro Player only looks for display drivers in a subdirectory called resource in the directory in which the program was installed. For example, if aniplay.exe is in the directory c:\aniplay, Autodesk Animator Pro Player will only look for drivers in the directory c:\aniplay\resource. The installation program automatically creates a directory called resource and places all display drivers in it as part of the installation. If you add any display drivers to Autodesk Animator Pro Player, be sure to place them in this directory. You may combine both configuration and display driver switches on the same line: aaplayhi -c c:\ani\aapp.cfg -d vesa 2 Be sure to leave spaces in the command line as shown above. If Autodesk Animator Pro Player cannot locate the driver you specify in the command, it looks to see which driver is called for in the aa.cfg file and attempts to load that driver. If Autodesk Animator Pro Player can't locate that driver either, it will attempt to use its internal 320X200 MCGA/VGA driver. 6.0 Required Files ================== Depending upon how Autodesk Animator Pro Player is installed, it can be placed in its own directory or in a directory with other executable programs. If you install Autodesk Animator Pro Player in the same directory as Autodesk Animator Pro, the two programs (and the Autodesk Animation Converter program) can share a single set of resource files. In addition to the executable file, aaplayhi.exe, Autodesk Animator Pro Player requires the files listed below. Autodesk Animator Pro Player will look first to see if there is a directory named resource within its current directory. If so, it will look first for the required files in that directory. If there is no directory named resource within its directory, Autodesk Animator Pro Player looks next in the ani directory for the necessary files. If Autodesk Animator Pro Player can't find the required files in either location, a message is displayed indicating that it can't find the resource directory. Not all of the listed files are not required for every operation; some are only used for specific functions. Those files required for general operation of Autodesk Animator Pro Player are noted. 6.1 Font Files ============== These files are used to display menu and dialogue text on the screen in medium- and high-resolution modes. Depending upon the resolution chosen, one of the following fonts may be necessary. In 320X200 resolution, Autodesk Animator Pro Player uses its own internal font. Font File Horizontal Screen Resolution AAMENU.FNT 500X to 799X AAHRMENU.FNT 800X and over 6.2 Picture File Drivers ======================== These files are external drivers to let Autodesk Animator Pro Player load a wide variety of image and animation file types. You will only require the drivers for the specific file formats you are using. Picture File Driver File Type ANIM.PDR Autodesk Animator Pro standard .flc animation files DEGAS.PDR Atari ST DEGAS .pi? and DEGAS Elite .pc? picture files FLILORES.PDR Autodesk Animator .fli animation files GIF.PDR Autodesk Animator Pro-standard image .gif picture files LBM.PDR Amiga and PC Deluxe Paint III, etc. .lbm picture files MAC.PDR Macintosh .mac monochrome picture files NEO.PDR Atari ST NEOchrome .neo picture files PCX.PDR PC Paint and other .pcx picture files RIF.PDR Amiga Zoetrope and Live! .rif animation files SEQ.PDR Atari ST Cyber .seq animation files SLD.PDR AutoCAD .sld picture files TARGA.PDR Autodesk 3D Studio and other .tga and .pix picture files TIFF.PDR Tagged Image File Format, .tif picture files Note: Autodesk Animator Pro Player can only load certain types of Targa files, i.e., those with no more than eight bits of color information per pixel. If you want to load and display a "truecolor" .tga or .pix file (one with more than eight bits of color per pixel) into Autodesk Animator Pro Player, you must first convert the file into an eight-bit Targa file in Autodesk Animator Pro Converter. 6.3 Display Drivers =================== These files are required to configure the Autodesk Animator Pro Player display output to specific display adapters. Display Driver Application AADISP.DRV 320X200 standard VGA display COMPAQ.DRV For the Compaq Advanced VGA display VESA.DRV For VGA and Super VGA cards that comply with the VESA standard 8514A.DRV For the Panacea Panamate 8514/A display Note: If you are using the VESA driver, you may also need a utility program to configure your particular display card. See the Autodesk Animator Pro Installation and Performance Guide for further details. 6.4 Pointing Device Drivers =========================== These files are used to adapt the Autodesk Animator Pro Player control system to the specific pointing device you are using. Pointing Device Driver Application MMOUSE.IDR Microsoft Mouse and 100% compatibles KEY.IDR Keyboard SUMMA.IDR Summagraphics graphics tablet WACOM.IDR Wacom graphics tablet 6.5 Other Files =============== 6.5.1 AA.MU =========== This file contains the text of all menus, dialogues and messages in Autodesk Animator Pro Player. 6.5.2 AA.CFG ============ This is the configuration file created in Autodesk Animator Pro, Autodesk Animator Pro Converter, and Autodesk Animator Pro Player. Autodesk Animator Pro Player will write a new aa.cfg file whenever you change the screen size. If you run Autodesk Animator Pro Player from the same directory as either Autodesk Animator Pro or Autodesk Animator Pro Converter, and an Autodesk Animator Pro aa.cfg file exists in that directory, Autodesk Animator Pro Player will read the existing aa.cfg file and configure itself similarly. This includes such items as menu colors, screen size, and the pointing device used.