Merciful 2/Merciful - Disc 2.iso/software/i/imagine_texture_hexer.txt

Text File | 1995-10-14 | 29KB | 569 lines

                            TEXTURE HEXER

                             FOR IMAGINE


Thanx for purchasing Imag,to say the least we are very proud  of what we
have done.We hope that you will appreciate the work that has gone into
Imagine.By the way of a short (Very Short) History,this process all began
in 1986 when Impulse began in earnest to  create a program that would allow
you the user the ability to create images like those we have all seen
which have come from much larger and more expensive computer systems.We
simply fetl that the Amiga had,and does have the ability to out-perform
most other computers that cost far more.
We spent several man years and sleepless nites creating Imagine. We would
appreciate if you would please pass on the good news about Imagine not the
software.It is also very important that you fill in your warranty card.If
you don't we won't be able to let you know about new versions of
Imagine,as well we will not be able to let you know of new products that we
are working on.Take a moment and fill out the warranty card,it will help us
to help you,so please do it today.
The biggest problem with software design and delivery is that you never
feel as though you are done and,in most cases after you have sent out the
manual to the printer,you see mistakes that you swore were not there.The
other problem is when you see something in the software that could be
better if it were changed,or you decide to put that one last,best feature
in and forget to tell the guy writing the manual that you have added a few
dozen new features.(ANNOTATION:BLAME ON IMPULSE)
Such is the problem with the software,we are always trying to add more and
better features,right up to the last minute before we ship the product to
you.This is the reason for this letter.In the coming pages you will find an
errata sheet for the Tutorial Manual.Please make sure that you are
familiar with the changes that need to be made.Also in the coming pages you
will find information about features that were not documented at the time
of printing.Please make sure that you understand these features otherwise
it will be very hard to figure out to use them.
Again thank You for your support,let us know what you think,drop us a line
and tell us a about the new features that you would like to see and of
course if you find any bugs at all please make us aware of them ASAP,our
goal is to give you the best product for the money so let us know what is
going on.We are listening!
New additions to Imagine.Config .Please make sure that you become familiar
with the  Imagine.Config file .From this file you can control much of the
interface of Imagine.The Imagine.config file is discussed in the Reference
Manual on page 71 (?).There are two additions.Edle is the edge level.
Default is 35,a greater number will give you less anti-anlias on edge the
smaller the number the better the edges look .RSDP stands for resolve
depth. The default is 8.The lower the number the less the reflections and
glass refraction,trace times increase as the number goes up in value.

                               ERRATA SHEET

Please make note of these changes in your Tutorial Manual.

Page 28:Tutorial 1,Paragraph 4:
From the Functions menu ,highlight ADD with the right mouse button.A
sub-menu will appear just below and the right.

Page 29:Next to last paragraph:#
With the object picked,select Save from the Object menu.
Save your outline as "Aout.obj"

Page 31:Last paragraph:
Select Translate in the Transformation requester.Enter 50 in the Y entry.

Page 45:Next to the last paragraph:
Enter 50 for cylinder radius and 100 for object width.Select Perform to
accept your entries.

Page 74:Path Align:
Note that this value is based upon a "terrain" which may not correspond
with the one you created.Go back to the Stage Editor and use Rotate to
align the path properly to suit your terrain.Note that you must align the
path at Frame 34 for the change to be reflected in the Action Editor.

Page 75: Rendering:
Remember that one of the objects in this scene have been assigned
attributes.Before rendering this animation,load each individual object in
Detail Editor and assign appropriate values.Re-save the objects with the
same names.Before rendering the new objects will be loaded from disk.

                             REFERENCE ERRATA

Page 11:
Cleanup has been removed: All cleanup functions are now automatic.

Page 59:
Starfield Density:This feature is implemented in the version 1.0 of
Imagine.To use this feature you have two options.In the Imagine.config file
is an item named Star followed by a 3 digit number.By changing this number
you can change the color of the stars that will appear.The number 888 would
be a middle gray color,the number FFF would be bright white.Our use of this
feature has taught us that a lower gray color looks more realistic.You
should use the color that you like the best.

The other item that you can adjust is found by going to the Action menu and
looking at the Globals first bar or item.With the mouse ,click on Info at
the Globals first bar.You will see that at the bottom of the Globals
requester there is a gadget that will accept input for Star Density.If this
value is 0.000 there will be no stars.The largest number that you can input
is 0.999999.We suggest that a value of 0.01 delivers a very nice star
field.Numbers that are larger cause the rendering time to increase as well
as the initialization phase.You will have  to experiment with this feature
to find the look that you like.Please note that there are two other
factors,in full trace you will not see any reflection of the stars on other
objects that have a reflective value.If you position glass to the stars you
will not be ables to see the stars.Of course these stars are many light
years away and for all practical purposes there is no way that you can
reach them,so be content to stay in your own local universe.

                                 TEXTURES

In the drawer labeled Textures you will find several textures to be applied
to any object.With Textures you will find a series of values that should be
applied to the texture in order to set them up.The following guide should
supply you with enough information about each texture so that you can apply
them to the objects that you create.A special note: You can apply more than
one texture to an object,as well an object with up to four textures can
have up to four  IFF brushes applied to it as well.This feature can create
some very exiting objects,there is of course no substitute for your own
experimentation.We have been asked for a optimum set of numbers for each
texture.Unfortunately due to the size and kind of objects that are going to
create there are no such numbers.These guidelines have been applied to the
following objects.

Sphere with the following: 50 units of radius,12 circle Sections and 6
vertical sections with points staggered.

Cube made with a plane that has 50 Units of width and 50 units of height
with 5 horizontal sections,and 5 vertical sections.This plane is also
extruded 50 units with 5 divisions.

In your own experiments please keep these numbers in mind.Of course larger
objects dictate that texture variables will have be increased in some
cases.

                                  Checks

Checks is the simplest texture to use.There are only a few variables that
need to be applied.

Check size 20
Color Red   000
Color Green 000
Color Blue  000

This gives you black checks.The other color comes from the attributes main
color for the object,in this case we have left the color default white.
Select Red,Green and Blue would cause the black (in this case,you could
have made the checks any color that you have wanted) checks to be
reflective if these values were raised above zero.Values of 255 in any
color would raise that gun of relectivity it's highest value and make it
look like a mirror.Values of 255 in all of these gadgets would cause the
checks to become complete mirrors.
Filter Red,Green and Blue cause the black checks to become transparent or
completely see through.Values of less than 255 in each of the gadgets for
Red,Green or Blue will give the checks a less than perfect filter
value,bringing these values to 255 in each color will make them be perfect
filters.
Where you position the texture is very important.It should never  be in
perfect alignment with any side or face.This cause the Texture to do a
digital bounce.It can not complete the filling in of colors so it will look
as though the object is very dotted or dithered.Of course you can use this
to your advantage in creatin cases where you want this kind of look.
In almost every case the textures grow from the texture axis outward.This
is why it is best to make sure that the Texture axis is centered in the
object before you begin to render  that object (special note the axis we
are refferring to is the Texture axis not the object axis).

                                  Bricks

Bricks is a texture that will allow you to divide an object into squares
and rectangles with mortar applied between the rectangles.You can also give
the mortar a color and a filter value and a reflective value.The same set
of numbers apply to reflectivity,and filter as in checks,for that matter
,all of textures that have these properties have the same effect when it
comes to reflect ,filter and color.From this point on we will not explain
the use of color,filter or reflectivity unless these value have some unique
feature not found in other textures.
The other features that apply in Bricks are:
X size,Y size and Z size.For our cube of 50 by 50 by 50 we would use the
following numbers:
X size =10 This means that we should have 5 bricks on our cube from right
to left depending on where the texture axis is placed.
Z size =5 units With this value we should have 10 bricks from top to bottom
also note that this value is 1/2 the value of X.This seems to be the best
value for normal everyday bricks.Of course you could use any value.
Y size =5 units ,this value gives us 10 bricks deep as well.
This value is also 1/2 the X value.
X shift with Z =5 is also 1/2 the X value.This causes the brick to shift to
the right as they move up the face of the cube.The staggered effect that
you would most likely see on a house.
X shift with Y =2.5 This causes the bricks as they move back to be
staggered to the right 2.5 units in each layer of bricks along the Y
axis.Note that this value is 1/2 the value of the Y and Z.
Z shift with Y =2.5 will make the bricks shift upwards as it moves through
the course of bricks along the Y axis even though the Y axis is not
mentioned.You of course don't have to use these numbers,if however you do
so for practice purposes you should see a cube that looks like a perfect
block of bricks.
Mortar color,Reflect and Filter should be obvious.
The Brick color comes from the main color of the object,which you create in
the normal attributes window.

                                   Grid

The Grid texture applies a grid along the Z axis of the Texture axis.The
grid is defined by its size and line sizes as well as its
color,reflectivity and filter values.
For our examples of the 50 unit cube we might use the following numbers:
Grid size =10
Line size =1
Color =000
Filter and Reflect values are left =000

This set of values will give us a grid applied to the cube that will divide
it into what will appear to be smaller 10 unit cubes within the larger 50
unti cube.The cube color has been left at the default white and the grid
lines are black.The Grid Texture can be used in conjunction with other
texture to create even more interesting effects.A favourite of ours is to
make the grid the same set as the checks texture with the line value being
2 or 3.This puts a grid over the checks and acts as an outline to the
checks.

                                   Wood

Wood texture can ,when used properly ,create several different types of
looks.You can create wood as well as simulate Marble and other strange
effects.It is important that you realizes that these textures don't have
any limits to them.You can get the results associated to the name of the
texture,it is however sometimes more interesting to Bend The Rules.After
you have a handle on what to expect from a texture,try numbers that are
outside of the normal set of numbers that we have given you.

The base color for wood comes from the object color found in the attributes
main window.You might try the following numbers for main color.Red
206,Green 178 and Blue 94.

For the wood texture numbers use the following.

Color: RGB Red 64,RGB Green 32 and RGB Blue 16.These numbers should give
you a dark grain.

Ring spacing =12 This spaces the rings or the inner grain of the wood 12
units apart.
Exponent=3
Variation=0.5
Random Seed=123

The random seed number will agrivate the above set of numbers to add a bit
of random quality to the rings of darker color.You can also move the
Texture axis away from the object as well as rotate it in oblique ways to
get even more interesting patterns and effects.

By changing the color values of the Base object as well as the Ring colors
you can make ,"Blue"wood or any other bizarre effect that you want to
achieve.

The Exponent value gives the grain of the wood thickness.A large number
such as 8 would give it skinny lines and a small number such 1 would make
the grain lines fat and dithered.Our value of 3 falls somewhere in the
middle.

Variation controls how regular the lines or grain will be .Value of 0 gives
the grain a perfect cylindrical look and a value of 1 would cause the grain
to become very erratic.

                                 Disturbed

Disturbed is the most difficult texture to understand.This texture is
however one of the most impressive once you have an idea of how it
functions.First we must set up the concept.Imagine having two sets of waves
moving in free space.These waves can be set at different angles and can
have their Peeks and Valleys offset from each other.

For our example we could use the following numbers.

Amount =0.5 This is a value that disturbs the normals of the object.

Wavelength =5 we get this number from a very loose association with the
object.For our example we decided that we wanted 10 ripples or waves,so we
divided that number into the object base size,which is 50 and we get the
number 10.For this object we will have several waves or ripples on the
object,in this case 10 to be exact.

X separation =5 would put the wave out of phase by 5 units.

Small =0.3 This value causes the two sets of waves to be offset from each
other by amount 30 degrees.

                                  Angular

Angular looks a bit scary but it is a real place of cake.We might have been
better served by calling this texture Dither in different directions.

In many paint programs for the Amiga you have probably seen a feature where
you define a pallet of colors which you can dump into a object or space and
it does a dithered step by color fill.This is what Angular is,you can use
this texture to add a color fill to an object.

First we start with the color of the object which we get from the base
attributes menu.Make the base color white.(R 255,G 255 and B255).Assign the
Angular texture to the object and input the following numbers for the
gadgets in the Angular texture requester.

Pos X Red 255 Pos X Green 000 Pos X Blue 0
Neg Y Red 0   Neg Y Green 255 Neg Y Blue 0
Pos Y Red 0   Pos Y Green 255 Pos Y Blue 0
Neg Z Red 0   Neg Z Green 255 Neg Z Blue 255
Pos Z Red 255 Pos Z Green 128 Pos Z Blue 0

Make sure that the Texture axis is in the middle of the cube.If you render
this object you should see a dithered multi colored cube that has some
very unique qualities.

                                  Linear

Linear is a subset of Angular.With Linear you can move from one color ,the
base color of the object to another color in a gradient color shift.The
position of the  axis determines where the dither begins.The numbers for
this tutorial are applied to the sphere that we have chosen for our work.

Transition Z Width =20
Color Red =0
Color Green = 0
Color Blue =255

Reflect and Filter have not been used for this exercise,you could if you
wanted apply reflective qualities as well as a filter value,exactly as you
have done in other textures.

With these numbers make sure that the Texture axis is in the middle of the
sphere from both the right and the front views.You will,after rendering
this ball get a ball that is white on the bottom that graduates in color
from the base white color to a bright blue on the top of the sphere.The
orientation of the axis controls the direction of the gradient fill or
dither of the colors.

                                  Radial

The Radial Texture is also a subset of Angular.This texture radiates a
color gradient away from the Z axis to the out edges of the object that you
are putting this texture on.the problems with Radial is simple.If you place
your texture axis in the middle of a sphere you won't ever see the color
gradient.Reason.The color is moving outward from the Z in a circle.It
reaches the outer shell of the object and gives you the final value of the
gradient fill.So you must move your axis to the upper face of the cube in
this case so that we can see the radials coming from Z.

Use the following numbers for this texture when applying it to the cube.

Start Radius 10
Transition Width 30
Color Red 255
Color Green 0
Color Blue 0

This will give us a radial gradient fill from the Z axis that will be
moving from white to red.Once again you could apply Reflective and Filter
properties to this Texture.

                                   Dots

Dots is a simply what is says,Dots.By applying color to the dots you can
create objects that look like the classical polka pattern used in clothing
and other packaging materials.

Dot Spacing =25
Dot Radius =10 This number should be at least 1/2 the value of the Spacing
Color Red =255
Color Green =0
Color Blue =255
This will give you pink dots on a white cube.You course can add
Reflectivity as well as filters to the dots.

The dots move out from the Z axis,so there is a certain amount of concern
for where you place the Texture axis.For this application apply your axis
to the center of the object.
In the future Impulse will be offering a disk set that will include
numerous textures of different capabilities.This is another good reason to
get your warranty card to us as soon as possible.
Last comment about textures .You will notice that you can apply more than
one texture to any object.

                            SPECIAL EFFECTS F/X

Unique to Imagine are Special Effects that work on objects not simple
screen wipes and dissolves found in programs that work on a page screen
basis.To understand the use of these F/X you must have mastered the use of
the Action Screen found in the Stage Editor.The Tutorial for the Stage
is found in the Tutorial manual on pages 69 to 73 and in Reference Manual
om pages 49 to 70.Please become knowledgment about the Stage and the Action
Editors before you attempt to use these F/X.
Having warned you we shall assume that you are a master of the Stage and
now want to add a few exciting features to your movies.

                                  Explode

Explode does just what you think.it explodes the triangles of any object
away from and to different sizes and rotations.This effect is controlled in
the following manner.
you must first Add the F/X to an object in the Action Editor.Assume that
you have an actor added to the movie,a ball.Yoour movie is 30 cells
long.From cells 10 to 30 you want the ball to explode and disappear.Simple
enough.You would Add from cell 10 to cell 300 the explode F/X found in the
F/X directory.then you will be presented with the requester for Explode.We
will assume for this tutorial that you have an actor that is a ball and it
is 100 units in diameter.the top of the Explode Requester asks for the
starting and ending frames that you want the F/X to occur over.They should
be the same as the bar that you have added.If they aren't change them now
to meet your needs.You have six choices to choose from the next two lines
they are.Spherical,Radial,Linear,X axis,Y axis and Z axis.
A spherical explosion will move out in a sphere from the center of the
objects axis.A radial explode will move out on the axis you choose in a
circle or radius and the linear will move out from the axis you chosen in a
straight line.The next set of variables maintain the movement of the
explosion.Explosion Distance is the distance that you want the triangles to
move over the time or number of cells that you have chosen.The default is
100.Expansion angle relates to the angle of the triangles as they escape
their starting position.The scaling factor can be a number greater than
one,say 2,this would make the triangles become twice as big as they were at
base position.A number of 0.5 would decrease the size to 1/2 the size of
the base size.1 would maintain the size of the base triangle.Minimum # of
rotations means the least amount of rotations to do as the triangles escape
from their base position.The Maximum # of rotations is the limit for
rotations as they reach the end of the explosion.the random seed number
will just make each explosion a little different.Note if you use the same
seed number in a variety of explosions they will all look somewhat the
same.Return to original positions allows the object to Explode and then
return the triangles to their origin of base position.This means that the
triangles will explode out 1/2 the time or cells and then implode back to
origin on the second half of cells.
Reverse explosions timig will make the object explode all the way to the
limit that you have set from the first cell of the effects placement and
return to base by the last cell of the effect.

You can explode any object that has been created with the triangle,the
perfect sphere will not explode because it is a solid and not made up of
triangles.

Once you have filled in the numbers that you want click the mouse on the OK
button to continue.

After you have used the Explode F/X move back to the stage and make a quick
animation to see if you have made the effect that you wanted.You can call
the Explode requester up at any time in the Action menu by choosing Info
and clicking once on the blue line in the F/X area.

Some ideas that you can try ,make some fire works.Make a set of leaves for
a tree by exploding the triangles out to a distance and maintaining that
distance over the animation.

The effects are endless.Experiment.

                                  Ripple

This F/X will cause an object to ripple over time.The simplest example of
this would be plane with the Radial around Z option chosen.The effect would
look as though you thrw a rock or coin into a pool of water.

To use this effect do the following.

Add the effect as you have done with Explode as an adjunct to any object
other than the perfect sphere.Make sure that the cell numbers from and to
correspond to the timing that you want.Choose Radial around Z.Choose a
wavelength of at least 32,and and amplitude of at least.Make the distance
that the ripple travels at least the size of the object.Choose at least 1
ripple for ripple count.You can use the defaults that have been preset,they
may however might not be of much value for the object that you are using if
it is much larger than the distance travel value.I.e. .. if you have an
object that is 600 units in radius and you allow the travel to be default
you will only see a very minimal movement of the ripple.So increase your
travel number to 600.This will cause the ripple to move out to the ends of
the object.

After you are satisfied with your numbers move back to the stage and make a
quick anim in the perspective window.View the results and either keep it or
make changes by re-entering the action editor.

The other form of ripple is the Linear Ripple .This ripple moves related to
the Y along the X axis.You will see a line of movement as opposed to a
radial or water drop ripple.The radial is like the action you would get
from dropping a coin in a still pond and the linear is what a flag looks
like moving in the wind.

                                   Grow

Grow is the last F/X included with Imagine.You must take a few extra steps
with Grow.This F/X works on a special set of circumstances related to
objects.In detail editor you have probably already learned how to extrude
an object along a path.Grow is a way of doing the same thing in the Stage
Editor except doing so over a period of time,i.e. Growing an object inside
of animation.There were a special situations that apply.
You must first make a path using the Add Points mode in the Detail
Editor.Remember this is a pointed path not a path made with Axis.
The second thing that you need is an object like a disk or any flat non
extruded objects.Make sure that the Y of both objects (the path and the
extruded object. itself) are pointing in the same direction.
Now group the Path to the Object,make sure that the path is the parent of
the group,it must be chosen first.Once you have grouped the axis to the
object save this group under a that you will remember in the objects drawer
of the project that you are working on.
Return to the Stage Editor and enter the Action Menu.

Add this group to the Animation as you woulld any other actor.From and to a
certain set of cells that you choose.

Now to this acotr add the F/X Grow.The timeline is of course up to you ,but
keep in mind that it is going to grow from the first indication of the F/X
to the last.

Once you have added the F/X Grow you will be presented with a requester
that asks the following.

Start and End Frame numbers,make sure that they correspond to the ones that
you want to use.

Y Rotation.Do you want this object to rotate in Y as it grows,if so enter
the amount of times as in 1 thru whatever you might want.
X scaling,do you want this object to Grow in X Greater than the objects
base size.If so enter the amount,2 would mean get twice as big in X.
the same applies to Z scaling.
X and Z translate ask for movement in both of these axis.Values that would
be appropriate would be some diatnce as in 100 units.

Align Y tp path keeps the object moving along the path in relation to the
path.Keep X will keep the object always properly alinged to the path.
Mirror Ends that if your object had an indentation or perturbance on it ,it
would mirror this at its end of growth.

Time Reversed means that you want it to De-Grow or Shrink instead of grow
over the path and the animation,i.e. things could disappear.

It is importent to note that the object must have been grouped to a path
before you make it an actor.

So now you have a handle on the Textures and the use of F/X modules,there
is no better way to understand these items than to dig in ad give them a
whirl.

Special note.The textures that have been supplied are all Dynamic Textures
,this means that each and every one of the can be animated.They can be
Morphed,this is done by making two of the same object and  changing the
values of the textures that you have applied to them.You would add these
actors as trnasition actors on the same line.This is the same that you have
done in morph animation in the front of the Tutorial manual.Almost every
effect and situation of actors and Globals and lites can be animated,your
use of these special features will depend on how hard you apply yourself to
Imagine.

We can't program creativity ,nor can we give you any extra time to spend
with Imagine.The output that you get from Imagine will be directly related
to the time and effort that you put into the software.There are some
aspects of every software that is hard to understand,we have tried our best
to make these situations as few as possible.Consider that you are the
director of this digital theater and You control every aspect of the
show.You set the light,make the setsmcreate the actors and give them their
stage directions.The more thought you give to your Movie or Play is going
to show itself in the final product.There is one major drawback to
Imagine,we have given you total freedom,there are no presets that can't be
changed with exception of the basic interface and logic of the program
itself.In future releases we will even open this aspect of the software up
to you so that through ARexx you can design your own system interface.

As always,if you get stuck call the Tech Support line for help,you can
reach us Monday thru Friday 9:30 Am to 4:00 Pm CST.We will do our best to
help in any way that we can.Read the manuals,review your results and if
they aren't what you want or you don't understand,then give us a call.Now
on with the show.Your Show ! Enjoy.