home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Merciful 2
/
Merciful - Disc 2.iso
/
software
/
p
/
peggerv2.06.dms
/
peggerv2.06.adf
/
PEGGER
/
PEGGERChanges
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1995-08-31
|
11KB
|
234 lines
PEGGER 2.0 Changes August 31, 1995
8-31-95
Released version 2.06 of PEGGER. The version number for PEGGER
itself is 2.06 and the version for the pegger.library and
peggersnoop.library is 4.02.
This version includes a few minor enhancements to make it
compatible with the Moving Textures series CD-ROM's from
Precision Computer Graphics. The changes are to the way PEGGER
works to SNOOP JPEG Decompress a JPEG image file. Some 3D
rendering programs require that a sequence of images to
be used as texture maps or for rotoscoping to have filenames
with the same name except that the last characters of the filename
ends with sequential numbers. Such as the filename "file0001".
If the texture maps had a filename extension like "file0001.JPG"
or "file0001.JPEG" they can't be used by some 3D rendering programs.
To overcome this problem we added another option to SNOOP JPEG Decompress
called the "Strip .JPG" CheckBox. This option is only available when
you are setting up for SNOOP by Program. If the box is checkmarked
PEGGER will allow the program to access files who's real name ends
with ".JPG" or ".JPEG" as if the file did not end with that filename
extension. So a program could load the texture map file "file0001"
even though the files actual name is "file0001.JPG". This feature
allows you to use the JPEG compressed texture map images directly
off the CD-ROM without having to go through the long process of converting
the JPEG compressed texture maps on the CD-ROM to 24 bit IFF files on
your hard disk and renaming them so they don't contain the ".JPG"
filename extension.
The Imagine 3D rendering program has a different file naming
requirment for image sequences than other 3D programs. It requires
that the filename end with a period followed by a four digit number.
The example image file name above of "file0001.JPG" for Imagine
would need to be changed to "file.0001" in order for Imagine to be
able to use the file. PEGGER will automatically make this filename
change for the Imagine 3D rendering program if you have "Strip .JPG"
checked in your snoop by program setup for Imagine.
If you are using the floating point version of Imagine you need
to make sure the program is named Imagine instead of Imagine.fp.
2-13-95
Released version 2.04 of PEGGER. This version denotes the change
to DKB Software, Inc. as the publisher of PEGGER and has fixed
several problems. The version number for PEGGER itself is 2.04
and the version for the pegger.library and peggersnoop.library
is 3.01.
PEGGER Snoop was not detecting files that had been placed into
a directory that PEGGER was snooping when it was done by renaming
the file into the snooped directory. This prevented PEGGER from
detecting new files created by the Personal Editor from Nucleus
Electronics, Inc. when grabbing a sequence of video frames.
Due to the way the Art Department Pro (ADPro) works, PEGGER
would not work with ADPro using Snoop by Program. We made some
special exceptions in the program so that PEGGER's Snoop by
Program now works with ADPro. Make sure that the program name
you setup snoop for is ADPro.
There was a temporary file name conflict when using PEGGER
on multiple systems when placing files into the same directory
on the same system while doing a REPLACE with no Rename.
PEGGER now tries to create unique temporary file names.
There was a bug related to unusual IFF image widths that
could cause PEGGER to crash the system that has been fixed.
10-2-94
PEGGER 2.0 implemented support for using directory Snoop across
network file systems. In order to get this to work we had to make
some changes to how PEGGER determines a directory is one that is
being Snooped. This change can increase the amount of time it
takes for programs to list a directory of files, especially when
you have more than 3 or 4 directories setup for Snoop JPEG Decompress.
The new Program Snoop is not affected by this and is much better
and more efficient way to use PEGGER.
There are two solutions for this problem. First, use Program
Snoop as much as possible, and if possible, don't setup any Directory
Snoop. If you need to use Directory Snoop, check all of your hard
disk volume partitions to see how many buffers are being used.
Each buffer uses 512 bytes of fast memory. The file system uses
these buffers to cache directory and file information. The more
buffers you use, the less the filesystem will need to access your
hard drive, and the faster your system will be when accessing files.
The system defaults to using 30 buffers, increasing the number of
buffers to 200 or more if you can afford using memory for buffers
will speed up directory and file scanning. You can permanently set
the number of buffers by modifying each partition on your hard disks
by using the program HDToolBox (you should backup each partition
before modifying its setup) or you can use the AddBuffers command
for each partition on your hard disks to increase the number of
buffers.
Known incompatabilty between PEGGER and other programs
DPS Personal Animation Recorder
-------------------------------
12-16-93
As of version 1.36 of the PAR software, all known problems
between PEGGER and the PAR have been fixed.
9-28-93
Notes on: The Personal Animation Recorder by
Digital Processing Systems, Inc.
and interfacing PEGGER, version 1.2
refer: Greg Heifner
Several problems and work arounds have been discovered in the operation of
PEGGER and the Personal Animation Recorder (PAR). Sadly, we could not
obtain a unit from Digital prior to our release of PEGGER. Only recently I
personaly purchased one for my own use, after hearing from many pleased
users of both PEGGER and the PAR.
The quality of the PAR is superb and PEGGER greatly enhances it's use. As
a result we will be learning all we can about the PAR in order to
potentialy solve the existing problems.
The PAR in it's simplest form is a digital hard disk based video recording
deck. Individual framestores or IFF 24 files are sent to the PAR for
processing into an animation file or a series of stills. These images are
stored and played back through the use of a high speed IDE drive that is
accessed through the PAR software/hardware. Idealy, PEGGER would be used
to "SNOOP" your directory of stored sequential animation files that are in
JPEG form. As the PAR file handling software requested the image, PEGGER
would decompress the file and hand it off to the PAR. Unfortunatly, as
best we can tell now, the PAR file handling software doesn't support
several DOS calls needed by PEGGER to handle the files successfully. Not
all is lost. It is just the PAR file handling software that seems to be
trouble for us. If you use a file system utility (such as DirMaster,
DirOpus or PEGGER's batch decompress (DJPEG) window, you'll see that the
volume "DDR:" is available to you when PAR is running in the background.
The best way to use PAR is to set up PAR for the animation or still process
and then just copy the files you need to the proper directory (Project), in
the volume "DDR:" and the files will be decompressed by snoop, then fed
directly to the PAR. Or you can just DJPEG the batch to "DDR:" and
everything will also work smoothly. The conflict is between PEGGER and the
PAR's file handling utility. When the PAR file handler is active, several
functions within PEGGER stop operating for some, as of yet, unknown reason.
None of these symptoms have any "lethal" properties to your system.
Here is the best proceedure I have found to single frame record an animation
from a sequence of JPEG images;
1) Launch the PAR system.
2) Set up the project, filter and anim or still frame functions of PAR.
3) Setup the PAR "Projects" window to highlite the proper project
(directory) for the incoming frames.
4) Hold left "Amiga" "M" to switch screens to the workbench.
5) Start PEGGER and set up snoop to decompress as IFF24 the directory of
your JPEG files you wish to process.
6) Start a directory utility such as DirOpus.
7) Copy the needed sequential JPEG files to volume "DDR:"
8) You will see the frames as they are processed on the video output of the
PAR. When the copy is complete, hit "Amiga" "M" again to switch to the PAR
screen. The PAR requester should say "DONE." Hit OK and follow the PAR
requests to name the finished animation file. You're done.
Alternate method two involves not using the snoop function of PEGGER
and just using the batch decompress PEGGER module (DJPEG). The "TO" volume
would be "DDR:.
All the function of the PAR file system work just fine while PEGGER is
running, it's PEGGER that doesn't like what's going on with the PAR file
handling system. We will talk to Digital's programer and try to solve the
problem soon. Although, you may prefer the above methods, as programs like
DirOpus and DirMaster are much more complete file transfer programs than
the PAR system is ever likly to be.
Deluxe Paint AGA
----------------
We have discovered a few problems when using Pegger with Deluxe Paint
AGA which could cause users several headaches. First, there
appears to be a bug in Deluxe Paint AGA which occurs when trying to
load a 24-bit IFF image. DPaint will ask you if you want to change
the screen format to that of the file (X-Resolution x Y-Resolution x
24-bit). If the user chooses "yes" on this option, it is assumed that
the screen format will be one of the AA HAM resolution modes that
would be closest to the actual resolution of the 24-bit image.
Unfortunately, DPaint instead opens up a 256 color screen that
is nearest to the actual image resolution and loads the image as a
256-color dithered version of the original 24-bit image; not the HAM8
image that the user expects! The only way to work around this problem
is to respond "no" to the 24-bit question that Deluxe Paint asks the
user. This, of course, assumes that the user has chosen one of
the AA-HAM modes (using 64 colors) when starting Deluxe Paint AGA. The
AA-HAM modes using 64 colors are HAM8 modes and the images saved in
this format are of the type that Pegger is capable of compressing
(either manually or through the SNOOP process).
Secondly, HAM8 resolution IFF images are normally saved with a 64
color palette. However, Deluxe Paint AGA saves these images out with
a 256 color palette. This is incorrect for the IFF standard and we
have had to make Pegger aware of this problem with Deluxe Paint AGA in
order to correctly compress the HAM8 images. Hopefully, Electronic
Arts will solve these inconsistencies with Deluxe Paint AGA in the
future but fortunately for now, we have been able to establish simple
workarounds for them.
Video Toaster - Toaster Paint
-----------------------------
Toaster Paint can not load IFF 24 images through PEGGER's SNOOP.
If you try to do this, the image loaded into Toaster Paint will be
all black. There are two ways around this bug in Toaster Paint.
First, you could setup PEGGER to SNOOP for Toaster Frame Stores,
Toaster Paint can load a Frame Store using PEGGER's SNOOP. The
other option is to set the SNOOP_CRIPPLE tooltype in PEGGER's
icon to YES. Refer to your PEGGER manual for more information
on the SNOOP_CRIPPLE tooltype.