RISC DISC 3/RISC_DISC_3.iso/resources/ace_film/_projector/_help

Text File | 1995-07-17 | 5.8 KB | 189 lines

 !Projector Version 1.18
 =======================
(FOR NOTES ON LATEST VERSION SEE END)

This projector is for playing Ace film format
films, produced with either:-
 Euclid+Mogul (3D)
 Paint+Splice (2D pixel based)
 Draw+Tween   (2D object based)
 Rephorm      (morphing & video effects)
 SnapHappy    (screen-grabbed films from other applications)


This is a Multidocument/Multiwindow version.
You can pop up a menu in the film window.
Most operations are obvious (try them!).

In Freeze mode you can single step the film
by using Select/Adjust on the window.

The New View option (under Misc) plays another
instance of the film, but uses the same copy in
memory, so is different from actually loading a
film twice.

Using an Obey file you can load a set of films, and
optionally set them to play immediately in a rolling
demo. The syntax is either:

[<Projector$Dir>] Film Film Film ... [-Cn] [-Fn] [-R[n]]

E.g:
Films.Humans Films.LitLogos Films.Chess -C2 -R

The -C and -F flags control the count for repeating
each film and the flyback count per frame respectively.

Or:
<Projector$Dir> -L {[-Cn -Fn] Film}...

E.g.
WimpSlot -min 800k
<Projector$Dir> -L -C1 -F8 Films.Chess -C2 -F2 Films.Flag

Note that the usual controls over each film are available.
Pressing S will skip to the next film irrespective of the
repeat count.

The -L flag forces the films to be loaded one at a time
rather than all in one go for the -R flag, and allows a
longer rolling demo from a Hard disk.

Please send examples of good films together with
permission (or not) for distribution to:
Ace Computing, 27 Victoria Road, CAMBRIDGE, CB4 3BW.

Details about Euclid, ArcLight, Mogul, Splice and
Tween can be also be obtained from the same address.

 Tony Cheal Jan-Feb 1990
 =======================

1.07 (Jul? 1990) The projector now intelligently
plays films in new modes which match the film's
mode in bits-per-pixel and aspect ratio.

1.08 (Aug 1990) New key - Ctrl-B in full screen
mode puts the keyboard into a mode which will
always single step the film forward one frame.
Another Ctrl-B will get it out of this mode.

Now includes a new EuclidX to play Lempel-Ziv
compressed films. Note that if a Euclid module
is already running which does not have Lempel-Ziv
decompression (i.e. prior to 2.12) then Lempel-Ziv
films will still cause errors.

1.09 (Sep 1990) Minor bug-fix for button clicks.

1.10 (Sep 1990) Supremecy bits now preserved in 4bpp modes.

1.11 (Oct 1990) Pause at film starts during an
-L type Rolling demo can now be forced by using
using a new -W switch. The switch is cancelled
by a new repeat count, or another -W.

1.12 (Feb 1991) International version.

Made more (indeed completely?) resiliant to errors
in Redraw code, e.g. Unknown compression/expansion
technique.

-E flag to cause exit from a rolling demo. E.g.
<Projector$Dir> -L Films.Chess -C2 Films.LitLogos -E

1.13 (Mar 1991)

New "I" control when in full screen mode to turn
on Interlace when taking the film out of freeze mode.
The same control can be used to turn off the interlace
when freezing.

Fundamental bug in frame timing, which only showed
up on very fast machines (e.g. 540) has been fixed.

1.14 (May 1991)

Added new Delay function on IconBar menu. Sets the delay
for on-desktop playing.

1.15 (July 1991)

Single frame films are loaded Frozen.

1.16 (Oct 1991)

Corrected sprite allocation calculation (some big films wouldn't load).
Added 'Y' flag (on keyboard and for rolling demo) to set YoYo, and made
films yoyo off desktop if they were yoyo-ing on desktop. Still not
completely correct (see next para.)

Added count to Roll option on iconbar. Each film is repeated the relevant
number of times. If Yoyo-ing the count is the number of times the film
reaches the end. (So Roll 2 would give 2 forward/1 backward playing.)

A flag can be set inside the film itself to start yoyo-ing when the film is
loaded (bit 2 of byte 36), but this currently has to be set by steam. Its
action is inverted by using the -Y flag when loading films. The -Y flag stay
in force until a second -Y flag.

Added -D flag for rolling demos to stop people coming up to the stand and
stopping them! Commands in off screen mode have to have the shift key
pressed at the same time when this flag is set. (So Shift-Escape is needed
to stop the films.)

1.17 (Nov 1991)

Added a new key in Full screen mode. X will turn on a cursor (like the
counting cursor) which will report the coordinates of the top left of the
cursor itself. Note that the key which was used to initiate the cursor is
also used to switch it off.

1.18 (May 1992)

Alterations made to allow Iota/Ace new Film format to run (this format is
essentially an extended Ace Film).

1.19 (Jun 1992)

Small changes to set border colour on Iota films/speed up ColourTrans table
calls.

1.20 (Jul 1992)
Bugfix due to the changes in 1.19!

1.22 (May 1993)
Don't know what I did for 1.21!
New option for 'From file'. Next set of films will be slaved directly from
file, giving unlimited film length. File loading can be switched on/off
using the projector flag -O in a command line.

1.24 (Jan 1994)
Module fixes

1.25 (Aug 1994)
Auto Play from File if File is too big.

1.26 (Apr 1995)
Added support for Iota sound (in desktop only)
Allows empty films to be played.

1.27 (May 1995)
Added support for 16 and 32 bit films, and new Risc PC
style screen modes. There are some problems moving to
and from full screen display for films in 16 and 32 bit
modes, but in general things work ok.

1.28 (June 1995)
Added support for new format films with 'load frozen' bit
and storage of workarea coordinates of capture area
when used with snaphappy (projector is only interested
in load frozen bit!).

1.29 (July 1995)
Fixed bug which caused unknown variable when first film loaded
was an AceFilm which was too big to fit in memory and so projector
tried to play things from file.