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1992-05-06
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*****************************************************************************
************************* D E L U X E F R A M E ****************************
*****************************************************************************
by: J.Buitenhuis
J.C.Kapteynlaan 5
9714 CL GRONINGEN
HOLLAND
What is DFrame?
DFrame is an Utilitie thats helps you in creating animated bobs. It
installs itself in DPaint II! So you can draw in the best drawing program
(in any resulution or depth) and make and check animated bobs. When I
say 'bobs' I don't mean high-level C-structures.
Most prgrammers who use animated bobs, or bobs in general, make those
bobs in a (IFF)picture. That picture gets loaded into memory.The exact
position of each bob is used to program the blitter. The blitter moves
the bob from memory to screen. In an animated bob-sequence this means moving
several bobs, thus creating the frames of a movie.
DFrame helps you to draw these animated bobs.You draw each bob in
DPaint II within its own frame (that is his own precise position) and
check the animation by calling DFrame.
Installing DFrame.
You can either click the DFrame-icon first and then the DPaint-icon or
the otherway around. After loading DFrame nothing appears to happen.
After loading both programs go to the DPaint screen. Now press
the 'f' key on your keyboard. The screen flashes indicating
you have activated DFrame. DFrame now searches for DPaint and installs
itself. If the installing was succesful you can read "DFrame installed"
in Dpaints menubar at the effects item! When DPaint II was not in memory
DFrame remaines active waiting for you to press the 'f' key and start
searching again.
Calling DFrame.
After installing DFrame you can call DFrame by moving the mouse pointer to
the far RIGHT of the DPaint screen. Then press the 'f' key. Dpaint II
shuts down and DFrame pops up.
WARNING:
- Do NOT call DFrame when DPaint II is working. That is when the DPaint
mouse pointer has changed to the 'bussy' image.
- Avoid calling DFrame with toggled window title bar.
Because of the UNDO function of DPaint, DFrame only displays that part
of the bobs that can NOT be removed by UNDO. DPaint works with two pictures.
One on the screen, limited in size because of the screen size. And the
second one, somewhere in memory, containing the whole picture. DFrame
uses this complete picture (HaHa to Pixmate) allowing you to draw your bobs
on maximum sized DPaint pages (1000 x 1000 pixels).
You can leave DFrame by simple clicking the close gadget on the DFrame window.
DFrame is still active. Waiting for you to call it again. If you want to
remove DFrame from memory, you have to choose the QUIT item from the DFrame
menu bar.
Implemented instructions.
-ABOUT. Shows the name of the Author.
-QUIT Removes DFrame from memory
-SIZE Allows you to change the size of the bobs your
working on.
-PAUZE OVERALL Allows you to change the display speed. the value
inserted is used in a slow-down loop. So zero is the
fasted speed (app.35 frames/s).
-ANIMATE DO Starts the animation. You can stop the animation
by pressing the RIGHT AMIGA-KEY.
-LAY-OUT Allows you to insert the screen layout of the bobs.
It needs the number of rows, and the number of
bobs pro row.
Future expansions.
DFrame was programmed with maximum of flexibility in mind. Each frame
described in the lay-out and size inputs has its own data structure. This
data structure is used by DFrame. In this data structure each bob has its
own 'pauze' (display time) allowing you to use individual display times.
Further more DFrame reads the exact position of the bob on the screen
from the data structure. Allowing you to change the range of the displayed
bobs. These expansions are of course only of use in working with DFrame.
These data structures could of course be saved and loaded.
A further expansion would be automatic grid drawing. That is drawing a
grid in DPaint II to draw on.
This explaines the non selectable menu-items.
I found working with the implemented instructions satisfactory. But since
the possibilities are there to expand DFrame, I am open for requests.
To get started.
HOW TO RUN THE DEMOS.
-"dframe_demo.owl"
insertions: -DPaint II: Lo-res, 8 colors, normal page size
-DFrame : size: frame width= 5 (x 16 pixels)
frame height= 67 lines
lay-out: 2 rows
4 frames pro row
pauze: 40
Then choose animate do and the animation starts. To stop press the right
amiga key.
-"dframe_demo.buble"
insertions: -DPaint II: Lo-res, 8 colors, normal page size
-DFrame : size: frame width= 4 (x 16 pixels)
frame height= 87 lines
lay-out: 2 rows
4 frames pro row
pauze: 40
-"dframe_demo.dancer1" and "dframe_demo.dancer2" and dframe_demo.grid
insertions: -DPaint II: Med-Res, 8 colors,
page size:width=768, height=384
-DFrame : size: frame width= 12 (x 16 pixels)
frame height= 128 lines
lay-out: 3 rows
4 frames pro row
pauze: 25
How to draw animated bobs.
Drawing animations is not easy. A big problem, next to the drawing itself,
is that each image has to be in the exact right position. Therefore it is
necessary to draw in a grid. See the example "dframe_demo.grid".
A short 'tutorial' (a bit pretentious?) is included. The example
"dframe_demo.grid" shows a grid I use to draw my bobs. The
picture "dframe_demo.dancer1" shows the basic animation drawing,
"dframe_demo.dancer2" shows the final animated bob sequence.
DON't's.
-DO NOT CALL DFRAME WHEN DPAINT IS BUSSY !
_DO NOT CALL DFRAME WITH TOGGLED DPAINT TITLE BAR.
For any requests, questions, bugs etc, etc, etc,
J. Buitenhuis,
J.C.Kapteynlaan 5,
9714 CL Groningen,
HOLLAND.