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The Original Shareware 1.1
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The Original Shareware (WeMake CDs)(Volume 1.1)(CDs, Inc)(1993).iso
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ANIMATOR.DOC
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1986-03-19
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ANIMATOR
This feature-packed utility makes it a breeze to create your
own short cartoons or animation sequences on the computer
screen. This version is for the IBM PC with Basica and color/
graphics adapter, or Enhanced Model PCjr with Cartridge Basic.
"Animator" works much like a cartoonist's sketchpad, letting
you draw a series of similar images which are then displayed
in rapid sequence to create the illusion of movement. Your
finished cartoons can be saved on disk or tape and reloaded
for viewing later.
DRAWING AN IMAGE--
When you run Animator, it displays an editing screen with 20
numbered frames. You can draw as many as 20 pictures, one in
each frame, then flip rapidly through the frames to create
animation. The frame number displayed at the upper left of
the screen shows which frame you're currently working on.
Normally, Animator begins the animation with frame 1 and ends
with frame 20. But you can start and end the animation where-
ever you like. For example, a short sequence might start with
frame 1 and end with frame 3. To view only part of a long
sequence, you might start at frame 12 and end at frame 18, and
so on. The frame number is controlled by pressing the right
and left arrow keys.
The frame number also determines which frame you'll be working
on when you go to the editing screen. Let's start with a simple
example. Make sure the frame number is set to 1, then press
2 key to select the editing function and press Enter at the next
prompt. After a brief pause, Animator displays a drawing grid
with a blinking cursor. Edit mode has three main functions,
selected by pressing different keys. Press D to draw with the
cursor, E to erase, and M to move the cursor without disturb-
ind anything on the screen.
Draw a simple shape on the grid to become familiar with these
basic functions. As you'll see, Animator displays the shape
in its actual size to the left of the drawing grid. An inverse
function lets you reverse everything on the grid--every dot
becomes a blank, and vice versa(be patient--it takes Animator
about a minute to complete this process).
Once the picture is finished, you can press S to save it and
return to the main screen. NOTE THAT YOU MUST SAVE A PICTURE
WITH "S" TO PUT IT IN THE FRAME. If you exit the edit mode
by press Q, the new picture is lost and Animator uses whatever
that frame previously contained. Try drawing a simple shape
and saving it with S (since this is just for practice, any
scribble will do). When you return to the main screen,
Animator displays the picture in frame 1.
FRAME BY FRAME--
Now you're ready to draw the next frame in the sequence. In
most cases you'll want to make only slight changes from one
frame to the next, to simulate smooth motion. To save time,
Animator lets you copy a picture from one frame to another.
Let's demonstrate this by copying the picture from frame 1 to
frame 2. Set the picture number to 1 with the arrow keys,
then press 2 to edit. Animator displays a prompt, inviting
you to enter a frame number. To edit the current picture
number you would just press enter. However, by entering a
different number you can copy the current picture into a
different frame, then change that picture to make the next
frame in your cartoon.
When you enter 2 at the prompt, Animator copies the picture from
frame 1 into the drawing grid. When the drawing grid appears,
make some change in the picture to distinguish it from frame 1.
Now press S to save the picture in frame 2 and return to the main
screen. Animator displays both pictures in their respective
frames.
After drawing a few frames, you're ready to bring them to life.
The first step is to specify the starting and ending frame
numbers. The starting number determines which frame begins the
animation, and the ending number tell Animator where the series
ends.
Set the starting number first. Use the arrow keys to set the
frame number to 1, then press the 3 key. Now use the arrow keys
to make the frame number match the last frame that contains a
picture, then press the 4 key. This sets the ending number.
You must always set the starting and ending numbers before
selecting animation (if you don't, Animator flips through all
20 frames whether they contain pictures or not). Once these
numbers are set, press the 1 key to view the sequence. Press
the space bar to pause and Enter to stop it.
By selecting different speed and pause values, you can move the
animated figure across the screen. The speed value can range
from -15 to 15. When it is 0, the figure is animated in place;
positive values move the figure from left to right, and negative
values move it from right to left. The greater the value, the
faster the figure moves. Press the 5 key to decrease the
animation speed, and 6 to increase it.
The pause value controls the time delay between each frame of
the animation. A small pause value makes the picture change
very quickly, while larger values slow down the process.
MACRO EDITING FEATURES--
Animator provides a few macro(large-scale) editing features to
help you work with longer cartoons. The insert function lets you
insert a blank frame anywhere in the series. To use it, set the
frame number to the number of the frame where you want to insert
a blank, then press the I key. The designated picture (and all
those following it) are bumped forward one frame. Note that the
picture in frame 20 is always lost when you insert.
The delete function lets you delete any frame in the series.
Change the picture number to the frame you want to eliminate, then
press D. All the higher numbered pictures move down one frame,
deleting the picture in the designated frame. Frame 20 is always
blank after a deletion.
The inverse function (press 9) works just like inverse in editing
mode, but inverts all 20 frames at once.
To clear all 20 frames, press Q to quit or C to clear. Since
these last two functions can have a drastic results, Animator
lets you abort either one without harm.
When you finish a sequence, press S to save it on disk. The
screen clears and displays three options: You can Press A to
abort the save, F to list the picture files on that disk, or any
other key to continue with the save. Picture file-names are
limited to eight characters (the first character cannot be a
number). Do not add a three-character extension; Animator auto-
matically appends the extension .ANI when you save or load a
picture file.
Finally, Animator's program option can write a separate BASIC
program to display your cartoon. Press P to select this
option, and sit back while Animator writes the new program
to disk under the filename PRG.BAS and save it with a new
filename. This prevents the program from being overwritten
if you select this option again.