Business Heaven/Business Heaven.iso/present/cinema/cinema.hlp

Text File | 1993-06-22 | 11KB | 364 lines

begin:MAIN MENU

     CINEMATION - Cinematographic Animation
   Copyright (c) 1993 Juan Fernando Michelena
                Shareware version

   Animation icon : to define actors , scenario
   , scenery , etc.
   Edit icon      : to draw , modify and watch
already-created graphs or your own.
   File icon      : load , save and merge
options of the program.
   Trash icon     : to clear all graphs that
exist in memory.
   Set up icon    : to modify configuration
aspects of CINEMATION.
   Exit icon      : to return to the operative
system.

Use and operation :
  Windows are closed by clicking the left mouse
button over its title bar.  If you don't have a
mouse , it's simulated using the keyboard :
cursor keys moves the pointer , while the left
button is emulated by Enter or left-Shift keys ,
and finally the right mouse button are the space
bar or right-Shift key.
  F1 gives access to on line help system.
  Alt-M shows in screen the quantity of free
memory.

end:MAIN MENU

begin:ANIMATION

  Here , you have access to the animation
posibilities of CINEMATION. You can define
actors , scenario where they play , scenery in
the background, etc.  To see the animation
running , click the icon that says 'See scene'.
  In the scenario icon , you defines position ,
length , fill pattern and colour of the window
in wich the animation will be played.
Aditionally , you defines the desktop situation.
  With the scenery icon we can specify numbers
of graphics and masks for acting as background
pictures.
  Actor is a very powerful 'dialogue window'
that defines the characteristics and situation
of the moving pictures.

end:ANIMATION

begin:ACTOR

  Here is defined the way in wich the actors
will be moved and/or animated.
  Definitions :
    Actor movement : a change in the position of
the actor.
    Actor animation : a change in graphs and
masks numbers , that means a change in the
actor's look.
    Graph : draw with the aspect of the actor in
itself.
    Mask  : auxiliar draw used in conjunction
with the graph. Defines in which areas the
background will be visible (white color) or not
(black color). Aditionally , in the graph ,
where the background will be visible , must be
painted of black color.
  Advance defines direction and speed of an
actor's movement. An X advance positive means
displacement to the right , a negative to the
left.  Likewise , an Y advance positive means
displacement to the bottom , while negative
advance a movement to the top.
  If we've four different  draws of a same actor
( to simulate , for example a man walking) we've
to entry in the 'Animation phases' frame a
'Total' of phases equal to four ; after , you
have to entry the different graphic and mask
numbers of each phase. Example : 'Number=1' (to
begin to define the number one phase) , and then
'Graph=1','Mask=2' ; after
'Number=2','Graph=3','Mask=4' ;
'Number=3','Graph=5','Mask=6' and finally
'Number=4','Graph=7','Mask=8' having all four
phases defined.
    Following with the example , in the
'Animation' frame we can define the order in
what the phases will be displayed. Thus , a
'Cyclical' type will alternate the phases in
this order : 1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4,... while a
'Forward-Backward' type alternates the phases in
the following manner : 1,2,3,4,3,2,1,2,3,4,...

end:ACTOR

begin:SCENERY

  In this window you can define the situation of
the special draws called 'Scenery' , whose
haven't movement or animation and have the
lowest priority.  If you want any scenery with
animation or movement , you must define it
directly as an actor.
  When you want to see how the scenery will look
  , push the button 'SEE'.  In the 'Scenery'
  frame , define the position of the pictures
  inside of the animation window ; 'Graph' and
  'Mask' defines wich graphic numbers
corresponds to that scenery.

end:SCENERY

begin:SCENARIO

  We call 'Scenario' to the window in wich the
aniation will be played.  You can modify the
'Desktop' too , wich is the background of the
screen , every part that isn't occupied by the
'Scenario'.
  We can modify things like position , length ,
fill pattern and colour of both the scenario and
desktop. But for the desktop , you have the
aditional option to clear (or not) it.

end:SCENARIO

begin:EDIT

  This window is by itself a powerful drawing
program , oriented to a 'library' of graphic
images , numbered from 1 to 250 that are saved
in only one file , those with '.MGR' extension.
You can change the graphic image number that is
being edited using the couple of arrows located
to the right of the entry item called 'Graph'.
  By pressing the TOOLS button appears at the
right of the screen is the 'toolbox' , where you
can find typical tools like pen , rubber , brush
, etc.
  Clicking over the colour icon appears the
colour selection window that when you click it
with the left mouse button changes the 'Ink'
colour item , or the 'Paper' colour when is
clicked with the right mouse button. Therefore ,
Ink defines the drawing colour of the left mouse
button and Paper the right mouse button.
  The UNDO button is bi-level undo that saves
the last action performed and return to the
previous state.

end:EDIT

begin:ZOOM

  Here , a zoom of the image being edited
is performed , for a comfortable pixel to pixel
editing.
  In the upper-right corner of the window there
is another little window that shows the current
image at original scale. Below , there is a
colour selection button , that modifies Ink and
Paper colours.
  If the current image is bigger than the zoom
window , you can scroll it with the
corresponding arrows.
  Clicking over the CHANGE button will appear
the colour change window.

end:ZOOM

begin:SCREENROLL

  Screenroll , more widely known as scroll , is
used to perform an spherical displacement of
graphic images. Spherical , because what go out
from the right appears in the left , and
viceversa.
  When you have well centered your image simply
click OK.

end:SCREENROLL

begin:ERASE ALL

  When you want to erase all the image that is
being edited , click the left mouse button over
the circular button with the message 'Erase all'
, otherwise click CANCEL and you return to Edit
window without changes.

end:ERASE ALL

begin:SPRITE

  This window is used to test how will fit
together the draws in itself (graphs) and the
information in which areas the background will
be visible or not -white or black colour ,
respectively - (mask).
  Enter in the 'Graph' and 'Mask' items the
image numbers you want to test , and then click
in the OK button. After doing that , your mouse
pointer will be changed to the images wich
numbers you typed. Move it all over the screen
to see if contrast as you want. Then , click
over CANCEL button to return to Edit window.

end:SPRITE

begin:FILE

  Here you can load , save and merge to disk
graphical images (.MGR) and animation data or
scene data (.ESD).
  'Merge graphs' loads to memory all the graphs
that fit , without loose of the existing draws
in memory. Otherwise , 'Load graphs' and 'Load
scene' options erases all the existing graphs
and scene existing in
memory , respectively.

  To see the animations included in this package
, load graphs and scenes with a same name , and
then go to the Animation window and there click
over 'See scene' icon to see the actors and
scenery in action.
  For example , Click on 'Load graphs' , click
over RACE.MGR to select this filename and load
it
by clicking over 'OPEN' button. Then , click on
'Load scene' , click over RACE.ESD and select
'OPEN' button. Go to the animation window ,
select 'See scene' and you will see a man
running. Follow the same steps to load another
example.

end:FILE

begin:SELECTION

  Graphical images in CINEMATION are saved in
'libraries' , each one containing up to 250
different draws. Therefore , in this window you
select wich image will be saved and wich not.
  'ALL' button selects all non-empty images to
be saved.
  'NOTHING' button un-selects all images.
  'Selected' checkbox is used to select or un-
select images individually.  Image number wich
is selected or un-selected is indicated at the
top of the window with the 'Graph' message and
the draw is showed inside of the scroll window
in the upper-left corner of the window.
  When you have finished the selection process ,
select 'OK' button and you will go to the file
selection box.

end:SELECTION

begin:TRASH CAN

  If you want to clear all graphs existing in
memory , click over 'Clear all graphs'
checkbox and choose 'OK' otherwise , click
'CANCEL' and you return to Edit window whitout
changes.
  If you want to clear the scene data (animation
data) existing in memory , click over 'Clear the
scene' checkbox and choose OK button.
  Warning : once you have cleared the graphs or
the scen in memory there isn't retrieval
posibilities !

end:TRASH CAN

begin:SET UP

  Window used to configure CINEMATION with
user's preferences.
  You can change the mouse pointer's size (big
or small).
  Sound can be ON or OFF.
  The palette protected ON means that when a
image that changes the first 16 colours used by
CINEMATION for its own interface , that colours
do not be changed.
  When Mask outline control is ON the mask of
the graphics will be produced with a black
colour boundary (colour number 0) used to
differentiate the contour.
  The SAVE button will resguard to disk the
chosen configuration.

end:SET UP

begin:CHANGE COLOUR

  Select a number of color to change and a
colour number to change by and click the CHANGE
button. If you like the changes press the OK
button , else press CANCEL.

end:CHANGE COLOUR

begin:PALETTE

  Here you can change the three colour
components (Red , Green and Blue , RGB) of each
colour individually. Changing this components
you have access to another colours and tones. If
you are not satisfied with the change you have
made , press the CANCEL button , else press OK.
  To set the CINEMATION default colours , press
the ORIGINAL button.
  Note that if the 'Mask protected' control in
the Set up window is ON the first sixteen
colours are modified but aren't showed because
are locked to the CINEMATION graphic interface
own colours.

end:PALETTE

begin:ROTATION

  You can enter a degree (-359 to 359) for
geometric rotation of your draw and press the
ROTATE button.
  Or you can simply press the TURN -90 degrees
button that will turn your drawing 90 degrees
clockwise.

end:ROTATION

begin:RESIZE

  In this window you will be asked for a new
size (in pixels width and height) for the image.
  Once you have enter your choice press the
RESIZE button to proceed with the operation.

end:RESIZE

begin:CREATE MASK

  In this window you can produce the mask (a
special drawing containing the transparency of
your current graphic). You must enter a graphic
number (mask destination) in wich the mask
created will be dumped.  Once you have enter a
destination number press CREATE button to
proceed with the operation.

end:CREATE MASK

begin:DEFAULT

   Sorry , but there isn't help for this item at
this moment.

end:DEFAULT