|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The technical process demonstrated in the programme for creating a multimedia product, is outlined in the following diagram.
AV facility of the Apple PowerPC 7600 allows direct video in from a video source (Hi 8mm Camcorder in this case). As only a few frames were being pasted into Photoshop there was no need for compression. However the compression options are as follows.
Animation, Cinepak, Component Video, Graphics, H.261, Intel IndeoTM Video R3.2, Intel Raw, Motion JPEG A, Motion JPEG B, Photo - JPEG, Planar RGB, Video.
For CD and internet playback Cinepak is required resulting in massive file size reductions, although there can be a significant drop in image quality.
The data rate is another crucial factor for CD based digital video. In general cross platform or Windows only productions on a 2x CD-ROM, a total data rate (including audio) of 170-200 kps is usually safe. To play on a Macintosh with 2x CD ROM, 220-250 kps is ok.
Photoshop was used to: cut out the heads from the video grabs, this can be done using the magic wand tool which selects an area of colour, or more precisely, using the paths tool to mark a points around the shape and then converting the path to a selection. Applying sharpening filters to the image before reduction can help enhance a 32x32 pixel image (as used in Mac Icons). The images are then reduced from thousands of colours to 256 colours, this reduces the file size to a third of the RGB size. The colour palette chosen depends on the use the images will be put to, in this case the Macintosh system palette was used, the dithering option was also selected. The images can either be rotated to produce the frames or pasted into Director to auto animate the rotation. It is best to carry out all image manipulation prior to palette conversion as antialiasing can not be performed on a 256 colour image.
1-bit Black and white, 2-bit 4 colours, 4-bit16 colours, 8-bit 256 colours,16-bit 32,768 colours, 32-bit 16.7 million colours and alpha channels.
The images were pasted directly into Director, normally they would need to be saved off and stored. The format used again depends on their ultimate usage. Photoshop has save options for: Photoshop 3 (layers), Photoshop 2, Amiga IFF, BMP, CompuServe GIF, EPS, Filmstrip, JPEG, MacPaint, PCX, Pict File, Pict Resource, Pixar, PixelPaint, Raw. The most commonly used on the Macintosh are (apart from Photoshop), PICT and GIF (primarily for WWW). It is also important to use the correct resolution for an image. Director uses the screen resolution (72pixels/inch), if an image is imported at a higher resolution it will be automatically reduced to 72 ppi causing a reduction in size.
SoundEdit Pro 16 allows 16bit sampling through the Macintosh built in sound board and Microphone. The sound was normalised first to maximise the overall volume of the sample. By applying a variety of filters () the sample was manipulated to a suitable sound. The sound was then saved as for importing into Director. File format options for SoundEdit 16: SoundEdit 16, Resource (allows sound to be embedded in other files), SoundEdit, Instrument, Audio IFF, Sound Designer II, System 7 Sound, WAVE, Quicktime Movie, SUN .au.
Various sound compressions can be used, either 16 (44khz is usual CD quality) or 8bit at 22khz. Compression formats include ratio of 3:1 MACE, 4:1 Macromind, 6:1 MACE, 8:1 Macromind.
3D: StrataStudio Blitz was used for the background. 3D models are excellent asset producers as the single model can be used to generate multiple views and animations. The main problem with 3D is the time it takes to model, animate and render. There are special boards which allow increased rendering times, however software solutions are improving, QuickDraw 3D for instance allows real time manipulation of 3D objects, with limited textures, approaching the lower end SGI machines (almost).
Modelling is best done using orthographic (flat head on) view rather than a camera view which uses a wide angle. This stops misalignment of objects. For speed it is advisable, at least in the early stages of modelling, to limit the representation of the objects using the lowest graphical visualisation as possible such as fast cubes or wire frames. Waiting for long screen draws can be frustrating.
Rendering, especially of animations, can take hours, depending on the quality of the render. Speed is affected by the size of the image and the quality and detail of the rendering. Rendering options are: Wire frame, Quickshading, Smooth Shading, Flat Shading, Gouraud Shading, Phong Shading, Ray Tracing, Ray Painting, Raydiosity, Phong with shadows, Quicktime VR Panorama. Most options allow variations in Texture detail and image quality.
Other rendering options allow Effects such as Surface Mapping, Glow Surfaces, Shadows, Reflectivity, Bump Mapping, Smooth Shading, Reflection, Transparency, and Fog. Environmental Effects allow the background space and the image reflected in the image to be manipulated.
Importing all these assets into Director is straightforward. Director even asks what you want to do with the palette (map to 256 colours and dither) of images. The key thing about any authoring package is getting the memory requirements down to a viable level. This affects speed of playback and the size of the file. Continually check the memory usage in the Memory Inspection window under the Window menu. This allows you to monitor your usage and cut down of assets where necessary.
The key to authoring is the scripting used. Conventional frame animation can be very memory intensive as any variation in animation needs to be predetermined. Object oriented programming allows sprites and interactions to be defined and used where ever they need to occur rather.