I would like to know...since TGA replaces more and more the PCX format...are their any plans to completly repace them with TGA?
The Animations for excample would improve a lot with TGA support.
Thinking of Alpha-chanels and half transparent support.
Could someone sum up what can be replaced by TGA?
I know
Textures, Backgrounds, Interface...what else?
#2
anything non-animated, IIRC. Everything were you'd use PCX. ANI is a whole different thing at the moment, AFAIK.
#3
THe PCX is a LOT smaller than TGA files, which is why they are handy for certain jobs.
The Ani file stores images in an 8-bit format, which is a maximum of 256 colours in the entire ANI. The reason this is done is to save memory space, since each ANI only consists of 1 pallette and a series of 1-byte per pixel images.
Even with this optimisation, ANI's are pretty big. Changing them to TGA would more than quadraple the size of the file, and slow render times down accordingly I think
The Ani file stores images in an 8-bit format, which is a maximum of 256 colours in the entire ANI. The reason this is done is to save memory space, since each ANI only consists of 1 pallette and a series of 1-byte per pixel images.
Even with this optimisation, ANI's are pretty big. Changing them to TGA would more than quadraple the size of the file, and slow render times down accordingly I think
Check out my music on my YouTube channel :
https://www.youtube.com/user/PRDibble/videos
https://www.youtube.com/user/PRDibble/videos
#4
I just wish that the palletes didn't have to be the same on each of them. I could get some nice animations if we could change that...
#5
That is the most annoting part. It's the 8-Bit limit.
Maybe there is a solution lurking in the 16-Bit range somewhere (15 Bit-colour and a transparency flag?), it would doubtless increase the size of the ANI's but I could suffer double sizes for more freedom.
Maybe there is a solution lurking in the 16-Bit range somewhere (15 Bit-colour and a transparency flag?), it would doubtless increase the size of the ANI's but I could suffer double sizes for more freedom.
Check out my music on my YouTube channel :
https://www.youtube.com/user/PRDibble/videos
https://www.youtube.com/user/PRDibble/videos
#6
Could you suffer double size for half or quarter the framerates you're getting now? 'Cause that's what some of us are dealing with.
There was a situation a few weeks ago where I installed some of lighty's effects and my framerates bombed, I converted them to 8-bit PCX and everything was okay, and I could tell little difference in quality.
There was a situation a few weeks ago where I installed some of lighty's effects and my framerates bombed, I converted them to 8-bit PCX and everything was okay, and I could tell little difference in quality.
My first Armageddon has died.
2005.11.25 06:22:57 combat Your Tachyon Beam Laser I perfectly strikes Ruined Stargate, wrecking for
733.8 damage.
2005.11.25 06:22:57 combat Your Tachyon Beam Laser I perfectly strikes Ruined Stargate, wrecking for
733.8 damage.
#7
I use the light version of the mv-pack which does exactly that.
The ANI's themselves are hurt more by the way they work than anything else, that's what makes things slow down, but then, I get my worst slow downs when close to particles, I can drop nearly 40-50 fps.
I think all graphic updates like this are going to have to wait on optimisation of some of the less 'visible' parts of Freespace
The ANI's themselves are hurt more by the way they work than anything else, that's what makes things slow down, but then, I get my worst slow downs when close to particles, I can drop nearly 40-50 fps.
I think all graphic updates like this are going to have to wait on optimisation of some of the less 'visible' parts of Freespace
Check out my music on my YouTube channel :
https://www.youtube.com/user/PRDibble/videos
https://www.youtube.com/user/PRDibble/videos
#8
Oh...
I, personally, could stand that, yes. Since I get ~85 fps almost all the time.
Anyway, my concern isn't for effects which'd most likely need to stay 8 bit for just that reason, but with command animations. Those are a pain in the ass to get right, especially if you have alot of colours.
I, personally, could stand that, yes. Since I get ~85 fps almost all the time.
Anyway, my concern isn't for effects which'd most likely need to stay 8 bit for just that reason, but with command animations. Those are a pain in the ass to get right, especially if you have alot of colours.
#9
Well, I don't get bad slowdowns on ANI's since Taylor did a build a while back to be honest, but I do know that some people do
Check out my music on my YouTube channel :
https://www.youtube.com/user/PRDibble/videos
https://www.youtube.com/user/PRDibble/videos
#10
It just takes me some time to load 'em, but then it runs just fine.
"I like the funny sounds of parrots squawking,"
- Jimmy Buffet
- Jimmy Buffet
#11
With the command briefing, maybe it would be possible to play an AVI file or the like in it's place? It'd take too long to decode the codec to be useful ingame, but speed wouldn't be important in briefings?
The only problem is the movie playing code seems to have quite a lot of 'character' already
The only problem is the movie playing code seems to have quite a lot of 'character' already
Check out my music on my YouTube channel :
https://www.youtube.com/user/PRDibble/videos
https://www.youtube.com/user/PRDibble/videos
#12
Got a question about anibuilder and PCX
Is their a way to get an animation with 2 different color settings?
I got an explosion with a blue light at the beginning and then a red explosion cloud follows.
All I get after convertig is a red OR a blue explosion.
I have tried to give the pics seperate color tables...but for some unknown reason it looks awefull then.
So anyone got other ideas?
Is their a way to get an animation with 2 different color settings?
I got an explosion with a blue light at the beginning and then a red explosion cloud follows.
All I get after convertig is a red OR a blue explosion.
I have tried to give the pics seperate color tables...but for some unknown reason it looks awefull then.
So anyone got other ideas?
#13
That's exactly what the 8 bit limit prevents. All frames in an ani will be displayed using the pallating info from the first, so things are certain to come out screwy. You could do it by forcing each frame to a 4-bit greyscale and then give it 16 color intervals, but generating the pallate would be difficult to say the least, and you'd have pretty horrid banding.
#14
You can always do what lightspeed does:
Place every frame into a single image file, convert it to 256 color and save the pallette. Then use the pallete created for all of the frames, and then convert it.
Place every frame into a single image file, convert it to 256 color and save the pallette. Then use the pallete created for all of the frames, and then convert it.
#15
*smacks had against the wall*
found the problem...sorry for asking....haven't seen the forrest, because of the trees...ani works now as wanted...maybe I could post it here...mh to big...well then how about this DivX Vid I made out of it...ps don't tell me it looks pixeladed when watched in fullscreen ^_^
Oh and you have to rename the file to output01D.avi
found the problem...sorry for asking....haven't seen the forrest, because of the trees...ani works now as wanted...maybe I could post it here...mh to big...well then how about this DivX Vid I made out of it...ps don't tell me it looks pixeladed when watched in fullscreen ^_^
Oh and you have to rename the file to output01D.avi