I've been trying to get quality animation but I'm not sure how to.  I've
seen
so many incredible mpegs and it breaks my heart that I can't even get close.


My best to date is
http://tiger.seatech.fau.edu/~sonar/IMG/modem50.mpg  (500 Kbyte)

I've found that quanity doesn't alway mean quality.  That is although I may
have 20 frames/second it still poor  (not to mention how large it can be).

I'd like a procedure or two that I  works and then I could go from there.
A couple of my procedures have been

A)-Produce bitmap frames
  -Make AVI using Avi Creator v1.0
  -Optionally to use avi2mpg v0.1 to get mpeg
 This is how  I produced the one linked above.

B)-Use cmpeg front end loaders.
       I've been able to produce something out of this
 but  I've been stifled by not understanding it enough
 and it claiming that I don't have tag8.3 type files
 when I've been outputing in my povray .ini file
 OutputFileType = tag8.3;

Are my versions not advanced enough?
Maybe I should be paying for some software?
Thanks
Tony

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I see what you mean about the quality. Very strobe-like frame to frame.
Also, it looks like you used radiosity in your scene file and that is
probably making the central piece flicker from bright to dark. Otherwise it
ought to remain steady enough even if a mpeg compressed animation, so it
sure seems radiosity is at fault there. Don't know if I could suggest good
settings to prevent that.

Using cmpeg the file output type ought to be uncompressed Targa, +ft not
+fc, at least I don't think compressed Targa will work. I've used the
workable way so long I forget what does not. I also use starting frame
number 0 not 1, since the command line way won't accept 1 unless you set up
a file list instead. Maximum resolution is 512x320 I believe, the Cmpeg.Doc
tells that if you check it. Isn't 1.333:1 aspect ratio anyhow, but other
res.'s based on multiples of 16 pixels should be okay if lower than those
numbers.

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hughes b wrote:
>I see what you mean about the quality. Very strobe-like frame to frame.
>Also, it looks like you used radiosity in your scene file and that is
>probably making the central piece flicker from bright to dark.
Your write I do have radiosity.  I don't remember the avi version having
it.  I ran it over night without radiosity and the flicker is no longer
there.  You can still see the stepping of the frames at 15frames/sec.
Thanks for the help.

>Otherwise it
>ought to remain steady enough even if a mpeg compressed animation, so it
>sure seems radiosity is at fault there. Don't know if I could suggest good
>settings to prevent that.
>
>Using cmpeg the file output type ought to be uncompressed Targa, +ft not

I'll try this next.

>+fc, at least I don't think compressed Targa will work. I've used the
>workable way so long I forget what does not. I also use starting frame
>number 0 not 1, since the command line way won't accept 1 unless you set up
>a file list instead. Maximum resolution is 512x320 I believe, the Cmpeg.Doc
>tells that if you check it. Isn't 1.333:1 aspect ratio anyhow, but other
>res.'s based on multiples of 16 pixels should be okay if lower than those
>numbers.
>
Tony

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>>Using cmpeg the file output type ought to be uncompressed Targa, +ft not
>
>I'll try this next.
>
>>+fc, at least I don't think compressed Targa will work. I've used the
>>workable way so long I forget what does not. I also use starting frame
>>number 0 not 1, since the command line way won't accept 1 unless you set up
>>a file list instead. Maximum resolution is 512x320 I believe, the Cmpeg.Doc
>>tells that if you check it. Isn't 1.333:1 aspect ratio anyhow, but other
>>res.'s based on multiples of 16 pixels should be okay if lower than those
>>numbers.
>>
>Tony
>

Tony (et.al.),
   Any more luck with this?  I'm producing a video I hope to get on
TechTV's EyeDrops show.  Their recommendation is 720x540 @ 15fps,
MPEG (2 I guess).  I *THINK* I've finally found a path that will
work, but any more suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated.
Unfortunately all the animations are too big to post anywhere :(
I'm using VidEdit to turn the BMP files into AVI, then converting
that to MPEG...

Emory Stagmer
  Bass/12string/keyboards/windsynth for Ezekiel's Wheel
  Executive Producer, UnTied Music
    http://www.untiedmusic.com
  Author, Pov-Herm (Hermite curves for POV)
    http://www.geocities.com/emory_stagmer

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