Addons/media/animate

Animation package is generic extensible animation framework suitable to host 2D or 3D graphics. The recent version allows saving image sequences, which can be used to create stand-alone movies.

Defining Animation

It is possible to create animations of the following types:

• isigraph package

• plot package

• viewmat type

• OpenGL    now exportable

• custom graphics

Driven by timer the STEP parameter ranges from MIN to MAX. User code then builds the image for the current STEP each time, allowing both sequencial and random positioning.

Resizing Graphics

The form window is freely resizable by hand. It is often desirable to set precise image dimension. This is done with Resize dialog by setting Width and Height.

Exporting Images Sequences

Any number of contiguous frames can be exported as an image sequence. This is done with the Export dialog. From and To frames are specified. Save As file name is taken as a base to which frame number is added, padded with zeros up to the width of the maximum frame.

Exported format is BMP.

Creating Movies

Image sequence is supported by most movie making software, such as Windows Movie Maker, Quicktime Pro, Adobe Premier, etc. The actions are different and the idea is the same: import the image sequnce into the time line and save the movie.

There are also many utilities which are specialized in this operation. Many are free.

• If you plan to re-use the movie clip in a larger movie, use most loss-less video format, such as AVI with BMP compression or DV, otherwise there would be a lot of distortion, especially with fine geometrical lines.