



                       *** AniF/X Pre-release Beta ***
          Copyright(c) 1994 Realistic Automation All Rights Reserved.
                          Designed by: Rudy Mathieu



******************************************************************************
Development Start Date: May 15,1994
Release Date: October 14,1994 (Beta 1.0) for Shareware outlet.
******************************************************************************





                               P R E F A C E






AniF/X is a multi-media editing tool that allows one to script Animation,
Music & Sampled sound effects for later playback through use the AFXPlayer.
The AFXPlayer gives the user a fullscreen animated, musical playback with the 
ability to play up to 8 sound samples overlapping each other real time without 
effecting each other. Everything is scripted and cued at frame accuracy with 
I/O cueing, Image transitions, Music and Sound transitions, and Text Titling 
wiping & scrolling transitions. AniF/X will finially allow (during playback)
the user to alter the script program flow as to giving anyone the opportunity
to contruct their own 7th GUEST or Myst type game without having any 
programming skill.

This program is one of few dealing in the nature of multi-media strictly 
working in the DOS environment. This allowed me as a developer to focus the 
CPU's attention to the Sizzle. The primary intention of the development of 
such a program stemmed from the need for me to produce decent prologues and
epilogues for entertainment packages I was working on. It seems that most of 
my peers liked my Text-Based editor for creating the prologue more so than the 
package I was focused on (I guess most people feel that they themselves want
the opporunity to show off their imagination). Although effective, the text-
based scriptor was not fun to play with. The release of this beta version is 
to give a small taste of what this package will include. It is simply the 
result of a request by popular demand for it's early release. Please Read 
"AniF/X Professional Soon To Release" for Ordering Details and what the 
entire full release package has to offer.



             **********  D O C U M E N T A T I O N **********


This program is really self explainatory to a degree and at the risk of being
a little hard to deal with, I have to explain that I am not at the moment
ready to write the full fledge documentation yet but I will go over most of
the not so obvious features in the program.


1. Program Setup
        This option normally would allow one to change the Default Search 
        Directories for a given event type. This works find but this version
        has no way of informing the AFXPlayer where those files are. The 
        Finial Release will compile all your Animation,Music & Sound files
        into one common Resource file called an AFX file. Don't use this 
        for your scripted playbacks yet. (Not really implemented in this 
        version).

2. Script Creation
        A) Currently all events must in some way cue to an animation event's
           frame number. Frame numbers can be Local or Global.
                Local- Is the exact frames number. Animations that are looped
                       serveral times recycle the frame number again and 
                       again. These are local frames. PolyFX events key on 
                       local frames.

                Global- Is the relative frame taking into consideration the 
                       loop count. If an animation sequence is 50 frames long
                       and we refrence it's 75th global frames. The event is
                       cued during the 2nd Loop cycle. Cueing a event to a 
                       frame beyond the maximum number of frames in the 
                       animation automatically changes the animation event's 
                       loop count to the appropriate count.

        B) The left mouse button selects a given event on the Event Grid and 
           moving the mouse cursor all the way to the top of the screen 
           de-selects it. Selecting an event automatically loads it in it's
           respective module for review.
        
        C) When utilizing the CUE-TO-FRAME feature, the event being attached
           is cued to the selected Visual event's current frame which could 
           be changed on the fly by simply touching the new Visual event.

3. Animation Previewing
        While animation is playing the preview window...
             Right mouse button plays in slow motion.
             Left mouse button stop completly.
             (Yes, the STOP button has no function at the moment.)

4. Sound Previewing
        While Sound Sample is playing...
             Any button stops audio playback.


                          ******  Events Types ******

PolyFX Event files
          Polyphonic effect samples are Microsoft multi-media compliant WAV 
          sample audio files or Creative Labs VOC files(with no compression). 
          (Packed files will not work). All PolyFX samples must be less
          that 64k(65535) bytes long. Otherwise you are force to utilize this 
          sound sample as a Normal Sample. 

Sample Event files
          Normal Sample files are Microsoft multi-media compliant WAV sample 
          audio files or Creative Labs VOC files. These sound files which 
          plays one at a time (and by the way cancels all currently playing 
          PolyFX sounds) are necessary for the long lengthly samples like for 
          example during a narration.

Music Event files
          Music files are Standard MIDI files type 0 or type 1 and Creative
          LABS Music files (CMF).

Visual Event
          Visual events are currently only Autodesk's FLI files. PCX,GIF
          and FLC support is in the code but won't be implemented until the  
          actual finial release of the product.

Text Event
          Scrolling,Wiping,Fading Text titling. 
          (Not implemented in this version)

I/O Event
          Allows other events to stop or loop until a certain key or mouse
          action occurs and then alters script flow.
          (Not implemented in this version)


AniF/X utilizes XMS memory (Expanded is OK too) to hold all the actual 
Polyphonic Effect(PolyFX) and Music. The -R command line switch using 
AFXPLAY.EXE reports exactly how much upper memory is being used.

Animation files are handled real time directly from the drive media instead of memory,
this allows for a very quick snap to the next animation event.

Normal Samples are handled real time directly from the drive media instead of memory,
which allows for the unlimited length of sample playback combined with an
instant start. (Not having to have to load a new voice file). This demand of
having to cycle to the drive media combined with the animation playing in the
background doesn't allow room for the system's resources to handle PolyFX's
too. So Poly's are turned off if a Normal Sample cues on.

If by chance your screen goes blank when AniF/X is started, try using the -V
switch to engage the VESA setup. Try:  AFX -V

If you need help from the Player or the AFX command line switch type -?


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
System Requirments:
        AniF/X (AFX.EXE)
                80286 using DOS 3.3 or Later
                Sound Blaster Compatible Sound Card
                450k of Base Memory
                About 2 MB XMS or Expanded Memory

        AFXPlayer (AFXPLAY.EXE)
                80286 using DOS 3.3 or Later
                Sound Blaster Compatible Sound Card
                450k of Base Memory
                About 1 MB XMS or Expanded Memory
                        (Determined by how much PolyFX and Music utilize)
                         Use the -R switch in AFXPLAY to find out.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

             *****   AniFX Professional Soon To Release *****
        
        - MIDI & CMF files support   
        - VOC & WAV file support 
        - FLI/FLC/PCX/GIF support 
        - Up to 8 Polyphonic FX Channels
        - All Animation,Music & Sound data packed into one single AFX file 
          for ease of delivery
        - Documentation
        * Scrolling/Fading/Wiping Text/Titling
        * 16 & 32 bit protected mode Support
        * High Resolution SuperVGA Support
        * MOD support
        * AVI & Quicktime Support

        -------------------------------------------------------------------
        ------------------------------------------------------ Release Date
                                                               ------------
        - AniF/X Version 1.0                Retail $39.00        Nov 1994
        * AniF/X Professional Version 1.0   Retail $279.00       Dec 1994
        -------------------------------------------------------------------
        *******************************************************************
        Anyone choosing to pre-purchase AniF/X Professional before it's
        release date received the Basic AniF/X, and the AniF/X Professional
        for only $89.00.
        *******************************************************************

        Edit and print the file !ORDER.FRM and order today!!!

