
                    AUTODESK ANIMATOR STUDIO
                          RELEASE NOTES

                         April 12, 1995


                 Copyright 1995 by Autodesk, Inc.


This README text file lists known problems, cautions, and
documentation errors for Animator Studio release 1.0.


1. ALL MODULES
==============

o Full-screen playback or right-click during full-screen playback
  of AVI files may cause a system lockup on some computer systems.

o After any abnormal termination of an Animator Studio program,
  check your Windows \temp directory (c:\windows\temp, or your
  equivalent pathname).  This directory might contain temporary
  files that can take up a lot of disk space.  Delete the temp files
  before you restart the program or Windows.  Be sure you have
  sufficient temp space; we recommend 1 - 2 megs per frame of animation
  or 3 megs per frame of digitized video.


2. ANIMATOR
===========

o The Save File As dialog does not behave consistently
  with most other Windows applications.

  The "native" editing format for all movies is the
  Audio-Video Interleave (AVI).  If you Save As to a
  different file format, the frame window title in
  Animator does *not* change -- you continue to edit
  the original AVI file.

  WORKAROUND: After using Save As to save to the different
  file format, close the original frame window, and then
  open the new, non-AVI file.

o Painting outside the frame with Clone ink is not recommended
  and may cause a system lock-up.

o By default, Clone ink uses the bird animation SPRITE.AVI.
  If you use Clone ink and haven't yet set a source, the
  bird image appears.  To change the source of Clone ink,
  click the Set Source button in the Ink: Clone properties
  dialog.

o The Filter inks (HSC Photoshop-compatible plug-in filters)
  are 24-bit only.  They do not support 8-bit color.

o Moving an object filled with Hue ink while black is
  the current color is not recommended and may cause a system lock-up.

o The film strip does not show good detail when you paint
  outlines, especially when you use a one-pixel brush.

  WORKAROUND: Use Settings / Film Strip Preferences to increase
  the thumbnail height to 50 or 60 pixels.

o If you install Asymetrix Digital Video Producer, this product's
  setup overwrites DSEQFIL.DLL with an earlier version of the DLL.
  The earlier version causes problems in Animator if you try to load
  BMP, DIB, or RLE files.
  
  WORKAROUND:  Make a backup copy of the DSEQFIL.DLL file prior to
  installing Asymetrix Digital Video Producer, and after installation
  is complete, replace the older version with the version Animator Studio
  installed.

o Some systems with Diamond Stealth or Diamond Speedstar graphics cards
  are known to have problems running Animator.

o When Animator loads Targa (.TGA) and TIFF (.TIF) files that have
  an alpha channel, Animator checks whether the value is
  premultiplied ("associated") or matte ("unassociated").  If the flag
  indicates unknown, Animator assumes premultiplied.

o A floating object cannot be larger than 10,000 x 10,000 pixels.

o If you select the Microsoft RLE codec (Settings / Compression),
  make sure Data Rate is not checked (OFF).  If this option is
  ON when you save, the codec discards some delta frames, which
  results in a low-quality movie.

o You can't use VidEdit to edit files saved with the Microsoft RLE
  codec.

o Movies saved with the Microsoft Video 1 codec don't play back
  correctly in Scriptor.

o After you use Utilities / Create Cropped to crop a movie,
  the original movie will not play back.

o Rotating an object uses antialiasing even when antialiasing
  is turned off (=0 in the Settings / Preferences dialog).

o Moving a floating object doesn't snap to the grid even when
  Utilities / Snap to Grid is turned ON.

o The Sprite tool disregards pressure sensitivity even when these
  options are enabled and turned on.

o The Sprite tool can't load DIB or RLE files.

o With a one-pixel brush, Airbrush strokes are invisible.

o When Airbrush is the current tool, the keyboard shortcut toggle for
  setting the brush size to/from one-pixel ('b') doesn't work.

o Clipboard data that was copied from Adobe Premiere cannot be pasted
  into a movie.

o Sequential Targa (TGA) files created with Razor Pro 1.0a don't always
  open correctly.  Also, some AVIs, including those saved with the Autodesk
  RLE codec, are displayed with blank thumbnails.

o Painter 2.0 can't read TIF files saved via Animator.

o 8-bit BMP files saved with RLE compression won't open in Animator.

o Animator is not compatible with the Compaq CD-ROM driver on certain
  computer models.

  WORKAROUND: Remove or comment out the following line in CONFIG.SYS:

      DEVICE=c:\cpqscsi\amsicd.sys /D:CPQCD001

  The file AMSICD.SYS is dated 2/22/94 - 10,566 bytes.

o Because Photoshop uses alpha values for selection, files saved
  via Photoshop with an all-zero alpha channel have strangely modulated
  transparency when you view the alpha channel in Animator.
 
  WORKAROUND:

  1. Choose Edit / Select from Alpha Channel.
     This preserves the selection you created in Photoshop.
  2. Make Alpha ink the current ink.
  3. In the Ink: Alpha properties dialog, make sure Set Alpha is selected
     and Opacity = 255.
  4. Make Rectangle the current tool.
  5. Draw a rectangle that encloses the entire frame. 


3. SOUNDLAB
===========

o Saving a movie with ADPCM compression can cause problems
  when you load it in Animator or SoundLab.


4. SCRIPTOR
===========

o If you are running a slide show or your script contains
  an "infinite" loop, *do not* set the option,
  Ignore Key and Mouse Clicks (Script / Settings).  This
  prevents you from stopping the script, so Scriptor hangs.

o Movies saved with the Microsoft Video 1 codec don't play back
  correctly.

o The Loop option doesn't work for AVI movies.

o The Loop option doesn't work if a MIDI file
  is present in the script.


5. PLAYER
=========

o Player cannot load QuickTime for Windows (.MOV) files
  or .CEL files.  Attempting to do so is fatal.

o To stop Unattended mode playback, type in the password
  while the movie is playing.

o There is no help for the Help button in the Unattended Play
  password dialog.

o Sequential Targa (TGA) files created with Razor Pro 1.0a don't open in
  Player.


6. ANIMATOR HELP
================

o Using the context-sensitive help cursor on the Help menu
  (all modules) does not display help-on-help.

o In the How To topic "How to reverse the frames of a movie"
  and the topic "Ping-Pong Movie Command," step 6 is incomplete.
  Pasting the frame at the end of the movie puts it *before* the
  previous last frame, not after.

  WORKAROUND: After you cut frame 1, use Settings / Movie Length
  to increase the movie length by 1 frame.  Go to the last frame.
  Paste the frame you cut (the original frame 1).  Go to the
  (extra) last frame and choose Edit / Delete.  Then proceed to
  step 7.

o In the Third Tutorial, on page 140, omit the steps titled
  "Close the movies" -- closing the movies clears the Clipboard,
  which won't let you paste in the last step on page 141.

  After you paste the box, you can close the movies as described
  on this page.


7. PRINTED MANUAL
=================

o On page 93, the first sentence below the heading "DC Offset
  Filter" should read as follows: "The DC Offset filter offsets
  the sound wave relative to the mean amplitude."

o On page 224, the third sentence under the "current frame"
  glossary item should read as follows: "In Frame mode, painting
  affects only the current frame."

