Index

AutoCAD Slides to Animator Films

This system will allow you to convert AutoCAD slides, made from within the AutoCAD program with the MSLIDE command, into a simple animation 
         Four software systems are used :-


         1 ) AutoCAD     to make the slides.

        
         2 ) EDIT        to write the order in which the slides 
                              will be displayed.


         3 ) FILM MAKER  The Autodesk utility that converts a 
                         group of slides into a flim.




         4 ) AAWIN       The Autodesk program that displays the film 
                         files.
AutoCAD is a vector based system, meaning the lines arcs and circles that make up the drawing are saved to disk as the start and finish points of each entity. In contrast a bit mapped image is made up from thousands of picture elements (PIXELS) both on the screen and when saved to disk. An animation file is a collection of bitmapped files with all common data removed, ie adjacent frames have the difference stored not the whole image.

AutoCAD can export many types of graphic image

  1. AutoCAD Slide file.
  2. HPGL Plot file.
  3. DXF files.
  4. GIF files via the plot command.
  5. GIF files via the RENDER command.
  6. Windoze clipboard.

All but the SLIDE format may be read by PAINT SHOP PRO and can then be converted to other bit mapped formats.

Slides must be converted to a FLI or film format this can then be viewed by the AAWIN package. AAWIN can also view .BMP files.

METHOD

1) Make a series of 'SLIDES' using the MSLIDE command inside AutoCAD save all slides to drive A: or if large to the hard disk C:\AAA\ .

Important !! make a written list of the slides as you make them.
2) Use the DOS editor to make an instruction file. A simple one will look like this :- 
              
         A:ONE.SLD
         A:TWO.SLD
         A:THREE.SLD


         Name this file A:SHOW.TXT
3) Run the FLIMAKER program with the above instruction file as the first parameter and A:SHOW as the second parameter.

FLIMAKER A:SHOW.TXT A:SHOW

This will make a film file named A:SHOW.FLI from the slides mentioned in the instruction file named A:SHOW.TXT.

4) To see the film, run the AAWIN program and pick your film from the A: list of FLIms. Then, using the mouse pick the solid arrow symbol.

Items 2 to 4 have been set up in a batch file named FM.BAT, short for Film Maker. To run it use the FILM MAKER shortcut in the Graphics section of WIN 95 start menu.

FM.BAT 

        dir /b /o:d  a:*.sld > a:time-pos.txt
        dir /b /o:-d a:*.sld > a:time-rev.txt
        dir /b /o:n  a:*.sld > a:alph-pos.txt
        dir /b /o:-n a:*.sld > a:alph-rev.txt
        if  exist a:\show.txt  goto ok
        prefix a:time-pos.txt  a:show.txt  A:
        :ok
        edit a:show.txt
        flimaker -v a:show.txt  c:\aaa\show  55
        aawin.exe  c:\aaa\show.fli
The first four lines of the batch file save a different version of an instruction file for you
  1. a:time-pos.txt is a file in positive time order
  2. a:time-rev.txt is a file in negative time order
  3. a:alph-pos.txt is a file in positive alphabetical order
  4. a:alph-rev.txt is a file in negative alphabetical order

The batch file will call the Edit program which in turn loads the file A:SHOW.TXT. You may edit the file of your choice (from the 4 above), but you must use SaveAs A:SHOW.TXT before you exit.

A:TIME-POS.TXT will have the A: added to each line by the program PREFIX.EXE and is then saved as A:SHOW.TXT the first time you run this batch file. A:SHOW.TXT will not be over written unless you choose to do so from EDIT.

Delete A:SHOW.TXT if you wish the batch file to work as if first time.

The last two lines of the batch file make a film from your file A:SHOW.TXT and places it onto the the hard disk, in the C:\AAA sub directory. The system then calls AAWIN and runs your movie.

To make a second FLI please rename the first one otherwise it will be overwritten.

Index

This page was updated on Friday, December 18, 1998 by Terry Rawkins