Shape user guide 2010 - 3D module

Movie Module


	Overview		Top

	The Movie Module was designed to easily reproduce the images as movies. Its particular ability is to show several sequences simultaneously, like the images and corresponsding P-V diagrams. Open the Movie Module (MM) by clicking on the icon with the "film roll" on the toolbar of the Main Interface. The MM is divided into 4 parts from top to bottom: Toolbar, movie panels, parameter panel, and playback controls. You can add movie panels to be shown simultaneously by clicking on the green "Add Panel" button in the toolbar. Similarly, selected panels can be deleted by clicking on the red "Remove Panel" button. To add specific file sequences to be played back as a movie in a selected panel open the "Load Images" dialog in the toolbar.
	The "Load Images" dialog has two modes to load image sequences, the "Quick Load" and the "Manual Load". The "Quick Load" mode automatically loads images from the directory and with the sequence name specified. For convenience these fields are initially filled with the names from the current project. One can also quickly select from three different images types to be loaded, the 2D Image, the PV Image or the 3D Mesh. When the selection has been made, you click on "Done" to load the images for play back. If you want to load a different images sequence, for instance one produced by the Plot Module or any externally produced sequence, then use the "Manual Load". It opens a file selection dialog which allows you to select multiple files. Simultaneously select all the individual images to be loaded and click "Done".
	The Parameters panel of the MM contains the details of the range of frames, playback rate and the number of columns to use when more than one sequence is displayed simultaneously. You can also loop the animation and/or reverse it by selecting the corresponding buttons. Selecting both these options produces a "ping-pong" type playback.

	If you wish to save the sequence as a QuickTime movie, you can set an "Output File" (make sure to include the extension .mov in the filename). Then click on the large blue "Film it" button to save the movie. The can not playback movie files. Reproduce them with external movie players of your system. It can, however, load image sequences that have not been created in Shape. The playback panel at the bottom has the usual start, stop and jump to beginning and end buttons as well as a slider which allows you to quickly move back and forth. For a practical introduction to the Movie Module watch the FLASH VIDEO TUTORIAL.

16-Jun-2010