Copyright: Copyright ScreamTek 1995
Citation: Copyright ScreamTek 1995


Contents
SCREAM HELP: Contents

Overview

Setup

The Editor

Object Control

The Palette

Draw Control

The Object Editor

The Animation Sequencer

Tips

The File Formats

Mouse and Key Commands

Purchase Info


Overview
SCREAM OVERVIEW

Welcome to the demo of SCREAM version 0.8.

SCREAM is simple animation program designed specifically to produce VERY SMALL animation files. The maximium file sizes possible are 64K of draw information, and 64K of animation data. An animation file (.NMZ) will never be larger than about 130K.

This may sound like a limitation but is actually a feature! A file of this size can play for up to 20 minutes ( on a DX2-66MHz at 640x480, 256 colours, full screen ) without repeating! Up to 256 animation files can be strung together in a Virtual Playlist, to allow for long animations of up

to 24 hours of more! Files this size can be loaded from an ordinary hard drive, in a fraction of a second, or downloaded over the Internet in only a few seconds without compression.

SCREAM can run in the background while .NMZ files can be downloaded directly into a directory on your C: drive named ACTIVE. A single click with the left mouse button inside the animation window will cause SCREAM to check for any new .NMZ files in the ACTIVE directory, and begin to play them, in the sequence they where originally downloaded!

Clicking in the animation window with the right mouse button will allow you to view ALL the files in the ACTIVE directory, and step through them in sequence.

These functions are disabled when you enter the EDIT MODE, in order to stop you from overwriting the currently loaded file.

Animations can play in a resizeable player window, full screen, or as desktop wallpaper.

Bitmapped backgrounds ( must be 256 colour .BMP format ) can also be included ( about 300K at 640x480 each! ).

IMPORTANT!

This demo is provided free of charge. You are free to copy it and make copies for friends but you MUST distribute only the original SCREAM08.ZIP compressed file. This is too insure that all files needed by SCREAM will be distributed to all users.

The SAVE functions have been disabled so you will not be able to save any changes or complete animations. You can, however, play any .NMZ files, and experiment with the editing features.

This demo is time limited and will eventually refuse to load any animation files other than the ORDER.NMZ file which should be located in your Windows directory after installation.

It is up to you to decide if SCREAM runs well on your system. A 486 DX-2 66 MHz with Windows 3.1 or better and a minimum of 256 colours at 640x480 is required for using SCREAM online. At least 8 Mb of ram is recommended.

At this time, SCREAM has NOT been tested with Windows 95!

SCREAM uses a fair bit of processor time, and if you experience problems while online, try running SCREAM in a small player window while online. You can also click on the title bar of SCREAM and then press the pause key, to hold animation playback while downloading files.

SCREAM must be running in the background to detect changes in the content of your ACTIVE directory.

IMPORTANT!

Every effort has been made to insure that the SCREAM demo is virus free and will not harm your system in any way. However we at ScreamTek may NOT be held responsible for ANY problems which may occur during the use or installation of this program.


Setup
Installing SCREAM

ALL the files that come with SCREAM should be in one directory, or on one floppy disk.

Double click on SETUP.EXE to install SCREAM.

SETUP will create a directory on your C: drive called ACTIVE.

SCREAM.EXE may be located anywhere on your system.

SETUP will also copy the .NMZ files which came with this demo, into the ACTIVE

directory on your C: drive.

Click on RUN to start SCREAMING!

Optional:

To associate the .NMZ files using File Manager, select any of the .NMZ files in the

ACTIVE directory, and choose associate from the file menu in File Manager.

Select OK.

Commands

F1	=	Player Window Mode

F2 	=	Full Screen Mode

F3	=	Background Mode

F4	=	Editor Mode

Pause	=	Pause or Start Animation

Left Mouse Click in Animation Window	=	Check ACTIVE directory for new files.

Right Mouse Click in Animation Window	=	Play All Files in ACTIVE directory.

Ctrl + Left Mouse Click in Animation Window  =	Hold current animation or continue scan.

Left Mouse Double Click in Animation Window  =	Pause current animation.

While SCREAM is running ( either active or paused ), any new .NMZ files which show up in the ACTIVE directory, can be played with a simple left mouse click in the Animation Window.


The Editor
The Editor Window

Double clicking on SCREAM.EXE or pressing F4 while SCREAM is running takes you to the Editor Window.

SCREAM is a simple structured Draw program that does NOT include Bezier curves.

You may draw freehand, by holding down the left mouse button as you draw. You may also place

POINTS on the screen one at a time by using the right mouse button, but remember to finish

your line with a single click of the left mouse button. You can also hold down the shift key to

prevent a line from being completed until the shift key is released. Any draw action can be undone

by choosing "Undo" from the "Edit" menu, or Ctrl + u from the keyboard.

Each line you draw will become part of an OBJECT which can be moved, rotated or

morphed with the Animation Sequencer.


Object Control
The Object Control Window

Choose OBJECTS from the VIEW menu item to display the Object Control Window.


The Palette
The Palette Window

Choose PALETTE from the VIEW menu item to display the Palette Control Window.

The Palette is broken up into 16 sections of 16 colours each.

In order to assure smooth colour cycling, change the colours in these boxes ONLY! A

single mouse click in one of the 32 boxes will choose the first or last colour of a section. A single

mouse click on "Blend" will interpolate these colors to give a smooth colour cycle during

animation. You can change the colour you have chosen with the bottom 3 scroll bars.

"Pick" allows you to pick a colour directly from the screen.

"Fill Color" will change the current fill colour to equal the current pen colour.

You may save an individual palette under the file menu. Choose "Save" and "Pallette". The

current palette is also saved as part of a complete animation. It is NOT save as part of an "Objects"

file or as part of a "Sequence" file!

TIP:

I never change my palette! The default palette includes a good range of colours. By

keeping palettes consistent from one animation to the next, you can minimize any odd changes in

colour, while viewing in 256 colours. Bitmaps loaded during animation are forced to display using

the colours allocated to the animation itself. If the next animation in your virtual playlist uses a new

set of colours, the bitmap background may look very strange. This is NOT a problem when

viewing using more than 256 colours, however you will experience slower animation when using 16 bit or 24 bit colour depth.


Draw Control
The Draw Window

Choose DRAW from the VIEW menu item to display the Draw Control Window.


The Object Editor

Choose EDIT OBJECT from the TOOLS menu item or press F5 to enter the Oject Editor.

Here you can drag points around with the mouse to manipulate draw objects after they

have been created.

Clicking and Dragging any of the Points in an Object with the Left mouse button will allow you to change the shape of the current object.

The Object Control window, and the Draw windows have slightly different functions when you enter the Object Editor. Most functions are similar, but they allow you to CHANGE the settings of each of the lines which make up the current object.

You may also select a Range of Points within any line, and carry out Move, Size, or Spin operations on the selected Range. Ctrl + Left Click and Drag will carry out these operation on the currently selected Range of Points. Unlike the Move and Spin functions you use in the main Editor window, these operations are destructive. The data that describes the object, is permanently altered. You can always Undo back to the last time you entered the Object Editor

You may also use the keyboard to make precise adjustments to your drawn objects.

Select a different point in the current object line by pressing the up or down arrow keys.

Select a different line in the current object by pressing the left and right arrow keys.

Holding down Ctrl allows you to move the current point using the arrow keys.

Holding down Shift allows you to move an entire line, using the arrow keys.

Press Insert to insert a new copy of the currently selected line at the beginning of the current object.

Press End to add a new copy of the currently selected line at the end of the current object.

Press Delete to delete the current line.

Press Ctrl + Insert to insert a new point next to the currently selected point.

Press Ctrl + Delete to delete the currently selected point.


Animation Sequencer
The Animation Sequencer

Choose ANIMATION SEQUENCER from the TOOLS menu item or press F6 to view the Sequencer Window.

Here you can move, rotate or otherwise manipulate objects that are in memory. You can

Tab through the edit fields, and changes will be reflected on the screen.

SCREAM saves lots of disk space by limiting the animations to KEY FRAMES. The

Sequencer Window shows you the X Y postion of the first object, and the X Y position of the

second object. SCREAM will calculate the in-between frames during playback.

When you have set up the first key frame, click on "New" to make the next key frame.

The new frame will be automatically "Linked" to the previous frame. In other words, it will start

where the first key frame left off. This assures a smooth transition from key frame to key frame.

Morphing is only possible between objects with an IDENTICAL number of points and

lines. The best way to achieve a morph is to draw the first object, copy it, ( choose "Copy" from

the "Edit" menu item, and then enter the Object Editor and drag the points around to make a new

object. Start your key frame with the first object and end it with the second. Then choose "Morph"

in the Sequencer Window. Click on the play button to see the result.

Key Frames can start and end with the same object, or with a different object. Traditional

animation effects can be achieved by drawing an object, copying the object and making minor

changes. The process can be repeated to build up a collection of objects which are similar but

slightly different. These objects MUST be drawn consecutively. Then, set the Key Frame up so it

starts with object 1 and ends with object 7 ( or any numbers, as long as they are consecutive ).

These objects will flip from one to the next during the playback of that Key Frame.

SCREAM has to redraw every line of each object in real-time while playing an animation.

This means that complex objects will animate very slowly, while simple ones can move more

quickly. It's best to use "Fills" whenever possible because these redraw very quickly. For the

fastest results, try using the smallest "Pen" size, turning fill on before drawing, and keep your

objects SIMPLE! A lot can be done with very little. Try turning "Trace" on to create a background

without having to resort to a bitmap. Only one object can be animated at a time, but with a little

imagination, very complex looking animations are possible.

Draw a simple object and then, play with the settings in the Animation Sequencer

Window. The changes will be reflected in the Editor Window. Try rotating and moving the object

to get a feel for how it works. Try changing the pen size and colour as well.


Tips

Always draw your objects as large as possible!

You can always make them smaller when they are animated, and this makes them much easier to edit.

If an object is too slow when animated, try reducing the pen size. Sometimes a setting of

-1 or -2 can make a big difference to speed, but looks just as good.

Also, try reducing the number of steps per Key Frame.

If you want to clear the screen during an animation, make a filled box as an object, and

use the Sequencer to expand it to fill the screen. Then set the Key Frame to 1 step, and turn

trace on. This will draw a filled box that is larger than the screen, in effect, clearing it.

You can load a 256 colour bitmap and trace around it by placing points with the right

mouse button. This can allow you to create objects that are much better looking than your artistic

talents might otherwise allow.

It's possible to just start drawing without any fiddly gadgets, or resize menus found in

many draw programs. Try signing your name. You can then edit it, to produce the perfect

signature to sign your own animations.


File Formats
The File Formats

Draw information can be saved as a .BDD file.

Animation data can be saved as a .ANM file.

The palette can be saved as a .PLD file.

A complete animation is saved as a .NMZ file.

These are all unique to SCREAM and are not compatible with any other software.

The .NMZ file format was designed to be simple and produce small files.

.NMZ files contain separate Objects and Sequence files, plus the palette used at the time

of saving, and the dimensions of the Bitmap open at the time. Animations are resized during

playback to fit either the size of the current window, or the size of the current Bitmap, whichever

is smaller.

If you are running at 800x600 screen resolution and play an animation linked to a 640x480

Bitmap, the animation will be limited to the size of the Bitmap.

Animations that are not linked to Bitmap backgrounds, can play at full screen in any

resolution.

Bitmaps are linked to animation files by saving them in the ACTIVE directory, and

renaming them to the SAME NAME as the animation file, but with a .BMP extension.

The animation file SCREAM.NMZ can be linked to any 256 colour, windows bitmap by

renaming the bitmap "SCREAM.BMP" and saving both in the ACTIVE directory.


Commands
Mouse and Key  Commands

Mouse Commands

Player or Full Screen Modes

Left mouse click	=	Check for new files in ACTIVE directory.

Right mouse click	=	Play All Files in ACTIVE directory.

Ctrl + Left mouse	=	Hold animation or continue to scan ACTIVE directory.

Left Double Click	=	Pause animation.

Editor Mode

(while playing)

Left mouse click	=	Advance animation by one key frame.

Right mouse click	=	Go back two key frames.

(while paused)

Left mouse click	=	Draw object on screen.

Right mouse click	=	Place single point on screen. Click left mouse button to end line.

Key Commands

Editor Window

Ctrl + drag with mouse	=	Move or skew current object.

Ctrl + u	=	Undo draw action.

Plus and Minus keys	=	Select current object.

Home	=	Center Current Object on screen.

Insert	=	Copy current object to Top of object list.

End	=	Copy current object to End of object list.

Delete	=	Delete current object.

Page Up	=	Move current object to Top of object list.

Page Down	=	Move current object to End of object list.

Object Editor

F5	=	Enter or Exit Object Edit Mode.

Up, down arrow keys	=	Select points in current line.

Left, right arrow keys	=	Select lines in current object.

Ctrl + arrow keys	=	Move current point.

Shift + arrow keys	=	Move current line.

Insert	=	Insert new line at beginning.

End	=	Insert new line at end.

Delete	=	Delete current line.

Ctrl + Insert	=	Insert new point.

Ctrl + Delete	=	Delete current point.

Page Up	=	Move current line to Front.

Page Down	=	Move current line to Back.

Animation Sequencer

F6	=	View or hide Animation Sequencer Window.

Tab	=	Step to next edit field.

Shift + Tab	=	Step to previous edit field.

Up, down arrow keys	=	Select Key Frames.

Always

Pause	=	Pause or start animation.

F1	=	Switch to Player Mode.

F2	=	Switch to Full Screen Mode.

F3	=	Switch to Background Mode.

F4	=	Switch to Editor Mode.

Esc	=	Switch to Editor Mode and stop.


Purchase Info

Version 1.0 is available now.

Price is $49.00 U.S. funds or $69.00 Canadian funds.

You may order by calling Saved by Technology at 416 928-6434. Please ask for Carl Petzelt and have a credit card ready.

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Or write to:

Saved by Technology

10 Breadalbane Street

Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

M4Y 1C3

Please Send Money Order payable to "ScreamTek" , $49.00 in U.S Funds or $69.00 Canadian funds and include your name and complete return mailing address.

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Or fax us at ScreamTek	416 928-0262

Please include a credit card number, and expiry date. Also include your name and complete return mailing address.

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Or you may contact us via E-Mail at

jburgess@idirect.com

Please include a credit card number, and expiry date. Also include your name and complete return mailing address.

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All orders will be supplied on 3.5" Floppy Disk by mail.

PC Windows 3.1 Version only is available at this time.

I designed this program to allow myself to draw and create interesting pictures, even though I am

a terrible artist! I hope it has succeeded.

I also hope you have as much fun with it as I have.

Dee Long...................

Please report any problems or bugs to

deelong@idirect.com