Perhaps someone has answered this previously but I don't recall seeing it in any of the updates or in the now famous "what to do until coldstone is released" so...

Is there any information on what format our graphics should be designed in. I know that movies and or sounds can be in anything quicktime supports, but as for the charactors, can we design them in a program such as maya or lightwave (it seems as though we can). And if so, what are the size restraints (pixels), color restrictions (amount) and prefered graphic formats (all quictime, or should we shoot for GIF or something)

Sorry, I know these are geeky newbie questions
Atsumor

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Quote

Originally posted by atsumori:
**Is there any information on what format our graphics should be designed in. I know that movies and or sounds can be in anything quicktime supports, but as for the charactors, can we design them in a program such as maya or lightwave (it seems as though we can). And if so, what are the size restraints (pixels), color restrictions (amount) and prefered graphic formats (all quictime, or should we shoot for GIF or something)
**

You can make your graphics in whatever program you choose, since all of Coldstone's graphics are prerendered, not generated on the fly. Once they're to your liking, I think the preferred graphics format is PICT, but it's quite likely that BMP would work too. Size restraints: none. Color restrictions: 8-bit, 16-bit, or 24-bit, at your choice. Coldstone's flexible that way.

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“If a little knowledge is dangerous, where is the man who has so much as to be out of danger?” - T.H. Huxley

The Pict format is not recognized by any computers other than those running on Mac OS 9.1 and below, even Mac OS X has abandoned it as the default format, although you still may be able to view it. Since the engine can compile these games for Windows and (possibly) Mac OS X, wouldn't the graphic format have to be something else? The public betas available on Beenox's site before they joined with Ambrosia did use only pict, but they've probably changed. I could be totally wrong, but it's just a thought. Perhaps the engine will convert picts for you.

~Saphfire

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Quote

Originally posted by saphfire:
**The Pict format is not recognized by any computers other than those running on Mac OS 9.1 and below, even Mac OS X has abandoned it as the default format, although you still may be able to view it. Since the engine can compile these games for Windows and (possibly) Mac OS X, wouldn't the graphic format have to be something else? The public betas available on Beenox's site before they joined with Ambrosia did use only pict, but they've probably changed. I could be totally wrong, but it's just a thought. Perhaps the engine will convert picts for you.

~Saphfire

**

PICT has nothing to do with the OS, it's just the quicktime image format. you can view it on anything that has a running version of Quicktime installed, including windows machines, so long as you have a more recent version of QT installed.

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Do not follow me for I may not lead. Do not lead for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me, either. Just leave me the hell alone.
-Jedi

Perhaps you're right, but I can't get my picts to show up in Windows 98. However, for simplicity's sake, I would prefer a more universal image format. I don't need to fret however, as I can convert graphics to any 2D format.

~Saphfire

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Quote

Originally posted by saphfire:
**Perhaps you're right, but I can't get my picts to show up in Windows 98. However, for simplicity's sake, I would prefer a more universal image format. I don't need to fret however, as I can convert graphics to any 2D format.

~Saphfire

**

Do they have a ".pct" file extension? I believe that's the standard under windows...

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“If a little knowledge is dangerous, where is the man who has so much as to be out of danger?” - T.H. Huxley

Quote

Originally posted by Glenn:
**Do they have a ".pct" file extension? I believe that's the standard under windows...

**

yeah, you're right. I keep forgetting that PCs use imbedded 3 char file extensions instead of the unseen mac stylee. sorry bout that.

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Do not follow me for I may not lead. Do not lead for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me, either. Just leave me the hell alone.
-Jedi

:: peaks up head up from behind the 'fridge door::

hey what about ".gif" formats for easy animations and such

:: dissapates ::

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unseen...
unwanted...
unlawful...
undead...

(This message has been edited by chill_rx (edited 03-15-2001).)

The PICT file is absolutely not a standard on Windows, only on Mac, in fact the format was first designed for the resource fork of the mac. Then someone (Apple? Adobe?) put the datas in the data fork, for evident cross-platform possibilities.

But there is a lot of applications that still write the PICT informations in the resources by default (although they have in general the option). In that case, the file will be 0 bytes on any not Mac formatted disks.

The other big problem is that you can use some compression in PICT files, but there is not a lot of converters/viewers/libraries on Windows that can read it, even the basic PICT format (no compression) is not widely supported.

So if you think cross-platform, it may not be a good idea to use this image file format

Ti-gars

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C lets you shoot yourself in the foot; but C++ lets you blow your whole leg
off - Stroustrop

Quote

Originally posted by chill_rx:
**:: peaks up head up from behind the 'fridge door::
**

LOL. Before, it was spam. Now, it's classic.

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Ladies and Gentlemen, as you know we have something special for you at
Birdland this evening. A recording for Blue Note Records...
(url="http://"http://pub58.ezboard.com/bthehotdogstand")The HotDog Stand(/url) - The Movie Goers board.

Quote

Originally posted by ti-gars:
**The PICT file is absolutely not a standard on Windows, only on Mac, in fact the format was first designed for the resource fork of the mac. Then someone (Apple? Adobe?) put the datas in the data fork, for evident cross-platform possibilities.

But there is a lot of applications that still write the PICT informations in the resources by default (although they have in general the option). In that case, the file will be 0 bytes on any not Mac formatted disks.

The other big problem is that you can use some compression in PICT files, but there is not a lot of converters/viewers/libraries on Windows that can read it, even the basic PICT format (no compression) is not widely supported.

So if you think cross-platform, it may not be a good idea to use this image file format

Ti-gars

**

The PICT format is the format used and produced by 'Quickdraw'. It is a series of 'Quickdraw' commands to create the bitmapped image on the screen.

It has it's origin in the ancient program 'MacDraw'.

Skip

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...it wasn't me...

(This message has been edited by SkipMeier (edited 03-15-2001).)

Quote

Originally posted by the Necromicon:
**LOL. Before, it was spam. Now, it's classic.:)
**

-29°
::liquid digits etch words into the still air::

har har har har har...
Hey what about the question
can gif files be used in place of(along side) animations?

::the bony finger dissapates into a fine mist::
+29°

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unseen...
unwanted...
unlawful...
undead...

Quote

Originally posted by chill_rx:
**-29°
::liquid digits etch words into the still air::

har har har har har...
Hey what about the question
can gif files be used in place of(along side) animations?

::the bony finger dissapates into a fine mist::
+29°

**

No, you can't do .gif animations in there, but it would be easy to do pict animations using the built in animation editor.

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"Bond, GlueBubble Bond"
::walks down the mountain::

besides, .gifs have that whole limited pallet problem. Unless 256 color is the style you're going for (not out of the question at all -- classic is good), gifs aren't going to produce any stunning results. But, GlueBubble is right about just converting gifs to pict format. I think all you need is something like GraphicConverter, or maybe QT Pro, if you've got the urge to spend a little.

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Do not follow me for I may not lead. Do not lead for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me, either. Just leave me the hell alone.
-Jedi

Quote

Originally posted by jmitchell:
**besides, .gifs have that whole limited pallet problem. Unless 256 color is the style you're going for (not out of the question at all -- classic is good), gifs aren't going to produce any stunning results. But, GlueBubble is right about just converting gifs to pict format. I think all you need is something like GraphicConverter, or maybe QT Pro, if you've got the urge to spend a little.

**

You won't be needing any of those other apps, I don't believe....

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"Bond, GlueBubble Bond"
::walks down the mountain::