Short: Bitmapped/Structured Drawing and Morphing Author: sg928ah5@dunx1.ocs.drexel.edu ( James Ianni ) Uploader: sg928ah5 dunx1 ocs drexel edu ( James Ianni ) Type: gfx/edit Architecture: m68k-amigaos Phantasmos allows one to create those popular polymorph animations one can create in Deluxe Paint IV and ImageMaster quicker, easier and without all those disintergration/smearing/spluttering effects found when morphing pictures, video-text screens and company logos that are made up of thick/thin lines and polygons. Phantasmos can also morph images in up to 144 different ways!!! Zooweee!! You can sketch/draw frames or convert bitmap pictures. The sketched frames can be drawn within the program, with an interface similar to many structured drawing programs. The imported bitmap files can be any Amiga IFF picture file (ie. digitized photographs or a bitmap drawing done with DeluxePaint IV). Major advantages of drawing the picture within the program is that the morphs can be synthesized 20-30 times faster and morph much "smoother" (no disintergration/spluttering/smearing effects like in other popular morphing programs) than importing and morphing bitmap pictures. Also, the drawings drawn in the program are resolution independent. One might want to quickly and easily morph company logos, names, text with different fonts, hand-written signatures and line-drawings when drawing the images using the drawing tools in Phantasmos. The other way to get images in Phantasmos is to import bitmap pictures. The main advantage of importing bitmap picture files is that the morphs can be very realistic, since the pictures can be digitized photographs which can be morphed into another different photo, like some of the effects in Terminator-2 (okay maybe I'm over exagerrating). The disadvantage with this is that calculations can take awhile for a 16,000 point:30 frame animation using the best morph algorithm. Many tweenings can be done in one animation allowing for interesting and complex animation. The main philosophy of this animation program is you draw (or import a picture) in one numbered frame, then draw (or import a picture) in another numbered frame (the more frames you allow between each starting and ending frame, the smoother the animation will turn out), then simply morph the frames. Phantasmos can morph between two different images in 144 different ways. 48 (1/3) of those morphing capabilities alter their morphing characteristics every time you use them (morph algorithms that morph themselves!). For a complete description of the morphing/tweening algorithms and techniques read under the Frames Menu, TWEEN Frames menu item description. Naturally, you get all the drawing tools that are found in most structured drawing programs. In Phantasmos you can move, copy, delete, insert, rotate, stretch/contract horizontal or vertical, enlarge or shrink, shear x or y, mirror horizontal or vertical of selected points (I am currently working on to make most of these edition options perform dynamically). You also have various or defined grid settings, predefined shape primitives, entering and altering outline fonts, the ability to save pieces or parts of your drawing and load them in a completely different animation, the ability to view any frame, and insert, delete, clear, exchange and copy frames. You can have specific frames LASER drawn (that catches everyones attention), "hand-write" the frame on screen, leave animated trails or go in a special XOR drawing mode. Frames can be paused at the currently drawn frame for a specific amount of time. You can load in background pictures and specify how to draw on "top" of the background picture. These and other options (currently being developed) are contained within Phantasmos.