Anim8or
is a 3D computer animation program that is designed to allow
straightforward creation of animations. You interactively create
and edit objects, figures,
and scenes directly on the computers screen. The basic interface is
similar
to most 3D animation and CAD programs, as shown in the following screen
shot:
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You
control various aspects of your work using an ordinary computer mouse
or tablet. You
select and drag, rotate, scale and place objects by clicking in the
various views of your work. There are two toolbars that
you can use for
common tasks. The one at the top of the has buttons for general
commands that
are used throughout Anim8or, while the one on the left allows you to
change
your mode of operation for common tasks in the current that you are
using.
The usual menu is there for less frequently used tasks.
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You
can control the view of your objects to see how they appear from the
front, left, top, back, perspective, etc.,
and you can show either multiple views or a single view on your screen.
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There
are four main working modes, and an object-browsing mode. First, there
is
an object editor that is used to build (mostly) static objects.
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Second,
there is a figure or character editor. You use it to
define the structure of a character that you want to animate by
connecting jointed bones together, and objects to them. You can
give each joint different ways in which they are allowed to move and
restrict the range, just
like your elbow or shoulder can move only in certain ways.
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Third,
there is a movement or sequence editor. Here you can define
segments of motion as one cycle of a walk. These can then be linked
together in chains in the scene editor for longer sequences.
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| Fourth,
you put together your final scenes in a scene editor. Here you
place the objects and built in the other parts of Anim8or into their
final “world”. You can control how they move, and where the camera
is located. You can also give the scene various kinds of lights. |
Once
you have created a model or scene you can render high quality .jpg
and .bmp images and .avi movies and save them to disk
for later use.
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Finally,
there is an object browser to help you view and organize your
Anim8or objects. You can also search your disk for objects in other
formats.
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