3D Gugle
User's Guide

(Sample of Layers Assembly)
[A simple animation]

We begin the practical tests of 3D Gugle's "Layers Assembly LAB" with the creation of a simple animation.

The animation example refers to a boat that is disturbed by a sudden gust of wind.

After the generation of the intermediate frames it will be possible to make an AVI film and we will also use some laboratories from 3D Gugle's "Movie" section.

Below you will find two images: the first is the Layer for the boat and the second is the "base image" that we will use as background.

We strongly recommend that you carry-out the example using the images below.

To start this example, we create a new folder with the name "Boat" where we will save the Layer and the base image.

To use the two example images, right-click and from the context menu select "Save with name".
When you save the boat Layer, in the save menu select "*. bmp" format rather than the "*. png" that is proposed.
Save in the new folder (Boat) just created.




 

We will now rotate the boat Layer to simulate the disturbance and will create the intermediate Layers.

The described operation is only to demonstrate the operative possibility of 3D Gugle but the same animation you can also to perform with a simple click of the mouse in the specialized LAB of Algorithms to Layers.

Run 3D Gugle and from the menu "File/Open Image" open the boat Layer.

From the menu "Image" select "Transform" and then "Rotate".

Click on the "Rotate" spinbutton, and rotate the Layer 6 degrees.

Save the Layer in the new folder by pressing the "Save" button that is in the same "Rotate" dialogue.

When saving, use a logical sequential name that will subsequently help you to easily identify the Layer, for instance "BoatOne006."
If you add zeros in front of the 6, when you load the Layers with "load Layer(s) " of "Layers Assembly" the Layers will be in the correct order

Again click on Spin to rotate to 16 degrees.
Save with a new name, for instance "BoatOne016"
Repeat the operations for a total of 12 Layers:

BoatOne006
BoatOne016
BoatOne022
BoatOne033
BoatOne050
BoatOne083
BoatOne104
BoatOne122
BoatOne140
BoatOne170
BoatOne180
BoatOne190

The three trailing digits correspond to the angle of rotation that you have applied.

Leave the rotate dialogue.

We will now create a waterline Layer that will define the waterline for the sinking of the boat.

Open the base image that you have previously saved: "Panorama.jpg".

Select "2D to 3D/Direct Layers" to enter the Layers extraction laboratory.

Using the mouse, with right-button depressed, move it to approximately select the part shown below.
If you make a mistake, use the left button to restore.

Select "Direct layer/Options/Save Single Layer" to save the new Layer.
Leave "Direct Layer" by pressing "Exit" and for "Save change" answer "No".

The procedure described here for rotating Layers can be very useful but 3D Gugle has a specific laboratory "Algorithms to Layers" for programmed rotations that is quicker and more precise and only requires two clicks of the mouse.

Create a new folder named "OriginalFrames".

Select "2D to 3D/Layers Assembly".
Select "Layers Assembly/File/Add Layer(s)" and load all the saved Layers from the folder "Boat".

Attention do not include "Panorama.jpg".

The Layers can all be loaded simultanerously.
The method is to use Window's multiselect.

If you have correctly loaded the layers, the list will look like this:

Click on Layer "BoatOne" and then with the "Arrow Down" button move the Layer to its correct position in the list.

i.e. above "LowSea".

We now have to set the X and Y coordinates of every Layer.

Starting at Layer BoatOne, we will apply an incrementing 4 Pixels step movement to every frame.

Initially, we will ensure that the Layer is not visible and then it will enter the scene from the left and then move right,  up to about 3/4 of the screen.
When the Layer is at about 3/4 of the screen, a gust begins that will disturb and eventually sink the boat.

Select the Layer BoatOne in the Layers list and with the “Y” scroll bar move the Layer downward to just above the "LowSea" layer.
The correct value of Y could be Y = 322.
We now move the same Layer left with the "X" scrollbar until it disappears completely from the screen.
The value could be X = -200.

Select "Options/Autostep X Y" and in the box "Amount Step" of "X"  set the value 4 and then "Apply"
With this action we have determined that the Layer BoatOne will move:
"For X": beginning from the value -400 adding 4 pixels of movement for every frame.
"For Y": beginning from the value 322 maintaining this value constant without change. (The "Amount Step" for "Y" is zero)

If you click on the Frames X spinbutton, you will see the effect of the increase.
Having verified this, again set the value of the Spin to zero (first frame).

To verify, you can also use the "Play selected" button. To use the dynamic preview set "Frame End" spinbutton to the value 130.

At this point we can use the series of rotated Layers and position them into their places.

With 3D Gugle "Layers Assembly" it is possible to use two techniques to hide the Layers. The first is to set them to the "Invisible" state and the second is to position the layer offscreen.
The "invisible" method is useful when the Layer only appears a few times in the whole scene, whereas if it appears for long periods it is better to use "Offscreen".

In our example we will employ both techniques.
The first technique will be applied to the Layers that only appear once while the second will be used with the "BoatOne190" layer that we will use for the sinking of the boat.

Zero the frames spinbuttons and select Layer "BoatOne190".
Move the "X" scrollbar completely to the left. Its value should be -297
Select "Options/Auto Step XY" and in the box of "Amount Step" we set the value 0 and then "Apply".
This command ensures the Layer remains offscreen for all the frames.
It is not necessary to plan "Auto Step" for the "Y" axis because the Layer will never be visible.

Move now to frame N. 120 that moves BoatOne to around 3/4 of the screen.
It is quicker to directly enter the value 120 into the spinbutton text-area rather than clicking the buttons.

Select Layer "BoatOne006" and then "Options/Layers Visibility" and "Set Visible = False"
With this command we have made this Layer invisible for all the frames (from 0 to 1023).

Repeat the same operation for all the Layers from "BoatOne006" to "BoatOne180."

We will now move the Layer "BoatOne006" into the correct position.

Select the Layer and click "Visible".
This will make this Layer visible only for frame 120 while for all the other frames it will be invisible.

Before continuing, and to have a visual reference of what we are realising, we temporarily move "BoatOne" layer above "BoatOne006".
To move the Layer up the hierarchy list, use the "UP" arrow.

Having moved "BoatOne" up, we select "BoatOne006" so that we can move it.
A correct position could be "X = 253" and "Y = 295".

From this point on, "BoatOne" layer is no longer required and can be moved offscreen.
Before doing that, move it to its natural location in the hierarchy above "LowSea".

You now move completely to the left the X (X = -255) scrollbar and select "Options/Auto Step XY" and in the box "Amount Step" set the value 0.
With this command we have set Layer "BoatOne" to remain onscreen all the way up to frame 120.

We now move to frame n. 121.
We select and make temporarily visible Layer "BoatOne006" because it serves as a visual reference.
We copy the position data of "BoatOne006" from the preceding frame to the active frame.
To copy the data, click on the horizontal arrow button under the frames spinbutton.



We now select the Layer "BoatOne016" and make it visible.
We now move the Layer selected into the correct position, that could be "X = 208" and "Y = 258"
We set as invisible the Layer "BoatOne006" as it is no longer required.

Go to frame N. 122 and click the frame spinbutton.
Select Layer "BoatOne016" and make it temporarily visible:
We copy the data of the preceding frame of this Layer into the active frame by clicking the horizontal arrow.
We now select the Layer "BoatOne022" and make it visible:
Move the layer to its correct position with the X and Y scrollbars, that which could be "X = 168" and "Y = 224."
Make Layer "BoatOne016" invisible as it is no longer required.

Click on the frames spinbutton, increasing the value by one, and repeat all the operations just described up to Layer "BoatOne180".
The correct positions of all the Layers could be the following:

We will now apply to the Layer "BoatOne180" a vertical translation so that the boat seems to sink.

Move to frame 121.

Select "BoatOne180" and temporarily make it visible because it will serve as a visual reference.
Copy the position data from the preceding frame using the arrow button.

Select "BoatOne180" and move it to the correct position, which could be: "X = 3" and "Y = 153."
Select "Options/Auto Step XY" and in the box of "Amount Step" of "X" insert the value 0.

This ensures that all the layers remain in the same position for all of the frames.
Now in the box of "Amount Step" of "Y" insert the value 10.

This makes every frame move 10 pixels down relative to the preceding frame.

Make Layer"BoatOne180" invisible as it is no longer required.

To visualise the preview, set "Frame End" spinbutton to 175 and press "Play all Layers".
For safety, save the Layers and the frames with "File/Save all data".
If we want to produce a digital film of our animation it is essential to save the sequence as frames.
From the menu "File/Save all frames" you save the 176 (0-175) frames sequence in the folder with the name: "OriginalFrames".

At this point you can close "Layers Assembly" and continue the job with the specific laboratories of 3D Gugle for film creation and management.


 

If you create a film, always remember that the dimensions in pixels must be exactly divisible by 8 and the new frames must be cropped accordingly.
The original frames have dimensions 642 x 635 while the nearest valid size is 640 x 632.
To crop the frames in sequence, use "Frame Utility" LAB and to create the digital film use the Video-editor of "AVI from frames".

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