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The Tools module contains utilities which allow you to perform several important tasks. The operations available in Tools include :
The Tools commands work closely with other utilities called standalone programs, which are command line programs with options.
Many of the Tools commands work in conjunction with hardware devices that you connect to your system, such as digital disk recorders and image recorders.
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The Picture menu cell allows you to view a rendered image or a sequence of rendered images, or allows you to get information about the image or image sequence.
Line Images The Line->Show File command displays a .lin format
picture (wireframe or hidden-line rendered). It also allows the conversion from .lin
to .pic format.
The Line->Show Sequence command displays a sequence of .lin format pictures (wireframe or hidden-line rendered). You can also use the showlin standalone program.
Combining .lin and .pic Files
If you want to render some 3D elements to make them look like traditional 2D cel animation pieces, you can convert line files (.lin) into picture files (.pic) using this command.
The FlipBook menu cell lets you display an animation sequence on the screen, similar to a flipbook used in traditional animation. You need to have rendered an image sequence before you can use this menu cell.
There is also a flipbook standalone program which does the same thing
from a command line.
The Hidden_Line commands in the Tools module allow you to preview a
hidden-line picture in any window (the default is window B, which is usually the
Perspective window). These commands let you preview an image before you render it, unlike
the Line->Show command which requires a rendered .lin file. 
Faceted means that lines are drawn for all the object's surface polygon edges. This makes the object look like a typical wireframe object, except that the hidden lines are removed.
Smoothed means that lines are drawn for the object's surface polygon edges, except where the angle between surface polygons is larger than the angle of discontinuity. The object's outer edges are always drawn.
Objects which are defined as faceted will appear the same with Hidden_Line->Smoothed and Hidden_Line->Faceted.
The Viewer->Saturn command allows Saturn game designers to view the Saturn models (encoded in Saturn file format) in SOFTIMAGE 3D and on the CartDev Saturn development hardware.
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The Effects menu cell in the Tools module allows you to perform effects on pictures. These effects include scaling, rotation, and flipping. The processed picture is saved in a new .pic file.
The Composite menu cell allows you to create new images by adding layers of images on top of each other. You can also use the composite standalone program to composite images in layers. The standalone program offers a few more options, such as superimposed slides and negatives, blends, halo effects, etc.
The Colour Reduction tool (C_Reduction menu cell) lets you create a reduced colour palette for an image. You can also create a colour-indexed image.
Alternately, instead of creating a new colour palette, you can load an image, then load an existing palette and use it to generate a colour-reduced image.
By editing the palette, you can alter the colours of the generated image. Alternately, change some of the generation parameters and repeat the process, generating new palettes and versions of the colour-reduced image until you are satisfied with the results.
You can save palettes for reuse as well as saving the colour-reduced images in various formats.
You can also apply colour reduction to a sequence of images and specify whether you wish to apply the current palette to all images or regenerate a palette for each image.
The Autotrace menu cell processes a picture to extract its contours and creates Bezier curves from them. The main application is to extract curves from logos, providing an alternative to digitizing with a tablet.
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The Output->PostScript command
creates a PostScript file which can be printed using a laser printer, according to the
parameters previously chosen with the Output->Setup command.
The Output->Setup command controls how a PostScript image will be printed on paper.
The Output->PostScript Fill-in command creates a PostScript file (.ps) in which faces are filled. This works on parallel projection window views only (Top, Front, Right, and Ortho). Make sure to use the Output->Setup command to control how a PostScript image will be printed on paper.
The Output->PostScript Playback commands let you create a PostScript file for each frame in a sequence as you play it.
The Print menu cell prints .lin format images (rendered in wireframe or hidden-line) on the default windows printer.
The Shell menu cell opens a window shell for typing commands so that you don't need to exit the SOFTIMAGE 3D interface.
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The Export->Images commands in the Tools module convert images
created (.pic files) in SOFTIMAGE 3D into another format. The submenu displays the formats
available.
The Export->Objects commands in the Tools module let you convert an
object created in SOFTIMAGE 3D into another format. The submenu displays the Vertigo,
Wavefront and Saturn export formats from which you can choose.
The Import->Images commands in the Tools module convert images
created with another software into SOFTIMAGE 3D format. The submenu displays the formats
available.
The Import->Objects commands in the Tools module loads objects
created with another software into SOFTIMAGE 3D format. The submenu displays the formats
available.
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Video The Abekas video recorder. bring in frames from an Video->Abekas commands let you output frames to, or
The Video->Accom commands let you output frames to, or bring in frames from an Accom video recorder.
Last updated 04-dec-1998