I will post in this thread StoryBoard Builder (SBB).
The name is no longer CIV3_SBB, as I realized it could be used for other games as well.

Don't forget : this version should work on Windows NT, 2000 and XP. It should not work on Windows 98 (or perhaps with ME).

I will add the Windows 98 version tomorrow.

I will also upload the user's manual as a separate file, so you don't need to download it everytime there's an updated version.

The tool is 272ko (zipped). The manual is 2.8 Mo (zipped).

The software is here SBB version 1.06 software for windows NT, XP, 2000 (http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads8/SBB_106.zip)

And the user's manual hereSBB User's manual version 1.0 (http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads3/sbb_user_manual_1_0.zip)

New "Sandris" version (http://stephane.f.david.free.fr/CivMod/Tools/tools.htm). This is a simplified version of SBB, with less option, but a lot easier to use, and it can work on several units or animations successivelly. Generates dozens of animations for dozens of units in one click! Very nice if you are using a script to render several animations automatically.


Don't hesitate to give me your feedback, so I can improve the tool and/or the manual

Changes:

Version 1.06:
- Got rid of the one pixel magenta line that appeared left and bottom.
- Now, it automatically add a 2 pixels wide line to the right side of each frame, with the background color (ie: color of the top left pixel). Yes, it means no more Flicster ghost bug!

Version 1.04 : For single figure storyboard builder, there is a new check box in the "picture info" area. If you check it BEFORE selecting the source file, SBB looks for bmp with name starting at 0001 instead of 0000.
The "cossack converter" is for my own use.
The 4th button in the welcome screen is a specific request from Boulboulgadol.

Version 1.03: The size factor for munit now has a range of [0,200], so you can increase the size and not only reduce it. Warning : don't forget the max size for Flicster is 240x240.

Version 1.02: Added a new checkbox in the preview "frame". It shows the actual size of the frame. SBB compute this frame size from the size of the first storyboard , and the number of frames. Don't forget : in the current version, all the storyboards must have the same size and the same number of frames!
So the green square shows the size of the final frame (in the ouput storyboard). Try to reduce the size to see the impact.
This will help some of you to understand why your units are cropped.

Version 1.01: Size reduced so it can fit in a 1024x768 screen. Barely. Sorry, I can't have it fit in a 800x600 screen.

you got the link wrong, this is the correct one - http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads3/sbb_1_0.zip

EDIT: you must've fixed it seconds before my post!

It's just that the message has been posted before the upload is finished:D

Finally :)

How is that manual coming..?


EDIT: just came up as I posted. :p

:goodjob:

Good to see this version. This tool is really soooo useful, saved me lots of time. Keep up the good work :)

Nice.

I've been messing around with it for a bit and I have a few suggestions. First can you make scrollbars on the side so I don't have to re-size my screen to see the whole program? Second, can you make it so we can change how large the each frame is? This would really help converting the bmp into the pcx for FLICster. Third, which is mostly wishful thinking, can you possibly combine this with FLICster or a version of FLICster so we can do the whole thing with this program? It would be a lot easier to send a storyboard we made strait to a finished product rather than having to go thru PSP and copy and paste it into an existing storyboard and hope that the frames fit together, ect.
Thanks, o and by the way I do like this program

Just for ___ and giggles, I downloaded it and ran it on win98, and surprisingly, it worked.

Steph?!

GIDustin

Edit: Ok, the program ran, but the storyboard generated messed up. Guess I have to wait till tomorrow . . .

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads3/sbb98.jpg

Edit- nvm, but how do i get the "Generate Multi-Figures unit storyboard to show up and be clicked, cause i can't click it, it is greyed out.

That happened to me too, and I still can't figgure out why when I go bk into FLICster when I've put the munits iiin the Alpha-blending doesnt work, or only works onpart of the pic
Can you make the program export pcx instead of bmp, this might be the problem for that.
Also, can you make the sotryboard is makes have the "box" around the unit so we can line everything up? And I really must reidorate this, we need to know hwo big the frame is and be able to change it! Besides te fact that I can't make the storyboard work, my poor Raptor's tail and head gets cut off at all directions cept for the South direction!

I can't seem to make the fxm work. everytime i try to view it it says

"Error, Subscript out of range 9"

edit- I fixed this by cutting and pasting into another existing storyboard, which is a tedious task at remaking the lines if you cut them off. can you please find a way to fix this?

Originally posted by computerdude113
suggestions. First can you make scrollbars on the side? ... Second, can you make it so we can change how large the each frame is? Third, which is mostly wishful thinking, can you possibly combine this with FLICster or a version of FLICster so we can do the whole thing with this program? I

1)I can't make a scrollbar, but I've reduced the size a bit. It's no OK for 1024x768.
2)About the frame size, what do you mean exactly? In the single figure unit or the multi figures? I don't understand what you want.
3) If I had the source code of FLICSTER, I could try. But I don't have it.

Originally posted by GIDustin

GIDustin
Edit: Ok, the program ran, but the storyboard generated messed up. Guess I have to wait till tomorrow . . .

It seems the size is not correct. How any frames did you use?

Originally posted by Civanator
Edit- nvm, but how do i get the "Generate Multi-Figures unit storyboard to show up and be clicked, cause i can't click it, it is greyed out.
You have to select the output file.

i was just testing on the Archer and Bowman, in vanilla civ3. Each has 15 frames/direction, but I am not sure about their sizes

GIDustin

Originally posted by computerdude113
That happened to me too, and I still can't figgure out why when I go bk into FLICster when I've put the munits iiin the Alpha-blending doesnt work, or only works onpart of the pic
Also, can you make the sotryboard is makes have the "box" around the unit so we can line everything up? And I really must reidorate this, we need to know hwo big the frame is and be able to change it! Besides te fact that I can't make the storyboard work, my poor Raptor's tail and head gets cut off at all directions cept for the South direction!
To solve the alpha blending pb, I know Kryten usually change the palette of the pcx storyboard before using the tool. He uses the apha.pal. Then it's OK.
I can add the box around the units. I will do it for next version.
About the frame, you must change it before with FLICSTER. When you export the storyboard, change the size of the frame to something big enough, and be sure all the storyboard are the same size if you want to mix different units.
I usually use a 200x150 frame. Don't forget you need room to put all these units.

Originally posted by Civanator
I can't seem to make the fxm work. everytime i try to view it it says

"Error, Subscript out of range 9"

edit- I fixed this by cutting and pasting into another existing storyboard, which is a tedious task at remaking the lines if you cut them off. can you please find a way to fix this?

This is because the generate dbmp is a true color bmp. You need to apply the 256 color palette to your pcx storyboard before opening it into FLICSTER, or your get this error message in FLICSTER.

Originally posted by GIDustin
i was just testing on the Archer and Bowman, in vanilla civ3. Each has 15 frames/direction, but I am not sure about their sizes

GIDustin
Another explanation : in CIV 3, the archer is 104x64 pixels, the bowman is 122x91 pixels. When you generate the storyboard with FLICSTER, you ust change the size of the frame so:
- It is the same for every animation.
- It is big enough to accomodate every figure.

Try exporting both storyboard with a 150x120 pixels (at least if you want to fit 6 units).

Originally posted by GIDustin
Just for ___ and giggles, I downloaded it and ran it on win98, and surprisingly, it worked.

Do you have Windows98 ME, or Windows 98SE?

98se

Originally posted by Steph

Another explanation : in CIV 3, the archer is 104x64 pixels, the bowman is 122x91 pixels. When you generate the storyboard with FLICSTER, you ust change the size of the frame so:
- It is the same for every animation.
- It is big enough to accomodate every figure.

Try exporting both storyboard with a 150x120 pixels (at least if you want to fit 6 units).

Do you cover this in your manual? I should probably read that.

Anyway, exporting as 150x120, then using your tool, everything worked (Even in 98SE)

Thanks

GIDustin

What I mean by frame size is I'm making a Raptor pack from PTW for my own use and I try and then turn it into a FLIC using FLICster, but I can't the frame size in FLICser correct. And the thing abot editing the frame size is that theprogram uses I assume the frame size of the first flic, but I need to be able to make it bigger so I don't cut off portions of the units I'm adding in.

Steph:

Sorry to bother you even more, but I whipped this up real quick and the shadow has some civ-specific color in it. Do you have any ideas?

GIDustin

so, what do you do after you'v got the bmp storyboard? how do you change it back to the flc?

quick suggestion... for the munit builder, could you give the window a minimize tab?

Originally posted by computerdude113
What I mean by frame size is I'm making a Raptor pack from PTW for my own use and I try and then turn it into a FLIC using FLICster, but I can't the frame size in FLICser correct. And the thing abot editing the frame size is that theprogram uses I assume the frame size of the first flic, but I need to be able to make it bigger so I don't cut off portions of the units I'm adding in.

Try to export a storyboard in FLICSTER with bigger frames. The raptor is 122x90. You could try a 200x150. And don't forget for the biggest unit, you cannot put more than 2 in a munit (or they won't fit in game afterward, the civ III square will be to small).

It may be just me but I cant seem to get run to work. The other animations i can get but run never works. Has anybody else had this problem?

Originally posted by GIDustin
Steph:

Sorry to bother you even more, but I whipped this up real quick and the shadow has some civ-specific color in it. Do you have any ideas?

GIDustin

I will check it this evening. Note that when mixing several different figures, you may get some strange result, because you have to convert the unit into a 256 color PCX to use it in FLICSTER, and if more than 256 colors are used (because the 2nd and 1st animation do not have the same palette), the conversion will replace some of the colors by others.
So when mixing several units, you may have a manual tweaking to do with the palette.

Originally posted by Stormbringer
so, what do you do after you'v got the bmp storyboard? how do you change it back to the flc?
First, use PaintShop (or an other tool ) to change the true color bmp into a 256 colors PCX. Don't forget to apply the initial palette, generated by FLCISTER with the storyboard.

Then use FLICSTER to generate the FLC.

Don't forget : FLICSTER will not work if the storyboard is not a 256 colors PCX.

Originally posted by Dragon Warrior
It may be just me but I cant seem to get run to work. The other animations i can get but run never works. Has anybody else had this problem?

You have to enter the number of frames. 15 is just a default value, that is often used by CIV3 animation (attack, fidget, etc). The run is usually shorter.

When do you expect the new updated version out Steph?

It's out, but it corrects only the size pb. The rest seems to me more pb coming from people who don't know yet how to use the tool that real bugs

Then how about this as a suggestion, can you make a new readme-type thing on your tool? I went thru the one you have posted, but it never actually gets to the step on making the unit. Mby you or Kryten could make one up on how to make a vinilla-civ MU so the rest of us can see exactly what to do.
This would help many-a person I'm sure.

yes, I am not very good with photoshop, and every time I try I do something wrong, and it never works. If you could post exactly what to do it would help a lot. thanks

In fact, I was hoping Kryten would volunteer to write the "tips to make a nice munit" part of the user's manual, which I hadn't time to do yet.

No problem Steph matey. :)

Just let me get the "Ready-Made Ancient Multi-Figure Modpack" out of the way first (which I should be posting in a few hours time).
"Leave it with me" ;)

Ok, i download it and unzip it, but when i click on it it says error starting program, a rquired .DLL file, OLEACC.DLL was not found.

Any help?

Here you go:

You're gonna want to put this in your C:/Windows/System32 folder

well since that didnt work, i am guessing it is because i am running win98. While here you say it wont work with 98 yet, thunderfall anounced it would on the front page. I was thinking possibly you had already fixed it to run on 98.

I will wait :( Although I hear it is really really good.

Jason

I've done the Win98 version, but there's some problem with the server. The uploaded file was 0kb. Thunderfall is looking into it

Steph, the file server problem is already fixed (see forum annoucenment).

Me want!!!
Me want!!!

You will have to wait until this evening. I cannot upload the files from the office (internet security...)

Originally posted by Steph
You will have to wait until this evening. I cannot upload the files from the office (internet security...)

I will wait the whole day/night if need be... :love:

There does need to be a scrollbar or some other way of scrolling down - the munit storyboardbuilder isn't really usable, since I can't even see all the windows!

Thanks Plexus that's the DLL file error it gave me too... Now I'm off to test it out :)

Originally posted by zulu9812
There does need to be a scrollbar or some other way of scrolling down - the munit storyboardbuilder isn't really usable, since I can't even see all the windows!

What screen resolution are you using? 800x600?

1024x768x32 - even by pulling the window right up to the top of the screen, I'm still missing the bottom few frames

Did you download version1.01? I have reduced the size, and it now fits in a 1024x768 screen (I've tested it).

Aah, I didn't know you'd out a new version - I'll give it a whirl now.

Yep - I can see the whole screen with 1.01 :b

However, I ran into a problem. I used FLICSter to export the run flc of the new Imperial Legion and used that storyboard to make a run flc for the munit - just 6 legionaries, in a tight 3-deep column, all moving as one. I exported that as the bmp. I then saved the bmp as a pcx (ocerwriting the one I'd exported with FLICSter) and tried to use FLICSTer to view the XFM file, but I got the "Error: 9 Subscript out of range" error. Any idea where I went wrong? I noticed that the bmp exported by SBB didn't have any gridlines.

Incidentally, I think the drop-down boxes for background and size are a bit fiddly and could do with being bigger.

did you make the colors 256, zulu?

I also have a problem with a unit i am making. I am making an munit for the Modern Infantry by Balou. When i make the fortify animation, it gets all messed up. Take a look at it and let me know what you see. Import it 3 times with the wedge of 3, and view the animation.

Originally posted by Civanator
did you make the colors 256, zulu?

aah - no I didn't. Steph, you might want to have the SBB export as a 256 colour bmp (which I assumed it did), rather than the user having to do it himself. Just a thought.

btw - how feasible is it for unit to have different formations for different animations? I know it's possible with the tool, but do ppl think it will look good? And how to get a smooth changeover? Any ideas?

I am having a problem with another unit. I will post an attachment, and you can examine what is wrong. It is the musket infantry, and when i make the storyboard, it gets chopped up. look at the attachment, please.

mmm...this was wierd

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads3/SSB_Legion_1.gif

As you can see, i selected 6 identical run animations to form the new storyboard. Even with no formation selected, it automatically goes to the 3-deep column

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads3/SSB_Legion_2.gif

Here, you can see that I subsequently selected the 2 lines of 3 formation, and it messed the preview up

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads3/SSB_Legion_3.gif

Finally, you can see that once I selected the 2 lines of 3 formation, I couldn't then change it to another formation. Somehow, I am able to select either the 2 lines of 3 formation on it's own, or the 2 lines of 3 formation and one other formation. And that really screws the preview up.

hhmm... that is kind of what happened to my musket infantry....


Maybe it defaulted to the column because it was a legionary? :lol:

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AA!!

I'm trying to make a squad of aB-52 with F-14s as escorts, and this is what I get!
And worst yet, after I'm done with this, I try and re-do it by starting the creator again, AND NOTHING SHOWS UP THAT TIME!
We need your help Kryten or Steph! SHOW US THE WAY!

Originally posted by zulu9812


aah - no I didn't. Steph, you might want to have the SBB export as a 256 colour bmp (which I assumed it did), rather than the user having to do it himself. Just a thought.

Well... I tried, but I can't make the palette works :o I got a very nice black bmp :(
Anyway, when you mix several units that don't share the same palette, it would not work

Originally posted by zulu9812

Here, you can see that I subsequently selected the 2 lines of 3 formation, and it messed the preview up


The legionary has more than 15 frames. Don't forget to give SBB the correct number of frames. 15 is just a default value, used by most of Vanilla CIV3 animation

Originally posted by computerdude113
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AA!!

I'm trying to make a squad of aB-52 with F-14s as escorts, and this is what I get!
And worst yet, after I'm done with this, I try and re-do it by starting the creator again, AND NOTHING SHOWS UP THAT TIME!
We need your help Kryten or Steph! SHOW US THE WAY!

Could you make your screenshot a little bigger? I can't read anything on it.

Originally posted by Steph


The legionary has more than 15 frames. Don't forget to give SBB the correct number of frames. 15 is just a default value, used by most of Vanilla CIV3 animation

The Imperial Legion run flc that I extracted with FLICSter does have exactly 15 frames.

EDIT: never mind, I was trying to put an existing munit storyboard as the input. Doh!

Originally posted by zulu9812

EDIT: never mind, I was trying to put an existing munit storyboard as the input. Doh!
This is a trick to make munits with more than 6 figures...
But it could be used only if you reduce the size enough

Originally posted by Steph
[B]SBB version 1.01 software for windows 98
B]

Thx for the win98 version!!!
Can't wait to try it tonight!!! :)

Steph: How do you remove the Black square that appeares when you have one 15 frames and another with 10 Frames?

Also, How do you preserve the "dark pink" areas (Where the game converts it to smoke and Shaddows. I use Paint Shop Pro to transfer the Bmp made storybord to the PCX version of the storyboard?

Version 1.02 uploaded.

Originally posted by CivGeneral
Steph: How do you remove the Black square that appeares when you have one 15 frames and another with 10 Frames?

First, export all the storyboard with 15 frames. So the 10 animation will have 5 blank frames.
Now, you have 2 options:
- You use paint shop pro to copy & paste something in the blank frames (like add a part of the default in the fidget)
- In the timing area, you select "waiting" for the type of delay, in the first figure (delay) you enter 2 (for instance), and for the end you enter 10 (or less, but not more!). Result : first frame will displayed 3 times, then it carry on with frame 2, and when it reaches frame 10, it remains there, and copies frame 10 in the last frame. So you have an animation with "static" start and end, but it's now a 15 frames animation, and it can be mixed with the 15 frames animation

Thanks Steph :).
Also, How do you preserve the "dark pink" areas? (Where the game converts it to smoke and Shaddows.) I use Paint Shop Pro to transfer the Bmp made storybord to the PCX version of the storyboard.

EDIT: Wenever I paste the BMP from the multi-unit tool. It does not carry over the "Dark Pink" area where the smoke and shaddows are normaly are :(. In the next version, Is there going to be a option to export it as a *.pcx file

When I make a unit, I don't copy the bmp storyboard into a PCX one. I first change the format to pcx (save as), and then I apply a new palette. I had no problem with the smoke this way.
The pb is not copying a bmp into a pcx, so creating a PCX won't help (although I could do this to avoid one step).
The pb is transforming a true color picture into a 256 colors picture

I am not getting much sucsess saving it as a PCX. Mspaint does not have an option to save it as a PCX. When I did via PSP, It wanted it to be 2bit color. I am not having any susscess in convering a *.bmp to a *.pcx :(. I should call myself "Newbie of File Conversions" :(.

what version of PSP are you using? In PSP7 you go to colors, decrease color depth, and then x colors (4/8). In the left box where it says Palette, and then Number of Colors: ***. Fill in 256 in the box and click OK.

ok, can someone who got this to work explane step by step what to do after you generated the bmp palete, no matter what I do I keep getting an error.

Steph, with 1.02 I've noticed that the program main window (where it asks you for single or multi) always opens in the top left of the screen. Did you mean that to happen? Any chance of moving it back to the centre?

When i use the Napoleonic Rifleman, I get the pink around the unit. do you know what happened?

Hey Steph... Works great for me. I just used the win98 version to make the Spearman I'm posting now, and did a brief test of the Multi unit tool... No real problems, there was a graphical glitch. When I clicked on the formation the little picture went bad, the preview looked fine and it exported fine. So this isn't a big issue just a note. Excellent program.

Originally posted by zulu9812
Steph, with 1.02 I've noticed that the program main window (where it asks you for single or multi) always opens in the top left of the screen. Did you mean that to happen? Any chance of moving it back to the centre?

I was not aware of that. I will check this week end

You need a better user manual, I can't even work the thing.

Open the FLC of all the individual animation,with FLICSTER and export it as a storyboard.

Wow, that doesn't help at all. There's not one FLC for everything, there's attack and death and move and stuff. I have no idea what you're talking about in the manual.

Originally posted by Subsidere
You need a better user manual, I can't even work the thing.

Wow, that doesn't help at all. There's not one FLC for everything, there's attack and death and move and stuff. I have no idea what you're talking about in the manual.

I don't understand what you're on about. No one said there was one flc for everything. If there was, this tool would be a lot harder to use. Here's how to make a run flc for a munit, using just the one run flc from an existing unit:

1. Use FLICSter to extract a stroyboard of the Run flc

2. Start up SBB and select Multiple Figures Unit Storyboard Builder

3. Select the formation for your unit

4. Under 'input storyboards', use the browse button (the one with '...') to select the stroyboard you extracted in step 1. You don't have to use the same original animation for the munit, what Kryrten has done in several of his munits is to have the front rank use the attack flc and the rear rank use the fidget flc for the attack flc of the new munit.

5. Do this until you have the correct no. of figures, e.g. if you selected the column formation you would need to have all 6 input storyboards boxes filled in. If you'd selected the T formation, you would only need to do this 4 times.

6. Set the the number in the 'number of frames' box to match the number of frames in the storyboard from step 1.

7. By now, a preview of how your unit would look should appear in the bottom right of the screen. You can change the background colour, terrain, grid, preview the animation and view from multiple directions.

8. If you want, you can customise the unit further by selecting a time delay for each individual figure so that the animations of the six figures in the munit don't all play at once. You can also change the positioning of each individual figure to add more variety. Finally, you can make changes to the formation of the munit as a whole, making the ranks tightly closed, spread out in a more 'skirmish' formation, and so on.

9. In the 'output storyboard' box you can specify where you want the new storyboard to be saved and under what name.

10. The 'Generate multi figures unit storyboard' button will export a bmp of the new munit storyboard, but you're not done yet.

11. Open the SBB-generated stroyboard bmp in a graphics program and change the colours to 256 (in Paintshop Pro this is done by the Colours drop-down menu, i.e. at the top on the same row as File, Edit, etc., selecting Decrease Colour Depth and going from there).

12. Now save this bmp as pcx, overwriting the original storyboard you'd extracted with FLICSter.

13. Since you had used FLICSter to extract the original storyboard, so you already have the XFM file. Use FLICSter to open the XFM file again and you should be able to preview your animation. Now go to the Export tab and export it as a Civ3 Unit FLC.

14. You're done!

On a personal note, might I just say that I don't like you're attitude. You've approached unit creation without trying to understand the broader concepts of what it involves. That's fine: I myself understand the temptation to just dive right in. But Steph has given us a wonderful tool for unit creation and you're attitude has simply been "How dare you give us a tool that still requires I have some basic skill?" Well, how dare you?

Sorry zulu.

After I posted I got to the point where you export the .bmp. I got stuck after that but now I think I can do it with the couple last steps that you explained.

Thanks.

By the way, are these munits available for download yet? If not, where did Steph or whoever made these units get the kneeling infantry from?

Thanks.

The kneeling infantry is the attack animation. The standing infantry is the fidget animation

I love this Program you have made Steph.
Just have a few questions:

1) My animations don't fit in the frames, what is this size too big?
if so what size do you suggest?

2)When you convert the colors to 256 colors, what settings should you use? I use windows ME and I have a few choices.

3)Is there anyone who would like to make some F-15 sounds or point me in the direction of a free sound editor?

4)This is more of a suggestion: Could you put in a sound mixer or something to add the Sound into the file also.

EXAMPLE: when you want a Wedge of 3 units and you delay the animation, maybe you could have something to add the sound and delay it with the animation.

i think Subsidere ment the WW2 infantry, not the Napoleonic.

In that case Kryten just used a cut&paste.

Originally posted by sprnv8
I love this Program you have made Steph.
Just have a few questions:

1) My animations don't fit in the frames, what is this size too big?
if so what size do you suggest?

Most of the time, I use 200x150. You can also use tight formation. And don't forget, if the unit doesn't fit at tall in the grid you can see in the preview, it won't be displayed correctly in the game (as it will overlap adjacent cell).

Originally posted by sprnv8

2)When you convert the colors to 256 colors, what settings should you use? I use windows ME and I have a few choices.

You should ask Kryten for this one, he knows PSP better than me.

Originally posted by sprnv8

4)This is more of a suggestion: Could you put in a sound mixer or something to add the Sound into the file also.

Sorry no, I have never programmed sound yet, and I don't have time to learn. I have a lot of work with my next project. :D

Thanks alot for your help:)
Maybe sometime in the future?(When you have time)

I'm getting lost in the convert to 256 colours and apply palette stages.

to convert to 256 colours im opening the munit bmp in MS paint, and saving it as a 256 colour bitmap.

and I'm totally lost in the 'apply palette' stage. how on earth do you apply a palette? does it have something to do with the *.pal files? what program is used?

In the end the civ specific and transperant clours get mixed up.

Originally posted by Gingerbread Man

and I'm totally lost in the 'apply palette' stage. how on earth do you apply a palette? does it have something to do with the *.pal files? what program is used?


Yes, you can apply palette using .pal file in paint shop pro

oh ok. THANKS HEAPS!

Great job!!!!! I love it :)

I have a new problem. Well at least its new for me. After I open my new PCX file in flicster when I check alpha blend the pink background doesn't disapear and turn gray. It just stays pink. Also, when I change the civ specific color the figures colors turn into a mess. The munit uses the American Rifleman, American Anti-Tank and American Heavy Machine Gunner units from PTW so I can't post the files but I have attached a screen shot. I have already read through the thread to see if this is coverded and I couldn't figure it out. My guess is it has something to do with the palette. If it is I don't understand why it affects all three figures when I am using the palette from one of the units.

This what it is supposed to look like without alpha blending and when I leave the civ specific color on default.

Well I fixed that problem by changing the palette but now my shadows disapear along with the background when I select alpha blend in flicster.

See if this helps......


1) use FLICster to open the flc file
(a new window appears in the FLICster window)

2) click 'export' and change the frame size and frame count if you have to, then click 'export' again
(another window has appeared in the FLICster window, making a total of two of them.
Click 'view animation' to see the figure animation, then drag FLICster to one side for the moment, still running)

3) change the storyboard that FLICster has just created to the nice grey Alpha.pal palette....remember to 'maintain indexes', then run it through Steph's SBB utility
(this will create a multi-figure bmp file)

4) open the bmp file in your paint program and change that to the alpha.pal palette that you used above
(the background will change to dark blue or orange insted of grey...this is normal)

5) use the 'colour replacer' tool to change the dark blue to the same shade of grey that the original pcx storyboard has

6) now save the bmp file as a pcx file with exactly the same name as the original pcx file
(say 'yes' to the overwrite warning message)

7) go to 'file' and 'save' this new pcx file, then go back to FLICster and move around in the FLICster directional 'clock-face' to see how it looks in all directions
(use the FLICster 'Alpha Blend' button to see if the shadows are correct)

8) if your happy with it, click 'export' in the TOP FLICster window (the one called FXM _info), then in the same window (which has changed appearence) click 'export' again
(this will tell FLICster to permanently change the original flc file, and saves your new creation in a form that Civ3 can understand)

9) now close BOTH the FLICster windows so that FLICster is empty, but leave FLICster open, because you will need it for the next animation.
As a quick check, now open the same flc file again with FLICster just to make sure that the original flc file has been changed
(go back to step one and follow through it again till step two, just to see what it looks like)

:)

Steph, can you do anything about the preview disappearing when i look at it. the only way to get it back is to exit totaly out of the program and then start it up, which is annoying after a while. it isn;t a major bug, but it will get on your nerves after a while.

How do I get to the point where I can make my own MultiFigure units? It looks for (forget the type) of file and they don't exist. According the manual I need some sort of software?

Also, why don't the units work in PTW? (or can they?)

I am doing everything as the instructions say; yet as I load the storyboard, and set the formations all I get in the preview section is a gray square with nothing in it. If anyone can explain what I am doing wrong, please tell me.

i am getting the problem GrandAdmiral is when i change the color to a different civ color instead of default.

Take this storyboard and don't alter it whatsoever. just pen it in flicster and change the civ color to 0 or a different color besides default.
www.civfanatics.net/uploads3/MusketInfantryAttackA_StoryBoard.zip

Originally posted by Civanator
Steph, can you do anything about the preview disappearing when i look at it. the only way to get it back is to exit totaly out of the program and then start it up, which is annoying after a while. it isn;t a major bug, but it will get on your nerves after a while.

Sorry I can't. I can't reproduce it on my computer.

Steph, make a few MUnit previews and each time you do, turn the "frame" number a bunch of times to see the animation. Around the fifth time you make a MUnit and do that, the thing will disapear. Also, Steph, could you put in an animation iewer in here so we do'nt need to turn the frame-by-frame thing?

I get the same problem ever so often of if I play the animation to much or to fast

Can you allow increasing the size? Or am I missing something? It appears that we can only shrink the images. I ask because I would like to increase the size of the Knight and the Horseman.

You can increase the size only with the single unit builder, which takes several bmp as input.

I could add this to the munit easily.

please do. :)

Ok guys, you should check the first post...

could you update the 98 version as well? Thanks. :)

Not very soon I'm afraid

Damned! Who voted poor in the poll?:ninja: :rocket: :rocket2: :ripper: :shotgun:

Probably someone who couldn't bother to read directions! ;)

Either that or the mac guy, if you didn't make a mac version. He seems a bit fanatical about people not making their tools for macs.

Originally posted by Steph
Not very soon I'm afraid

Does this mean that Win98 users don't get the enlarge unit feature?? :confused: :( :cry:

Originally posted by dog


Does this mean that Win98 users don't get the enlarge unit feature?? :confused: :( :cry:

They can try the WinNT/XP version, it works on some system. For the other, they will have to wait, I cannot make a Win98 version at home

OK. I think I got this thing working now. Just for curiosity, on the background tab to change the color of the field behind the units, how do you make it so that the background is plains, grassland, tundra, etc? All I get is a solid background (usually grey:vomit: ) Do you have to load the background in from the main program or somethin'. Excelleny program. I just hope that some day, I can have half the tallent that you guys have.

I'm disappointed, not with the program, but with my own lack of using the program, I tried to make a multi Settler, I figured out how to put in more than one unit and seeing all of them (increasing the frame size)
I eventually ended up with the new settRun.FLC (overwriting the original without backup :o :o :o ) then I tried it in game and it seems there's something wrong with the palette.
This leaves me with two options: completely reinstalling Civ III and all the graphical mods I downed. Or someone could upload it here, I know there's probably a copyright issue, but it's only the settRun animation I need, not the complete list of FLC's for the Settler.

Thanks in advance.

Originally posted by Fr8monkey
Just for curiosity, on the background tab to change the color of the field behind the units, how do you make it so that the background is plains, grassland, tundra, etc?
You just have to select the the name of the tile set you want using the dropdown list. The first item is <color>, and when it is selected you can change the color (if you don't like the grey).
If you select another item than <color>, then the color button has no real effect

I should have mentioned this earlier; but I click the <color> tab and there is no other options. Just an option to change the background color to another color.

Ok. I poured over this thread. I weeded my way through the disjointed manual, and I absolutely could not understand what I was doing wrong. I wanted to wait until I finally figured it out because I didn't want to look like an idiot. All I wanted to do was resize a few units.

Well, come to find out: my only problem was a little box that says "Nb frames". All I had to do was change that to the actual number of frames per direction of the storyboard. Voi la! Now, I could actually see the unit in the preview and manipulate it.

It should probably be in the manual somewhere. ;)



EDIT: ok OK! :mad: Now, another problem. Why did SBB eliminate the grid for the storyboard when it exported the resized unit as a bmp? Am I supposed to go back and re-apply a grid? If so, how would I get that right?


Am I stupid? Am I missing something fundamental here? Did I miss a whole section of the manual?

I'm sorry. I'm just not getting it.


Thanks,

Colonel

Originally posted by Colonel Kraken
see[/i] the unit in the preview and manipulate it.

It should probably be in the manual somewhere. ;)

Open the manual, click on "The Multi figures unit storyboard Builder", then "The different parts of the window ", int this page you will find "The number of frames must be specified by the user". It's easy tos pot : it's written in red.



EDIT: ok OK! :mad: Now, another problem. Why did SBB eliminate the grid for the storyboard when it exported the resized unit as a bmp? Am I supposed to go back and re-apply a grid? If so, how would I get that right?

Thanks,

Colonel [/B][/QUOTE]

The grid did not seem fundamental, as it is not used by Flicster to generate the animation. So when creating a new storyboard, I've made a big picture with a Magenta background. The, when copying the different figures in a munit, SBB ignores the grid (it copies everything else). That's why the grid disappear.

Originally posted by Steph

Open the manual, click on "The Multi figures unit storyboard Builder", then "The different parts of the window ", int this page you will find "The number of frames must be specified by the user". It's easy tos pot : it's written in red.

Hmmm . . . all I can say is that it is difficult to use the manual. Most all the pages are separate Html's of which it's difficult to ascertain (at first glance) which ones to use. All of the information seems relatively cursory and disjointed. I got lost in the manual folder containing all the pages. I read all of the pages, but there didn't seem to be concise follow the steps instructions.

I'm very sorry. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but I'm not exactly an un-intelligent person. I read and RE-READ all of those pages, and it just didn't seem to follow succinctly. My post was made in frustration, so I'm sorry to offend.



The grid did not seem fundamental, as it is not used by Flicster to generate the animation. I suspected this to be true, so I proceeded to load a 256 color palette and save the storboard as a PCX --which worked great. Then I attempted to view the unit in FLICster: it crashed. It said something about invalid storyboard or some such thing. That's why I thought I needed the grid lines.

Oh well, back to the drawing board . . . .


Thanks for your response. I'll try to make more sense out of it.

Originally posted by Colonel Kraken

I'm very sorry. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but I'm not exactly an un-intelligent person. I read and RE-READ all of those pages, and it just didn't seem to follow succinctly. My post was made in frustration, so I'm sorry to offend.

No pb. I've planned to let other people do the tutorial (like Kryten). Simply, it's not integrated into the manual. Not enough time.

Originally posted by Colonel Kraken

I suspected this to be true, so I proceeded to load a 256 color palette and save the storboard as a PCX --which worked great. Then I attempted to view the unit in FLICster: it crashed. It said something about invalid storyboard or some such thing. That's why I thought I needed the grid lines.


Hmm... This could come frome the size of the storyboard not being what it should? I think the number of frames and frame size are stored in the FXM. So if you resized the storyboard, but use the original FXM it will not match. You have to create a blank storyboard with FLICSTER, with the correct nb of frames and sizeframe, to get the correct FXM. Then, replace the pcx by the one generated by SBB.

Hi people, I just wanted to mention here that I've created some kind of tutorial to create an M-Unit. You can find the tutorial by clicking on it in my signature.

BTW, Steph if you could please take a look at it, and if there are remarks, feel free to let me know so thta I can adjust it.

Greets Jurimax

Thank you, Steph, for being so good about everything.



Originally posted by Steph

Hmm... This could come frome the size of the storyboard not being what it should? I think the number of frames and frame size are stored in the FXM. So if you resized the storyboard, but use the original FXM it will not match. You have to create a blank storyboard with FLICSTER, with the correct nb of frames and sizeframe, to get the correct FXM. Then, replace the pcx by the one generated by SBB.

Ooh, this is very good advice. How do I know what the frame size is that SBB created when the unit is resized?

Sorry if this is elementary or redundant, but I have a thick skull sometimes. :crazyeye:

Originally posted by Colonel Kraken
Thank you, Steph, for being so good about everything.

Ooh, this is very good advice. How do I know what the frame size is that SBB created when the unit is resized?

Sorry if this is elementary or redundant, but I have a thick skull sometimes. :crazyeye:

:o Euh... There's nothing in SBB to tell you...
I will try to add this when I have time.

If you really need to know :
height of frame = (height of storyboard - 9) /8.
Width of frame = (width of storyboard - 1 - number of frames) / number of frames.

You could also use
size after resize = initial size * size factor /100

So if the original size is 50x100, the size factor is 50%, the resulting size of the frame is 25x50.

The first method is better, as you will never have rounding problems.

New version available, check page 1

What's new?

It's explained in the second post of this thread, with "new in version 1.04"

Any chance of a build of 1.04 for Windows 98?

link for the manual is down

edit: seems to be fixed now, sorry, perhaps it was my connection

Hi, this program looks so good... but I have a slight problem, hope you can help me out.

For some reason one of the direction always gets messed up... South direction... Always gets a lot bigger then the other directions, I have attached this picture to show what I mean.

This shows how the south is bigger than the rest.

ahhhhrghhh.... never mind, I figured it out... The South picture where larger... ah how stupid am I?

great utility btw

What is this unit? A Yeti? A Ku Klux Klan guy?

Looks like a unit from the burn ward.:lol:

hehe supposed to be a suicide bomber/hamas... supposed to be dynamites around his belt.

I thought suicide bombers were supposed to use stealth to go past security forces and blow themselves in populated civilian areas.
To you plan to make also blind security forces to go with him? Because I don't see how they can miss him if they are not blind ;)

nah, this uniform is just "for show" - and this is just a game afterall, I mean they stand and shoot at eachother just a few pixels apart too.... Men are larger then tanks and taller than cities etc...

So this is just to illustrate that kind of unit, that's how I am thinking at least. That is way I don't like the mUnits either, can't see the point myself - heck IMO they didn't even have to be animated, allthough it's nice when they are.

I struggle hard though, this will be my first unit, if I manage to finish it, I also have plans (If I am at all able too..) to make Hitlerjugend after this.

But please don't let me fill up this thread with nonsense - great utility allthough I still have some problems with the color palette..

What a great Tool you've made steph ! ;)

I've just check it. Me dumb ! I Was always cut & pasting my new units ! :(

I gonna use it now ! Thanks a lot for this great tool !


btw, any chance that in a futur release we can directly import an Avi or Gif anim file for a whole direction line ??? (because I'm rendering the whole animation in one time in poser not image by image) ???

I've tried to read a gif, but it didn't work. :(

I will probably try again... one day.

Originally posted by Steph
I've tried to read a gif, but it didn't work. :(

I will probably try again... one day.


Yes ! :sheep:

Cool thanks.

As explained here
http://www.diffuse.org/raster.html#GIF
The datas are compressed according to the LZW algorithm.

don't know if that can really help you...


Sorry to bother you with that, I know that a lot of peoples ask you many things... ...that's the duty of developers :)
:rolleyes: :whipped:

Hi Steph,

I had a little problem resizing a unit. Although I don't think the problem came from you're program, I was wondering if you've seen this problem before or know what the problem could be. Please check out this thread for my problem:
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=54071

Thanks in advance.:)

SBB only produces the storyboard as true color bitmap.
If you can then load it in flicster, it means you have converted it correctly into 256 color PCX, and the size of the frames are correct.
So I think your problem happens in FLICSTER and the INI file.

Thanks, that's what I thought.:)

I give up! I am trying to make M-units with the SBB, Flicster and Adobe; but I cant for the life of me get the damn thing to work. I have followed the instructions *exactly* to no avail. All I get is cr@p. It is a great program but I think I am missing something. Can someone please send this dimwit detailed instructions on how to get this thing to work? Thank you.

Send me an email with some screenshots of what you do, so I can tell you where is the mistake.

My email is stephane.f.david@free.fr

Yeah, I have had troubles also, since I do not use PSP. It seems everyone in this community uses PSP, so anyone with Adobe PS is out of luck I guess.

One thing I was wondering, would it be possible to put, in SBB, an option that would force the output storyboard to use a common palette of the imput storyboards? Like a checkbox option for the output.... just an idea. :)

I have no problem with the program so far, it's just I can not modify the output bitmap (or whatever it is) into a pcx with a 256 color pallete FLICster can use for Civ flics. :(

I have been able to convert it to a 256 color pcx, but the palette is all funky, and if I try to force a civ3 flicster palette on the image, it completely distorts the coloring of the m-unit storyboard. :(

No, it's not possible. I've tried but my palette function didn't work, :o , and I don't have time to find the solution, to many other projects...

But from a true color bmp, you should be able to get a civ III compatible palette with any image editing tool. PSP or Adobe PS should work. Perhaps a PS expert here can help you.

:)

hello Steph,

Your tool is simply perfect , I try it to create a multi unit and it's very clear and easy , just a little problem with the palette ..

:goodjob:

:worship:

:D

:)

Hello Steph !

I have little troubles with the single unit tool . Did you post a help-guide previously ? It would be useful , I think, I don't understand how the single unit tool is working ...

Thank you

:D

You have a user manual (check first post)

It's quite simple. But could you just tell me what you try to achieve with the single figure unit storyboard builder, so I can explain it better?

:)

Thank You ! Steph !

Now with your user manual is OK ! I have created my first storyboard .. But I have still a little question ...:undecide:

To create an unit in FLICSTER you need four files ... The picture and 3 files for color,alpha, etc ...

With your tool I have just a BMP file ... I was obliged to use a flicster storyboard from an other unit .... with the problem on the color palette which are linked ( for me ... ) ... Is it the right way to do ?

I can't understand the 2 votes in your poll which are "poor", me, I vote excellent ...

:goodjob:

:D

Sorry for the late answer, I didn't noticed the question.
It may be to late for Frenchman, but could be useful for other.

Actually, you don't need the palette files for flicter, the FXM and pcx are enough.

When you make the storyboard with SBB, you will get a true color BMP.
You must then convert it into 256 colors PCX, with a civ compliant palette.

If you are making a munit from a single unit, then you can simply use this unit palette, and apply it to the new storyboard.

If you are mixing different units, then you need to edit the palette to check that all the colors you need are included.

If you are making a brand new unit, you'll probably have to make a brand new palette.

Kinboat has posted a link somewhere for Pedit. It's a small palette edition program which is very efficient. It's what I used to make the conversion for American Conquest and Cossacks.

Great Tool!

I haven't read the whole thread (sorry), but when every I combine two (or more) unit storyboards to make an MUnits, they make this odd box, and everything outside of it gets cut off. What am I doing wrong?

I use 1.0.1 for Windows 98.

Gogf : could be that the units don't share the same amount of frames.

I think the units are you taking about are the Llama and the Ini Warrior, right? Llama have 16 frames and Inti have 15 frames. To fix this, when you're importing the Inti Flic to an Storyboard on Flicster, you should add an extra frame, so both units have the same amount of frames.

(I hope my explanation was clear enough)

Steph, I'm having another problem right now. I was trying to rezise the Llama in SSB (1.0.4 - Win XP ) to an 80%. I do everything ok (AFAIK), but when I go the Flicster to see the changes on the unit, it crashes :(

And when I'm testing some combinations on SSB for a while, the images dissapear. They're over there, I can make the storyaboard, but I can't see the images any more. I have to close and open again.. :(

Any ideas?

:)

Edit: forget the size problem, I figured it out looking in this thread for a 2nd time ;)

But the another problem persist.. :(

Originally posted by Gogf
I haven't read the whole thread (sorry), but when every I combine two (or more) unit storyboards to make an MUnits, they make this odd box, and everything outside of it gets cut off. What am I doing wrong?

I use 1.0.1 for Windows 98.

The box represent the size of your frames in the storyboard. So if you go outside, it's cut. If you need a bigger box, you need to increase the size of the frame, before exporting the FLC into a PCX storyboard.

Originally posted by The Slayer
Steph, I'm having another problem right now. I was trying to rezise the Llama in SSB (1.0.4 - Win XP ) to an 80%. I do everything ok (AFAIK), but when I go the Flicster to see the changes on the unit, it crashes :(

Don't forget that when loading a storyboard in flicster, the pcx and the fxm need to be consistent.
So you need to export the PCX, resize it, and create a new animation with flicster, with frame size = reduced size,a dn replace it with your new storyboard.

So if your frames are 100x80 pixels, reducing them to 75% means the frame will be 80x60 pixels, so you need to create a blank animation with Flicster with 80x60 frame, same number of frames, export it to pcx, replace the pcx with your SBB reduced storyboard, and load it again with Flicster.

I'm not sure I'm clear, but the week has been hard, with long working days, plane travels, and work at home, I can hardly think:(

Thank you The Slayer, and Steph, I gave them the same number of frames, and both 240 frame size, and it works! This is awesome! Steph, this is just amazing. Thank you for making it.

Don't worry, it's clear, thank you for you quick answer...

..but :(

Ok, now I can see the image in Flicster, without crashes. But when I activate the "Alpha Blend" option, I was getting an black square... :crazyeye:

Anyway, I have done another version (using Munit making process) , and in Flicster seems completly ok, but when I go to SBB to join together my smaller llama with the inti, well, look at the attached screen.

What's wrong? :confused:

Thank you in advance.

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads6/llamasquare.JPG

Did you make both frame sizes 240? Did you make sure the background is transparent? Those are the only two ideas I can think of.

First = yes, but they are 150x150

Second = transparent?... erm.. could you tell me how I do that? in a step by step version please?.

:)

I'm not exactly sure, but you can check it with Alpha Blend (which as you say, isn't working :(). Send me the two files (PM), and I'll see if I can help :).

Are you sure the background color in the Lama animation is the same as in the Inti animation? Color and index in the palette?

Somehow he managed to solve it :). Steph, how do I make the Llama walk off in the death animation?

NVM, I figured it out :).

steph, gotta problem, i have the 16 bmp frames
of 100 x 100 eachone in the folders S N E W SW NE SE NW , when i select an image for making the storyboard the picture information says height 0 width 0 and i dont know what else can i do :S any idea ?

cyas

i make a sinble images movie with poser 4 of 140x140 in the folder that it should go (S,N,W,E, etc...) then when i want to build the storyboard i select one image, all tha directions are checked all ok BUT in the picture information it says height 0 width 0 and i dont know why, if i say it to make the storyboard it makes a black little square bmp..

can anyone help me????

cyas

PD: in the attached file there are all the single frame animatiosn for all the 8 directions.
all backgrounds are grey except for one that is magenta, thats why i tryed changing the background for seeing if it worked, it doesnt.


help me pplz helppp :'(

EDIT: i know the guy sucks its my first try of making something, its just for testing the theory, when i get the SBB to work i will start with more serious things

I assume you meant this thread to be a post in the SBB thread. Merged with that thread.--Padma

is it really jpg you are working with, as included in your zip?

yes... they are jpg, made with poser 4 they must be bmp ?

cyas

PD: this is really weird i was totally convinced they were bmp .... is it possible to make a sbb that works with jpg ? now i have to change format to 160 files .....

EDIT: mom mom look, it works!
well, i discovered how to make movies in poser in bmp images so now your SBB works fine :D if im lucky in a couple of days i will be posting new units

Always read the manual :
"First, you need to prepare the single bmp files. There are a few rules to follow."

It is technically possible to make version using jpg. However, don't forget I'm coding stuff for CivIII during my free time, which is very limited at the moment.
If I have guarantee 150 person will by a SBB at 40$ every month, I will consider resigning from my job to work full time on it and take request.
Until then, you will have to use the "basic" version.

For batch frmat conversion, try this Irfan View (http://www.irfanview.com/) it's a very cool tool

yea i noticed, the thing is that the first time i made bmps but as they were 300x300 and limit is 256 i couldnt use them so then i made them again but i forgot to made them bmp so there was my problem, ur program works more than excellent, leave it as it is now.

now im just having problem with the palette but that doesnt correspond to this thread so...

cyas

Fedex

I've read through the instructions 4 times and have tried countless attempts at this, with no luck. I am trying to make a single unit storyboard using bitmap images. I have all of the angles (N,NW,S,etc) and when I go to open them up with this program, there is no preview nor image information. I'm running Win XP.

Nevermind, I just figured out the problem. There were number prefixes ahead of the frame numbers in the file name.

Steph, great work! But there are few glitches though: 1) radio buttons in the MU tool - buttons in the first column of formation selection aren't cleared if you choose formation from other colums 2) sometimes preview window stops updating picture. First one will be easy to fix, I suppose. Second, would be nice if you fix it, but one can always restart the app. And one minor suggestion - maybe you can make the drop down area of combo boxes larger. It's somewhat annoying to scroll it down when one can easily just pick it. I hope you'll have some time to release a build with radio buttons and combo-boxes fix, if it wasn't your intetion to make them look this way. Any way, thanks, really handy tool.

is it possible that next version be multilingual? sbb looks a very good program, but if we can choose language it will be tip top :)

It is already multilinguale, you have the choice between American and English ;). What other language would you like to see?

french.

i ask that because for me it's hard enought to try making a nice M_Unit if i have to translate words that's too much for me

The interface is relatively simple, with lots of icone, so you don't really need a French version. If you have pb with the user manual, send me an email at stephane.f.david@free.fr, I can answer in French

Steph,

Is 1.05 the last version of SBB to Win 2000?

I'm the only one to have the last version...

Ok, but which version is it?
1.04 or 1.05???
:)

1.06 :lol:

Steph could you add a field to modify the number of zeros are required in images (sources) names ???

For the moment it require 3 zeros + the number of the image. But I'm so stupid that I sometimes forget to put all theses 0 when I save my AVI into multiple bmp files. And so I've got to rename all the bmp name, wich can be painful when those are numerous...

;)

try to find IrfanView (try google?), this is a must have soft to rename files and convert pictures

ok cool thx

Please could I get some help on this.
I have found at least one unit (Imperial Jap Marine) that is very uncentered in the game.
I know this could be fixed, but not knowing how.
Someone at CDG mentioning a Multitool program from you Steph.
Is it the SBB or something else.
Can I recenter this unit, and perhaps others by first using flicster to get pcx-file and such.

Hoping you could direct and help me.

Clamel

You can. SBB includes a multi figures creation function. This tool can be used to offset the individual figures. The trick is to use a "multi figure" unit with only one unit.
However, there is a better solution. With Flicster, you can get an ini file. This ini file contains X,Y offset. Change this value to center the unit. But you will need to test it again and do some trial an error to make it work OK.

As stupid as one can be,
I can't find any X,Y offset in the normal ini-file. But in flicster I can find but not change it.

I guess I need a more direct teaching.
I only have the unit as it has been posted. With flicster I turned out a pcx file where I could see all the movements.
Using SBB seams to need more than just that, and if not using SBB I can't see how I can change the offset.

Any small (best big) help can be needed. Can you spare me the time ?

Clamel

You can change the offsets with a Hex Editor. Load the Flicster *.FXM file in a Hex editor. The 'Horizontal offset' is at file offset 4C and the 'Vertical offset' at 4E.

In the picture is it 2D and 19 hexadecimal, that means 45 and 25 decimal.

It is a lot more simple. One of the export function of Flicster create an ini that you can edit with notepad, it contains clear text.

Sorry Steph

How can i create an .ini file with Flcster?
:-o

You have to use 'Multiple Standard FLCs' as export type.

how do i import a palette or whatever u have to do?

Steph,

Can this help convert Civ3 FLCs to CTP2 sprites?

I don't know, it can help the other way around (CTP2 to CivIII)

Originally posted by Steph
1.06 :lol:

When do u think we'll could download SBB 1.06?
:)

New version 1.06 available. Get rid of the infamous Flicster ghost bug for EVER!! :aargh:

Having tested this, I can only recommend to use this version to all who use SBB regulary. You don't have to worry about gfx touching the border markings of the storyboard (which causes the bug in flicster), it gets corrected automatically by SBB now. Huge help. Thx again from here :)

Any plans on possibly releasing these new versions for win98? I'm still stuck on an old computer, I've tried the version there and it didn't work, so I'm still using an old version of you excellent program and haven't been able to use all the new tools.

The problem is I don't have anymore a Win98 computer to compile it again.

And at the office, we have switch to XP to.

what's new in this version?

Read the first posts...

I only have a single complaint about SBB.
When I import large graphics into SBB (sizes over 240), and I try to change them, it's frustrating. As soon as I type a new number into the first box, an error message comes up wanting me to change the second box, after which the picture tries to resize itself anyway, wasting a couple minutes of my time. Could you add an "Okay" button, so that you could enter both dimensions and then click "Okay", then allowing a "too big" error or picture resizing? I'll clarify if need be, but this is only aminor complaint. The new version looks great!

What's the max. size of a frame allowed by FLICster?

240x240, I think. I'm aware of the size limit, it's just that it freaks out when a single box is over even before doing anything. I'm in the process of changing to a legal size.

Right, this is a rather large thread and I presently lack the time to give it a thorough read through- so I wouldn't know if this has been dealt with anywhere:

I do get 'frame errors' with large Munit files (see file)
http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads8/Frame_errors.zip

Can you give me a small hint on that (sorry if that should be a long dealt-with problem :()

Can you send me by email a zip with the original storyboard you try to mix, and a screenshot of SBB with the parameters you try to used (ie offset, zoom, etc)

Email is sephane.f.david@free.fr

Message from yahoo.com.
Unable to deliver message to the following address(es).

<sephane.f.david@free.fr>:
213.228.0.199 does not like recipient.
Remote host said: 550 user unknown
Giving up on 213.228.0.199.

Couldn't find your email adr. :( Is it spellt right ?

I'm posting it here then for the time being:

--------------------------------------------
Hi Steph,

here are the files. Thank you for taking a look at them- I always seem to get these cuts moving through the frames not during, but after SBB-sessions. I'd be delighted were you to find out what's wrong with it. Basically all three vessels fit nicely into the frame and there is no visible problem until I finish, close SBB and open the bmp. Here suddenly this cut appears while everything was alright in the session... : ( perhaps I am forgetting something?

The files used: Default animations of: Wyrmshadow's "LibertyShip" and "Jaskolka"

Merci bien mon ami,

Pat

Patric Mayer, BA. PGD.
--------------------------------------------


http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads8/Storyboards.zip

oups, stephane, no sephane

Damn, now that you mention it I see it too :lol:

I need help converting flc's to bmp's. I've used flicster to convert the animation to a pcx file, but how do I convert the pcx file to a bmp? The pcx file has like a hundred individual little frames in it, does each one has to saved as a bmp somehow? This is all pretty confusing, and while the SBB help file is very in depth, it assumes the user knows how to perform these conversions to a bmp.
Please help,
Bungus

I just got this program last night, and every time I try to make a single unit storyboard, it crashes upon selecting a .bmp file.

My main folder is attack, and it contains an N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, and NW folder. Each folder contains 12 bitmap images, ranging from marine0000 to marine0011. I had a friend read the how to files and confirm that my files were set up and named according to the instructions. Every bitmap is 64x64 pixels and appears to be saved in 256 color format.

My opperating system is XP home. The message comes up SBB_106.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.


I haven't a clue what I'm doing wrong unless there is something wrong with my bmp files? They all work in paint just fine, which is what they were originally generated in.

Hmmm... Can you zip your bitmaps with their current folder architecture (ie zip your attack main folder) and sent the zip to stephane.f.david@free.fr?

I can try on my computer and debug it if needed.

this thing is pissing me off! no offense (unless needed haha sry jk) but i cannot get it to build a single unit story board! it has all the directions right, all the folders and names are right, all the files are right. however, when i pick an image (like you say in your tutorial) to get the main source folder thing there is never a height or width displayed and when i manually type in the correct height and width the preview is just a black square. when i export the storyboard it is just a large black rectangle.


WHY?!?!?!

Send me a zip of your folder structure with the files inside at stephane.f.david@free.fr, so I can have a look

Send me a zip of your folder structure with the files inside at stephane.f.david@free.fr, so I can have a look

i will but im also posting it here.

When you open the manual, it says the accepted format is Name0000, Name0002, etc. Maybe that's the reason?
(You only have 3 digits and too long names)
That's why I sticked to it.

ok ill try that

And a correction, it's supposed to be 0000, 0001, not 0002 as I've writen.

i know. i got it to work but now i have a new question: how do i resize the frame without resizing the unit?

Man I never read tutorials they just make me mad. But I just self teach it is much easier for me. I don't know how you guys do it but it makes me mad using tutorials. The single unit storyboard builder is kinda annoying but I can use it.

^ Me too, but have in mind, we're talking, a VERY user friendly tutorial in html format. Big letters informative pics and the like. AND small, but compact.

Well, frame resizing...no clue, i guess you can open the pics in an image editor and select a smaller portion of the pic and making a new picture of it(works perfectly with PSP). I never used it cause I made my first flic yesterday and also poser gives you uniformity.

Ahh just leave the frames 240 by 240 if you want to do an m-unit

I though I would just let you know. I have gotten it to run on Linux with wine (windows emulator) I'm going to try and make a storyboard to test if it will work.

i am converting Steph's American Militia to an munit form. i got it all nice and pretty and exported, copy & pasted, and exported again in FLICster. then i hit the attack and victory animations. SBB exported a 51.8 MB AttackA bmp, a 71.8 MB AttackB bmp, and a 73.1 MB victory bmp! :wow: my computer cannot handle copying and pasting that large of a file! do you have any advice or can you offer any assistance? Would any of you with nice computers consider copying and pasting those three animations (doesnt take very long) for me? Im not trying to get out of work, here. I just cant physically do it.

i posted a thread about it here (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=114646) and i sent a pm to Steph.

SBB procudes a true color bitmap, it's perfectly normal to get big files when you have a lot of frames in the animation.
You should use Paint Shop Pro to open the file, apply the original palette to turn in to a 256 color picture with a civ compatible palette, and then save as PCX for flicster.

ahhhhh..... ill try that (could expdite things quite a bit!)

Hi there I was wondering if anyone could help with a problem I'm ebcountering in the Story board builder. This may or may not be me being totally stupid but here goes.

I'm trying to create a single unit storyboard. So I open the program. select the option for create a single unit storyboard. I then use the browse button to select my main source folder and this is where I have a problem. The program makes me select an individual frame, for example EDe0000, the first frame of the East facing default pose. When I click to generate the storyboard I get 15 frames all of the same image.

I've checked the layout, I have folders for all relevant directions and the file name conventions are correct. I even altered the names of all files from using 0001 (generated by Poser) down to 0000 and so on.

I've checked the manual and everything seems to be ok. I'm using V1.06 on XP.

Thx for any help, it would be appreciated.

PS Just as a quick aside, I would like to thank a lot of people, the list is far too long, for their articles on Civ unit creation. If you are reading this and have posted in this forum then you are on the list.

Send me a zip files of the folders containing all your frames at stephane.f.david@free.fr, so I can check what you are doing, or if there's a bug somewhere

I guess that you, Steph, already know, that this tool is a life(time)saver. Thanks again for this remarkable tool. And again. And again. :thumbsup:

I've used this tool (or the previous versions) in all but my 4 first units. I remember it being a horrible task to place all those images manually on the storyboards - yikes :D

Well...
When Balou made his Spetsnaz, and send me the bitmaps in a zip, and I copied manually the frames in the storyboard...
I did for the first animation... And found it boring.
Then for the second... And found it EXTREMLY boring...

So I wrote the program :D

And then, I used the knowledge gained doing that to make a tool to convert units from other games... And started SSS...

All that because I was bored by the manual copying of frames :)

Hi there I was wondering if anyone could help with a problem I'm ebcountering in the Story board builder. This may or may not be me being totally stupid but here goes.

I'm trying to create a single unit storyboard. So I open the program. select the option for create a single unit storyboard. I then use the browse button to select my main source folder and this is where I have a problem. The program makes me select an individual frame, for example EDe0000, the first frame of the East facing default pose. When I click to generate the storyboard I get 15 frames all of the same image.

I've checked the layout, I have folders for all relevant directions and the file name conventions are correct. I even altered the names of all files from using 0001 (generated by Poser) down to 0000 and so on.

I've checked the manual and everything seems to be ok. I'm using V1.06 on XP.

Thx for any help, it would be appreciated.

PS Just as a quick aside, I would like to thank a lot of people, the list is far too long, for their articles on Civ unit creation. If you are reading this and have posted in this forum then you are on the list.

ya the same thing is happening to me. Th eprogram oly allows me to select one image not a folder. When i select a folder and click open it opens the folder then is select the 'S' folder for south and i csn only select one image. I then select the first frame and generate storyboard. It gives me olny the south view on the filmstrip. I also have XP and checked the manual and layout of the folder at least a dozen times. Did you ever figure out what 'FLying_Dutch" did wrong? WHat ever he did wrong i am doing wrong.

Once again, send me an email at stephane.f.david@free.fr with a zip of your folder so I can tell you what you did wrong and how to have it work OK.

The thing is, my email is down so i was just asking what 'FLying Dutch" did wrong so i can see if i did the same thing. So ill just post a link to the uploaded file. What i ended up doing is generating 8 filmstrips, one for each view, then creating a stroryboard in FLICster and pasting the filmstrips onto each row. Here is the link:

link(879kb) (http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads10/default.zip)

Just give the same name to all your bitmaps (except for the numeral).

So instead of having
E
-- East_0000.bmp
-- East_0001.bmp
N
-- North_0000.bmp
-- North_0001.bmp

Use

E
-- Unit_0000.bmp
-- Unit_0001.bmp
N
-- Unit_0000.bmp
-- Unit_0001.bmp

and then let SBB does it's job.

You need to have the same names for all the frames, and put them in the different folders.

SBB use the folder to know if they are in S, E, or W, or whatever, not the name. The name is used to find the frame number.

oh, thanks lots.

another question. this time the problem is different. I now have all th eimages with th esame base file name followed by the appropriate number and they are in their appropriate folder. This time a check 'first=1' then browse for the file and select an image. Usually, immediatly after i hit open it displays a preview and all the view check boxes will be checked. This time there is no view and when i click generate and open the file in turns out to be 1x1 and unable to be opened. Here is the link to the folder arrangements. http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads10/SSD.zip

Try renaming Death2_ in Death_, without numeral except for the index.

I think I made a mistake somewhere with that

When I convert unit, if I use Attack1 as the name it doesn't work properly, but if I use AttackA it's OK.

oh ok thanks

Yep, I've noticed too, that using numbers in the actual unit name, the ssb may not work as it would be expected. Just don't use numbers in your unit names, and you should be all right :) :thumbsup:

Nobody's perfect... Even me ;)

Fisrt time I used SSB, I had the problem of naming the directions, ie: default n, defaut nw, etc. I went to run SBB, it wouldn't work and it drove me nuts, I couldn't figure it out for close to an hour. Anyway, I finally figured it out that you just use the same name for each direction. I love this utility, it saves so much time.

I'm just reading along, minding my own business, and then it hits me... I may as well be reading this in Swahili (one of the languages I don't speak... yet). Maybe I should download this stuff and take a gander.

ya you really should. It works a h*ll of all lot better than cuttin and pastin does. All you do is render individual bmps and get a storyboard made for you with ths program

Ok. I give up.

I've got an issue where, when I try to make a M-unit, the animation would play with the units drifting off the edge of the animation screen, and come back from the other side. And when I save it as a bmp file, it comes up all scrambled. (you can tell where the units are, but it is still mixed up)

I have no idea what's wrong. (also, the animation would shut off randomly at times)

I have already attempted to make the frame sizes the same, but same thing happens.

this has happens me too, quite often. i just close out of it, and start it up again. it usually works then.

But the animation thing now doesn't work properly, because the units on the display will move from the right side of the animation screen, to the left, and come back from the right.

Are you sure you set the number of frames correctly?

Yep. 15 frames in all of them and all of them the same size.

Can you email me a zip with bith the pcx you are trying to use and a screenshots of your SBB settings?
stephane.f.david@free.fr

Sent.

First 3 frames, and the files used.