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Creating Agents

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Ryan L

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May 13, 2001, 12:02:25 PM5/13/01
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How would i design an agent? What Software would i use to come up with the design? Thanks

Lon Sobel

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May 13, 2001, 11:23:40 PM5/13/01
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Here's one way you could do it.
 
1. Start with a program called Poser 4. (A demo is available at www.CuriousLabs.com.) Use Poser to design your Agent and to create its animations. Export those animations as a series of bitmap files. The Poser-created bitmaps will have too many colors in their palette to make a Microsoft Agent. So . . .
 
2. Use Paint Shop Pro 7 to reduce your bitmaps' palette to an 8-bit, 256-color palette. (A evaluation copy of PSP7 is available at http://www.jasc.com.) Finally, you'll have to compile your 8-bit, 256-color bitmaps into an Agent. To do that, you'll . . .
 
3. Use Microsoft Agent Character Editor. (That program is available, free, at http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/c-frame.htm?/workshop/imedia/agent/default.asp.
 
Give yourself plenty of time to learn Poser. It's easy to use, compared to other 3D programs. But it won't pop out Agent characters with a mere click of your mouse.
 
Using Paint Shop Pro, to reduce your bitmaps' color palette, is very easy. If that's all you want to do with PSP7, you'll be able to figure out how to do it in a few minutes, just by using the program's Help file.
 
The Microsoft Agent Character Editor also is easy to use, though there are several steps to the process of compiling your animation bitmaps into an Agent.
 
 

Aravind S

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May 14, 2001, 1:39:53 AM5/14/01
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OMG! PSP is 28 megs in size.. will take me a month to download it!
Aravind

Lon Sobel

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May 14, 2001, 12:34:03 PM5/14/01
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Oops. Well then, here's another approach.
 
PSP is only necessary for step 2. It's not very expensive ($85 to $109 at retail, depending on where you buy it). But if you're still in "experimenting" stage, and not sure you want to spend that much money until you confirm that you want to create your own Agents, you can reduce your bitmaps' color palette by using the "Paint" program that's built into Windows. (On my computer, running Windows 98SE, it's at Start>Programs>Accessories>Paint.) The output from Paint does not look as good as the output from PSP7. Paint's output looks more like a character from a color newspaper comics page, while PSP7's output looks very much like the character you'll create with Poser 4.
 
Some cash investment is going to be necessary, nonetheless, in order to purchase a full version of Poser 4, because the demo version of Poser will not allow you to "export" bitmaps. I recommended trying the demo version of Poser, because the demo will give you a taste of what's necessary to create and animate new characters.

Dog Nut

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May 14, 2001, 1:33:35 PM5/14/01
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I too endorse PaintShop Pro . I have PaintShop Pro V6.
There is a trial download at http://www.jasc.com, and it is on the cover disc of a lot of magazines.
Also for 3D there is Cool 3D, a 15 day trial from http://www.lead.com
I made Blob with it http://www.pepedog.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/ but still had to use PaintShop Pro to tweak the palette.
 
Dave

Aravind S

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May 14, 2001, 3:35:24 PM5/14/01
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Dog Nut, I suppose it was www.ulead.com? Got a no-such-page-exists message with www.lead.com
 
Aravind

Dog Nut

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May 14, 2001, 4:00:44 PM5/14/01
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You are not wrong, I was.
Thanks
Dave

Lon Sobel

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May 14, 2001, 10:10:25 PM5/14/01
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Do you recommend Cool 3D for creating Agent characters, or just props?
 
For creating props, give Photo Modeler Lite a try. It's a remarkable, free program (available at http://www.photomodeler.com/Lite/.)
 

Aravind S

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May 15, 2001, 5:20:50 AM5/15/01
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Hey, what about Xara 3D?
 
Aravind

Abhishek

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May 15, 2001, 12:25:49 PM5/15/01
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hi,
there are many freeware & shareware image editors available, some freeware apps also gives good results.
but in my view ulead photo impact 6 ( www.ulead.com ) is the best all in one image editor available. I am using it for about 3 months and it is a total value for money product.
 
Abhishek
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Aravind S

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May 16, 2001, 8:43:14 AM5/16/01
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Thanks Abhi!
 
Aravind
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