[quote="P Moss"]Rick is right Sony are changing the animation in V6v this will include expanding the number of frames available and doing away with the 99 frame/keyframe limit In the meantime jbs you could assign three frame memory outputs to different user groups and then as you suggest split your animation across the three outputs Phil[/quote] ...thats a good workaround solution (why didn't I think of that?) - thanks. HOWEVER, in the process of this I'm repositioning the fill output of the fill/key pair. I'm wondering if that will be another issue if I use three of the four paired FM outputs... can I get the repositioner to cooperate here? If I do this I'm assured of no ill effects to the switcher per version 5.4?

Phil, as I mentioned when I did it this was several years back, 2003 or 2004.

Mike/Bill No you do not have to build it manually just go to page 2151 select if you want to record a single input or a pair of inputs (matte and fill) then decide the duration of the clip to record, and then hit record. Then go to page 2152 select an empty register in the user 4 region (user 4 is normally assigned to all the frame memorys) and hit create key frame. This will create a time line up to 99 key frames with each key frame recalling 1 frame hence the current 99 frame limit. Phil

You can either do that, or use the CREATE KEY FRAME utility in the FM/ANIMATION menu. This utility will create a timeline for you after you've recorded the animation.

In the past I have had to record each frame by frame. The tape ops usually "love" you. (This was pre-Fast Forward.)

So you build a timeline and have to manually call up each still and insert a new keyframe? Then make each keyframe one frame long? How do you take in the anaimtion, can you just play it back as animation and record? thanks Bill

[quote="Bob Ennis"]Yes you can - that's exactly how I do our Jackpot Round on Wheel of Fortune. However, there IS one issue with this...putting a FM timeline in a loop using the 5.3 software causes the switcher processing to slow WAY down. In fact, I was told that if you leave it in an endless loop, the switcher will eventually crash. While I haven't experienced a crash, I can tell you that lower-level processes, such as tally, get way behind. The main processes are not affected, but my camera folks do complain. I have been told that SONY is aware of this and is working on a fix for it.[/quote] That is fixed in 5.40 which is the current version. RE

Yes you can - that's exactly how I do our Jackpot Round on Wheel of Fortune. However, there IS one issue with this...putting a FM timeline in a loop using the 5.3 software causes the switcher processing to slow WAY down. In fact, I was told that if you leave it in an endless loop, the switcher will eventually crash. While I haven't experienced a crash, I can tell you that lower-level processes, such as tally, get way behind. The main processes are not affected, but my camera folks do complain. I have been told that SONY is aware of this and is working on a fix for it.

[quote="Bob Ennis"]Bill - No, the SONY doesn't yet treat animations as one entity (although I have heard rumors that this may be coming)...you have to use individual still KF's to create an animation. On the plus side, by having EACH still of an animation sequence as a separate element, you can easily permanently trim out unwanted frames, play animations in reverse, and eliminate unwanted frames in the middle of an animation sequence. I agree that there are some advantages to the Kalypso's way of treating animations as one entity, but I also have found a lot of advantages to how the 8000 currently handles things - if you don't count the current keyframe number limitation.[/quote] So can you have a animation looping through a timeline, and then still call up other timelines throughout the show? I would hope so.. Bill

Rick is right Sony are changing the animation in V6v this will include expanding the number of frames available and doing away with the 99 frame/keyframe limit In the meantime jbs you could assign three frame memory outputs to different user groups and then as you suggest split your animation across the three outputs Phil

Bill - No, the SONY doesn't yet treat animations as one entity (although I have heard rumors that this may be coming)...you have to use individual still KF's to create an animation. On the plus side, by having EACH still of an animation sequence as a separate element, you can easily permanently trim out unwanted frames, play animations in reverse, and eliminate unwanted frames in the middle of an animation sequence. I agree that there are some advantages to the Kalypso's way of treating animations as one entity, but I also have found a lot of advantages to how the 8000 currently handles things - if you don't count the current keyframe number limitation.

Can't you just play and loop a FM output similar to Klip Cache on kalypso?

rick, who told you that? jbs, you could build an effect timeline with your FM playout and use KF loop or Effect loop.

As I understand it, the current version of SW allows 99 frames becuase of KF. I am told version 6, which is supposed to be out in December, not only expands the frame memory to something like 1000+ HD stills (I think SD is something like 5000) but also takes away the limit of 99 KF. RE