🚀 go-pugleaf

Alex Ribelles <ribefex@ibm.net> wrote:

>I am rendering some digital animations with 3dStudio on Intel PC  to be
>included in a videoproduction edited with Avid MediaComposer 8000.
>My problem is I don't know what kind of animation file I must export to
>be read by Avid (MOV, AVI, etc) to perform the maximum quality.
>
>Thanks in advance.
>

Hi, Alex

Avid can import a very limited selection of animation file formats:

Quicktime Movie
PICT Sequence
OMF

You mention being able to make an MOV file -- I think that's a Quicktime,
but I wasn't aware that a PC could make one.  If it can, try a short test
to make sure the Media Composer is happy with it, and go for it.

If that doesn't work, the procedure we use to transfer animation from our
PC using 3D Studio to our Avid Media Composer is a bit convoluted, but it
works.  The goal is to get a PICT sequence on the Mac, and 3D Studio
doesn't make PICT files, so...

I believe our graphic artist outputs the animation as sequential J-Peg
files (using no compression).  I suppose you could use other formats
supported by 3D Studio, probably TIFF, if you wanted -- you'll be
converting them to PICT files with another conversion program.  

(By the way, if the Avid is a newer model (within 2 years) using an "ABVB
board" (modified Targa 2000 board), it will want image sizes made at
720x486 @ 72 dpi.  While the Avid can convert other image sizes, it doesn't
do that very well, and leaves artifacts.  The final Avid image is best when
it imports it's native size.  If it's an older Avid, using a NuVista board,
you'll want to make 640x480 @ 72dpi files.)

We bring those J-Peg files to the Mac, and use a program called Graphic
Converter (it's a shareware program) to convert them to PICT files, and to
rename the sequence.  This may be where you turn the project over to the
Avid editor, since the conversion process uses a codec available only on
Mac (see below).  If he has never imported a graphics file, here's some
stuff he'll want to know:

The Avid insists on a very specific naming sequence:

Anyname0001
Anyname0002
Anyname0003 etc.  (I'm not in front of my Avid right now, so this may not
be exactly right.  I'll copy myself on this e-mail so I pick it up at work
next Monday, and I'll check it for you again.  Getting the naming right was
the biggest headache we had.)

(I'm sure there are other programs out there that can do the conversion.
Maybe DeBabelizer?)

This conversion process needs to use a codec.  The best one to use is
Avid's Media Composer Codec, specially made for media composer files.  If
you use that, you'll cut your Avid import time to almost nothing.  If you
use something line Cinepac or Animation, you'll have long import times.
Unfortunatly, the codec is only available for Macintosh.  It's included
with the Avid, so if for some reason you're doing the conversion (on a
Mac), you can get the codec from the Avid editor.

Finally, I import the properly named files into the Avid as a PICT
sequence.  The resulting animation looks great.

Again, I recommend a test with a short piece of animation before comitting
the whole file to this process.


Gary Pearce
Franklin Video
Raleigh, NC
reply to: gary.pearce@mms.net