leto@calodox.org
Demoniac is a tool for exploring and animating graphics effects. Hopefully, it will help to produce demos.
Don't expect too much from this manual. I don't like writing it. It probably contains lots of english mistakes. And it's incomplete and not up to date. Still, it might help you.
To install demoniac, download it from
http://www.calodox.org/demoniac.
And find out what's calodox on
http://www.calodox.org.
Demoniac is based on effects. An effect is a piece of software that computes an image, given some options. Demoniac allows you to create one or more instance. An instance is just a specific effect with values of it's options. An option (or a parameter) is some value that influence an effect. It can change during time. The way of producing animation in Demoniac is keyframing. Keyframing consists in making one or more value/time pairs and interpolating the value between the keys.
To use an effect, you must first create an instance of it (with the Effects/new menu or the controls dialog). Then, you'll see the instance dialog popping up, divided in three parts: instance options, initialisation options and run time options.
Initialisation options are options that are used by the effect during initialisation. For example: a file to decompress, or precomputation of stuff depending on a option. Of course, initialisation options can't be animated. Use the 'Reload' button to apply a change on an initialisation option.
Run time options are the interesting ones. They can be animated, i.e you can make keys of them and interpolate the option's value during time.
Fixed value means the option is constant in time. If you change the value of a fixed value option at a given time, this change will be applied for all the duration of the effect (between it's start time and stop time).
Last key is the simplest animation system. The value of a key will stand as long as there is no other key. In other words, the last (most recent) key is used. If there is no key before, Demoniac will take the first one.
Linear and smooth are not available for all options. ''Linear'' interpolates linearly between two keys. Linear interpolation usually gives an animation a bit too square, so Demoniac has a ''smooth'' interpolation option. The math behind depends on the type of the option, but for normal vectors and scalar values, it's some kind of spline.
There are different type of options i wont list here, because it's changing quickly. I just hope the GUI is clear enough.
The only non trivial option is the draw buffer one. A draw buffer is a memory space that can contain an image. It's in main memory, to emulate a framebuffer, allowing software and hardware accelerated (OpenGL) effects to work together.
A draw buffer is identified by it's name, and it's resolution can be changed at any time (but not animated). Buffer manipulation is done through the buffer dialog showed by the windows/buffers menu.
Let the option ''foo'' be a draw buffer option. You can change the buffer the effect will be using by clicking on the ''foo'' button, tagged with the current draw buffer name. This will expand the buffers dialog with: the concerned effect's and option's names and a Set buffer option. Click on it after selecting a buffer to change the ''foo'' option.
.. are welcome on mailto:leto@calodox.org.
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