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Creators' Group Wiki

Spazz FAQ

This is the place to ask questions, share information to help answer someone's query or to talk about what programs we use, what techniques we like to help us get the effects we're looking for. To post a question, please use the THREAD feature at the bottom of the page. To answer a question (it doesn't need to be posted here first, it's enough that you know others wonder or that you yourself came up with a solution to a problem you used to have), click EasyEdit and add the question in bold and then the answer below, in plain text.

For clarity I suggest we use a format such as this, for answers:
Answer: text about how to solve the problem [Fire-Valkyrie]
This way multiple members can give their advice without us all changing texts and colours into something that in the end proves difficult to read... I also suggest that a thread, once answered in the FAQ, is deleted from the page. If the answer by necessity becomes very long, I would recommend writing a tutorial, posting it in the tutorial section and then posting a link to it, from this page.

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Q: How do I add a .gif file in Spazz?

A: While it's true that you can't browse to a texture in .gif format from Spazz, it is possible to apply it to an object while in Spazz. If I know I'll want to use a .gif, I create a .jpg from the gif (it's important that the .jpg have the same dimensions.) I apply the .jpg as the texture in Spazz in the usual way, so I can see how it will look (roughly ) and to Scale and Translate the texture if that's necessary. Then, before exporting the .wrl, I go back and change the name of the texture from the .jpg to the .gif. This works best if the texture isn't applied to too many distinct shapes--otherwise, this can get tedious.

The alternative is to change the .jpg to a .gif in a text editor: Notepad, WordPad, or VRMLPad. Export your .wrl, making a careful note of the exact name of the .jpg you want to replace. Then use the Find and Replace function in these programs to replace the .jpg with the .gif.

Q: How do I add an Animated .gif

COMING SOON! (I don't know who promised this, but it's been "coming soon" since at least december 2007, so if anyone knows the answer, perhaps they could add it here? Thanks! /FV)

Q: How do I make a 'group' out of three pieces so I can duplicate them to use on the opposite side of an object?

A: Go to the Create pull down menu, and select Create Group. Click anywhere in the main window or "playing field" to place the new Group. Next, view your Tree. Use your mouse to drag your shapes into the new Group.
With the Group selected, go to the Clipboard pull down menu, and select Copy. At this point, you can make two different sorts of copies: If you go to Create, Create Reference, then click the playing field, you will have an exact copy which will change with any changes you make to the original group. Very useful sometimes. If you'd like to manipulate the group and its copy separately, then just Paste.

Q: How do I easily move an item made up of several parts, so that the whole ends up in the right place for upload to CT (i.e. with it's base at the -1.75 line)

A: I think the easiest way is just to create a Group. Drag every part of your object into this new Group. Translate this new Group so your object is placed correctly.

Q: How do you gZip?

A: If you use a program such as Spazz or Flux, it will gzip for you when saving your vrml file (although you might have to tell it to do so, in settings or properties or some such thing). If you hand code you need to get the file gzipped some other way. There's a small program for this, that I don't know where to get (Sorry!) or you can gZip via the Mall Scale checker. [Fire-Valkyrie]

Fire-Valkyrie	Latest page update: made by Fire-Valkyrie , Jan 18 2009, 9:44 AM EST (about this update About This Update line breaks... - Fire-Valkyrie view changes - complete history)
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