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Creating Image File Lists

Anywhere you can load a bitmap map, you can also load an animation file such as a Microsoft Video (AVI) or a QuickTime (MOV) file. Another way to create animated material is with an Image File List, which is a text file that lists each separate image file contained in an animation. Max supports two different image file formats—Autodesk ME Image Sequence File (IMSQ) and 3ds Max Image File List (IFL) files.

IMSQ and IFL files are text files that list which images should appear and for which frames. You save them with the .imsq or .ifl extension and load them using the Bitmap map. Image file lists can be created during the render process by selecting the Put Image File List in Output Path option in the Common Parameter rollout of the Render Scene dialog box. There is also a Create Now button to create an image file list at any time.

To manually create an IMSQ or IFL file, open a text editor and type the name of the image followed by the number of frames for which it should appear. Be sure to include a space between the name and the number of frames. The images are displayed in the order they are listed and repeated until all frames have been displayed. Once applied, the image file list is visible in the sample slot if you drag the Time slider, or you can create a material preview.

Note

You can also use the * and ? wildcard characters within an IFL file. For example, flyby* includes any image file that begins with “flyby,” and flyby? includes any image file that begins with “flyby” and has one additional character. •

Generating IFL files with the IFL Manager Utility

If you don't want to create text files by yourself, you can use the IFL Manager Utility to generate IFL files for you. To use this utility, open the Utilities panel and click the More button. Then select the IFL Manager Utility, and click OK.

In the IFL Manager rollout, shown in Figure 21.15, the Select button opens a File dialog box where you can select a sequential list of images to include in an IFL file. After you select a list of images, you can specify the Start and End images. You can cause the images to be displayed in reverse by placing a greater number in the Start field than is in the End field. The Every Nth field can specify to use every Nth image. You use the Multiplier field to specify in how many frames each image should appear.

FIGURE 21.15

IFL Manager Utility can help to create IFL files.

The Create button opens a File dialog box where you can save the IFL file. The Edit button opens an IFL text file in the system's default text editor for editing.

Tutorial: What's on TV?

Animated files such as AVI and MOV can be opened and mapped to an object to animate the texture, but you can also use IFL files.

To create an IFL file that will be mapped on the front of a television model, follow these steps:

1. Open the Windows standard Notepad text editor, and type the following:

; these frames will be positioned on a television screen.

static.tif 20

Exploding planet - frame 10.tif 2

Exploding planet - frame 15.tif 2

Exploding planet - frame 20.tif 2

Exploding planet - frame 25.tif 2

Exploding planet - frame 30.tif 2

Exploding planet - frame 35.tif 2

Exploding planet - frame 40.tif 2

Exploding planet - frame 45.tif 2

Exploding planet - frame 50.tif 2

Exploding planet - frame 55.tif 2

static.tif 60

Note

The first line of text is referred to as a comment line. You enter comments into the IFL file by starting the line with a semicolon (;) character. •

2. Save the file as tv.ifl. Make sure that your text editor doesn't add the extension .txt on the end of the file.

You can check your file with the one I created, which you can find in the Chap 21 directory on the CD.

Note

The IFL file, as described earlier, looks for the image files in the same directory as the IFL file. Make sure that the images are included in this directory. •

3. Open the Television—IFL File.max file from the Chap 21 directory on the CD.

This file