Creating AVI Cameras Animations?

[BadgerDog]

Manual and PDF says use CRTL-PRTSCRN key combo to switch from capturing Screenshot mode to AVI format.

 

I can't seem to get it to do that?  It just captures a screen image with that key combo?

 

Am I missing something or has the function changed, or just doesn't work?

 

Thanks for any feedback. 🙂

 

 

[Ssnake]

You may need to be in test mode, and at any rate I'm not sure if this really works. The idea was to be able to record time lapse videos (mostly, to capture weather changes), and to write it directly into an AVI without the detour of actually rendering on screen or something.

I don't remember the details any longer (this was almost 10 years ago). At the time it didn't work so I resorted to automatic screenshots and a scenario running over night, then stitched the million JPGs into a film. And then only once:

 

Could be that the bugs were eventually fixed, but the feature isn't tested with regularity for regression errors. So, in any case, I wouldn't vouch for guaranteed performance. The Camera Animation Window, on the other hand, gets used with regularity.

[BadgerDog]

20 minutes ago, Ssnake said:

The Camera Animation Window, on the other hand, gets used with regularity.

 

Thanks Nils... 🙂

 

I am in test mode and I was trying the camera animation window, which works great while viewing from within its window.

 

Unfortunately, I can confirm that that viewed animation can't be saved as an AVI with the CTRL-PRTSCRN key combo as per the manual on page 106.

 

No worries .. it's not mission critical for what I'm trying to do anyway.

 

Thanks ..

 

 

 

Edited August 10, 2021 by BadgerDog

[Ssnake]

There may be a misunderstanding.

The manual lists under "Hotkeys" in this section (now page 112) Ctrl+Screenshot, not Ctrl+PRNSCR

In other words, I'm wondering if this means Ctrl+Shift+F12 (by default), as Shift+F12 is the default hotkey for a simple screenshot.

[BadgerDog]

2 hours ago, Ssnake said:

I'm wondering if this means Ctrl+Shift+F12 (by default), as Shift+F12 is the default hotkey for a simple screenshot.

 

I just tried Ctrl+Shift+F12 and a red text message came up saying "image saved", although I can't find it and I suspect it's just a screenshot anyway.

 

 

[mrivers]

On 8/10/2021 at 6:16 AM, BadgerDog said:

Manual and PDF says use CRTL-PRTSCRN key combo to switch from capturing Screenshot mode to AVI format.

 

I can't seem to get it to do that?  It just captures a screen image with that key combo?

 

Am I missing something or has the function changed, or just doesn't work?

 

Thanks for any feedback. 🙂

 

 

I'm sorry, this feature was intended for internal use and severely limited in function.  It is completely disabled.

[BadgerDog]

12 hours ago, mrivers said:

I'm sorry, this feature was intended for internal use and severely limited in function.  It is completely disabled.

 

Ahhh... thanks for letting me know. 👍

 

I won't wasted any more time trying to make it work.

 

Perhaps the manual needs to be updated to reflect that. 

[Ssnake]

Yes. Like I wrote, the 4.2 manual version doesn't even mention the function anymore, so I suppose once that a new patch is made available (or an upgrade to 4.3, whichever is first) you'll receive the latest manual with it.

[BadgerDog]

2 hours ago, Ssnake said:

Yes. Like I wrote, the 4.2 manual version doesn't even mention the function anymore, so I suppose once that a new patch is made available (or an upgrade to 4.3, whichever is first) you'll receive the latest manual with it.

 

I like using the multi-ring soft cover version.  Can we order that from eSims when the next iteration of the manual come out?

 

 

[Ssnake]

The decision to run a new print batch essentially lies with the web store operators. As much as I'd love to always have copies in stock, the reality is that often there's manual overproduction and the remaining copies become obsolete as a new version is being released.

If we had a predictable release pace that might be workable, but at the end of the day there are sometimes factors beyond control that cause delays, sometimes up to two years.

 

FEX, take versions 4.1 and 4.2. A few key elements didn't make it (some never will), so we released 4.2 for free (also making good on some 4.1 promises). So, 4.3 will be the next major upgrade with substantial feature additions. So we'll update the manual for those. And then enough changes will have accumulated justifying a new print batch, I suppose.

[Ssnake]

Furthermore, from a functional perspective PDFs have the advantage that they are searchable. The printed copy is better for continuous reading, but obly few people seem to do so. In all fairness, I don't think that my prose is captivating world literature.

[Gibsonm]

Perhaps we can trap these errors and omissions somewhere to roll into the new PDF at some point?

 

Ideally drawing on the additional detail in the Wiki?

 

Not many people X00 page User Guides, but a one stop, searchable, periodically updated PDF would be ideal (even if its only available from the web site to download as its updated to ensure currency?).

 

Edited August 13, 2021 by Gibsonm

[Ssnake]

Like I wrote, errors that are reported to me are immediately updated in the User's Manual, and the User's Manual PDF is updated with regularity when you install a new version. What the installer doesn't do is removing obsolete versions of the manual, and since the "User's Manual.pdf" has always the same name across versions and time, if you have multiple versions of SB Pro installed confusion about which is the latest may occur (but I don't think that this was the case in the original request).

[BadgerDog]

1 hour ago, Ssnake said:

Like I wrote, errors that are reported to me are immediately updated in the User's Manual, and the User's Manual PDF is updated with regularity when you install a new version. What the installer doesn't do is removing obsolete versions of the manual, and since the "User's Manual.pdf" has always the same name across versions and time, if you have multiple versions of SB Pro installed confusion about which is the latest may occur (but I don't think that this was the case in the original request).

 

Nils... I understand and I agree with the issue of trying to keep printed bound manuals up to date, but even the PDF shows this as a usable function/feature.   .. but I think Mark's suggestion is a good one as a compromise.

 

As an aside, I just find it so convenient to sit back in a chair and read an actual current and bound hard copy, which I for one am willing to pay for.

 

 Regardless, as Mark always says "... it's all good!"... 😀

 

 

[BadgerDog]

On 8/11/2021 at 2:28 PM, mrivers said:

I'm sorry, this feature was intended for internal use and severely limited in function.  It is completely disabled.

 

Ok, just checking the EVENTS options and there is a "Play Media" selection, which refers to a sub-directory called "media/".  I put an MP4 file in there but when I choose the option to select and load the media file, no files appear at all?

 

Can I assume that this function is for internal use only as well, which is why it doesn't appear to work?'

 

Thanks ... 🤔

[Ssnake]

The media player in your version supports WAV only, I think (unless previous 4.2 release notes mention other multimedia file formats). Also, you'll need to manually adjust the volume to match the sound levels in SB Pro. It's still sorta-kinda WIP (other data formats are coming), and in any case the media files won't be embedded in the scenario; you have to distribute them separately. The primary intent is to use them in classroom environments with a customer-made defined set of multimedia snippets to be inserted in a scenario. As tempting as it may be to use this for cinematic cut scenes in your scenario, I don't think that we will ever make this a lot more convenient (maybe setting the volume level for the individual files) simply because

 

a. it will bloat the scenario file format again, which is an issue for low bandwidth internet users, and storage space when hosting

 

b. it opens the door to massive copyright violations with the associated legal exposure for eSim Games

 

c. it's the internet, rule 34 applies ... and that's not what Steel Beasts is about.

[Valleyboy]

Just chiming in with some work-arounds, and the below by no means should be considered an official endorsement, but rather conversational input  for the purpose of information sharing given some of the requests expressed here -- Note all of the below are either native to Windows, or are free (but for OBS, please check their terms of use as one always would using any open-source software).

 

For videos, you can use Window's native X-Box game bar, which is configurable and can easily record in-game or in-app (e.g., a web browser or the SB menu screens), but will not record your desktop or windows (like file explorer).  The default keyboard combination for this is CTRL-Windows-R to begin recording, and has worked for me in almost every application needed for recording in a simulation like Steel Beasts.  The one limitation is that it will stop recording between screen changes, such as going from the map or mission editor to the loaded briefing or from there into the sim itself.  My next suggestion below will address this limitation.

 

Additionally, OBS Studio is another, more configurable, option that will record your entire desktop regardless of whether you are in an app or not, and allows for many different input sources for both videos and microphones/audio.   Presumably this is what many streamers use as well on different social media apps to customize what appears there.  While a little bit complicated to use initially, using it for an hour or so will get one rapidly used to configuring it for optimal use later.

 

For screenshots, other than using the default print-screen button your keyboard and pasting that into a different app, you can use Window's "Snip & Sketch" tool, which is very useful for capturing images, marking them up, and then saving.  The default keyboard shortcut for this is Windows-SHIFT-S.

Edited August 16, 2021 by Valleyboy

[Ssnake]

Shift+F12 creates a screenshot in Steel Beasts (unless you change the hotkey, of course (I have it swapped with F12, since I don't use time acceleration less often). Alt+PrnScr creates a copy of your active window in the clipboard. PrnScr creates a copy of your whole screen in the clipboard. Win+PrnScr creates a JPG copy of the entire screen in "Pictures\Screenshots".

[BadgerDog]

3 hours ago, Valleyboy said:

Just chiming in with some work-arounds, and the below by no means should be considered an official endorsement, but rather conversational input  for the purpose of information sharing given some of the requests expressed here

 

Thank you Valleyboy. 👍

 

Appreciate the input.... very helpful. 

[TSe419E]

11 hours ago, Valleyboy said:

Additionally, OBS Studio is another, more configurable, option that will record your entire desktop regardless of whether you are in an app or not, and allows for many different input sources for both videos and microphones/audio.   Presumably this is what many streamers use as well on different social media apps to customize what appears there.  While a little bit complicated to use initially, using it for an hour or so will get one rapidly used to configuring it for optimal use later.

 

 

Actually you can set up OBS to record only an open program window.

 

Splitting up of the sound sources is the main reason I use it.

 

Here is a very good video about using OBS, Team Speak, and Voice Meeter Banana to record your gaming/streaming activities: