1/ Introduction
RShowMaker is an application that creates sequences (ie animations) from poses, text, videos, music, images and other sequences.
2/ Use
Use the RShowMaker to create sequences. Sequences are animations combining movements, expressions, text to speech, sounds, music or video.
They can be used in RPlayer, RExhibitor or RQuiz.
If you are a developer, you can also play them from your code (refer to Developer documentation) : use the "PlaySequence" command.
RShowMaker has four main zones:
- In white, the home button.
The Home button takes you back to the desktop of Reeti. In red, the resources library tabs.
The library brings together all available resources to create a sequence : Pose, Sequences, Music, ...- In green, the timelines describing the sequence.
The timelines are the line on which you drop your elements to create a sequence. Each line is attached to a hardware resource : sound, video, ears movements, eyes movements (including lids), mouth movements, necks movements, color. - In yellow, the buttons for sequences records.
To use RShowMaker, simply drag and drop items from the library to the timeline and arrange them in order to obtain the sequence you want.
RShowMaker works on the same principle as video editing, which lets you create videos from pieces of video and still images.
2.1/ The Library
The library brings together all available resources to create a sequence. Each tab has the resources of the same type. Buttons below allow to create, modify, suppress or reorganize your resources.
Double-clicking plays the unitary resource.
Once you dropped a resource (a speech, a pose, a move, ...) in a timeline, it is not linked anymore to the original resource in the tabs area.
So if you modify a resource in the tab area, the changes you do will not apply on the elements already dropped on the timeline of a sequence.
If you want to apply the changes to an existing sequence, you have to remove this resource from the timeline, and drag & drop the new one at the same place.
2.1.1/ Pose
A Pose is a position created by Reeti RPilot. It defines some of Reeti motors positions. When you create a Pose in RPilot, all the motor that are checked (check box beside the sliders), are considered included in this pose. The associated timelines will be occupied when you drag and drop your pose in the RShowmaker timeline.
Examples :
- if you create a pose with all check box checked, the Pose will take all timelines (except sound and video).
- if you just check the eyes, or lids boxes, the Pose will be only on the eye timeline.
When Reeti is speaking, he can move automatically its lips (refer Text to speech chapter below). So if you want to use Pose while Reeti is peaking moving its lips, you have to create a Pose without the four mouth motors checked.
In RShowMaker, the poses are not punctual, you can set some durations. Once the pose is drop in the timeline, click on it to open its configuration panel :
- set the duration it takes to reach the pose from the previous Pose.
- set the duration it keeps the position in this Pose
- check "return to neutral" if you want it and configure the duration of the transition from your Pose to neutral.
- Changing these parameters will automatically adjust the Pose length in the timeline.
2.1.2/ Sequences
A sequence is a set of movements and actions made by Reeti. RShowMaker creates sequences. A sequence can be included in another sequence recursively.
You can edit the sequence by double clicking on it (in the library tab)
2.1.3/ Music
Reeti can play music while moving. The music is contained in the Music tab of the library. Reeti supports MP3 format. A directory contains also some sound effects.
To add your own music just copy your mp3 files in /home/reeti/reetiDocuments/Music directory :
- click "reorganize button" at the bottom of the music tab, wait a few seconds and an explorer windows will open in the /home/reeti/reetiDocuments/Music directory
- insert an usb key containing your mp3 music, the explorer will open your usb key directory
- copy your files
2.1.4/ Video
Reeti can play videos while moving (video is displayed on the screen connected on DVI port). Reeti supports AVI and MOV video formats.
To add your own videos just copy your files in /home/reeti/reetiDocuments/Video directory.
2.1.5/ Pictures
Reeti can display images (in order to create a slideshow, for example). Reeti support jpg and png formats.
To add your own images just copy your files in /home/reeti/reetiDocuments/Pictures directory.
2.1.6/ Text-to-Speech
Reeti has text to speech abilities. So you can make him say all the sentences you want. In this tab, you can create sentences and set them in order to be told by Reeti. You can, as in all tabs, rearrange or delete sentences.
In order to be sure your text is correct, you can play the text to speech. If you don’t play it, Reeti will play it anyway to control your TTS.
To create a new sentence to be said, press New: a dialog box appears. In this dialog, you can enter the text you want, the name of file to save your text, and the language in which you want to talk Reeti. By checking the box mouth movements, Reeti lips move while he speaks.
Change button will open the same dialog box with options you can edit pre-filled.
2.1.7/ Moves
Moves are special moves you can use in sequences such as rolling eyes or neck, random.
If you are a developer, you can create some new moves in urbiScript.
2.2/ The Timeline
In blue, the names of different lines of available resources.
In red the time.
In green the lines.
In yellow, the buttons options.
2.2.1/ Principles
The timeline is the line on which you drop your elements to create a sequence. It consists of different lines that will prevent multiple orders for the same resources to be requested at the same time.
Reeti plays elements that have been filed at the time they have been inserted.
To remove an item, simply drag and drop the item from the library to the trash (lower left corner).
The item will be visible on the timeline corresponding to resources used by this element.
Once registered, you can change the position by sliding items along the time line.
You can also configure some elements to fit your needs.
When you drop something near the right line, the length of the timeline automatically adapts and grows.
If you want to delete an item, simply place it in the trash.
The Undo function is not yet implemented.
If you move something at the beginning of sequence, everything is moved and you need to place them back one by one.
So we suggest to create some small sequences, and to merge several small sequences to do a long one.
2.2.2/ Configurations
You can configure the poses, images and speechs. This configuration allows you to set these elements to adjust the rendering you want.
2.2.3/ Poses
A pose is a position of the 15 Reeti motors (mouth open and smiling, right eyelid shut, neck bent ...). The configuration of the poses used to manage the time taken to reach that position Reeti from its current position. Once the position reached, you may want to keep this position or return to a neutral state. For example, we keep only rarely a smile for 30 seconds, you smile and then return to a neutral state. Reeti can do this kind of behavior, to do it, simply configure the item. By clicking on the item you want to configure on the time line, the configuration dialog box appears.
In red : name of the pose.
In yellow : Time in seconds for Reeti to take position.
In green : Time in seconds during which Reeti maintains the pose.
In blue : Time in seconds for Reeti to come back to neutral position (only if the checkbox back to Neutral Position is selected)
In grey : If the checkbox is selected, the Reeti goes back to neutral position if not, the Reeti keeps the pose he was.
In violet : Type of moves for Reeti to goes to the position : either in smooth transition or in a straight transition.
