Animated Communications
PO Box 16907
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
800.949.4559
info@3Dchor.com

Do I need to be an artist to use 3d Choreographer?

      Definitely NOT. Just select an actor from a cast of 100's; select commands from a wide selection; (like 'run', 'walk', 'yawn', 'somersault', 'dance', 'put hands on hips', or 'raise eyebrows'). Give the actor a path to traverse, and you're just about finished. You render the file (we call it animating) by selecting the animate option; wait a few minutes and your animation is done. If you are using it in PowerPoint, just select "insert/movie/from file/" and your animation is in PowerPoint.

Can I create my own characters?

      You can build your own 2D characters and you can personalize our 3d characters by replacing their heads with your photo or drawn heads. You can also modify our 3d actors. All of our actors can be modified: for example; arms and legs can be shorter or longer; torsos can be slender, wide or short; and faces can be reshaped with different sizes and placement of the mouth, eyes, eyebrows, etc.

• you cannot create a 3d actor (interconnected polygons in 3d) in our program and cannot import any standard 3d characters. We are not compatible with *.dxf or *.obj files from other programs.

Can I use these animations in PowerPoint (or Toolbook or Director or....)

      The animations you make are in the AVI format which is fully supported by Windows. The animations can be inserted in any Windows application. It is especially easy to use in PowerPoint. You just press "insert/movies/from file" and the animation appears on your slide.

Can I get the animations to start automatically (or in some order) in PowerPoint?

      Yes; these are standard PowerPoint functions for our or any other animations

How big are my files?

      This depends on how you specified your animation. For stand up presentations (from a laptop), quality is more important than size and animations are typically 200K to 1 Megabyte depending on how much of the screen is taken up and how long the animation is. For the web, you should reduce the frame rate and the size. Files are typically 20K to 50K for dialup users; more, if you are on intranets.
      Source files (3dc files) can be used to regenerate an animation of any size. These source file may be large (1 to 4 Mbytes ) but will typically zip to 10K to 100KB.

How do I get backgrounds for my animations?

      Any *.bmp file can be used as a background. Digital cameras typically save files as *.jpg. Use "Paint" which comes with Windows (Under Accessories in Programs) to convert jpg to bmp. There are about 20 backgrounds that come on your CD; feel free to use them in any way you wish, but making a personalized background is an extremely effective method of linking to your audience.

If I use 3d Choreographer to make money do I have to pay any royalties?

      No! There are no royalties. You are free to use the output (AVIs or FLCs) in any way you wish without any royalties. What you cannot do is to give copies of the program to anyone.

Can I put sound on my animations?

      Yes, but we do not provide an editor to do it. AVI files accept sound as an integral part of the format. AVI is an acronym for (A)udio, (V)ideo (I)nterleave. Editors such as Asymetrix's DVP and Adobe Premiere (light version is ok) allow easy insertion of audio. They cost less than $50 in a discount house.

I have a Macintosh. Can I use 3d Choreographer?

      NO, but you may be able to view the animations through a Web browser or have a converter to change AVI to MOV (Quicktime) files.

Do you take Purchase orders?

      Yes, from academic institutions like schools, and colleges. We also accept PO from government institutions.

What credit cards do you accept?

      VISA, Master Card, and American Express
      NO OTHERS

What is the difference between the regular and the deluxe?

      The major difference is the ability to attach photographic heads to 3D characters. There are also over 300 characters in the deluxe versus 90 in the regular.

What does the high resolution compiler do?

      It creates sharper images with the same size file, however it takes 5 times longer to compile. If you are giving presentations in which the quality of the image is important, I would suggest using the compiler. Design and test your animations with the regular compiler and only use the hi rez one when you are creating the final version.

How about custom characters?

      That is negotiated on an individual basis. It depends on how close the character is to one of our standard ones and whether you require new actions as well.

Why is 3D Choreographer better than other animation programs?

      We make it easy to create complex animations - particularly those showing communication, body language, and interactions. You can build an extensive script with commands which act simultaneously, sequentially or which overlap in time. You can choose from a library of 200 actions or build commands of your own.

If I create a command for one character, can I use it with another?

      Yes, if the characters are compatible. All human actors are interchangeable. Many of the animal actors are also interchangeable.

Do you have a demo version?

      On our Web page we have a downloadable tutorial which shows you each of the screens and how each one operates.FAQ

What are the computer requirements for:

3d Choreographer
Minimum Requirements
Windows XP, 2000 or NT
RAM 256 MB
Hard disk space 400 MB for the program, 800MB recommended for operation 

3d Choreographer Visual Effects Studio (3dChorVES)
Minimum Requirements
Windows XP, 2000 or NT
RAM 500 MB 
Hard disk space 600 MB for the program, 1 GB recommended for operation 

I teach ... And it is a serious subject; why do I need animations?

• Animations enhance retention and keep up interest
• The best use of animation is to use it sparingly: The students look forward to the next one
• Use animations as introduction to subjects. Use them as metaphors or comedic examples.
• Animations can reduce the level of formality in a classroom, enhancing dialogs and student participation.
• Using photo heads on a 3d character is a way of introducing staff without being stuffy about it.
• Use images like backgrounds that are familiar to your students. They will relate to it and it will increase acceptance of speaker and subject.