Fraps works with Alice 3.0 beta, at least on an XP machine

[DrJim]

One of the things still missing in Alice 3.0 beta is any video capture. (Frankly, I never cared much for the 2.2 implementation.)

Noting that the graphics are now jogl (i.e., OpenGL) based, I decided to try it with Fraps, which is one of the easiest screen capture programs to use (and is primarily used with games). It is much easier to use than BSR or Camtasia - not that those are particularly hard. Unfortunately, I never could get it to work with 2.0.

Sure enough, with 3.0 it worked! :) It can be downloaded from the site shown in the watermark on the attached video. The version with the watermark is free - haven't checked the price on the regular version recently but it was quite cheap.

[DrJim]

As usual, I read the instructions after I ran the program. :mad: Turns out that the raw format from Fraps requires a special codec (supplied with the program).

Attached is the same movie run through Movie Maker to generate a .wmv file, which should be more generally readable.

[autoteck]

Jim why not use camstudio? I do know a secret about recording stuff and it involves direct x. So why use this Fraps video capture instead of camstudio?

[arevira]

Jim why not use camstudio?

I like camstudio. But for making step-by-step video tutorials I like Wink (http://www.debugmode.com/wink/) You can do time-captures and input-driven captures (just keys, just mouse, or both). After capturing, you can edit the video with the same tool: you can add titles, call-outs, and even navigation controls (next, prev or jump to a specified frame). It can export to HTML (making a little Macromedia Flash animation, with loader, if you want to), PDF, etc.

Very slick.

[DrJim]

Jim why not use camstudio?

I don't have a particular preference for Fraps - actually I usually use BSR.

But there are a few nice things about Fraps. First, it sits in the background, so you can just hit a hot key to start and stop recording. Second, it automatically records just the playback screen - you don't have to do any capture area setup. (Of course that means you can't capture the cursor, so it's useless for tutorial videos - but I don't do those anyway.) Finally, you can control the frame rate for capture.

It seems to do a faster job of screen capture than BSR, though I haven't done a direct comparison. I think that's a function of the special CODEC and the fact that it doesn't do much compression.

It certainly doesn't have any editing capability - but I have other tools I like for that. But that's pretty much a personal preference.

The main reason I did the posting is because Fraps wouldn't work with Alice 2.0 and there were a few postings expressing disappointment at that. The fact that Alice 3 has switched to a mainline graphics software approach (OpenGL) is for me a real plus. But basically Fraps is very simple and easy to use - something many people like.

[dubastot]

So autoteck what's your secret?

[autoteck]

Please look at what I did when I shut down Direct X drivers to record something with camstudio.

I was wondering about this since Jim was talking about open gL I wanted to share this tip with everyone--because I can't take it with me when I go..LOL
This gives everyone another choice to do things.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE3ocJpeI_o

[DrJim]

Certainly a nice video but I'm not sure what it has to do with DirectX. :confused:

Since both Alice and Java are multiplatoform, they pretty much have to stick with Open GL (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_OpenGL_and_Direct3D). Hence there is a jogl but not, as far as I know, a jDirectX. There is also the problem of DirectX 10 not being backwards compatible with earlier versions (which lead to the demise of several good software packages that weren't econimical to update for Vista). On the other hand, I believe both XP and Vista have no trouble with OpenGL, though there are apparently some conversions to DirectX involved in the process.

[autoteck]

Well I'm not sure about your Fraps stuff either so that makes us equally :confused:

[DrJim]

Well I'm not sure about your Fraps stuff either

Conceptually, here is what I think is happening (of course the devil is in the details):

Alice 2 used some fairly old rendering software, I suspect from early visual reality work. As such, it was fully capabile of stand-alone software rendering (Slow and Steady Alice). At some stage, it was upgraded to handle then-modern (2004) graphic cards, but the overall graphics chain was never really modernized - opacity, for example, has always been a problem (Mac's, 2.2, etc.).

Most "screen capture" programs do just that - digitize and compress the actual video output from the graphics card - so you can capture full screen displays, complete with cursor, etc. Fraps apparently somehow captures an intermediate video output (don't ask me how) to get (or at least they claim) faster capture speeds. In 2.0, it doesn't look like Fraps could access the signal(s) needed for its input.

By going to jogl, Alice is now using a mainstream rendering chain (even if the "jogl" goes through some DirectX steps on XP and Vista machines). Hence Fraps can find the signals(s) it needs.

Please note this is largely speculation :rolleyes: based hints in various documentation. But it is at least an adequate and self consistent set of assumptions.

[autoteck]

The AGP card I use is from the old DOS days back in the ninety's. I don't believe a graphics card has anything to do with capturing a screen video. Some players I record from camstudio won't capture UNLESS I shut down the Direct X Drivers then record.

Windows media player--Power DVD--are a few that can't be done unless you shut down the Direct X Drivers first.

Try this sometime when you record something and the end results are a blank screen.

Locate the run icon and type in dxdiag and click on ok. You will see the diagnostic tool load. Under the display tab disable the direct draw acceleration leave the window open and run your stuff.

NOW whether you shut down DX first and start your stuff up to record I don't remember--but I do it and it works.

Give it a try and remember MS knows this can be done so they tossed a roadblock at cha but I got er' done!

ED