What is the Max size limit for rle's?

I've been trying to import a ship sprite into a Nova file using both MissionComputer, and EVONE.
The size is 800x850.
Everytime I make an rle with Mission Computer, it takes a loooooooong time to load, and then turns out empty. Same thing in EVONE, after importing it and saving the file, it turned out to not really be there.
I know there have been plugs and TC's that have sprites the size of 600x450.
But what is the absolute maximum that you can import into a Nova File or Plugin?

Thanks,

Well... I think the maximum is restricted only by the resource size limit, which I can't remember off the top of my head but is somewhere in the range of a few megabytes. Maybe around 12 or 16 MB max.

Regardless, I'd say your best bet for making an RLE is to use enRLE by w00tware.

This post has been edited by Qaanol : 17 January 2006 - 03:35 PM

Bingo!

That is the problem,
My .mov file was 60MB, when converted to a PICT base sprite using m2s, it came out 28MB.

Thats pretty heavy... any ideas on how to bring the file size down without losing quality?

Thanks,

You can use two plugin files if it is possible to split the files up.
Remember that the plugin will be the same size as the Pict. So this is pretty heavy for someone with a slow connection.

They won't be plug in files, it will be Nova files.

I got the sprite down to 14.8 MB and the mask to 4.3 MB by eliminating 36 of the 72 frames.
This imported into a Nova file rather smoothly using Mission Computer. The stand alone file turned out to be only about 12.7 MB.

So the Limit must be like 16MB

Just for the record, EnRLE often creates smaller RLEs than MC because of the intelligence of the encoder. I can go into the specifics if you like, but trust me on this.

I've tried, and tried, and tried to make rles using EnRLE, and have been unsuccessful.

I know I must be doing something wrong.
How exactly do I work that program?

This post has been edited by Highway of Life : 17 January 2006 - 11:57 PM

What happens when you try? You need a plug with a pict, a mask and a spin/shan for them and run this through EnRLE.

Okay, hmm...
So I need to actually make a plugin file for them, then drop the file(s) into EnRLE?

This is what I do...
I take a layed out 6x6 or 6x12 (depending on the number of frames) sprite (PICT file) and drop it into EnRLE.
I have to select the option: "one file per rle type" or EnRLE won't produce anything.
My other settings I've tried them all pretty much, usually I leave it at default: Output rlë type
rlëDs - checked
rlë8s - checked

I've tried the following both on and off.
Scan for spďns for PICTS
Scan for shäns for PICTS
Range: All

Also tried this one both ways:
Copy spďn/shän - checked

Unchecked:
Clip Frames and Prompt for each.

It then asks me where I want to save it... I select the place for each rlë type.
Then, I go inspect the files, and both of them always exist at 4KB (basically empty)

This post has been edited by Highway of Life : 18 January 2006 - 12:23 AM

Make a plug-in. Add two PICT resources (sprites and mask), then make a spin that references them. Be sure to name the spin and run the file through EnRLE. The default settings should be fine. You should find a file for each RLE type, named <spin resource name>.rle<8/D>.

Let me see if I have this:
I have two PICT resources (sprite and mask). Do these need to be inside a npďf file?
make a spin the references them. This needs to be in the same npďf?

Then drop the whole npďf file into EnRLE?

Yes.

Highway of Life, on Jan 18 2006, 03:35 AM, said:

They won't be plug in files, it will be Nova files.
View Post

:huh:
Last time I checked those were the same.

This post has been edited by modesty_blaise_us : 18 January 2006 - 02:52 AM

Where you put them.

Plugins go in the Plugins folder
Nova files to the Nova Files folder.

This post has been edited by Highway of Life : 18 January 2006 - 02:39 AM

Highway of Life, on Jan 18 2006, 06:38 AM, said:

Where you put them.
View Post

They still have all the same limitations, and why would you want to put anything in the NOVA files folder?

It's a TC (ST:TFF, to be precise). That's why.

orcaloverbri9, on Jan 18 2006, 11:00 AM, said:

It's a TC (ST:TFF, to be precise). That's why.
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Did not read his sig.

orcaloverbri9, on Jan 17 2006, 10:55 PM, said:

Just for the record, EnRLE often creates smaller RLEs than MC because of the intelligence of the encoder. I can go into the specifics if you like, but trust me on this.
View Post

I would like to hear the specifics, if you don't mind. I would figure that the format was an absolute with no room for variation betwixt the encoders?

rmx256, on Jan 18 2006, 06:28 PM, said:

I would like to hear the specifics, if you don't mind. I would figure that the format was an absolute with no room for variation betwixt the encoders?

Well, it really depends on the sprite in question. Anyway, here you go:

The RLE format, like most file and resource formats, is split into a header and a data section. The header is irrelevant for this explanation. The data is read by reading a token byte, then depending on what the token is, reading a certain number of pixels following the token and doing something with them. There are some obvious ones - pixel with this color, end of shape, end of line. However, there are two tokens which work in a special way - the fill color token and the transparency token. The fill color token is used when you have more than one adjacent pixel of the same color. Rather than storing each individual pixel color, it stores the color and how many pixels hare of that color. The transparency token works similarly, telling the decoder that the next X pixels are transparent.

EnRLE is smart enough to detect adjacent pixels that are either of the same color or both transparent. MC, on the other hand, works on an easier but less intelligent pixel-by-pixel basis, so each pixel is stored rather than using the fill color, and for each transparent pixel it writes a transparency token with a value of one. Try it - make, say, a 50x1 sprite, all the same color. Encode it with EnRLE and with MC, and you'll see a size difference.

OK, I thought that there was some kind of limited compression (although not by name or intent)!

Bite me, (name removed)!!

Thanks, Brian.

How exactly does the mask interact with the actual displayed sprite in the RLE?