Proof (tutorial session): the general purpose animator

Proof TM, developed by Wolverine Software Corporation, is a high quality, PC-based animation and presentation package. Proof runs on any standard 286 or better machine with a math coprocessor and EGA or VGA graphics card. Because it is a post-processing animator, Proof provides smooth motion and portability. An open architecture makes Proof compatible with most popular simulation packages. 1 . I N T R O D U C T I O N Animation is no longer an afterthought to simulation projects. As competi t ion for project funding becomes more intense, presentation of results becomes more important. During all phases of the project, animation is a critical tool in presenting simulation results to management and clients. Animation plays an important part in design as well as presentation. It provides a common ground for communication between the designers and the modeler. In the past, the design team and the modelers have worked separately. This methodology has a built-in pitfall in that as the design evolves, the animation must change. Extensive animation changes used to require considerable time. A design team usually cannot stop development while waiting for animation updates. With this in mind, Wolverine Software Corporation developed an animation software package called Proof, which helps link design, simulation and presentation. Proof has been designed as a high quality animation and presentation package, with a focus on smooth motion, portability, and ease of use. 2 . O V E R V I E W O F FEATURES Proof is a PC-based product. The minimum hardware is a 286 machine with a math coprocessor and either an EGA or VGA display. This common hardware allows Proof to be portable, which is especially advantageous when projects are presented off-site. Proof is a post-processing animation package. To run Proof, two files must exist: the layout file and the trace file. This means that .the simulation model must produce a trace file which drives the animation; therefore, the size of the simulation model is irrelevant. The model can be run on a mainframe or workstation, and the resulting trace file can be downloaded onto the PC. In animations that run concurrently, the user is limited to the constraints of the particular hardware type on which the simulation is running. Post-processing has other benefits. First, animations can be viewed at high speeds while maintaining smooth morion. An added benefit is the ability to fast-forward to a particular simulated time. This eliminates waiting for the system to "warm up." Finally, postprocessing allows Proof to run in "demonst ra t ion mode." Professional-looking static slides can be created and interwoven with animation segments and shown on the computer screen. Proof has an open architecture. This, along with the postprocessor feature, makes Proof compatible with many popular simulation software packages. Actually, simulation-specific software is not necessarily needed to drive the animation. If the software used has file I/O that is capable of producing an ASCII file, it can produce a Proof trace file. Proof has a CAD-like geometric data structure. Changing the orientation or scale of an object, static or moving, will not affect the quality of its appearance on screen. Although it is not a full-featured CAD program, Proof has a mouse driven, CAD-like drawing mode. Through a series of pulldown menus, the layout and object definitions can be created using a series of simple and complex primitives. The layout file can also be created by reading existing CAD layouts into Proof. This CAD link is achieved through Proof's open architecture. ProoFs drawing mode has been developed to easily handle a wide variety of systems. This means that diverse applications, such as network communications and health care systems, can be handled as easily as complex material handling systems. Proof can generate sounds, adding a new dimension to animation. Often, animations show many simultaneous events, making it difficult to draw attention to a specific event. Sound can signal machine downtimes, shift changes, or any event that the modeler would like to monitor. This can be a beneficial addition to model debugging, and an aid in system design and presentation. 3 . P R O O F FEATURES A DETAILED L O O K 3.1 Hardware Requirements The decision was made early to operate Proof 1.0 on IBM or compatible PCs, primarily because of the large installed base of color-capable systems. MS-DOS was chosen because it behaves as a single-tasking environment (even under some third-party multitasking software, such as DESQview). This enables Proof to take total control of the CPU. The result is an animation with smooth motion. Also, new simulation packages, such as GPSSA1386, have been developed that take advantage of a 386or 486-based machine 's faster 32-bit architecture and large memory address space while still running under MS-DOS. This means that the MS-DOS PC can handle large simulation models. Using Proof, the user can do any simulation and the animation on one machine. All graphics software is numerically intensive. This is why Proof requires a math coprocessor, a separate chip that must be installed in an 80286or 80386-based PC running Proof. Potential buyers of high-end PCs should note that the 80486 chip has its math coprocessing capabilities built-in. The graphics hardware of the PC suits the needs of Proof. There were a few choices, the most obvious being EGA, VGA, or both. Proof supports both at a resolution of 640 x 350. In Proof, one pixel needs four bits (16 colors at once), and four times 640 times 350 (the screen dimensions, in pixels) is 896,000 bits, or 112K bytes. Given the 256K of video memory found on nearly all EGA cards, Proof can double buffer-that is, improve the appearance of the animation by keeping two copies of the screen in video memory: displaying one while updating the other. Double buffering remains a very important quality. We considered adding the VGA-standard 640 x 480 mode to Proof 's VGA support, but a standard VGA card has only 256K of memory. At 640 by 480 by 16 colors, one screenful of information takes up over 150K, making doable buffering impossible. Recently, we have been evaluating "extended VGA'" cards, which offer 512K of video memory (usually as an option). We are considering supporting one or more manufacturers ' 512K VGA cards at resolutions up to 800 by 600 pixels of resolution. Also, we are carefully studying the rapidly developing 8514/A, TIGA, and "Super VGA" display options, all of which offer resolution at or above 1024 by 768. However, these will not be available in Release 1.0 of Proof.