I'm currently rendering poser animations (PC) and I don't have the choice of QuickTime animation, only AVI. Have I installed it incorrectly. Does anyone have advice on AVI configuration for better quality? I currently render at 30 fps but the quality, although smooth enough, is quite grainy. Would QuickTime produce better quality than AVI? Any advice would be welcome.

Thanks for the advice! Have now managed to improve the quality. I've tried uncompressed and although the file size is huge it's much better. I'm now fiddling with Adobe Premier just to confuse myself further.

I use Cinepak codec with depth of millions and quality of 100 with good results. You might try 10 fps. You can quite often get good results with a smaller file. Hope this helps.

Compression technology keeps improving all the time. Try some of the newer ones like Bink (www.radgametools.com) or indeo 5 or Sorenson for Quicktime. They all make very small files that play well with excellent quality, especially Bink, which is in a class of it's own! Chris

Hey, thanks for the great advice. Cinepak definately improves the avi - and I'm currently downloading Bink. I'd heard of Smacker but not this one. I'm interested in the results!

I agree -- Cinepak is the best codec for .AVIs. But I get my best animations by rendering in sequential .BMPs. I rename them to .DIBs and pull them into Videdit (freeware) to make the .AVI, then output it using no compression. This makes a crystal clear .AVI. I haven't compared filesizes for that approach vs. straight rendering to an .AVI, but I suspect it's quite a bit larger. - Jim

I believe that it's the same as rendering it as an uncompressed avi except that you made more work for yourself. Of course, an uncompressed avi is huge and unweildy; that's why they invented compression! Sequential files are best for post processing in Painter since some avi's don't import too well into Painter. Also, if you screw up one frame too badly, you can replace it easily. Chris

Doh! (hand slaps forehead). I got so used to going up the slider to the Cinepak codec, I never thought to check down it for an uncompressed .avi option. Thanks! (the other reason I sometimes render to individual pix is that I have not yet discovered a way to change textures during an animation. Probably a slider bar I haven't looked at!!!) - Jim

I think I became able to export .mov files after I installed Quicktime 4. generally render out of 3D Studio or After Effects. If you use the Sorenson codec in the quicktime properies at 100%, it comes out almost exactly as smooth as Uncompressed .avis. But there is a littel problem that the .mov files I create don't run on anyone else's computer. I have tried others with as similar configurations as my own, but they just don't play. They work so great on mine. And they are usually smaller even then the Cinepak .avis. Anyone who can explain this problem will have m,y gratitude.

QuickTime 4 uses the Sorenson 2 codec. You have to have QT 4 to play it. ALSO, you have to flatten it before anyone on a PC can view it. I think it's Save As/ internet someting-or-other. Chris