importing animation files from frame thief to fcp 4.5

Hi Folks,
I hope you can help me with a puzzling problem. I am running FCP 4.5 on a mac with 10.5.5 single processor, quad core, 8 gigs of ram, and two hard drives with lots of space . I am creating animation sequences on Frame Thief and importing them into FCP. I have been successful before on my old mac but this is a new machine to me. I am saving the sequences from frame Thief as quicktime files and then iporting them into FCP. This works fine and I proceed to pull the quicktime file onto the timeline, and edit it. When I save the project and then come back to it the next day, the file is still there but the project will not play. It may play a few frames and then stalls. I thought it might require me to save the Frame Thief file as a DV stream. I tried that but it also stalls. I thought it might be a dropped frame problems so I reduced my RT requirements, closed open sequences, and all the other things that dropped frame warnings ask you to do. I wondered if it was a codec problem. I checked the codec and its animation coming from Frame Thief. There were no codec warnings in FCP. Any suggestions?

Go to sequence settings what does it say?



www.strypesinpost.com

Quote

I am running FCP 4.5 on a mac with 10.5.5 single processor, quad core

I'm pretty confident that you're not. Final Cut 4.5 was PowerPC only, and Apple never released a quad-core, single-processor PowerPC system.

So either at least one piece of that was a typo or something, or hello, I think we've found the source of your troubles.

Hi, Actually the machine info is correct, let's just say its an unusual machine. My sequence settings for QT say the compressor is DV/DVPRO and its 100%

I'm assuming it's a 'tosh, although a quad is NEVER a single processor.

And everything is rendered? What speed are your drives? What kind of drives? And are you putting media on your system disk? Also, FCP 4.5 isn't a good match with Leopard as it requires QT 7.4 above. (unless you're using an unusual Leopard as well).



www.strypesinpost.com

Quote

Actually the machine info is correct, let's just say its an unusual machine.

Okay, I can think of two possible scenarios here. Either your system has an after-market four-core PowerPC processor upgrade in it ? did anybody ever make those? ? or you're trying to run Final Cut 4.5 on an unsupported architecture under emulation.

In either case, I'm inclined to point and exclaim "Well there's your problem!"

If you can clarify just what "unusual" means, I might be better equipped to pitch in and try to help.

Hi again,
I render everything as I go along, I am running two drives, they are 640 gig western digital 7200 rpm. I keep the media on one drive and the program on the other. I am running QT 7.5.5 The computer has an intel core 2 quad processor. I am sorry this response is so slow, I have to keep going back to ask what the specs are for the machine.
Thanks,
Fran

And what version of Final Cut are you running? Version 4.5 is definitely not supported on any Intel-based system. I would be pretty amazed if it would even run.

Hi, Its 4.5, it runs quite nicely actually, except for this qwirky problem. Do you think its a codec thing?
Fran

Hi again Jeff and Gerald,
I just restarted the machine and for some reason the program has started to play again. Thanks for your help, I appreciate it! Fran

No, I think it's the fact that you're running a totally unsupported, shouldn't even run in the first place system.

Forgive me if I'm being patronizing, but the tingly hairs on the back of my neck have inspired me to great specificity: Final Cut Pro 4.5 is not supported on any Mac with an Intel microchip. It simply cannot be expected to work properly. If you google around, you'll find instructions on the Internet for modifying the Final Cut Pro 4.5 application software to allow it to launch on a modern Mac and attempt to run itself under the Rosetta emulation environment, but this is a terrible idea. It's equivalent to trying to remove your own wisdom teeth with a flathead screwdriver and a roll of gaffer tape.

When I say your configuration is "totally unsupported," what I mean is that if it works at all, you should be surprised. Failure in that situation is not something to fear; it's something to expect. It's inevitable.

In fact, if you told me that your Final Cut software has spontaneously sprouted skinny little arms and is attempting to drag your Mac down the road to the nearest hot-dog stand, I would be completely unsurprised. And then I would ask you to post some pictures, and recommend you grab a baseball bat or tire iron just in case the thing gets mad at you.

If everything is an experimental kit- PCs and all, I suppose FCP could be run in an experimental mode too.... Although i'd advice the OP to upgrade to FCP 6 for better compatibility with leopard and the processor.



www.strypesinpost.com