Limitations & FAQ’s.

• Note that a Mega2 channel should not be used (and must be closed) in the events either side of an event containing a MegaShape, due to the time taken to load the shape. All other channels are still available for normal and MegaShape use in that event. The time taken for loading shapes varies according to the complexity of the shape, but you should generally allow up to one second.
  
• The position and size as they appear in the Viewer are a rough guide only. Once drawn, the shape will need to be resized and/or moved to the correct position using the normal Mega2 trackerball controls. The outer ring can be used to resize the shape, and the "right" and "bottom" controls can be used to change the aspect.
  
• Single-layer mode. The top left icon in the MegaShapes toolbar on the left switches between double layer and single layer. This has several effects. In particular, the image is now hidden and drawing is done on a black background, and (more importantly) the size and position of the object or circle in the viewer WILL NOT match the size on the video. However, scaling from the viewer to the Pixi is now "1-to-1" and there should never be any strange banding effects which will possibly be visible in double layer mode depending upon the amount of softness that has been applied to the shape.
  
• With Double layer selected depending upon the amount of softness that has been set it is possible to see ‘banding’ or other artefacts in the picture, this is due to the fact that shape (circle) in the viewer is zoomed to appear the same size as on the Monitor. Only solution for this would be to work in single layer mode.
  
• Like all computer equipment the Pixi has a finite memory, if a multitude of shapes with extreme softness applied are used, it is possible to use the full extent of the memory. This can have the effect of causing a small part of the bottom of the picture to not be displayed – this is a limitation
  
• In Data mode the Viewer is set to a resolution of 1920 x 1440, therefore when working with a Specter at a different resolution, a shape drawn on the viewer will be displaced compared to the shape on the monitor – this is a limitation as the Pogle doesn’t know what resolution the Specter is working in.
  
• With a shape selected and moved to either the right hand side or the bottom of the monitor/ viewer it will display artefacts and eventually get wrapped around to the left hand side of the monitor, this is dependant on a number of criteria:- Amount of shapes, softness applied, resolution being worked in – Unfortunately this is a limitation and the only solution is to move the shape back towards the left should these artefacts become visible
  
• Trying to use shapes in two successive events in the same channel can cause the shape to not ‘appear’ at the correct time, due to the fact that the system downloads the shape in the previous event trying to use a shape in the same channel in two successive events can cause problems; the system ideally needs ½ second between events. This is the ‘normal’ problem with shapes not working properly – solution, use one of the other channels! |
  
• Closing shapes, the correct way to turn a shape off is to turn the Shape Flag off, this can be done either through the MegaShape panel; or the Full Mega 2 panel or the ‘Reset’control on the Viewer
  
• Warning flags, these will warn the user that they are trying to insert a shape in a second successive event in the same channel. These can be turned off either permanently for that user, through the user setup, or just for that particular session, through the MegaShapes panel.
  
• Trying to draw a multitude of shapes with softness in a number of channels simultaneously can cause artefacts, this is completely dependant on the amount of shapes, softness and resolution. This is a limitation and the user should be aware that with multitude soft shapes in 4 to 6 channels the shapes may be unreliable.
  
• If you mix a multitude of soft shapes with hard edges it is possible to see stepping in the hard edges – this is a limitation.