KnowledgeBase Archive

An Archive of Early Microsoft KnowledgeBase Articles

View on GitHub

Q143230: 3D Movie Maker: Movies Cannot be Saved in AVI Format

Article: Q143230
Product(s): Microsoft Home Kids Products
Version(s): 1.00
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbsound kbusagekbfaq
Last Modified: 08-NOV-2001

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft 3D Movie Maker for Windows, version 1.0 
- Microsoft Nickelodeon 3D Movie Maker for Windows, version 1.0 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY
=======

Microsoft 3D Movie Maker files are saved in a proprietary format (*.3mm). 3D
Movie Maker files cannot be saved to a standard Audio Video Interleave (.avi)
format.

MORE INFORMATION
================

Audio Video Interleave (.avi) is the technology that allows animation and video
clips to be played on a PC under Windows.

There are several reasons why .avi is not used by 3D Movie Maker:

- Full size. 3D Movie Maker files are essentially events lists with pointers to
  content (actors, backgrounds, sounds) that resides on the compact disc. This
  feature allows hours of movies to be stored on a single floppy. If the movies
  were stored as .avi files, even highly compressed .avi files, you wouldn't
  get more than a very brief movie on a floppy disk.

- Compression time. The time it would take to compress an .avi as efficiently
  as possible is prohibitive. It would take several times longer to compress
  and save a 3D Movie Maker movie than the movie takes to play.

- Music/MIDI cannot be saved to an .avi file. Much of the richness of a 3D
  Movie Maker movie would be lost without music.

Additional query words: avi kids mczee kbmm director animated movies melanie 3-d three dimensional 3dmm three-d mskids

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbsound kbusage kbfaq
Technology        : kbHomeProdSearch kbZNotKeyword kbKidsSearch kb3dMovieMaker
Version           : 1.00

=============================================================================

THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.