This is an archive of CompuServe forum messages from 1985 to 1995, as saved in transcripts by John Foust.
Search Results (177 messages)
Thanks, Peter, for your suggestions. I will try them if Gary concurs that taking the files thru Autocad would make a difference. I would be surprised, though, to learn that there was *any* difference between the way Autocad and 3DS treat DXF files (given that they are both Autodesk products).…
moeder.zip
Message #27997
Did you receive MOEDER.zip in section 9 last night? It doesn't look like it from here, but I thought I'd check. Reply in e-mail, I guess. RegardsKen
I'm going to make Brian write you guys a letter and tell you how we solved the FLC dillemma. He'll be out from under the gun in a day or two. It's been quite an experience, I can tell you. Most of our solutions are based on variable frame rates,…
Oh, Bruce, you should be writing screenplays! I like the way you make with the drama . First, dynamic tracking has NEVER been a good way to alter time. The next generation always looks shaky and degraded. I have tried it MANY times. Second, every penny of those THOUSANDS is…
…I meant 640×480 for our FLCs, of course…. Ken Loss-Cutler
Martin: Brian is struggling with the sequences as we speak. He says that he is going to call James later this evening or tomorrow if he can't get things running right. Sort of funny to have someone refer us to James since he lives 20 minutes up the highway and…
Yes, Gregory, 512×486 IS the common lo-res format. We have AT-Vista boards in all our systems, though, so we can go to the maximum displayable resolutions of 756×486 on single-framing. We chose the maximum resolution of 640×486 for our FLCs. Ken Loss-Cutler
Evan: A 486DX2-66. Tres drole. Ken
How about when the FLIC is bigger than 27 MEG . One of them is 29 Meg. Ken
Ah, Bruce. You forget that we're on our own now. No more edit suite down the hall . But thanks for the suggestion, anyway. Ken
Gregory: Thanks so much for your ideas. We are rendering at 640×480 (the atty wouldn't have it any other way). Ken Loss-Cutler
Thanks for your suggestions, Tobias. With 32 Meg of RAM, we don't have a problem fitting it all in , and we are using an "honest" 486/50, so I suppose there's no room for improvement there either. We have a VGA-recordable board, so (luckily) recording to tape is pretty easy…
How are we playing them back? You mean "time corrected" mode? 3DS won't play them that way. any ideas? AnimatorPro won't play them realtime either. Ken Loss-Cutler
Greg: Thanks for the kind words about our work. We are certainly in good company, judging from the demo reel at last year's SIGGRAPH party! We normally single-frame to a BVW-75, but we need 4 (!) 2 minutes animations by Tuesday. Thats 14,400 frames (at an average render of 1.25…
#FLC RT Playback Problems
Message #26442
We have created a series of FLCs which are supposed to represent approximately 2 minutes of realtime action. Problem is that when we play them back, they take around 13 seconds longer. We have 32 meg of RAM on a 486/50. There does not appear to be any disk accessing…
John, I understand that there are a number of service bureaus who offer USGS data. A call to USGS will probably get you the name of one in your area. We use Geographic Information Systems in McAllen, Texas. Their TollFree 800 number is 522-0139. Ask for Kevin and tell him…
John, We purchased 3DSurf last month and used it to convert 4 quadrants of point data from the US Geo. Survey into a mountainous terrain which was the site of a jet crash. The data translated easily and the resulting file looked great in 3DS. We recommend the program. Ken…
OK. I'm glad we wheted (I hope ) everyone's appetite before departing for e-mail. I hope that anyone who is willing to share their ideas on what should be included will write to you or me so we can circulate the ideas that get asked for alot! Hey, a _wishlist_…
OK, Gary. If you will spend some time with the ADesk folks and decide how THEY would like to see the workshops/seminars structured (and how much support ADesk is willing to throw at the project, of course) we can proceed. From reading this Forum, I know that there are at…
Yes, Gary, the offer still stands. Doug, send me some e-mail if this idea is appealing to you and let's get started on planning the seminar series. Ken Loss-Cutler
Well, I don't know, Ana. Are you going to be at SIGGRAPH this year? (Just kidding ) We have both packages in house and can probably furnish you with some useful info, but it would take too long to type in. If you are interested (no need to strike those…
Super Black, if I am not mistaken, is simply RGB 000. "Black" that is going to be broadcast as is should be 7.5% Gray. That is the "Black" that editors set their waveforms to. Super black is also called "key black" because it is used when straight chrominance keying is…
John, To send messages thru Internet, your address should look like: >INTERNET:address.whatever Note that there are no spaces in the address If you have basic services on Compuserve, expect an extra charge for messages send out on Internet. There is not, however, an extra charge for incoming mail. Hope this…
Murder in Dallas
Message #21437
Well, we have spoken with one of the attorneys and also with the PI again. It seems like the jury figured it this way: Our client, his girlfriend, and another guy were drinking that evening. They returned to the "scene" and the guys got into a arguement over her. Our…
I understand your predicament, but using 3.61 is simply OLD NEWS. Everyone knows that 3dsr2 runs rings around 3.61 . The test (translation: the newsworthy article) must be 4.0 . GSL is obviously trying to keep things under wraps until they get things finished for SIGGRAPH. They know, as you…
Mike: I don't think 4.0 is out yet, is it? It's not really fair to compare 3dsr2 to topas 3.61. Give 'em a fair shot and wait for 4.0 release. Ken Loss-Cutler
Keith: Gary is right: 50-55 mm. . You may be referring to a dialogue we had 3-4 months back concerning an eyeview problem in a simulated driving situation. Though that project was executed in Topas, our solution may have some value here. We took data from the State Highway Department…
Legal Animations Tour
Message #18553
I, also, send you private e-mail concerning your upcoming tour. I, also, have not received a reply. Have you checked your mail lately? Ken Loss-Cutler
#18138-
#Render Difficulties
Message #18158
Steve: Just a wild shot in the dark: alter your Capstan Lock from 4F to 2F (or the other way). Also, have you checked software switches for field variables? If there is one, you might try to switch it from its current setting and see if that clears things up.…
It might be fun for you to send me the same file you used in your trials and let me run it in both of my environments to check the times against. It would certainly add to the credibility of whatever claims you and/or I end up asserting . Ken
Ah, Gary: I thought you might want to jump to that conclusion: "3DSr2 is actually faster on a 486/50 than the Topas RRS system on an i860". Unfortunately, I have not yet performed tests which could tell me that. I could DXF a file between the platforms and render, but…
We agree with Evan! Get enough RAM to insure that your harddrive is not accessed during rendering. That is the most cost-effective way to maximize your speed. Ken Loss-Cutler
Not that this is totally relevant to your discussion, but it seems like an interesting place to mention this. Having just purchased a 486/50 for our 3DS station, we thought it would be fun to load our 3.61 Topas onto it and benchtest a couple of models against our regular…
Grahame: We, too, are interested in any Topas to 3DSr2 conversion that will carry the linking intact. "User Friendly" may not be so important, either. The routine would not be used THAT frequently . Shirley, you can find a way to get it to us now . Ken Loss-Cutler
Sherwood: I think you, too, suspect that betacam will not be "it" in a couple of years. Hey, we're lucky! At least we don't have a few hundred thousand wrapped up in 1" C decks. Ken Loss-Cutler
Roberto: 3/4" will continue to be a used format for industrial/corporate work for the foreseeable future BUT it is being phased out of production. The major manufacturers have already discontinued the 3/4" format. 3/4" SP was an attempt to revamp the format but it was short-lived. BetaSP has become the…
#17062-
#Network conflicts
Message #17081
I want to defer further comments on the Lantastic/3DS problem until James has had a chance to check it out. He is in Houston today but wil but will be around to take a look on Monday. I'll get back with you then
#16790-
Graphics house startup
Message #16925
Luke: We would be willing to reply to your questions in a phonecall. If you would like, give us a ring at (214) 368-8987 Afternoons are best. Ken Loss-Cutler
Emilio: If I may venture a comment: When you write a message here in the ADESK Forum, it is considered public! That means that ANYONE, including Martin Foster, has every right to make a comment on it's content. If you did not wish to open yourself up to criticism, you…
Yeah, Gary. It's great to see our name in lights! (Hey, that might be a good animation for our next demo reel ) Thanks for all you do. Ken Loss-Cutler
Topas 4.0 is now in beta testing, Grahame. Word is that they are shooting for release in a couple of months. I wouldn't start holding my breath til a couple of days before SIGGRAPH, though . When 4.0 comes out, comparisons with 3DSr2 will be quite interesting. Our company, Media…
I see you have arrived
Message #10001
HI!
I'll have to check that out. If they have, we may not be able to refer work to them anymore. For their sake, I hope they stayed in 2d. Ken Loss-Cutler
Sherwood: Our personal biases aside, I have seen excellent work done in the Amiga environment by a local company called Lone Star Pictures (or Productions?) They bundle their service with Amiga-based beta-sp editing, toaster, with everything software-linked. Their product is extremely cost effective (if a bit on the pixelly-side )…
Who was the local Mac shop, James? Ken Loss-Cutler
James: Call Paul. They have the Vista configuration kit and probably have the Targa+ kit by now (or they should ). Ken Loss-Cutler
All I can tell you about sun light, Steven, is that you will be VERY happy…. someday…. (apologies to Gary ) Ken Loss-Cutler
Jeff: SoftVTR was the first product I ever saw do what it does. (though I must confess I have never really SEEN it do it ). I did see a captivating demo at last year's SIGGRAPH which was executed under highly controlled conditions and, even then, froze up consistently during…
#9297-
Lights
Message #9551
When your program won't give you the proper lights, lighting is everything! . This should not be a problem with 3DS as it seems to be with other similar applications. Ken Loss-Cutler
#9261-
#SoftVTR
Message #9550
Let me be frank. My experience with SoftVTR indicates that you should not waste your time. The company is marketing the product as a sidelight to other "more important projects" from which SoftVTR and other similar ventures are spinoffs. They will not, in the end, provide the kind of support…
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