This is an archive of CompuServe forum messages from 1985 to 1995, as saved in transcripts by John Foust.
Search Results (252 messages)
When your building an object that is identicle on both sides, you only need to build one half. Select the splines that intersect at the halfway point, mirror them over and merge your points. Next hit Cntrl-S to smooth across the points. Then delete one half. That's it! GT
Hear that John… we do good work, too bad the Producers don't!
Working at a place like Amblin is probably the most fun you can possibly have. The hours are long, the schedules demanding, the workload seamingly impossible, and I love every minute of it. The best part is the freedom given to the artists to develope new and better imagry. Having…
Hey!!! Who told you how we do underwater refractions? GT
I believe you are correct in that assumption. GT
seaQuest questions
Message #75854
Good luck to you! GT
I can't think of a way to do that. You mimght want to ask John Gross; that's what I do anyway….. GT (course it's easy because he's in the next room…)
Well then! Since all these turkeys are dying to get in bed with us, maybe I should check that one out too! Thanks for the tip.
What dosen't work? The only thing I can't get to work is stupid AP program! GT
Does that mean you and Tony didn't get poked with sticks by little kids on the beach? GT (It was really smoggy here…)
That's just what I've been told. GT
You mean YOU have to generate a motion file by hand keyframed every frame!? Shoudn't the program do that for you? Assuming you do, why don't you generate one, save it as a motion file, and then just load it up when you need one. GT
I think that will happen once hardware prices fall further and developers like the Yost Group have access to the same performance systems as the big boys. One reason why Alias and Softimage are so cutting edge is because they all program for SGI based hardware. They can have all…
That's true to a point, but I'll you I'd rather have 3 Screamers than 80 2000s all networked together. The biggest problem with huge render farms is the enormous cost of RAM for all the machines. It costs around $50 to $60K to populate all those machines with 32 meg…
Your actually right about those things, but those are judgment calls made by the effects supervisor, and we have to follow his direction. The tenticles on the sea monster were very difficult to do, for a number of different reasons, the most significant being the amount of time given us…
I think that we will probably end up getting a couple of machines running Alias and Parallax. There really is no good desktop compositing software- or at least nothing that can do anything real time-, that I know of. We've tried all the Amiga software that I care to, and…
Now that wuld be quite abit of rendering power! GT
So Gary has informed me. I don't know why I thought that they were announcing an upgrade at SIGGRAPH. Oh well, I'll just have to play with my friends version until it ships…. 12 months away!!! …..really?
It dosen't matter how efficient or accessible LightWave becomes if the platform it's running on can't let the software perform at it's most efficient level. It's just not practicle to have 40 networked Amigas generating animations for the average user- or for that matter- profrssionals alike. I'd rather have 5…
I thought that it was you that said that you were going to show R4 at SIGGRAPH? I could be wrong. (as it seems I am) Sorry about that! So when is the next release date?
That's exactly what I do with LightWave! I find neat features in the high-end stuff and then ask for it in LightWave. Since we have a strategic relationship with NewTek, we usally get what we ask for. I've also been putting some of those thoughts here on the ADESK forum…
Well, don't put too much stock in what I say concerning 3ds, as I'm not anymore in the know than your average user. I'm much more in the know concerning LightWave and NewTek though, since we're a beta test and development site for the Toaster. (Specifically LightWave) The Screamer is…
Interesting. I thought that over half of those who buy Toasters do so for LightWave alone! I would have to say that LightWave is probably the most compelling app on the Amiga, as I wouldn't have bought one were it not for LightWave. If LightWave ever to became platform independent…
I've actually used 3ds in it's second release primarly. When I started working at seaQuest they used LightWave exclusivley, and I built models in 3ds. I've since used LightWave, but would like to get back into 3ds. I think that rather than upgrading to R3 though I'll wait and see…
That fog idea could work as temporary fix, but for true volumetric fog to look right, it would have to be generated entirely by the software. The problem with using multiple planes is that as the object passes through the environment, you will be able to see the edges of…
Just curious, why would you want every frame key-framed? GT
No. LightWave is still connected to the Toaster. LightRave will let you run LightWave without the Toaster, but the 3.1 upgrade won't work with it. GT
Yeah but the problem is that AP dosen't know which library number the file I want is in. For Example; in the Autodesk Forum there is a .JPG in LIB 9 that I want. AP dosen't look past LIB 1, says it can't find the file, and goes offline! What's…
Not as an IPAS? That's ok, I would rather it be a part of the main interface anyway.
I like the idea of the "slab" of fog. We could use it now in fact. Sounds like it's a volumetric type of fog, similar to that found in Alias. Say I got something else for the wishlist here: How about visable light cones from spots? Right now, we both…
I'll let you know! This coming Monday, SGI is going to loan us an Indy and a Indigo2 Extreme. We'll have it for about a month with all the software to go with it. There is a package called Matador by Parallax that does some phenominal compositing in real time…
As far as I know seaQuest is not available on video yet, if at all. Judging by the scripts we get though and the uncertainty of being renewed for next season, look for us on MST3K!
Can't say about the 4000, don't have one on my desk…. GT
Actually Gary, what I mean is the ability for the fog to assume the colors of the backround. For instance, when we set up our scenes in LightWave, we create a gradient backround, and turn on Backdrop Fog. The fog then assumes it's colors. The advantage of this is that…
That sounds like a John Gross question… GT
Try hitting the Alt and star key on the NUMERIC keypad. Either that or shift. Warning however! Your display will slow down considerably! Buying a 4000 card would work the best however….. GT
Can't say I'm having that problem, but then again I'm using AutoPilot, and I have yet to figure out even how to download a file. Have to ask JG at work Monday. GT
I've been swearing at those little wiggly lines now for over a year, and I think I've fianally figuered out how they work! GT
Just curious Alan- who are the "big boys"?
>>The Amiga is still largely accepted in the video market, despite Commodore. (Witness shows like "Babylon 5" and "Seaquest", and products like the DPS PAR). Other platforms are rapidly catching up, but the Amiga still has a strong following.
Actually, there is a way to get the yellow polys with a 2000 Amiga, if anyone is interested. GT
John, I thouroghly injoyed it…
Actually, we just spin everything but the lights and refmaps. Refmaps would use world coordinates. Hey, I was wondering, a friend of mine at work who has R3 and let me play around with it today said that 3ds has a layered fog. What is layered fog? Is it the…
First thing taught in flying logos 101! GT
Saving Transformed does just that- it will save a displaced object. A displacement map can also be an image sequence. GT
Glad you liked it. John Gross was responsible for that shot. GT
You have to make sure that when you do a morph that the objects are not only the same but also from the same layer. If you cut and paste the morph target to another layer, the point order is changed and it won't work. I'm not sure if this…
Well….. Let's see. I believe that what Grant was talking about rgarding layered surfaces was a surface with multiple maps. – i.e Color, diffuse, transparency, bump etc, all on one surface. He could mean that objects that aren't 100% morphed to each other would show characteristics of themselves combined, and…
FPU means Floating Point Unit. It is a version of Lightwave optimised for the 040 processor.
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