This is an archive of CompuServe forum messages from 1985 to 1995, as saved in transcripts by John Foust.
Search Results (51 messages)
#Graphics Board Choices
Message #192112
I'm evaluating graphics boards (PCI) for the best performance with 3DS, NT, Photoshop, etc. Any suggestions? Looks like from the traffic that the Millenium is a good bet. Any pros or cons? -Gregory
Gregory- Do you have the 3ds party details? I'm arriving in LA Sunday afternoon. It would be nice to see you there. -Gregory
DX4 vs Pentium
Message #183429
Does anyone have rendering speed comparisons with DX4s and Pentiums?
Mark, How much for the syquest drive? And will it read/write Mac/PC files? -Gregory
Thanks for the info. So what else is in the EISA system. I seem to need too many slots for typical boards.
Yow, Sounds great. I wonder why they've been keeping it so quite for so long. The more research I do on EISA, the more of a problem it seems. So, I'll wait for the (PCI) bus. Thanks for the info. -Gregory
Jonas, Thanks a lot. I'll look for it now. I have another question, however. What is the command for capturing screen shots? I've looked in the manuals but can't seem to find it. – Greogry
Yann, That sounds great. I appreciate your help on this. – Gregory
Martin, OK. I most certainly understand. Here's a summary: I've been doing computer animation for 15 years, I have my own animation facility (PC, Mac, SGI, motion picture film recorder), I've been creating interactive cable TV animation for the last 2 years, and focus only on very high quality image…
Thanks for getting back to me. The story I'm working on is "How To Make Water" for Computer Graphics World. Naturally I'm going to talk only about simple water effects excluding splashing, waterfalls, breaking crests, etc. So, I want the how to be pretty simple, like an overview and introduction.…
Alan, Thanks for the info. But if Gary is away, who can I contact at the Yost Group to get info on the IPAS routine? Gregory
Great info. Thanks. I've never ray traced something like this. The time payment seems too extreem. But maybe it isn't. How much longer is ray tracing an image like this? Nevertheless, thanks for the details. Gregory
#Making water
Message #166663
Jonas, I'm writing a story on how to make water. Could you give any and all leads you know regarding generating water. I put a message on the forum but got only one reply. But I'm sure someone out there must have made water w/ 3DS- besides myself. Also I've…
#Targa 2000
Message #166484
I'm getting a Targa 2000 and would like to hear from 2000 users about its pros and cons. Already I'm having problems getting an EISA board, as good ones are hard to find. Any suggestions? Also got any ideas about what I can do with my old ISA VLB board?…
#Stereo Images
Message #165892
The IXP sounds like it would do well in my next book on computer animation. Could you send me info and/or a review copy? Gregory MacNicol Computer Graphics World 732 Chestnut, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Martin, Could you tell me some more details about the job. I'm interested but I'd like to know essential details. Could you call me? 408-459-0880. Thanks. – Gregory MacNicol
#making water
Message #165888
I'm writing an article for CGW on making realistic looking water. Does anyone have any expertice on this topic who would like to share any hints, insights or examples? My deadline is next week so a quick response would be appreciated.
#Making Water
Message #165887
Gary, I'm writing an article on how to create realistic looking water. I'd like to get information on use w/ 3DS, IPAS and other related info. Also I'd like to talk with any "experts" you know of that can add some substance to this story. My dealine it tight so…
Request for Images
Message #155979
I am writing another book on 3D computer animation, called the 3D Computer Animation Cookbook. And I'd like to include images that are impressive and helpful to other 3D animators. Do you have images that I can use in the book that include useful data like # of polygons, rendering…
#field/frame problem
Message #136295
Jonas, I found a problem when I rendered an animation using a network. Here's the story: I have 6 486's on a Novell network. I set 5 as slaves and the 6th set as a slave after loading the queue. 2 animations were loaded in the queue. I set both…
#field reversal in batch
Message #131642
I encountered a problem during batch mode and perhaps one of you has the solution to it. Here's the problem: I rendered half an animation using 3DS and the other half in batch mode. The problem is that the second half has the fields reversed. Hos did this happen and…
driver for Orchid Kelvin
Message #104397
Sorry, none of the Cirrus Logic configurations worked. But let me know if there ever is a driver that I can use. Thanks. -Gregory
#Pentium rendering rates
Message #98828
Jonas, I'm considering getting a Pentium-based system. So, I'd like to know how much faster it is compared to, let's say, a DX2 or 50 mHz system. Have any idea? -Gregory MacNicol
Swap File Question
Message #97338
Jonas, It still isn't clear to me about the memory/disk access problem. I read the manual again and again and read the paragraph that you suggested again – but it still access the disk too often. I say too often because it seems crazy that when I load a model,…
Gary, Sure, but that's not what I want. I want the fields, not sequential TGA files consisting of two fields in a file. What I want to do is save the individual fields, filter them in the Y direction, and then combine them in one TGA file (and then convert…
Jonas, The -33 has 8Mb and the -66 has 32Mb. Both use QEMM. But it the model size is small, how can the memory manager affect the rendering speed?
#Field rendering question
Message #95962
Jonas, I am experimenting with rendering on fields (to disk, then to tape). But there are some things I don't understand. Perhaps you can clarify them. When I render a field to the display (and disk), I first see a field being displayed during the "transforming" process. Then it renders…
#Rendering speed puzzle
Message #95950
Jonas, My rendering rates just don't make sense; My 486-33 renders at the same rate as my 486DX2 (66). But when I run other benchmarks, the system seems to run about right. For example, the norton indes is 71 on the -33 and 94 on the -66. The -33 is…
#Rendering speed
Message #94990
Jonas, I'd like to make sure my 486-33DX2 is running at the optimal speed. I found out that the SRAMs in the BIOS were set to 1 wait state instead of 0 which slowed it down to the speed of a 486-33. How fast does planet3.3ds take to render to…
#MPEG optimization
Message #94989
Jonas, I have an application that is an animation going to MPEG. However, the results are awful. Currently the only solution is to blur the image via increasing the pixel size to 1.5 or more. Even that doesn't fix the problems indemic to MPEG. However, I'd like to experiment with…
Both machines use QEMM ver 6.02. But why should all of the "speed" numbers bee so different?
Rendering Speed Question
Message #93332
Jonas, Thanks for your fast reply on the TGA to FLI. But I came across a strange assement while comparing my 486-33 and my 486DX2 (66). I realized that they render (to disk) at the same speed. So, I ran some benchmarks which confused me more. Here's what I got:…
TGA to FLI Converter
Message #92849
Jonas, What is the program to convert a sequence of TGAs to FLI/FLCs? Thanks, Gregory MacNicol
#TGA to Fli Converter
Message #92848
Jonas, I know there is a way to convert a TGA series of animation to a FLI/FLC. But what is the program? And where can I get it? Thanks, Gregory
driver for Orchid Kelvin
Message #92847
Brian, Is there a driver for the Orchid Kelvin 64? Will there be one? If there will be one, when? And what do I need to get it? Thanks – Gregory MacNicol, Computer Graphics World
#Swap File Question
Message #90555
G- I have a question about swap files. If I have 32MB of RAM and 6MB is being used by the program, why should my swap file be so large, ie several MB? Is there a way that I can reduce this amount. Because of this, I must exit 3DS…
#Summa tablet Problems
Message #86366
I still have problems with my Summagraphics tablet when using 3DS3. I use several 486's, different types, and they all suffer from occasional hanging up at random times. The tablets are fine — the only problem is when I am using 3DS. Does anyone have a fix? Or know what…
#Missing Alpha
Message #86350
Folks, I think I am getting to the root of the ambiguity of alpha channels; it's the interpretation of the words based on its use. The issue of differing opinions about alpha channels seems to be again in the chasm between the video world and the computer world. Video people,…
#missing alpha channels
Message #86349
Folks, I've got a couple of questions that I would like to put in the 3D Studio Newsletter (I'm still waiting for Autodesk to get back to me on its approval). 1) For a simple animation setup with 2 or 3 486s, what are the best choices for a cost-effective…
#Questions
Message #86348
Folks, Gary suggested I put this out to anyone who can answer these questions. Anyone have the answers? I'm having a minor problem that I'm sure has a simple answer — It's just eluding me. Here it is. Problem: I want to map an image on the faces of a…
Missing Alpha Channels.
Message #83551
L;Yost Group;Alpha Channels. Gary, I'm sending you 2 small TGA images of the same object, ALPHA.TGA and NOALPHA.TGA. Both were created with 3DS3. The difference is ALPHA.TGA had the alpha channel made from NOALPHA.TGA using QFX. Take a look at the images with QFX and view the alpha channel on…
#missing alpha channel
Message #79455
Thanks for your response. But questions still remain. 1) Regarding the alpha channel problem: The attributes of the image used for bumping and texture were identical. That's where I was baffled. They were both set for decal. I tried "ignore" but got the same warning. I also tried different but…
#Alpha question
Message #77997
Gary, I have a question that I don't have clarity on, perhaps you can help. I get an error message when I render an image that says, " Warning: Texture map x.tga is used in two places with conflicting use of alpha .." How can I change the imaginary existence…
Crashing question
Message #56563
Thanks for the suggestion. My CSC FastCache controller has 1 mB of RAM. Incidently, assuming the controller works, would additional RAM help in any way? Also, do you have recommendations on a controller? Thanks. – Gregory
Crashing question
Message #56562
Gary, Yes, that's who I've been working with, Pacific Video Resources. But the results are awful. So I end up taking alot of time to blur and fix the animated images over again. MPEG is a long ways from working correctly. – Gregory
#Crashing question
Message #54514
Gary, I had another question. I'd like to use the command-line capability of 3DS. But I'd like to specify the resolution of the animation images. What's the protocol? I think you'd be interested in why I need this. The target resolution is 720 x 486. Why that seemingly arbitrary resolution?…
#Crashing question
Message #54513
Gary, Thanks for your ideas on my crashing experiences. I think the hard disk vs. 3DS is suspect. Here's more info, if in case you have a hint what's going on. A few months ago I bought a 1.2 gB Maxtor drive with a CSC Fastcache 64 controller. It seems…
#Crashing question
Message #54508
Kevin, I agree with you; I think the hard disk vs. 3DS is suspect. Here's more info, if in case you have a hint what's going on. A few months ago I bought a 1.2 gB Maxtor drive with a CSC Fastcache 64 controller. It seems alot of demanding users…
#crashing quesiton
Message #53605
I have a question regarding crashing during rendering and wonder if anyone has any idea what it could be. I talked with Autodeesk Tech Support and they don't have a clue either. Here's what's happening. During rendering the system hangs. But if I turn off shadows or reduce the verticies,…
#Crashing question
Message #53603
I have a question regarding crashing during rendering and wonder if anyone has any idea what it could be. I talked with Autodeesk Tech Support and they don't have a clue either. Here's what's happening. During rendering the system hangs. But if I turn off shadows or reduce the verticies,…
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