This is an archive of CompuServe forum messages from 1985 to 1995, as saved in transcripts by John Foust.
Search Results (50 messages)
Steve, I just received my AM v.3 upgrade notice via snail mail today and I have a few questions. 1. What other improvements beside Unattach and Insert Control point have been made to the modeler ? Any other tools ? 2. What is variable patch resolution ? 3. Would you…
Tilable image maps ?
Message #3657
I was wondering if any AM users knew if there were any tilable images available here on CI$ ? Chris
Michael, >> The A-Wings rendered in 2 hours 43 min. That may seem excessive, but >>they are so detailed that 16meg RAM wasn't enough to render two of them >>in one scene, How about rendering the two separately and then compositing the two later, provided one doesn't fall into the…
Michael, >>I haven't figured out what the "m" and "b" are that are above the 2 >>bottom boxes, so I ignore them. They stand for Magnitude and Bias. In other words they help you determine how a spline will pass through a control point. BTW, What was the rendering time…
Michael, I haven't seen the Transformer cutscenes that you referred to in your message, but I do agree with your opinion about the pointless use of computer animation. No matter how offensive the Transformer example may be, I doubt that it could be as bad as what I see on…
Pawel, No, I wasn't aware of the Corel/stock photo lawsuit. But then again I don't particularly like stock photography or clip art for that matter. I suppose the lesson of this example and others is that every artist should endeavor to create work that is completely original. But I for…
>>After all the copyright laws exist to protect those who either create or >>pay for original artwork. Pawel, So how do POP artists get away with using the work of others ? Does Warhol's estate pay a fee to the Campbell Soup Co. every time a print of "100 Cans"…
Droids
Message #2378
Christopher, >>Did you use klieg light on them…? Yes, four in all, one for each droid. >>What were your rendering settings…? Vga and photo. I decided not to use anti-alias in order to reduce my rendering time by about 1/3. I also reduced the image from 1024×768 to 640×480 to…
>> Because for the past few months, getting onto the BBS has been one >>giant pain. I might try again though. Michael, For what its worth, getting a successful connection seems easier during the week than on weekends. At least that has been my experience. Chris
>> I just spent 2 hours typing some info on copyright laws for you and >>anyone else interested, and after I filed it, it just vanished. Michael, Did you try a universal search of your hard drive. My CIM will occasionally put files in directories not associated with my CIM…
Bruce, I did as you suggested and downloaded several files from the GRAPHSUP forum concerning the copyright issue. They made for some interesting reading. But regardless of all the lip service copyright infringement gets in these forums I must say that CompuSpend's inforcement of these rules is inconsistent at best.…
Christopher, >>It took my basic ship .TGA's 2 1/2 weeks to show up… Wow, 2 1/2 weeks, thats strange. It took my upload only a few days. BTW, what is next for your ship. Are you going to add image maps to the surface, etc… ? Chris
Bruce, I am curious, what does the law say about such matters. Where does artistic freedom end and copyright infringement begin ? If the artist doesn't profit by his interpretation is he violating the law ? Wondering, Chris
MIchael, How about uploading your work to Hash's BBS instead ? Just a thought, Chris
Kevin, Regarding the way Bob's legs are connected to his body, I would suggest resculpting that part of his body. Assuming you haven't made any significant changes to Bob's lower torso that is. The default connection between Bob's upper leg and lower torso is horizontal in nature. This may be…
>> An example of my current rendition of a nose is available here as >>FACE.SEG, but it lacks something for definition and realism. What exactly is your concern about the nose, is it the way it is modelled and if so what part of the nose ? Or is your…
MIchael, Thanks for your careful sculpturing explanation. I always find it helpful to learn how others solve modeling challenges. BTW, your TIE-IN model looks better than the one used in the cut scenes in the game TIE FIGHTER. Perhaps you could earn a few extra dollars at Lucas Arts. Chris…
Michael, I downloaded TIE-IN.JPG yesterday. Good job. I compared your model to a picture of one of the TIE-IN models used in Return of the Jedi and was pleased to see how faithful your model was to the original. What method did you use to produce the grooves on the…
>>It is a zipped file containing 3 .TGA's of a basic Star-Trek type ship I >>designed. It's a static model that I'm building to take me through all >>the modules of A:M to help me learn the program… Someday it may even >>be an animation! I look forward to seeing…
>>One night I got that message. It appeared to be a temporary problem. Michael, Christopher Hoffman's message suggests that it may not be so temporary. While I have your attention, how is life in the Star Wars universe ? Do you only work for the Empire or do you also…
Christopher, Hopefully one of the sysops around here will tell us what is going on. BTW, what is in your ZIP upload, a still image, FLI, FLC, etc… ? Chris D.
>>It would help to be able to render a test sphere AND a series of frames >>directly in the material editor so the experimenting time would be kept >>down (steve?). It looks like I will have to keep experimenting. Back to the Salt Mine. Suggestions appreciated, Chris D.
Corkscrew HOW-TO.
Message #2031
Chris, As you requested, I will now try to explain my method for constructing the CORKSCREW.SEG I sent you. Please keep in mind that much of what follows can easily be changed to create other corkscrew like SEGs. First set the left window to FRONT view and the right window…
#Upload Space ?
Message #2012
Steve, I was considering uploading a FLC I created and I remembered reading a message in this forum sometime back that mentioned the Hash library was full. Is this true ? Should I try your BBS instead ? Chris D.
Chris, I have sent you a ZIP file containing the SEG file. If it is what you had in mind let me know and I will explain how I did it. Chris D.
Chris, I read your message last night about the corkscrew and decided to give it a try. After a few minutes I had created what I believe you are after. The segment resembles a simplified pig's tail or coil spring. If you are interested, I will send you via e-mail…
Jim, >> Have you experimented with the FOG.MAT? It is an example of the >>material moving and expanding over time. I have rendered a few test images using FOG.MAT as atmosphere, but I didn't notice anything. What should it look like ? Chris D.
Jim, Thanks for your lighting tip. I don't think it will work for the animation I had in mind, but I might be able to make use of it on another project. What I am looking for is a solution independent of the light source. Something that would react to…
#Shaft of Light ?
Message #1618
I am curious to know if any AM users know how to produce a shaft of light, by that I mean the visual effect of light entering through a window into a dust or smoke filled room. Any ideas ? Chris D.
Pawel, Thanks for your help on aspect ratios. It all makes sense now. Chris D.
>>Of course, now when Steven Spielberg is coming with the TV series called >>"Earth2", I will have to do something with the title… If Steven's Earth2 is as bad as his other forays into television, such as SeaSquid, your need for a title change may take on an unexpected importance.…
>>Shadow.tga shows up when you render the scene with the shadows. (-p >>switch in Render24) Pawel, I will have to disagree with you. The shawdow.tmp file does show up when I use the -p switch, but only when I use Klieg lights. If I were to use Bulb lights with…
>>… there is no way to remove them except to delete them which I >>wouldn't reccomend… >> Steve, Hash Inc. Steve, Thanks for your help. But I will continue to delete them until I find a use for them. Hard disk space is far too valuable to do otherwise. Chris…
>>the temp files you are referring to is where the renderer stores it's >>data while finishing/creating an image… the shadow.tmp is where the >>alpha channels are stored… these files should not be left behind after >>you close the render… >> Steve, Hash Inc. Well Steve, they are left behind after…
#Temp Files
Message #1074
Steve, I am curious to know why AM leaves some rather large .TMP files behind after a rendering is completed ? And why does the use of Klieg lights cause AM to produce a separate Shadow.TMP file ? Seeking enlightenment, Chris D.
Thanks Loyd.
Steve, When you do see it I suggest you look closely at the curved surfaces. I don't think the creators had the advantage of a spline modeler. Chris D.
Loyd, Do you know what network Battletech will be broadcast on ? Chris D.
Kevin, I am glad I am not the only one who saw it. Your right about the smoothness of the characters facial expressions and lip syncing. It looked like the results of motion capture. As for a favorite character, I liked the design of the evil character Megabyte and the…
Kevin, Thanks for the tip on iris placement. Its similar to my solution except for setting the constraint. For what ever reason I never thought to do that. As for uploading an example of one of your noses, that is certainly a generous offer. If you decide to do so…
#Reboot TV Series ?
Message #745
All, I was wondering if any Hash users had seen the new ABC Saturday morning TV series named Reboot, and if so what were your opinions, thoughts, criticisms, etc… Does anyone know what hardware and software the creators of this show are using ? For me the series came as…
Kevin, Thanks for taking time to reply to my questions, I appreciate it. And if you don't mind I have a few more. >> The eyes are (of course) spheres with a material I call eyeball which >>has the colorations ( including light veins up close) and specular. I >>then…
Kevin, There were quite a few files answering to the Cheshire keyword search. Would you narrow the selection by recommending a few files that you consider to be your best work with AM. While I was in COMART forum I downloaded CCHALL.GIF. Was that image created with AM ? And…
Pawel, Success ! Thanks for your help. The magic command missing from my previous attempts was -q . I thought the default format was targa so therefore I didn't bother to specify it. And for what ever its worth I don't use the project name, I just include the path…
#DOS Render24
Message #622
Steve, I am using AM for windows v2.03, and I have a question regarding the DOS renderer. I can successfully render a still frame from a .cho file using one of the standard resolutions (-m,-l,-v), but I have been unable to render a higher resolution still using the -w# and…
#Mac to IBM
Message #275
Hash, A few of the picture files I have downloaded from your library on AOL were created on the Mac and stored in formats that my IBM software can't read. Do you know of any conversion utility that would make these files viewable on my IBM PC. Thanks, Chris D.
>> Also, 4 megs is the bare "BARE" minimum to make Imagine run, I doubt you will be able to do much with this low memory amout, 8 megs seems to work fine, and 16 megs is the bestr.
Michael, I believe your right about my lack of RAM. I have decided to give up on Imagine until I can afford to upgrade my machine so it can adequately deal with a program like Imagine. Thanks for taking time to help me, I appreciate it. Chris
Michael, I tried your suggestion. I removed EMM386.EXE from the config.sys and now Imagine will start, but if you try to do something it will crash. Any other suggestions ? Chris
#Imagine3.0 won't start
Message #84490
I am trying to get Imagine 3.0 to run on a 486DX-33 with 4meg Ram, impossible ? I'm using EMM386.EXE, so I used the -noxms switch, but nothing happened. Suggestions, comments, patches…?