CompuServe Messages

Jennifer- Welcome! <<What do you mean by "re-inventing the 3D wheel?" Would love to chat with you about the program. I am an artist working in oils who has become interested in computer-aided design and animation>> By "reinventing the 3d wheel", I mean that I get so eager to apply the program to my particular area, I often neglect to do the absolute common-sense essentials – like working through all the excellent tutorials. Then I end up beating my head against the wall on some detail that was clearly explained on p.137. Once you "know enough to be dangerous"., it's sometimes hard to go back and do the tutorials. BTW – since you are apparently a "traditionally trained artist", if you don't already have it – you should get Fractal Painter X2 , and a Wacom pressure-sensitive tablet – you will go absolutely nuts. This program uses traditional artist's tools and paper textures (all totally customizable), including oils – but you are painting with light! If you have a reasonably fast computer and plenty of RAM, using the Wacom pen is as close to working with a real drawing tool as it's likely to ever get. I grieve because I have so much neat software that I don't have time to explore for purely artistic reasons. My husband asked me the other day, if I "wasn't interested" in doing "real creative work" with these tools … I looked at him incredulously, and asked if he was willing to give up his whole 5-10 min/day of my attention so I could do so – or if I should take it out of the kids' time? (he asked if I could document that he was actually getting 5-10 minutes …) Is Donald prepared to be a "3D widower"? I am moving this conversation to the "Take 5/General" section of the Asoft forum, hope it's OK with you – but you'll have a chance to get input from all sorts of people who are friendly, and more knowledgeable than I am (also it doesn't cost as much as email). Just address your forum messages to "ALL", and experts will magically materialize (well, not exactly materialize, given the nature of the medium), but they will respond. Have fun! Gayle G de N, SAVANTES