CompuServe Messages

<<So is there *only* a 1-viewport interface, or can you set-up a traditional 4-viewport scheme ?>> You have one single viewport but you can change this view quickly using the numeric keypad to swap to front, left, right, etc. <<How fast are screen redraws with a lot of geometry present ?>> I must say that they're not as fast as 3DS, but then again it is running under windows. I'm awaiting a maintenance release version in a day or two supposedly a lot of bugs were fixed and the rendering is faster. BTW, I forgot to mention it does a quick phong shading of the model, but it currently isn't very fast. <<Are you referring to the *Control Polygon* for the B-Spline Curve/Surface, or to either Spline or Polygonal modeling ?>> When working with NURBS you'll be pulling on the control points, but there is a tool that allows you to pull on the actual vertices of polygons and they stretch which gives a similar feel and response to using the NURBS control points. <<Are there other Deformations such as various types of bend operations which work in different ways ?>> The one I mentioned where you draw a spline and the object is bent to follow the spline. As an honest newbie to the program I can't add much more without working more with it. <<One of the compelling reasons to use NURBS is to use Trimmed Surfaces. With TS, you can trim away portions of a surface using an open/closed curve or another surface as the "knife". >> I think that you can do this using the boolean feature. Once you've create another surface you can use it as a boolean on another. <<The Contour feature you describe is just a standard boundary Patch.>> Yeh, standard coons patch as far as I can guess. <<Have you tested the output to 3DS via DXF ? Can *any* model, no matter how it was created, be accurately exported without problems to 3DS ?>> Other people I know have and use it comfortably like that for producing figures for games. I personally haven't tried yet. <<Well no, it doesn't have to become a polygon (except on export), as that is what Trimmed Surfaces are….>> Such CSG facilities aren't included in the modeller but you can get by with the boolean features it provides. <<No, I mean can you adjust the "weight" of a Control Point ?>> I'm not sure. Sounds great though. <<It does filleting on *surfaces* interactively (or not), in addition to *curves* ?>> You can take any form and chamfer or fillet it's edges. <<Are you saying that a seperate spline curve can be used as a Deformation Axis which the surface conforms to ?>> Yep. Unfortunately I couldn't answer all your questions because I'm not well enough educated with the package. Ask me again in a couple of months when I get some more free time to experiment. DaviD "Mummy, when do I get to go outside and play?" GouID