CompuServe Messages

Hi Mark, Hey, I've had some <Whoa!-now-I-need-a-cigarette> moments myself from checking out the workstation-class stuff, too. All we are trying to point out is exactly what all classes of machines are capable of in terms of quality and speed and how accepted their output is in the industry. Once these issues become apparent, one can look at the price levels and decide which is right for their application. It'll be quite interesting to see just how powerful the new Mips CPUs will be, and how they compare power- and price-wise to the P6's and Alphas. The term "acceptable output" can be defined multiple ways depending on who the client is, and what they are expecting. There are many examples of different levels of photorealism and detail already documented in movies, TV, and video games. One only needs to do a little research to find an example of what you are looking for. Then find out what you need to do it. For some excellent examples of top-end Renderman output, rent some laserdiscs like Jurassic Park, or watch Toy Story very closely this fall. The Listerine commercials are another good example and there are dozens of others. Good Rman animators can be spotted by the very worn copies of The Renderman Companion on their desks and that certain pallor of a dedicated programmer. One of my wishes for a MAX CoreComp is the ability to do a little object-oriented shader-building to give us some of the flexibility of Rman, but more user-freindly. The bottom line is really the talent and dedication of the artist more than anything else. I've seen wonderful stuff from very cheap equipment and horrible stuff from workstations and everything in between. The best bet is to choose a platform, learn as much as possible about it, and work your butt off to be the best you can at it. Best of luck to you, -Alan