CompuServe Messages

A PC with 3DStudio is certainly more cost effective that an SGI system but as the others here have said, you need to check your needs. If your output is going to be seen through 256 color MPEG viewers, any visual improvement from the SGI is going to be lost. However if your MPEG output is full screen full color 30 frames/sec, then you can get superior output from a SGI system (with a good artist). You may also find that SGI software has superior modelers. However, remember there is SGI and there is _SGI_. Don't expect miracles from a minimal SGI setup, SGI doesn't start to shine until you get into the $100K range. Don't expect the machines to work themselves either, nothing takes the place of a good artist with a grasp of 3D modeling, _nothing_. For our recent game Voyeur, (on the cover of last week's TIME magazine), all the action is placed against rendered backgrounds from 3D Studio. We still use 3DS even for full-screen full-motion full-color animations in some of our upcomming game titles that use full motion MPEG Digital Video. Good luck, DanP PIMA/POV