#R3 vs. Silicon Garden
I would hope that everyone involved in this discussion not take any of
this too personally. I also have a problem with the logic that you
should keep your old car just in case the new one won't start. I
don't have enough system resources to keep multiple versions of
everything I own. If someone had been using some of your IPAS
routines and they're now without them in R3, how long will they be
caught with their toolbox missing tools? Didn't I catch a message
from the guy in charge of the developers kit a while ago where he
basically chewed everyone out for giving out his phone number, and
said "I don't take phone calls." How do you get ahold of this guy,
smoke signals? <g>
I personally see IPAS as not much more than another way to part me
from my money, not that I begrudge anyone value for their efforts. I
just strongly disagree with the way these things are interwoven with
the core program. All too many of these things that are being
sloughed off to IPAS should exist in the core program. But then
again, you're a developer, so you probably disagree strongly with
that point of view. But because they're not part of the core
program, my experience with too many of the IPAS routines that I own,
is that once you push that button, you venture off into a black hole
of wasted time because the parameters, adjustments, and documentation
are nowhere near as elegant, well-thought-out, and functional as the
core program. I found myself lately cringing at the thought of how
much time it'll take to create that effect. Greg, I'm a one man
operation, who's got to fight tooth and nail for the limited work
available to me. I'm basically staying alive by my wits. I can't
afford 2 and 3 and 4 days to make some of these effects work properly.
I know I'm not the only one that feels this way. I'm in contact
pretty regularly with at least 15 other people who use 3DStudio
professionally. All of them have related to me, that several of the
aftermarket routines are extremely problematic and difficult to
operate, although I don't know why any of them won't stand up and say
it. But I guess I've always been known as the Don Quixote type. <g>