CompuServe Messages

Steven, Animator Pro is very useful for creating animated texture and bump maps. For example, if you want to create an animation of a droplet falling into water and making a ripple in 3DS, this would be a megapain to model directly in 3DS. Instead you can use Animator Pro to make a grayscale 2D animation (called a flic) of the ripple. Then in 3DS you just apply the flic to a flat surface as a Bump map and render it. Voila! A ripple. Saves a lot of modeling on "animated meshes" like this. There is a learning curve but no more so than for 3DS. I don't know of any other program that will create animated texture and bump maps for use with 3D Studio, at least not at 800×600. I may be biased — I've been using Animator Pro since its 320×200 days and have found more ways to use it with 3DS than a porcupine has prickles. <g> Speaking of books, be sure to check out the 3D Studio Tips & Tricks Series, which will be available next week at your local Barnes & Noble. This is six workbooks on different subjects for 3DS: Materials & Lighting, Glass & Reflection etc. Of course then I am biased again; I am one of the co-authors. <g> Michele