Release 4
Nik, and Brian,
Let me try a clarification on EPS images (such as 3DS R4 will output).
Yes, it's often an ASCII file (if Hex encoded), however Binary is common also.
3DS outputs a raster image (whether .TGA, .TIF, .GIF, etc., some with
compression). Postscript files can include object-oriented, scalable entities,
such as line, circles, text, etc., that might be created in Corel Draw, Adobe
Illustrator or other primarily vector editing packages. These packages also
allow layouts that include referenced raster "images". In a PostScript file,
raster images are generally included with some PostScript header info, followed
by the image data on a pixel-by-pixel basis, raster line by line, Red, Green
and Blue (not necessarily in that order). Thus something that renders as a 1
MB uncompressed .TGA file will add 1-2 MB to a PostScript or Encapsulated
Postscript file. The header info tells the printer how to intrepret the
incoming picture, including any scaling, rotation or placement. Vector and
raster objects can be mixed within the same file, overlaid on top of each
other, etc.
Kevin Krell – Computer Support Associates