CompuServe Messages

PMJI. From what I've seen and read, r4 offers _some_ nice new features. These seem more evolutionary than revolutionary which may be just the natural course for this product. 3DS extensibility has certainly spawned a flurry of plug-ins. But, in my view, implementing this capability has inadvertently diverted attention away from the core product. I recently read [was it in 3D Artist?] that Mr. Yost said he developed 3D Studio in an attempt to implement a tool for creative people. And in the PC domain the Yost Group has done a fantastic job. However, I take exception to Autodesk's 3DS Release 4 announcement that trumpets "#1 Professional 3D Animation Product Adds Workstation-Level Production Efficiency." Just what does that mean? I think a Computer Artist item profiling Gene Bodio gives a realistic perspective of what one animator thinks the relationship between "tool" and "creativity" ought to be. Bodio, who used 3DS on work for The 7th Guest, says that "Software has got to give you feedback" and "[w]hen you're creating something, you need to be able to say 'wouldn't it be cool to have a light beam coming out of here' for example, and then see it in seconds. It gets a creative flow going. Instead of fighting you, it's giving back to you and pushing you along." Referring to Alias PowerAnimator he says, "If you want a glow on the end of a cigarette with smoke rising up, you can see the glow and the smoke in the preview window actually changing in real time as you adjust the parameters…" Yes… the fast preview renderer and other features in r4 provide some feedback. Yes… Bodio now uses speedy, expensive workstations and expensive software. But Autodesk has created a rather lofty expectation by equating 3DS with workstation-level capabilities. I believe this goal _can_ be reached through further development of the core product and not simply through plug-ins. After all, we have smoke and glow plug-ins and a preview window. What we don't have is the ability to see and manipulate these effects in real time. In my view, this capability would be an example of "workstation-level production efficiency." EJB