CompuServe Messages

Is Autodesk going to be coming out with a 32k color VESA ADI at some point for R2 (as opposed to the current 256 color only)? And don't tell me I have to go buy R3/R4 unless Autodesk US can get Autodesk Canada in line on their pricing (All 3DS releases have stayed constant in US price, but in Canada r1 was $3500, r2 $4000, r3 $4500, and I bet r4 will be $5000!!! I think we're getting hosed up here. The Canadian dollar has stayed relatively constant against the US buck since the 80s, and has _not_ lost 20% every couple years.). Since Canada is in the top 3 world-wide of animation and graphics producers (just watch your morning cartoons to see how much we do), Adesk Canada had better be careful with their pricing or they're going to make people change software (I already know of some smaller video production companies who are discussing other packages such as Imagine3D, etc.). I realize the R2 Consumer package is relatively inexpensive ($1000 CDN), but the upgrade to R3 at $4000 is too great when other packages such as Imagine3D sell for about the same and their upgrades aren't that high. But now that I'm done bitchin… 🙂 I own and use R1/R2, which works great with the TARGA+64 and Optical Disk Recorder I own. Currently I have multiple bats so I can easily change from VGA to VESA to TARGA to the Vibrant DL-Xpress (which worked great on R1, but is buggy on R2 so I don't use it very often), but most of the time I find it more convenient to use the VESA and would prefer a single monitor solution with greater color depth on the renderer without having to render to the Targa. I tried the Acad R12 ADI (an Acad 4.2 ADI, probably a no-no <g>) since the books said it supports 32k color on ATI cards, but when I set it up it only showed 256 on the driver setup menu (must be a typo in the manuals), and it supports only the same screen-type selection for Main and Materials (since Acad of course doesn't have the multiple screens 3DS has). How compatible are/will R3/R4 meshes be with R2 (I realize that any new materials/IPAS3/IPAS4 attached to any objects will not be present in R2). Also, along the same line as the previous question, is it possible for the sysops to get the uploaders to designate which revision their files are for (or make the addition themselves), to a few of the current and any new files. It is sometimes aggravating to pull down an IPAS or Mesh to find out that you need r3 (up here in Canada it's $30/hr at 2400bps, $50/hr 9600bps, $60/hr 144bps!! – and don't tell me I have to move, if I move … <g>). Thanks, David R. Green Li'l Chips Systems