CompuServe Messages

>> 2) I use 3DStudio to produce high resolution, still images for 35mm slides. I have never made a penny using its animation capabilities. Net-rendering, VTR control, FLC formats, IFLs, etc. are all entirely irrelevant to my professional life. I may seem absurd, but I would not have bought 3DStudio if it was not able to do animation. Why would I want to pay so much money for something I don't use? Basically because I am inherently interested in graphics, 3D and otherwise, and am willing to pay for features that I don't need or don't make money from to further my education, stay on top of industry trends, anticipate what my job will be like 5 years from now, and a number of other reasons. << This is kind of like the debate over "pure" scientific research and applied science. You need a balance of _both_ to be able to deal with the unexpected. BTW- the keyframer can be used as a modeling tool. To get just the right object shape, you can create an extreme morph and using the keyframer get a "snapshot" of an intermediate form. This "snapshot" function can also be used to create repetative objects like stair steps along a non-linear, twisting stairway. Terry Gilbert Forcade & Associates