#New User
Jeff,
I'm also pretty new to 3D Studio but I've been using a Targa-16 for display
since about '85. It has a standard NTSC video output which can be recorded
on any VCR. There are a number of comparable boards out these days
including VGA-to-video converters for a few hundred dollars.
Targas will NOT play FLI files back or anything approaching real time
playback. For animating I use a Panasonic AG-6720A S-VHS time lapse VCR.
I mail ordered it for about $1500 and the interface to the computer
consists of two wires connected to the parallel port. It's simple. It's
cheap. And it let's take a video tape to your client which he can view on
any VHS VCR. (The 6720A records S-VHS or regular VHS. "S" is better but
won't play back on regular VCRs. I use the S-VHS for the animation master
so I can edit it into a final production and keep the higher quality. If
you don't want to mess with S-VHS, you can set it for regular or, I
imagine, buy an even cheaper deck that just handles regular.)
I have an interest in doing architectural walk-throughs too, but I don't
have any good DXF files of bildings to practice on. I'm wondering how much
the original AutoCAD work needs to be done with 3D Studio in mind. The
tutorial has that nice walk through that converts from DXF in a breeze. Can
I expect most DXF files from Engineers and Architects to convert that
easily?
Happy animating.