CompuServe Messages

To Mr. Kevin ( Kool Name ) Krell, Re your recent post to me: < To satisfy your curiosity,… > Are you looking to play, Mr. President? Or are you puttin' me on notice? Scott's an old friend from my Austin days. And a nice guy. I respect him. I was just playing with him. Teasin'. I though he'd pop in and say hello. It should have been evident from my message that I was just kidding around, but maybe it wasn't. In the message "Hey Mr. Lurker" the line "Que pasa, Envisage?" refers to one of their products. I think Scott intended to answer. I'm under the impression that he, like others, is just having trouble navigating thru the area due to unfamiliarity with the layout of the terrain. He may be shy. Byte's actually responsible for Sculpt 3D, Sculpt 4D and Envisage which will undergo a name change and emerge as Soft F/X or something like that in a week or so according to my sources. I clocked Mr. Peterson on radar and engaged him in a brief chat during a recent visit to the forum. I was just extending him an opportunity to say "Hello" in my own goofy way. Sorry for any confusion. Anyway, Kev, I haven't taken the opportunity to engage you in conversation, but since you've broken the ice, I'd like to tell you that over the years I've found your advice on the use of 3D Studio very helpful. As far as I know, we've met only once and that was at the Mirage ASOFT meeting. While Broken Nose / Martin Doudoroff's work was scrolling 'cross the monitor, you offered me advice on drive types and we chatted until I became mesmerized by Suzanne Dougherty's rocking horse animation. Anyway you have the thanks of this self-confessed lurker. Now, while I've got you on the line, I'd like to ask you a few questions if you will permit me. Can you tell me what your duties as a member of the Cadalyst Editorial Advisory Board entail? Do you guys ever meet in person as a group or is it more a "guidance from the field" kind of thing? I've also had the privilege of meeting two of your colleagues, Mr. Buday and Dr. Orr. You certainly keep impressive company. Buday's "Seasoned Greetings" was so overwhelming when I first viewed it at AEC in D.C., that I thought, what's the use…. I've fallen off the back side of the wave again. I don't know why, but it had that effect on me. Somebody had amassed the machines and the talent and they were out there…. and I was watching them getting farther and farther away. Less inspirational than more. But as a Christmas greeting sent to clients and friends, it was humorous, an excellent award-winning promotional tool, and a tour-de-force in the use of 3D Studio. I once pegged him after a panel discussion in which he participated. I inquired as to why there was such a disparity between what Archimage paid their 3D Studio artists and what traditional artists who produce one or two architectural renderings earn for their efforts. I wasn't satisfied with the answer, but then I've never understood the world of "art" even though I live in it. However, as a friend recently reminded me, "Life is a mystery to be revealed." Joel is an old friend from my days in Austin. Over the years he's mystified me with the number of things his name's been attached to; Founder, National Computer Graphics Association; Director, League for Engineering Automation Productivity; fellow, lecturer, writer, consultant… I could go on. He reminds me of one of my heroes, R. Buckminster Fuller. A soft-spoken, prolific, renaissance man…. I don't think Joel's graced our forum here in some time, and that's too bad. If you see him, say hi for me. But here I am rambling on…… Kev, how do you think this November 1st policy is going to effect Cadalyst? Seems like it could put a dent in ad revenue. I realize that's not necessarily a concern of the Editorial Advisory Board, but content is supported by advertising dollars. Autodesk has built strong dealer channels because it believes the best way to support its customers is through face-to-face adressing of their needs. This would appear to be more so on the AutoCAD side of the house, than the Multimedia side. But the policy that was supposed to go into effect November 1st was implemented across the board. Can you tell me why some mail-order companies continue to sell Autodesk products in spite of the deadline? I've been hearing that small dealers are struggling to make a living because their add-on sales are being stripped away and their prices are being undercut by volume discounters. It would seem that the policy was put into place to protect the hard work Autodesk put into building its channels of distribution. Why do the mail-order companies continue to operate at this time? Is the policy full of air? Do you also sell AutoCAD? Did you have to sign it? How does it effect CSA? I'm thinking of getting into the game and I'm just trying to figure out what kind of a field we're playing on. Do you think it's level? On a different note: Can you tell me anything about the Virtual Simulator from Eagle Point? The ad looks impressive and scary. Finally, Animation Nation is getting ready to buy one or two machines for the use of 3D Studio. Would you care to make any recommendations regarding video card / monitor / motherboard or box? Thank you for this opportunity.