CompuServe Messages

Barbara: I just got the "second" issue of Planet Studio, and I must say I am dissapointed. The cover story, which takes up almost a fifth (3 of 16 pages) of the issue, is a review of 3DS r4. Now, I'd wager that anyone who's willing to shell out $100 for 96 pages a year already HAS the new r4 release! (That's $2.88 for a review on a product you already own.) This is followed by a page ($0.96) of press releases — ALL of which are in at least two other magazines to which I subscribe (and I pay much less for press releases in those mags). I've got no problem with the articles by Ed Kellerman, John Ellis or Brian Rudolph. As for the reviews of Mirage, Liquid Speed and Penello, I was afraid that I'd find them to be 100% pro — and while the first two were, I have heard the praises of Mirage sung by many, and I happily own LS — the Pennello review does have two negative comments (even though they were small). Now, I'm not looking for bad reviews, just realistic ones. Most software has SOMETHING not to like about it — that's why there are upgrades!<g> The reviews of 3DS-related books were welcome, and I'd like to see you expand this area to include books about animation and movement (like the Muybridge books that have often been recommended on this forum). As for Brian Rudolph's "Ask Doc Planet", I have the same criticism for this that I do for all similar columns in all periodicals — Who is it who has time to write down their question/problem and send it in to a magazine, who may or may not choose it as one to be answered, and then wait for a couple months to see if there's a solution? From glancing over the questions in this issue, it looks more like a partial FAQ list — which is fine, but I think it would maybe be a little better if maybe Brian didn't stick to the Q/A format so religiously. In other words, if he, from his perspective in Autodesk, sees some issue that obviously needs addressing, based on support calls, dealer feedback, CIS questions, etc., he could take the whole page to discuss the issue in depth. I think Jonas could write some great stuff for this mag too, FWIW. While I think this newsletter may hold some promise, I don't think I can justify the price based upon current content. There's just too much wasted space (literally and figuratively), and it seems like you don't really grasp the niche market that you could be filling. I don't want the info I can get in CADANCE, CADalyst, CGW, Computer Artist, 3D Artist, Computer Pictures, etc. I want something unique, and something more than I get from the time I spend on CIS daily. And right now, I just don't see that. I think I'll be sending my invoice back "CANCEL". Dave