CompuServe Messages

#No Splines In R4?

    11-Dec-94 15:27:54
Sb: #No Splines In R4?
Fm: M. G. BATCHELOR 71532,1214
To: All
To all disgruntled R4 users, I've said it before & I'll say it again. The very best Bezier Patch modeler ever created is far less powerful than the current native 3DS tools & Skin.axp, combined with some of the Plug-Ins such as Deform, etc.. Why do so many people not consider any of this stuff as "Spline Modeling Tools" ? ALL 3DS modules use splines in some way. Create a 4×4 grid with Grids.pxp, or loft a 8-sided N-Gon on a 5 vertex path, manipulate the vertices, & apply Skin.axp….close approx. of patch modeling (well, sorta'<g>). If you find it difficult/impossible to create complex geometry with the above tools & methods, why do you think a Bezier Patch modeler will magically change that ? Yes, you can pull on a few vert's and produce curved geometry….you can do the same with a simple lattice & Skin as above. But if the native & plug-in tools don't allow you to successfully create complex curved objects, a patch modeler isn't going to save you. This is no bad rap on the patch modeler, just a fact of life. Manipulating a single planar or cylindrical patch is easy. Concatenating a BUNCH of them into a detailed complex object is DIFFICULT. It requires the same level of modeling skills as using the native/plug-in tools. Also, why in the H**L do you think ADESK/YG pulled the plug, if it wasn't in your best interest to do so ? I know that sounds terrible, but it's true. Why do so many people not trust them all-of-a-sudden ? Is the message you're sending << INCLUDE EVERYTHING IN THE S/W, NO MATTER WHAT…WE'LL DECIDE IF IT'S ANY GOOD >>, *really* the message you want to convey to the developers ?? It's unfortunate for EVERYBODY concerned that it happened the way it happened, but that's life….roll with the punches. You didn't have to buy R4 if you didn't think it was worth the money, or you could have cancelled the order when the announcement was made. Right ? How many of you did ? Sorry for the tone, but I just don't get it….still. Diogenes has left the building <ggg>. BILL