CompuServe Thread

Sanford, the point of providing an open architecture for 3D graphics is that animators only need to purchase the routines that they need to get a specific job done, instead of having to pay a huge amount of money out of the gate. This is the core of the entire component software concept which is being made possible by object-oriented programming tools and new operating systems. If your client asks you to do a metaballs effect, you can charge the client another $500 for the tools. Then you've got those tools for life. (Likewise with Bones, Puppeteer, or any other IPAS routine.) The individual cost of the routines is low enough that you can build it into a bid and the client won't blink. BTW, with Wavefront, if you want skeletal animation you have to pay an order of magnitude more for it. There's a big difference there. In the future, we'll all see professional applications migrate towards looking more like operating systems. – G

Sanford <Has anybody ever added up how much you would have to spend to have all the IPAS's? I'll bet its close to 20 big ones. Just Bones and Metareys along with Pinello, Puppeteer and Kai's power tools costs more than 3D STudio! Who said this would be cheaper than Wavefront?> Well Ive had to dicipline myself for sure. It was easy not to buy page turn or bubbles because the effects are so specific. With the killer IPASs like meshpaint and bones its very hard to resist because they are useful in almost all situations. Since I dont work for clients I cant charge them for the routines. With NT, 3d accelerators, and IPASs like meshpaint at a tiny fraction of the cost of the SGI mesh painters, I have the feeling that some folks who have invested 100K+ in workstation animation may soon wonder if they are on the right path.Someone on the forum was talking about an Indy for 7k. I dont think that model is 24 bit or includes 3d accelerators. I used to do animation by making thousands of pieces of paper. I think im 20 times as productive as I used to be before I was computer aided. Since life is short Id rather spend money than time. I just got the Penello half price offer. Just what ive been waiting for. Ed

>>>Has anybody ever added up how much you would have to spend to have all the IPAS's? I'll bet its close to 20 big ones. Just Bones and Metareys along with Pinello, Puppeteer and Kai's power tools costs more than 3D STudio! Who said this would be cheaper than Wavefront?<<< Yes, there are quite a few that I would like that add up quick. Other concerns I have with certain plugins are higher prices and they may limit what will be in the core 3DS. I think plugin technology is the way to go, but some of the prices seem high to some people. I would buy some plugins if they were lower in price, and I understand prices are high because sales are low. Penello is the most outrageous in my opinion, but there are others. MeshPaint is getting raves lately, but $500 is just to much for me to buy it. I think $300 is a good price point for most plugins, the problem is the trend is going toward the $500-600 range. It is looking like 3DS is the render engine you use for your plugins. This reminds me of AutoCAD, a CAD engine that is limited in usefulness until you add a arch/mech package that runs several thousand dollars.