CompuServe Thread

There is no way to answer your "couple of questions" because they present a lot goals. Output to tape is one thing for demos and displays, and portable to multiple platforms (is this to mean PC, MAC, etc) is another. You also don't say what, if any, tape decks you already have on hand, which will add a lot to your startup costs. 3D rendering and animation is all possible with the Toaster, but the learning curve is high — have you budgeted for this? Outputting animations is also another question, which involves the tape decks, addon boards such as the Personal Animation Recorder, etc. If low resolution animations will satisfy your needs, then your requirements are different again. I think you need to define what you expect. If you need to do all of this at under $15,000 and receive good quality animations on tape, let alone transport it to other platforms, you are not in the market. The Toaster, itself, is a bargain at under $5,000, but what you want to do with it is the question.

Matt, From what I can gather from your message, you are primarily interested in Toaster's 3-D capabilities. If so, you might investigate purchasing the "unbundled" version of Lightwave/Modler from Newtek for $695. It will be available June 15th or thereabouts. Recording of the anims on a reasonable budget, is done in roughly three forms; 1. Output to medium res via an attatchement called DCTV. This requires converting the 24 bit images from Lightwave into a compressed format with fewer colors. Many people find this low cost alternative (under $300) is more than adequate for their projects. 2. Render single frames to tape or laser disk: Which requires a special VTR or VTR/Animation controller combination, or Video Disk Recorder. This can be an expensive option if you don't already have the apropriate VTR or laser disk recorder, but yields very good quality. There is a software package called "Personal SFC" (about $350) that will simplify the task if you are using Lightwave and a single frame capable VTR with it's own time code board. There is also a Sanyo model (SVHS) which has it's own internal time code along with an animation controller. I belive there are a few people on this forum that can give you specifics on that unit if you so desire. 3. Record the images direct to HD for playback: This can be done with the Toaster 4000, but has some severe limitations. Most people are finding the DPS PAR (Personal Animation Recorder) is by far the best choice for high output quality for the lowest cost. The PAR is a circuit board/HD combo that uses a proprietary compression scheme to keep file sizes within the limits required for real time playback from the HD without adding much (if any that is noticable) degradation to the image quality. SInce you are "PC" based, you might be interested in knowing that the product is also available in a DOS version. Regarding the CBM/Amiga future (if any): While it is certainly true that CBM no longer exists, they didn't do much to further the Amiga product line when they were in business. The primary development of the platform has occured "in spite" of CBM's mismanagement. There are currently an estimated 75 thousand Toaster-based Amigas currently in use. I think it's safe to say that with such a wide user base, there will be someone (perhaps Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, HP) who will support the Amiga platform and it's users. All of those firms are rumored to be negotiating with CBM's creditors at the moment. Whereas anything could happen that might upset the future development of the Amiga platform, there are enough Amigas out there to keep the line running for a good while to come. More than enough active third party support to justify the relatively small investment a Lightwave animation package would cost you. Lightwave is probably THE most easy to learn and use animation package on any platform. There's no disputing it's output quality and product usefulness, as witnessed by it's use on many network shows. Bottom line on ANY production tool you purchase is whether it gets used enough to pay for itself. I suggest you sit down with whatever PC-based animation package you wish to compare to Lightwave and then examine the two feature for feature. If you think there is a PC-based product that will make it as easy to do what you need to do as Lightwave, then buy it. I would be willing to bet that there isn't anything currently available on the PC platform that would make your entre into 3-D easier or more satisfying than Lightwave. Frank

Matthew, Be a bit more specific about exactly what your end product is gonna be, and it'll be much easier to get some fairly accurate pricing from folks on here. While you can get a brand new Toaster and Amiga 4000 for under $5K, beyond that it depends on just what you're wanting to turn out, as to what kind of external gear you're gonna have to have. Be prepared, though, that once you get into this biz and like it, the upgrade bug will infect you forever, and always have you wanting 'just that next level of quality…' Jerry