#3DS vs Electric Image
8 messages in this thread
I'm not sure this is the appropriate place to ask this question. But what the
hey, here goes…
Is there anyone out there who has used both 3D Studio and Electric Image? We do
graphic work in both Windows and on Power PC's. All our animation attempts
have been on the Mac side with Infini-D and Strata Studio Pro. They are all too
slow, even on the Power PC. I know that Electric Image is (at least) several
times faster than these other Mac programs. But what about 3DStudio? Does it
compare in speed (running on a Pentium) with Electric Image running on a Power
PC?
Any info would be greatly appreciated,
David Wilkerson
David,
I have both programs. Electric image runs fast on simple images, as
does 3D Studio. But when things get big and complicated with lots of
reflections, shadows and lights and motion blur, then OOPS! every program slows
down drastically. 3D Studio is a very fast renderer on a 100mhz Pentium, much
faster than Strata Studio Pro. I have not tried Electric Image on a 110 mhz
Power Mac, but I have seen it on an 8100 Mac, and it is not any faster than 3D
Studio on the Pentium.
Electric Image only does bench testing based on the render times of
its own older versions. They say "renders 6 times faster"….. But that means
six times faster than on an old 68040 Mac. They never publish comparisons with
a Pentium. Adobe Photoshop comparisons show only a slight advantage in the
floating point speed of a Mac RISC machine Versus a Pentium during gausian
blurs. In the majority of Adobe filter operations they are equal in speed. I
would apply that information when you compare Apples and Oranges (Pentiums).
The second consideration is the 8K per machine price of El. Image plus
1.4K per renderer, versus the 2.8k price per machine for 3D Studio software and
0K (free!) per rendering machine. Here there is no comparison.
Sanford
Is it true that EI does not have a modeler? If so do you use it as a renderer
and why pay $8000 for it.
Thanks
Will
Will,
Electric Image does not have a modeler. I use FORM-Z, which is a great
modeler on the Mac. Actually I have stopped using E. Image since version 3 of
3D Studio came out. 8K is too much! Electric Image has some acceptance among
Mac-ophiles in Hollywood. They are actually doing quite well for a small
company and now have IK, but their market penetration is very small compared
with the massive number of people who use 3D Studio.
Sanford
Sanford,
Sorry I am so late in getting back to you. I was embroiled in a deadline.
Thank you for the detailed answer. This kind of information is
exactly what I needed! We have several Power Macs, but the $8K tag to
Electric Image was making us think more than twice. ( I once had a
rep offer me a "demo" copy for $5K — what a deal). One can buy 2
Pentium 120's and 3DStudio and still probably come out ahead, if the
speed is relatively the same.
BTW, how do you compare the modelers in formZ and 3D Studio? We also
have formZ and have found it to be extremely capable, although it has
a pretty steep learning curve. Have you tried moving DXF files from
formZ to be rendered in 3D Studio? Also have you tried converting 3D
Studio animation files to Quicktime on the Mac for output to video
tape? I understand Debabelizer (on the Mac) is the only program able
to do that.
Thanks again,
David
David,
<<how do you compare the modelers in formZ and 3D Studio?>>
3D Studio takes a different approach to modeling from FormZ.
3DS only uses 2d bezier curves to build profiles that are then lofted
into shapes. The deform-fit function is very powerful 3dimentional
lofter, but to get nurbs surfaces, you must buy the Nurbs IPAS
plugin..Actually, with plugins you can get nearly any function you
can imagine.. FormZ, on the other hand, has a more extendisive kit
of modeling tools built in, especially in the latest revisions. But,
there is no reason why you cannot model in FormZ and export as a DXF
to animate and render in 3D STudio. I have done it and it works just
fine. The Bones Pro IPAS can animate any one piece mesh.
3D Studio animation files, such as the ASCII .VUE file can
be converted by any package including Alias and Wavefront. I did it
this week to Wavefront. The data can be imported into any software
that can read ascii XYZ coordinates. The 3DS.VUE file contains all
the keyframes and transformations for the entire animation. Also,
all the vertices of the models are contained in the 3DS .ASC file,
similar to a RAW file, which can be read by FormZ on the Mac.
As far as converting Autodesk .FLC files to Quicktime, I think
you may have to do that in Adobe Premiere 4.0. I can convert AVI's,
and FLC's to QuickTime on the PC platform. Once converted, they can
be moved cross-platform. 3D Studio actually works quite well in
conjuctions with many Mac programs. I use both platforms and share
models, etc. back and forth.
We also have formZ and have found it to be extremely capable,
although it has a pretty steep learning curve. Have you tried moving
DXF files from formZ to be rendered in 3D Studio? Also have you tried
converting 3D Studio animation files to Quicktime on the Mac for
output to video tape? I understand Debabelizer (on the Mac) is the
only program able to do that.
You had said you purchased a 'NURBS' IPAS for 3DS? Can you tell me
where I can pick it up at?
Jack,
The Nurbs Modeler IPAS comes from Germany. There is a sample flower
done with it in the IPAS library. I havn't purchased it yet, but I have run
the demo version. It is quite interesting. The people who sell it made an
annoucement about 6 or 8 weeks ago that the price was three hundred. I saved
the message, but it is lost in my dead message bin. You can get info from the
man who did the Nurbs flower. Good luck.
Sanford