#R3 functions & R4 NT
34 messages in this thread
Jonas,
Have a question or two…I have been using 3DSR3 for about 2 mos now…and
cannot determine if it is possible to use the mouse to rotate a mesh as opposed
to using the arrow keys…is this possible?
I have to assume that there is no way to render a sample frame in a
window…only to frame buffer or dispplay?
In release 4 or 3DS, since it will be using NT 3.5 or later, can I expect that
it will use the native GL support and will R4 support some of the more advanced
stuff that is found in Wavefront i.e., kinematics, etc.?
Regards,
Jeff Bakst jbakst@mediascape.com
P.S. On the R4 will there be a native version for the PowerPC 601 604 or just
Intel pentium…I hope for the PowerPC as it is much faster than 90MHz pentium
in Floting point and integer FP is key to rendering at least as far as our SGI
code… any comments (-:
Sorry to jump in here but I saw you mention R4 of 3DS. I run both platforms (PC
and PowerPC) I would really like to find out the answer to your question on a
PowerPC version.
Just curious. Have you heard anything official on R4?
Paul
Paul, Jeff,
<< Have you heard anything official on R4? >>
Sorry. Autodesk has not discussed/announced *anything* regarding any future
product.
jonas[adesk]
Paul,
I have yet to get an answer…I have heard from a 3DS dealer that R4 is going
to run under NT and that a Dec-Jan release might be happenin?
Jeff
Jeff,
<< I have yet to get an answer…>>
You will *not* get an answer. Autodesk does not discuss future products,
features or shipdates.
<< I have heard from a 3DS dealer that R4 is going to run under NT and that a
Dec-Jan release might be happenin? >>
I'd like to know the name of this dealer, please. Dealers should not construe
and forecast.
jonas[adesk]
*
Dealers should not construe and forecast.
*
Agree. Construe, forecast and crystal balling is responsability of forum
members <vbg>
ana /krazy images
<<<vbg>>>:-)
Jonas,
The dealer hinted that R4 would be running under NT…the release date was my
own based on 16 mos between releases so I deduced that R3 was release on or
about 9-93 so 16 mos thereafter would be 12-94 or so. (-:
I would hope it is sooner than later (-:
Jeff
Jeff,
<< Have a question or two…I have been using 3DSR3 for about 2 mos now…and
cannot determine if it is possible to use the mouse to rotate a mesh as opposed
to using the arrow keys…is this possible? >>
I'm confused.. Object Rotate, {hit the tab key for axis} and move your mouse
all you want. What am I missing here?
<<I have to assume that there is no way to render a sample frame in a
window…only to frame buffer or display? >>
In the material editor, sample materials are rendered in a small window on the
display. I'm again confused. Where else besides the display or the framebuffer
would you like to render to? I'm assuming we are not talking about rendering to
disk.
jonas[adesk]
Jonas,
I was not clear on what I meant by rotate…I guess I can use Object->rotate to
do what I want…but that gives me another question, that is related to the
second about rendering.
I do not want to render a sample texture, I want to render a frame using say
flat shading in a view windows and then rotate that object. Now I realize that
PC Intel and such are not as brisk as SGI or Sun Sparc but one of the features
we have under SGI is the ability to flat shade an object and then rotate about
axis to view for look and problems. Before you say then just use the SGI, the
3DS is at my home SGI is at work…I guess am somewhat spoiled by faster busses
and CPU's (-:
Jeff P.S. What about the R4 questions about OpenGL, NT and such?
Jeff,
<< want to render a frame using say flat shading in a view windows
and then rotate that object. Now I realize that PC Intel and such are
not as brisk as SGI or Sun Sparc but one of the features we have
under SGI is the ability to flat shade an object and then rotate
about axis to view for look and problems.>>
Download OPTMIZ.zip from the IPAS Usage section of the lib. Hold down
the Shift Key and Click On Render from within the main dialog. You'll
get a chance to select Wire, Flat or Gouraud realtime shading..
<< speaking of brisk.. >>
Gary recently said… "Optimize and Displace can push 60,000
Gouraud-shaded polys per second on a Pentium 5/66."…
Jonas,
I have done just that…see my other thread for comments
Jeff
In addition to what everyone else said, you can do real-time Gouraud shading
inside of 3DSr3 by using either OPTIMIZE.PXP or DISPLACE.PXP. There are working
demos of those routines here in DL1… DSPLAC.ZIP and OPTMIZ.ZIP. Check it
out.
Plus, c'mon down to Siggraph and we'll blow your mind.
– G
>Plus, c'mon down to Siggraph and we'll blow your mind.
QUIT THAT! It's not until the end of the month!! I can't handle all this
flaunting!
<g>
JNJ
Two weeks from today we'll reveal all. (There's a press conference that Monday
night.)
I'll stop, already!
– G
>Plus, c'mon down to Siggraph and we'll blow your mind.
How can I get passes to Siggraph. I know it's in Orlando this year. Not sure of
the dates. Is there a # to call for info. I know my company will send me if I
can justify it with "what's there for us" – (the big question). Oh yeah, and
how much it costs to go – always a big one.
Thanks,
Paul
If you're a registered user, you should get an invite to the party any day now.
Re passes to Siggraph, John Foust was offering some of his extra comp tickets a
few weeks ago… the usual exhibition cost is somewhere between $25-50.
Jonas has the internet address for more info. Jonas?
– G
Paul,
<< siggraph..?>>
For Siggraph '94 info, E-Mail via Internet to:
Siggraph94siggraph.org for general information.
> (There's a press conference that Monday night.) <
Where&when? Is this open to the public? If not can I sneak in? <g>
It's for press-only, Wade.
– G
Tuesday morning you or Jonas or someone WILL upload the contents of
the press conference for all us poor non-attending souls, right???
I usually try to find an Autodesk person with a laptop to let me use
on the first day of the show, to upload info about what's going on.
There's a phone line at the booth… Jonas.. do you know of anyone
who's travelling there with a laptop?
Maybe GregP will have his trusty laptop with built-in modem, etc. I'll
ask him whem I see him tomorrow.
He'd have to show up at the booth at 8:30am (meaning, he'd have to
have an Exhibitor pass to get himself in). After 9am, things are
pure madness around the booth.
Terrific! Jimmy Olson, eat your heart out!
Dave
Yes,
I am going to drive to Orlando, just 2 clicks away. I am looking forward to
"mind blowing" demos (-:
Jeff
Have you seen the demos of the real-time shading, etc in the IPAS routines that
are up in DL1? Optimize and Displace can push 60,000 Gouraud-shaded polys per
second on a Pentium 5/66.
– G
I would love to see R4 available for PowerMac. Or maybe any other PReP
compliant computer running a PowerOpen OS. But for now, let's talk about
PowerMac <g> I am for the idea of an open 3D Studio available for whatever
platform the client want to use (or can buy). That way, I will be able to
adjust my hardware buys to both 3DS and all the other imaging programs I want.
As for an NT version, let's hope that Jonas wrote that with big caps in the
wishlist <g> It could be the first step for a multiplatform 3DS since that
_could_ mean availablity for Intel, MIPS, Alpha and PowerPC systems.
I am, however, for the porting of 3DS to a superior operating
system/architecture. There are some very impressing and advanced technologies
in the works.
ana /krazy images
ana /kraz images
Yes…the only bad thing about the NT version is that microsoft will not change
the GUI until '95 this is of course what they say…I would like to see NT 3.5
using a much more "workstation" quality GUI such as Motif and X natively.
However, if 3DSR4 does indeed use the OpenGL support it should be something,
purhaps we can get Wavefront and Alias effects and functionality for under 15K
(-:
Jeff
I definately agree that NT is the best platform for R4. Especially
with it's multiprocessing and Open GL/Glint based cards.
I found the WPOS philosophy to be superior to Windoze EmpTy <G>.
However, WPOS is still vaporware and EmpTy is a reality. Anyway, I
hope to see 3DS available for all advanced platforms, specially
PowerPC (I am being too heavy on this? 🙂
You kinda lost me on the WPOS stuff, but I agree on the PPC point.
JNJ
I found the WPOS philosophy to be superior to Windoze EmpTy <G>.
However, WPOS is still vaporware and EmpTy is a reality. Anyway, I
hope to see 3DS available for all advanced platforms, specially
PowerPC (I am being too heavy on this? 🙂
Jeff, the pentium 90 is in fact faster than the ppc or dec alpha or mips 4400
when you run
a fair comparision. If you run micrografix Picture Publisher NT, which is both
a 32 bit NT program and pentium compiled , there is a 2 fold increase in speed
over the same program
in 16 bit 386 code on windows on the pen 90. Many periodicals have done this
test
against ppc alpha and mips including pc mag, Publish mag, and the latest
Windows Mag.
The pentium has gotten a bad rap because it has been tested using 16 bit os-
windows-
and 16 bit software that is not pentium specific. Put Nt- multithreaded- and
dual pen 90's on 32 bit
pentium compiled software, and there is nothing on the planet that touches its
speed.
The ppc's have a fast processor, but the 601 suffers from extremely poor
surrounding architecture like slow harddisk systems, video bottlenecks, and
poor unoptimized code. Keep in mind, when motorola quotes these ppc cpu
figures, the cpu tests are
not done with a mac ppc, but rather are done on a BENCH with equipment
measuring the
cpu directly, using short repetitive floating strings. Put the 601 or 604 in a
mac,
with all the poor architecture and a non multi tasking non multuthreaded os
that is
only 30% compiled for the ppc, and the 601\604 slow down horribly, just ask
any Motorola engineer.
Nt daytona is here now- with full open GL support, video cards with open GL
64bit video coprocessors pumping over 1, 500,000 shaded polygons a sec, a scsi
Barracuda
fast-wide drive with a 64 bit disk access support 1 meg of l2 cache – around 2
pentium
100 processors with the new 15 ns e dram RAM , and you have a desktop that
approaches
supercomputer performance for under $7000.
Intel is an OPEN architecture.
cameron