planet studio
13 messages in this thread
does any one know whom i should contact for getting "planet studio" mag.
thanks
ara
It's published by TechMedia, a subsidiary of IDG, the company that makes all
the "xxxxWorld" magazines. In other words, a very large publisher in the
computer business! (I remember one of their parties at a COMDEX about five
years ago, they had poster-sized blow-ups of magazine covers that lined the
entire outside edge of the court at the Las Vegas basketball arena…)
I'm guessing, but I bet they'll send a sample issue to every 3DS user as a
promotion. Otherwise, the editor does have a Compuserve ID, but I'm not sure
if she's dropped by this forum yet…
Did anyone happen to notice what they were asking for this magazine? Something
like $10 per issue, and that was the charter subscription at 40% off!!
Don't misunderstand, it has some great info, but the price is too high for
something of that nature (IMHO).
— James — MAP —
It's not supposed to be a magazine, it's supposed to be a newsletter: what that
means in practical terms is that it's free of advertising and it usually costs
a lot more than a magazine. I'm sure either variable could change soon: if
it's popular enough, they'll make it a magazine, and it might start accepting
advertising then, too.
IDG is a big, stable company. In the every-shifting world of computer magazine
publishing, they are a rock. They do like to make a profit, of course, but
they have tremendous resources for art, printing, editorial, etc. to put behind
any magazine they decide to publish. I think the time is ripe for a widely
available 3D-only magazine: cross-platform, glitzy pictures, tutorials, etc.
Maybe IDG will give Bill Allen a million dollars to buy up 3D Artist. 🙂
I'm not sure that I would care to characterize it as "free of advertising". In
the "demo" issue, page 1,2 and half of 3 are basically just a reprinting of the
Yost Boutique and Schreiber Imagine brouchures on their IPAS routines — no
"review"-like comments, real info, etc. The other half of page 3 is a
press-release type feature list for 3DS r4. Page 5 is all press releases. Page
5 is the Fabulous Ed Kellerman's article on heirarchial-motion effects in
AniPro. Page 6 is an article on using 3DS on a network, but us "adapted from
the 3DSNET.TXT file in CompuServe's ASoft forum" — ie worthless to anyone
reading this message (in fact, as the "article" includes the <20 machines per
MCF, it's even less useful than a subscription to CIS, as Jamie's just
enlightened us). Page 7 is a one page article on Video Post, which, if this is
a "newsletter" for those with 3DS, it seems to provide no info or "tips" beyond
what's in the manual (less, actually). The final page is a continuation of the
networking article, a "how to contact us" and a Question/Answer section fielded
be the (equally – to EdK) Fabulous Brian Rudolph.
I've sent off a subscription, but if things don't get more weighty than
this…. For instance, I subscribe to a "newsletter" for Aldus Freehand users
called "Before&After". It's $36 for 6 issues. There are NO ads. No press
releases masquerading as "reviews". There's nothing but page after (full
color) page of neat effects and the exact how-to steps to achieve it, as well
as a letters section, and a "make-over" section where they take someone's
submitted publication and discuss the design/layout issues involved and how to
improve it. This publication is definitely "worth" it, even to me, and I don't
get to use Freehand _that_ much.
I HOPE that Planet Studio is a good (nay, great) publication. I'll give it a
chance to get on it's feet — but I can read press releases in any of the 10+
industry mags I get sent FREE. I don't need to pay big bucks for them.
Dave
<, and a Question/Answer section fielded be the (equally – to EdK) Fabulous
Brian Rudolph.>>
Gosh! Thanks!
-b
I agree with your observations about the premiere issue of Planet Studio. I
don't know how many in-house writers they'll have for PS… I'd suspect that
future issues will have more articles from the same set of writers who've been
doing 3DS articles for other publications. This pond isn't *that* big. Still,
it's nice to know that there's at least only 3DS-only publication. Magazines
like 3D Artist, Computer Graphics World, etc. will always be multi-platform and
multi-program.
Don't lose faith guys, they're getting us 'Deskers as well as industry people
to write tips and helpful hints for upcoming issues. I think you'll see less
advertising and more "meat". I totally agree that we can read press releases
and reviews in other publications-we don't really need another. At least, of
our products. We probably should have reviews on compliemtary products though.
Since the publication is brand new, now's the time to get your input in. Users
have built the software, why not do it with the supporting publication?
Jeremy
As I said, I'll give 'em a chance — since they DO have the "moey-back
guarantee", but with the price they're charging combined with the quality of
content in the "premier issue", they're just inviting hardball criticism. Just
because there's nothing out there exclusively for 3DS users doesn't mean we'll
devour anything that says "3D Studio". (Okay, we will, but then we'll gripe
and get our money back!<g>)
I think the creators/writers of Planet Studio should take a look at the
"Before&After" publication I mentioned. If this could be translated into a 3DS
format, it would be a _real_ winner. B&A can be reached at 916-784-3880. And,
by the way, B&A's money back guarantee is that if, at ANY time, for ANY reason,
you become dissatisfied, you get ALL of your money refunded, not just "for the
remaining unsent issues".
Dave
I am very interested to read these comments about the sample issue of Planet
Studio. Believe me, we want to make this newsletter into what YOU want it to
be, so please don't hold back!
The goal with the introductory sample was to present info on a spectrum of
topics related to Autodesk multimedia. It was not easy to do given the time
(about 2-1/2 weeks) and space constraints that we had for the launch. For the
second issue we have more of both–and the opportunity to respond to your
suggestions. So DO let me know what your needs are.
We know the price is high, but we intend to make it worthwhile. Unfortunately,
this universe is not large enough to generate tremendous efficiencies of scale,
and production of a 4-color newsletter (which we feel this must be) is great.
Thanks for giving us a shot–if you think of anything in particular that you
want to see, holler. Or if you think you're capable of writing a useful and
innovative article, holler. We have no in-house writers for this; we prefer to
go for specialized expertise.
Contact me by leaving a message here, or send e-mail to 76376,2135.
Thanks!!
–Barbara Gefvert, Editor, Planet Studio
Barbara:
>> so please don't hold back!
Ha! That's something you don't have to tell people on THIS forum! In fact,
you may have to tell them just the OPPOSITE!<g>
Anyway, I'm glad to see representation here, and I certainly DO hope that
Planet Studio becomes all it CAN be, and worth every cent. I will certainly
try to keep you on your toes!<g> Good luck.
Dave
thanks for the info. John.
take care
ara