#I know I'm late for R4..
6 messages in this thread
Forgive me if this is a common request but it would be nice if…
Frequently I try to model something based on scanned photographs or sketches.
It would be really helpfull in the 2D Shaper to be able to display a proxy
image of the scan (much like show background) but to be able to zoom in on it
so that you can get into the nitty gritty details. I know this is like asking
to you to throw in a paint program, but…<g>
Bruce Meikle
WZMH Architects
FYI, there's a program called Caddview that can do this.
(note that you're not the only person to put that on a wishlist)
– G
I also would like to cast my vote for a scaling bitmap in the shaper. I was
very used to that feature in ALIAS. Even if one just wants to trace a logo, it
is virtually imposible to get your curves to match beacuse one can't zoom in to
refine them. On another note, a related feature is the ability to display an
object in the shaper with hidden faces. For example, say I loft a form and now
want to model a shape that matches a profile curve on the form. The workaround
I have now is to copy the object and delete the faces that obstruct the view in
the shaper. This works most of the time but, it seems an easy fix would be the
ability to keep faces hidden when viewing an object in the shaper.
hmmm maybe now is a good time to get a few more things off my chest. With all
these new IPAS routines coming out 3ds is getting a little spread out. Its
great that a user can customize 3ds to fit their needs, but I think some of the
routines should be included in the original package. Especially, the keyframer
is very weak in the areas of Heiarchy manipulation and motion control curves,
when compared to the higher end systems. Its nice to have all the visual
effects offered by the IPAS routines, but I'd trade all the lens flares and
glows for workstation level performance from the keyframer.
Enough gripes! I basically feel that 3ds in general is nothing short of
AMAZING. For every feature that I wish it had, there are ten that I'm very glad
it DOES have. Two of my favourite features of r3 is the refine segment item,
this small addition makes object creation 100 times more powerfull. Also since
I use 3ds for Computer/Video games the feature to use a gif file for custom
palettes is extremely usefull. It is these kind of small refinements that make
me more productive
greg
<<Especially, the keyframer is very weak in the areas of Heiarchy manipulation
and motion control curves, when compared to the higher end systems.>>
A plug-in from the Yost Group called Tempo, allows you to have precise control
over the motion of an object in the keyframer. It's not built in, but it is
included with 5 other plug-ins like Displace and Keyman. There are several
examples posted in the file library…
Jeremy
Thanks for the feedback. Note that there are a slew of programs on the PC that
provide more control for tracing bitmaps with geometry (Corel Draw, Caddview,
etc.). It's been on our list to allow zoom/pan, etc, but we've been
concentrating more on the renderer and other portions of the program that are
critical to output quality.
Re motion curve editing, I'm sure you'll see us expand that in the future, but
note that Tempo (mentioned by Jeremy) provides a level of control over all
three position channels that you can't even find in any of the workstation
programs. (in those, you've only got 1 axis over time, making a 3-axis
temporal shift extremely difficult in comparison)
In general, we're working on ways to more-tightly-couple IPAS routines in the
future.
– G
>>Thanks for the feedback. Note that
>>there are a slew of programs on the PC
>>that provide more control for tracing
>> bitmaps with geometry (Corel Draw, Caddview, etc.).
I'm glad your efforts are in other areas than the shaper. With Corel 3 going
for under $100 these days, it's a perfect way to trace. Not to mention about
600 other useful things Corel can do to assist my 3D Studio work.
Jim