CompuServe Thread

#3DS 2.01 is out!

12 messages in this thread
#25412From: Oct 24, 1992 12:40 AM
Hey, people! (you too, Martin! <g>) I just got my new 3DS 2.01 software loaded. The Yosters have done some amazing things to the speed of some of the IPAS routines. To see the difference, just create a good-sized grid and apply a ripple or a wave to it with 10 morphs or so! Of course, this is just a coincidence in timing, with the infamous IPAS routines coming out next month! <g> BTW, are these considered 3rd party? Or is 3DS considered a third party product to these???? There is also a list of "features" that have been changed to agree with the manual (how is that for a polite way of saying bug fixes?), but I doubt whether most people even saw one of them, much less two pages worth! Very minor, for a product as involved as 3DS! Good work, guys!
#25425From: Yost GroupOct 24, 1992 10:13 AM
hehehe… To be specific, we sped up the IPAS routines by THIRTY TIMES. We noticed that as we were developing the new IPAS stuff (like the particle systems and the fractal flora) we were waiting forever for objects to be created and pumped back into 3D Studio. So… we developed a new "burst" mode that allows the IPAS routines to blast huge amounts of data into 3DS virtually instantaneously (one of the nice things Phar Lap lets you do). One of the other super things in 2.01 that you haven't noticed is that we improved the 8-bit color-cut method for making gifs and flics by about 100 times. You can even avoid dithering most of the time now, and that increases playback speed and decreases overall flic size. It's a pretty awesome improvement. Enjoy! – G
#25435From: sherwood egbertOct 24, 1992 2:49 PM
is 2.01 shipping? i asked my dealer yesterday and he said what? never heard of it!. somethings never change….. <sigh> sherwood
#25439From: Yost GroupOct 24, 1992 3:26 PM
Yup, it's been shipping as of the beginning of last week. If this is the SAME dealer that you had all those troubles with re getting your 2.0 update, I've got a lot of compassion for you. – G
#25553From: sherwood egbertOct 26, 1992 7:42 PM
yep same one but he's only 2 blocks from me. i just ordered the complete ipas routines 6 disks from s. instr. can't wait to get them. basicly they now relie on me for there information. so i put in a call to autodesk to see if i can become a registered dealer. sherwood oh ps. i'm 3rd in que at s. inst.
#25577From: Yost GroupOct 26, 1992 11:10 PM
It sounds like you'd be a much better dealer than the guy you bought the stuff from. Good luck moving in that direction. Congrats on getting your order in so early! It looks like (if all goes well) we'll be getting the manuals in inventory on 11/9, so the optimal case right now is shipment on 11/10. Of course I'll keep you posted here if that changes at all, but I'm not anticipating anything to screw the schedule up. (don't tell Murphy please) I can't _wait_ to get your feedback on all this stuff. It's very exciting. – G
#25591From: Tim c BrananOct 27, 1992 4:11 AM
How much are these things going to cost? I just plunked down a lot of cash for 3DS R2 and the coffers are bare. It isn't going to be too much, is it?
#25594From: Yost GroupOct 27, 1992 9:54 AM
I think the routines are extremely reasonable… they cost between $22 and $50 each, and they're bundled in groups of from 6 to 14 per package. So each package costs $300, and there are 5 packages. The real issue is how much more $$ can you charge once you've got the routines. Considering that particle system animation with lots of image processing effects goes for $1,400-$2,500 per SECOND, you should be able to pay for all 5 packages in the first second of video animation you produce for a client. (if you do flics, it would be more like the first job instead of the first second, but you get the idea) – G
#25457From: Tim c BrananOct 25, 1992 3:45 AM
Is 2.01 going to be shipped to everyone? I just bought 2 two weeks ago.
#25431From: Chris ThomasOct 24, 1992 11:03 AM
Greg (and/or G), I was talking with Keith Seifert of Schreiber Inst. the other day about the new IPAS routines. He indicated that the new routines would require the 3DS 2.01 upgrade to execute properly. Do you know if this is the case? Our Rocky Mountain 3D Studio Users Group meeting next week, and I want to give these Colorado cowboys the latest IPAS scoop. Thanks for Info….CT (PS.- Spoke with David Hawkins of Wizard MM…any chance of getting a copy of your sexy lady animation that was shown at Siggraph '92? He is sending some images of their human figures to show to the group next week. TIA).
#25440From: Yost GroupOct 24, 1992 3:28 PM
Chris, Out of the 34 total routines, only one (the lens flare) actually REQUIRES 2.01 to function. The rest will work with 2.0, but about 30 times slower (and in most cases, that's unacceptably slow). All this information about what's required is covered very thoroughly in the IPAS documentation. – G PS: You should ask the Wizard folks to upload some of that stuff!
#25451From: Chris ThomasOct 24, 1992 10:14 PM
G, Thanks for the info. Once again, another fine job on the IPAS routines. I really need your RESHAPE.PXP to finish up one of my current projects, but would rather play with the EXPLODE and DISINTEGRATE Axp's instead. Too bad we can't order Ala Carte from the IPAS Boutique <g>. CT.