CompuServe Thread

Bob: >> [I hope Greg jumps in here because I'm not sure how his IPAS library >> works – maybe there is no need for anything but his IPAS] Correct – our IPAS routines are all stand-alone programs within 3D Studio (did that make sense? <g>). You don't need Photostyler, Gallery Effects, or twice the disk space to get them to work. And they are all completed in one pass in 3DS!

WRONG! (My McLaughlin impression) Painter X2 (Extensions 2) _does_ require Painter to use! NO, it can not be used as a plug-in to PhotoStyler. It is an integral enhancement to the Painter software. As far as the ability to script, there is a kind of ability now, and it will be enhanced in the future. Mark Zimmer (Mr. Painter) hangs over in the COMART Painter section, and you can also find info in the FRACTAL forum.

Yes, you are wrong Robert. I think that you have let fly your imagination a bit or probably I'm not too accurate in my descriptions. Yes, I said that the Photostyler 2.0 + Painter x2 will be a killer combo, but the only way you will get them linked is throught plain graphic files 🙁 You will need Painter 2.0 to run Painter X2. Althought the executable and other things are new (like an added masking brush -which is g-r-e-a-t), color sets, color annotation, new cartoon fill, etc…) X2 is based on Painter. Therefore, althought it's called an "eXtension", it's a complete program that upgrades the old one. You will still be able to run Painter 2.0, but with X2, who wants 2.0? 🙂 I said that Photostyler 2.0 and Painter X2 "team" will be (at least for me) the definitive graphic tool because both programs cover all the fields (except animation) that we are working on. X2 is incomparable to anything in the market. It's really a master piece of software. I haven't try styler yet, but from the reviews in the Aldus forum, it will come with all we need in the photography and _printing_ arena and more, completely surpassing Photoshop (which we also have -now to wait Adobe response :). We recently have move to a complete Kodak solution, and Photostyler 2.0 Kodak Color Precision System is the last piece of the puzzle. So things are starting to get really easy for us, and more perfect than ever.

X2 is an extension to Painter that supposedly allows you to treat images as floating "objects" (ala Altamira Composer). Composite you bitmaps, rearrange to your hearts content, blah blah blah… I say supposedly because I haven't had a chance to work with it…yet. Anyone had any experience with it?

No, X2 is not the same than Painter 2.0. You will find the following new features in the extensions (which are now a main part of my life 🙂 -message from Mark Zimmer summarizing the new features- X2: Multiple floating selections within an image. List for identifying group structure for floating selections, with front-to-back ordering. Named objects within the list. Each floating item in the list has its own transparency setting as well as edge feather setting (for soft shadows and the like). Mask Painting has been added, so you can interactively adjust the visibility of floating items. Any Painter action can be done to a floating item individually (Painting, Effects, etc.). User-definable Color Sets are implemented in X2. Digitize your own or use an existing color set (includes Pantone color). ***** Well, that's just a short list of new features in X2. Mark Zimmer FDC **** Yes, Mark. You have forgot the impressive mask brushes included, the multimask features, the new fill capabilites, the… well, you get the idea. X2 is a must in any Painter setup. And Painter 2.0 is a must in any professional imaging desktop. And here are some of the things that this guys are preparing for x3: Dear Painter Users! This is a document describing one of the new capabilities of our upcoming upgrade to Painter X2, which we lovingly have code-named Painter X3. I'll be uploading other feature peeks as time goes on… This isn't the only new feature! Just one of the many ground-breaking new ideas we're known for. Also: no questions about ship dates, please. This may get a bit technical for some, but it's worth looking at! Painting onto 3D objects. The object is to be able to visualize the 3D object on screen and adjust the surface color using any and all of Painter's brushes. This exacting approach is the only way to get a real quality 3D rendering. Without good texture maps, 3D objects don't look real. They look like that ferocious baby in "Tin Toy". You know what I mean, 3D enthusiasts! Also, we're talking *fast* painting onto the surface of a 3D object. Almost as fast as regular Painter brushes. Can you imagine painting pointillist color onto an object, or using liquid brushes on a "glaze" on a vase that you're working on? Painter will let you do it! Model Import These objects will be importable in two ways (1) from DXF or a private facet file format, and (2) as a G-buffer. Facet file format will include three or four vertices per facet (if planar). Each vertex can have a normal vector (for phong-style shading) and an optional texture map coordinate (for vertex mapping, which is necessary when objects stretch or deform and the texture must stay put). Objects have diffuse and specular qualities about them, so an object can be soft looking (like a superball) or shiny looking (like a billiard ball). Objects don't have to be closed. Object color comes entirely from a texture map. Cylindrical, cubic, and pass-through mappings are all supported. We will support painting onto a number of objects (up to 256 in the scene). Up to 256 texture maps per scene. Up to 256 photometries per scene. No limit on the number of facets in the file. I have imported 1,000,000 facet scenes into Painter and they work (rendering takes some time, proportional to the amount of the screen covered by the facets, and affected a little by the number of facets). On the other hand, a 1,500 facet vase looked perfectly smooth due to the Phong shading we employ and took a few seconds to import. ++++++++++++ Well, John, I can imagine you now with the phone in your hand asking for ten copies of the X2 and reserving 100 of the x3 extensions 🙂

so you think the Photostyler upgrade will be OK, then? <g> (deliberate understatement). Hey, can you help me with the guy from Spain called Ignacio? He's asking a lot of questions about buying stuff in the USA and having it sent to Spain. I don't know if that is possible or a problem. I told him he should find a local dealer in Espana.