need program
11 messages in this thread
I need a DOS version of a program that can read *.TGA, *.GIF, and/or *.BMP
files, let me edit them, and print them in color on my HP Deskjet 500C printer.
I also need the program to make bitmaps for use as materials in 3D Studio
program. I am not sure if Autodesk Animator is still available. I can't afford
to buy Autodesk Animator Pro. Jeffrey.
Jeffrey,
you should probably look into an inexpensive Windows based paint package.
Photofinish isn't too bad, and is quite inexpensive ($100 approx). There may
even be some half decent shareware programs available, like paint shop pro
(psp.zip). They will also work in 24-bit even if your display card won't handle
that many colours, unlike animator pro which is 8-bit through and through.
I think I will buy Photofinish program. I tried Print Shop Pro but it won't
print graphics in color on my HP Deskjet 500C printer and it can't read TGA
files. Jeffrey.
>>PSP won't print in color on HP 500C…
PMJI Jeffrey, but _Paint_ Shop Pro, as Martin suggested (not _Print_ Shop Pro),
will print nicely to the HP 500C and 550C printers, as well as read and write
all flavors of TGA files. It will also do a host of image processing and
conversion. However, as it is not a bitmap editor, you cannot use it
effectively to create maps for 3DS. Animator Pro sure is nice for that, as
well as any of a pile of Windows paint programs, from Zsoft products on up.
All of the Windows graphics programs that I've tried print to the HP printers
by virtue of the HP supplied driver.
JKJ
I made a mistake and wrote Print Shop Pro instead of Paint Shop Pro but the
program that I got from a floppy disk bundled with a book won't let me print
graphics in color. I can't afford Animator Pro because I think it costs $750. I
was thinking about Photo Finish program published by Z-Soft because it costs
about $200. Jeffrey.
It still won't solve your map creation problem, but for image processing and
printing, you can find the latest shareware version (2.x) of PSP on Compuserve
as PSP.ZIP. AniPro is well worth getting for many reasons. You might call
your dealer – I bought it (version 1.0) for $550 a couple of years ago.
I will call my dealer and ask him about Animator Pro program. I am not sure if
his office will be open tomorrow (Friday) because tomorrow is New Year Eve. I
am not sure about buying any more Windows programs such as Paint Shop Pro
because Autodesk doesn't recommend running AutoCAD 12 for DOS and 3D Studio 3.0
from within Windows because they require a lot of memory and CPU resources.
Jeffrey.
>>3D and Windows…
Just for your information, most aspects of 3DSr3 work just fine under Windows
3.1. Before I got a 2nd machine here, I would often used a combination of
AutoCAD 12 (for Windows, not DOS), 3DS, and various Windows graphic programs
(Corel, etc) to build models. This is very efficient way to make something in
ACAD or Corel, then send it to 3DS by means of DXF or AI files, using Windows
to bouce back and forth. Note that I would NEVER, repeat NEVER fire up 3DS
under Windows for real rendering or video output!
Several things I found out here:
When I switch back to 3DS with ALT-TAB, the 3DS screen is trashed,
but this is easily fixed with a redraw (ALT-`) or by switching to
another module.
The setup is very touchy when it comes to 3DS video drivers. On my
system, it was crash city with VESA and plain VGA drivers for the
Editor. The Vibrant drivers work fine.
I could never render properly to the ATVISTA board under Windows.
Here again, the Vibrant drivers work fine and are suitable for quick
sanity checks.
It may be suicide to try any of this with less than 32 megs of ram.
Did I mention that I would NEVER, repeat NEVER fire up 3DS under Windows for
real rendering or video output? <G>
JKJ
PS: a significant hazard of using Windows around here is it may put one on Greg
Pyros's blacklist. <g>
JKJ:
>> PS: a significant hazard of using Windows around here is it may put one on
>> Greg Pyros's blacklist. <g>
Actually not, used the way you described! Believe it or not, while writing
"Inside 3D Studio", I ran Windoze for a month! I had 3D Studio, WordStar, and
OzCIS all set up so that I could jump from one to another. (Interesting
theory, running three straight DOS programs under Windoze!).
But it worked, no problems. Allowed me to test different theories as I was
writing about them, and check answers I was giving on ASOFT while still in
OzCIS. But I guess it said something that as soon as I sent in my manuscript I
reverted back to old habits! <g> Although I found that accessing CI$ at 14,400
dropped some characters under WIN, so DOS worked better for that anyway. Our
local 14.4 node opened up just as the book was finishing, so the timing was
great!
But I must agree with the great things you and everyone else have been saying
about Altamira Composer. We were thrilled to have been the first company
authorized to sell the program back at Siggraph, and even better now that the
final release is shipping and that everyone likes it as much as we do! (Even
if it does run under Windoze!) <g> Couldn't resist bringing this message back
full circle!
Happy New Year!
Greg Pyros
You might want to look at Fauve Matisse, $100 til Jan 1. It's an object
oriented "natural media" paint program (like Fractal). I just got it. Simple
to use, a bit slow, but seems to have good potential.
If the Fauve Matisse program is for Windows, I don't think I will buy it or
other Windows programs because Autodesk doesn't recommend running AutoCAD 12
for DOS and 3D Studio 3.0 from within Windows because they require a lot of
memory and CPU resources. Jeffrey.