#3DSr3 Animations on Mac?
13 messages in this thread
Can anyone offer insights into their success (or struggles) in playing
back 3DSr3 (Targa) animations on an ImMix Video Cube post-production
video workstation?
I know that one definite option is to dub a frame-by-frame video tape
to the ImMix just like any other video footage. But it would seem
preferable to avoid the intermediate videotape step by transferring
3DSr3 targa files directly from the originating DOS PC to the
Macintosh environment of the ImMix. A dealer told me that this can
be done via a Mac-based graphics conversion program ("Babelizer" or
something like that).
Has anyone here tried this? Is rendering to Targa files the best way
to do this, or would some other 3DSr3 rendering format be
preferable? How good do conversions/transfers look by the time the
animations are running on the Mac and ImMix?
I'd appreciate any insights anyone could share.
Thanks,
Lee
We have done some non-linear editting at an ImMix facility. We recorded
frame-by-frame to Hi-8 and then went to the Cube. Other than typical Hi-8
glitches, the system was a dream to work with. The Mac was a little slow with
frame captures, and I don't know how well frame conversions go, so I couldn't
say much about digital transfers of your animation. Let me know how you do.
David,
Thanks for sharing your experiences with ImMix editing. We plan to order the
cube next week, so I probably won't get around to actually editing with it
until sometime in March. I'm looking forward to it.
Thanks again,
Lee
Keep me posted on your results. The post facility we deal with
doesn't have a terribly convenient way for us to get single frames to
their ImMix, so I'd like to hear your approach.
I called up Debabelizer on my MAC, but I didn't know what file format
to look for. It will import the TGA files, and convert them to about
30 or so different formats on the Mac, but what was the file format
you need? If you want to give Debebelizer people a call, they are
Equilibrium Technologies at 415-332-4343.
Thanks for your helpful reply. Since our ImMix probably won't be
delivered for a few weeks yet, I don't know all the answers to the
good questions you've raised. I've heard that the Mac front end to
the ImMix could handle either Pict or Quicktime files. In the end,
though, the animations need to be transformed by the ImMix's custom
processors to its proprietary Wavelet (compressed) format. Ideally,
I'm hoping to find a reasonably animated way to do a frame by frame
digital transfer directly from the Targa+ board (or files) to the
ImMix's direct input. I don't know how feasible that is yet. If
anyone else around here knows, please jump in with that info. Thanks
for the contact info for the Debabelizer.
Gratefully,
Lee
I don't know any specifics on the ImMix cube, but isn't it a JPEG
device? You can render .jpg's from within 3D Studio, and they should
be readable on a Mac using Dosmounter or Debabbelizer. These image
file formats (.tga, .jpg, etc…) are not platform specific, just the
medium you store them on is.
John,
Thanks for your reply. The ImMix cube does not use JPEG compression
but rather its own proprietary "Wavelet" compression scheme. That's
one of the key quality enhancements of the ImMix system.
Do you know if it's possible to DOS-mount an entire SCSI hard disk (from my
486) on the Mac? If it were, that could at least solve the physical file
transfer problem of getting large Targa animations from my DOS computer over to
the Mac-ImMix environment.
Thanks again for your suggestions,
Lee
Every experiment I've done trying to mount a DOS formatted drive on a MAC has
ended in total disaster – usually reformatting the harddrive without a prompt
or anything! I've successfully ethernetted a couple of gigs using ethernet and
Farrallon's DOS-MAC network setup. Kind of slow, but definitely works.
John Tissavary (La Luna cie)
Gee, I don't have a problem with that. I have a 150 MB SCSI bernouli
that I swap not only the whole unit back and forth from my MAC to my
PC, but I can read PC formatted Bernouli disks on the MAC as well. I
can use it for transferring large FLIC files or series of TGA files
onto the MAC. On the MAC I have something called PC Echange (I
think) which automaticaly reads the disks I put into the MAC and
tells me if they are formatted for PC. Then it will ask me whether I
want to format for MAC or read the DOS files without re-formatting.
I wonder if Bernoulli's and Syquests (being removeable media) are
somehow able to do this. I've had the nightmares when trying to
mount a DOS hard drive on a mac.
John Tissavary (La Luna cie)
I don't think it is the fact that it is removable. I was having the same
problems and nightmares until I started leaving this "DOS identifier" (for lack
of a better term) active in memory of the MAC. I was formatting bernouli disks
by accident all the time. Now it always asks me politely whether it should
destroy 3 to 4 years of my lifes work, rather than just doing it on its own.
<g>
-Brian
P.S. I believe it is actually called DOS Mounter. But it somehow stays active.
>>until I started leaving this "DOS identifier" (for lack of a better term)
active in memory of the MAC.<<
I'll have to remember that one. Thanks. I try and stay away from Macs
whenevery possible, but it's hard in the graphics biz.
John Tissavary (La Luna cie)