EnigmA Amiga Run 1997 July/EnigmA AMIGA RUN 20 (1997)(G.R. Edizioni)(IT)[!][issue 1997-07 & 08][EAR-CD IV].iso/lightwave/lwmlist/93.lightwave-00/000383_rutgers!uunet.u…ran!clam!klynn_Thu, 24 Jun 93 20:06:56 EDT.msg

Internet Message Format | 1993-12-31 | 3KB

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Date: Thu, 24 Jun 93 11:46:17 CDT
In-Reply-To:  <[e-mail]>; from "Mark Thompson" at Jun 22, 93 1:26 pm
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.3 PL11]
From: rutgers!uunet.uu.net!intran!clam!klynn (Kevin Lynn)
To: bobsbox.rent.com!lightwave
Cc: westford.ccur.com!mark
Subject: Re: Lightwave Pro X Real 3D V2 and others


> > opinions about which one is better, LWPro or R3DV2, and why.
...
> Trust me, features lists are meaningless and extremely deceptive, especially
> for comparisons. What matters is implementation, ease of use, functionality,
> speed, and versatilty. R3D does have some interesting capabilities, but it
> is still very much a hobbyist program. But don't take my word for it, I urge
> you to check it out yourself at a dealer if you can.

I couldn't agree more.  After seeing the nifty flyer (I didn't notice that there
were no photos of the modeler...) and reading articles about the features list
of Aladdin, I sent away to Adspec and ordered a copy.  BIG mistake.  That program
has the WORST user interface of any commercial software I've ever seen.  I mean,
I was offended at how bad it is!  And if it's possible, the manual is worse.  I
tried to call Adspec for authorization to return the package and get a refund,
but they told me all sales are final.

What I've learned from this is just what Mark is talking about: features are no
good if they are inaccessable or painful to use.

My advice to anyone out there who is looking to get into 3D graphics and animation
on the Amiga is to try before you buy.  And if you find that LW3 is the best choice
for you (and you probably will), you'd be better off saving up the extra $ to get
the right software than compromising and being disappointed.  Try getting along with
POV or something while you're saving.

In my own case, I have opted to get Alex Duburie's excellent Vertex shareware modeler
to create my stuff and use it's conversion routines to get the objects into a format
that Aladdin will read.  I use Aladdin's renderer, and I'm saving my $ for a
Toaster...

Kevin Lynn