Welcome to Fractal Design Detailer - the amazing 3D paint program. This READ ME file contains important information that is not included in the on-line Detailer documentation.
DEMO SOFTWARE
This is a Demo version! It has the following features disabled: Save, Save as, Print, Export and Copy to Clipboard. You are not required to register or serialize this software. To reduce the size of the installation for downloading, minimal sample content is provided. The full version of Detailer includes over a hundred images, patterns and models.
ORDERING FRACTAL DESIGN DETAILER
To order Fractal Design Detailer, please visit your local Fractal Design reseller, or call Fractal Design Corporation at (800) 846-0111 or (408) 430-4100. For more information about Fractal Design Detailer, please visit our web site at www.fractal.com.
ON-LINE DOCUMENTATION
Electronic documentation is available for Detailer in PDF format which requires an Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you acquired this demo version on-line, you will also find an abbreviated User Guide available for downloading. If you acquired this demo from a CD-ROM, you'll find the PDF files with the Detailer installer. To get the most out of Detailer, we encourage you to read these documentation files.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
While we do not provide free support for our demonstration versions, many of the answers to your questions, along with tips and tricks may already be posted on our website. Be sure to check out the technical support pages on the Fractal Design web site at <http://www.fractal.com/support/tech>.
MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Detailer requires a Power Macintosh and a minimum of 12 MB of application RAM. Detailer, like all graphics applications, enjoys lots of RAM, fast processors and speedy hard drives. You will notice marked improvements in the applications performance if you upgrade to a faster computer or add more memory.
INSTALLING DETAILER
Complete the following steps to install Detailer:
1. Turn off any virus protection and/or compression programs and close any other applications currently open.
2. Double-click on the Detailer Installer icon.
3. In a moment, the installer displays an introductory screen. Click Continue.
4. The End User License Agreement for Detailer appears. You may read this information now or print it out. Click Continue to proceed and follow the instructions on the screen.
5. Select the Install Location for your Detailer folder.
6. Click Install
7. After Detailer software has finished installing, click Quit to exit the Installer.
If you have problems installing, use the Extension Manager (Control Panel in System 7.5+) to turn off all extensions except Apple CD. Then reinstall Fractal Design Detailer.
SETTING MEMORY OPTIONS
By default, Detailer is set to use the minimum amount of memory - 12 MB. If you have more memory available, you can significantly improve Detailer's performance by increasing its memory allocation.
To change Detailer's memory allocation:
1. Determine how much memory you have available and how much of it you can allocate to Detailer.
- If Detailer is running, quit the program. If you want to run other applications simultaneously with Detailer, launch them.
- In the Finder, choose About This Macintosh... from the Apple menu. The system displays a window describing memory usage and availability.
- You should set Detailer's memory allocation to a number that is a little bit less than the Largest Unused Block size. Make a note of the number you can use.
2. Open the Detailer folder and locate the Detailer application icon. Click on the icon to select it.
3. Choose Get Info... from the Finder's File menu.
4. Click in the "Preferred Size" field and enter the amount of memory you want to allocate to Detailer.
5. Click the Close box to save the setting and dismiss the dialog.
DETAILER COMPATIBILITY
Detailer is an incredible bridge between 2D and 3D because it compliments both 2D paint programs and 3D modeling programs.
Detailer opens and saves images in the following file formats: RIFF, TIFF, JPEG, PICT, BMP, Photoshop 2.x and Photoshop 3 (complete with layers).
Detailer can import and export 3D models in the following formats: Detailer-native, QuickDraw 3D (3DMF), DXF, and 3D Studio, and Wavefront OBJ.
Ray Dream Designer¿ and Ray Dream Studio¬ 4.1.2 or later both include extensions to import and export models in Detailer format, so you can easily use Detailer with models you create in these programs.
Detailer has a plug-in architecture for 3D models. Support for additional formats may come available. Visit the Detailer page on the Fractal Design web site for the latest information (www.fractal.com).
INCLUDED CONTENT
The installed Detailer Demo includes the application, sample libraries, File Format Plug-Ins, sample Models, and a Tutorial.
Libraries
The default Libraries include sample Brushes, Colors, Nozzles, Patterns, Portfolios and Textures. Additional libraries (from Fractal Design Painter¿) can also be loaded. The photographic patterns were created by Vivid Details.
Detailer Plug-Ins
File Format plug-ins for import/export of the following model formats (in addition to Detailer-native) are included:
QuickDraw 3DMF
DXF
OBJ (beta)*
3D Studio (beta)*
* The beta plug-ins have not undergone the same range of quality assurance testing as have the standard Detailer plug-ins. As "beta" modules, we recommend that you use them with care. Save any open documents before accessing these modules from the Import and Export menus. Check the Detailer page on our web site (www.fractal.com) for the final versions of these modules when they are available.
Models
The Models folder contains a sampling of models created by Viewpoint Datalabs and other sources. These models were created by exporting models from Ray Dream Designer using the included extensions for Designer. In Detailer format, these models consist of a pure triangular mesh. The splines and Bezier curves originally used to define the models do not exist in Detailer-native format.
Tutorial
The Tutorial folder contains all the files you need to complete the Detailer Tutorial projects referenced in the User Guide. Note, the tutorial images for the Demo version have been saved in a compressed JPEG (JPG) format instead of RIFF (RIF) and the TUTLIB.POR portfolio images have been included in the default Detailer Portfolio file.
IMPORTANT NOTES
Performance Tip: When painting directly on any 2D maps or masks, you can enhance the performance of Detailer's brushes by disabling simultaneous update of paint strokes on the 3D model. You can accomplish this by turning off the map's visibility by clicking on the "eye" icon for the map, in the Objects palette.
Zoom to Fit: When the model window is the frontmost window, you can resize the view so that the model fits the window by double-clicking the Magnifier tool icon.
Model Rotation: Normally, using the Virtual Trackball on a 3D model will move the "camera" or user's view, without moving the lights. If you hold down the Shift key while using the Virtual Trackball, the lights will move with the camera. This is useful when you want to rotate the model without changing the lighting.
Memory Issues: Detailer models and Model windows can require a substantial amount of memory. While image and map windows can be swapped to virtual memory, Model windows cannot. We recommend that you work with a single model at a time for best performance.
Ñ We recommend that the Modern Memory Manager be ON in the Memory control panel. This will speed up import of 3DMF models.
Photoshop¬ 3.0: Imported Photoshop 3.0 files with hidden layers become visible floaters in Detailer. You must manually hide them.
Object limit: Detailer has a limit of 240 objects per model.
QuickDraw 3D (3DMF file format)
Appendix B in the Detailer User Guide includes information on using Detailer with QuickDraw 3D (3DMF) models. Additional information follows.
Ñ 3DMF allows a mesh face to have a hole in it. Detailer does not support this. If you attempt to import a 3DMF model with a mesh hole, Detailer will alert you. If you continue, the holes are dropped. You may also abort the import.
Ñ Detailer 3DMF Import discards NURBS, Polygons, General Polygons and 3DMF Primitives. When exporting 3DMF files from modeling programs, you should look for an option which will convert Splines to Polygons (in Ray Dream Designer, it's called ╥Force Beziers to Polygons╙), in order to import the model into Detailer, completely.
Ñ 3DMF allows a separate color setting per mesh facet. For example, if a mesh consists of 3,456 triangular faces, each may have a unique color. Detailer does not support this. Mesh objects are given a single color.
Ñ 3DMF allows for diffuse and specular colors to be specified by separate RGB values. Reflectivity is specified as an exponent value that models the standard photometric specular reflection coefficient. Detailer uses a simplified arrangement with a single RGB color pixel value plus scale factors for diffuse, specular, and reflection. Detailer ignores specular and specular control objects from 3DMF and uses only diffuse colors. Detailer exports (in 3DMF) the diffuse color setting only.
Ñ Detailer offers five mapping methods; however, 3DMF assumes all mappings to be ╥implicit.╙ It is best to use implicit mapping on Detailer models you intend to export in 3DMF. You might be able to use a projection mapping, then reset the mapping method in the application where you open the exported model.
DXF Files: Models in DXF format do not include UV data, so implicit mapping cannot be used on them.
Object Size: In Detailer, the Object size, Bump Map image resolution and Bump Map Scaling slider all contribute to the appearance of relief on the model surface. Objects imported to Detailer should be no larger than 20 units across, or you may be unable to scale the Bump Map Scaling slider high enough to view surface relief. If this is a problem, simply reopen the model in your 3D modeling program and reduce the scale of the model. Then re-export and reopen in Detailer.
⌐ Copyright1996 Fractal Design Corporation, All rights reserved. Fractal Design Painter and Ray Dream Designer are registered trademarks and Fractal Design Detailer and Ray Dream Studio are trademarks of Fractal Design Corporation which may be registered in certain jurisdictions. Macintosh is a registered trademark of Apple Computer. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. Fractal Design Detailer is covered by U.S. Patent 5347620. Patent Pending.
