Aminet 5/Aminet 5 - March 1995.iso/Aminet/gfx/3d/IML58.lha/IML_58.txt

Internet Message Format | 1995-02-06 | 450KB

Date:    Sunday, 01 January 1995 02:29:20
Subject: ISL3.0b4 released
From:    [e-mail] (John Grieggs)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hi.

Version 3.0b4 of ISL is now available for the PC and the Amiga.  They are
in the usual place, netcom:/ftp/pub/gr/grieggs/ISL.  Now that it's pretty
much done, I'm thinking of putting it on Aminet as well.  Is there an
equivalent site for the PC?

BTW, version 3.0b4 fixes a serious math bug...

_john




Date:    Sunday, 01 January 1995 09:20:20
Subject: Imagine L/T
From:    [e-mail]


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Hello!
Could someone tell me what the differences between Imagine Pro and Imagine
L/T are? Also, how much does it cost to upgrade from L/T to Pro? I'm not
subscribed to this list, so please send any replies to me at [e-mail]
Thanks!



Date:    Sunday, 01 January 1995 12:18:43
Subject: Re: Easy Puddles
From:    Bush Doktor <[e-mail]>


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On Sat, 31 Dec 1994, Michael B. Comet wrote:

> >Here's a technique for making dead-easy puddles.  You know, the kind
> >of puddle of a thick solution such as mercury, oil, blood...anything
> >that has a meniscus that rises above the surface the puddle lies on.
>
> [ENTIRE how to DELETED]
>
>     Another way to do puddles which has worked well for me is to just
> use the spline editor.  Make the spline, and presto, auto faces, rounded
> beveling etc....

    Using the spline editor always seemed the easiest way to make
these objects, they seem smoother too.
     __ _____ __ __    ______ _____ ____   ____ ____       BUSH DOKTOR
 __ / // _  // // /   / __  // _  // __ \ /  _// __ \[e-mail]
/ // // _' // _  /   / _.' // _' // /_/ /_/ / / /_/ / Sundays 6 to midnight
\___//_//_//_//_/   /_/ |_|/_//_//_____//___/ \____/    K.U.O.R. 89.1 fm.
*************************************************** University of Dreadlands
                                 Blowing the FULL watts over nineteen years!




Date:    Sunday, 01 January 1995 13:49:33
Subject: RE: 3DS->DXF->IMAGINE ?
From:    [e-mail] (Mike Vandersommen)


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-> We have been discussing this on the IML before.
-> For the Amiga-line of computers there is a program called "Pixel 3=
D P

Yes, yes. But PC users can't use Pixel 3D Pro.
---
 =FE InterNet - GraFX Haus BBS - Santa Barbara, Ca - [phone]




Date:    Sunday, 01 January 1995 14:03:18
Subject: Re: Easy Puddles (fwd)
From:    Paul Rance <[e-mail]>


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  On Sat, 31 Dec 94 03:32:54 EDT Shinobi <[e-mail]> said


>As a final step, make sure to MERGE the object so that you don't have
>a lot of extraneous points on top of one another.
>
>YOUR PUDDLE IS DONE.
>
>Paul
>


 This is fine for pre-v2.9 but why dont you just use the spline editor and use
the round bevel in v2.9+.

Paul R

--
.-------------------------------------------------------------------------.
!Email [e-mail]                      2:254/516.2@Fidonet    !
`-------------------------------------------------------------------------'



Date:    Sunday, 01 January 1995 14:36:08
Subject: IMAGINE
From:    [e-mail] (Mike Vandersommen)


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-> In your object list, you list some objects as:
-> 'DXF format 3d object for Imagine/3d studio'
-> Have you verified that these load in Imagine 3.0? or 3.1?

I have yet to get 3.0 to load ANY DXF files! However they are verified
to load into 3.1 just ducky.

Mike -

Email: [e-mail]
BBS: GraFX Haus (Santa Barbara, Ca.) 805-683-1388 v.32 14.4 HST dual
---
 =FE InterNet - GraFX Haus BBS - Santa Barbara, Ca - [phone]




Date:    Sunday, 01 January 1995 18:37:01
Subject: Re: Uploading to AmiNet
From:    [e-mail] (Curtis White)


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>Hi Curt!
>
>>What format are the textures, Amiga or IBM?
>
>They're in Amiga format (that's the reason for uploading them to
>AmiNet).  They come with a manual in AmigaGuide format.
>
>Do you know how to upload to AmiNet??
>
>                                        -Dave
>                                         [e-mail]


Sorry, I have never uploaded to AmiNet so I don't know how.

I don't know anything about programming for the Amiga, but would it be very
difficult to port the code to the PC?  I have Borland C/C++ compilers for the PC
but am not sure if ya need anything special to compile Textures for the PC.  If
it is possible, I would be willing to do the port compile.  If anyone else knows
how to compile textures for the PC, I would be really interested to know how.  I
am a programmer, by trade, but don't know anything about writing Imagine textures.
Any help?


Curt





Date:    Monday, 02 January 1995 00:09:55
Subject: Scripting DXF imports
From:    wolfram schwenzer <[e-mail]>


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Hi, Imagineers, a happy New year to everybody !

To start into 1995 here's a tip for those who have missed a scripting language
in Imagine (like I did) and have access to a version of AUTOCAD (no need for a
newer one, will function for v. 9 and up): use AUTOLISP functions to generate
your objects in "raw form" (i.e. without attributes): you can write PARAMETRIZED

generators for wedges, arcs, columns etc. and export them via DXFOUT (works like

a charm with Imagine 3.1); you can even write POVRAY scene description code AT
THE SAME TIME as AUTOLISP can generate code in ANY computer language quite
easily (that's the big advantage of LISP over other programming languages).
Learning curve for LISP appears steep at the beginning (but we Imagineers are
used to steep slopes, aren't we ;-) ...) but is well worth to master.
By the way AUTOLISP is a derivate of the PD XLISP language by Dave Betz and as
such also separately available (missing the CAD functionality of course), so you

could learn it without buying AUTOCAD. (Anybody out there for writing a DXF
generator in XLISP ... ?)
As it is also possible to export DXF objects from Imagine into AUTOCAD one could
also modify existing Imagine meshes by writing AUTOLISP functions (having
something like a `external' scripting language for Imagine objects).

Now - what about an inline scripting language for Imagine from the `gang' ?
THAT would even draw me away from Lightwave ...

      Best wishes & happy rendering

              W.S.
--
wolfram schwenzer
Internet : [e-mail]




Date:    Monday, 02 January 1995 00:21:14
Subject: How to assign attributes to a group
From:    wolfram schwenzer <[e-mail]>


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Hi, fellow Imagineers,

A happy New Year to all on the net !
Nonetheless I couldn't solve a problem in the last days of the old year and hope
that somebody can offer a solution: when I group objects by using "pick objects"
and <Shift> and then selecting everything by "select previous" (and even making
a group of them in the Stage editor) and give the "parent" an attribute the rest
of the objects doesn't follow, i.e. is still rendering with the (default)
attributes.
After two days of trying every conceivable combination and reading the manual
as well as the tips in the mail from 3 months ago I simply can't fix one set
of attributes to all objects in the group WITHOUT doing it seperately for each
and every member.
Gosh, I can't believe that it ain't possible at all ! If yes please tell me and
if I am wrong correct me ! (If it's true IMPULSE should add this feature as soon
as possible as it is really a nuisance to add the same attributes to a dozen or
more stone blocks or the like...)
During my search I had much trouble understanding the difference between the
statuses of being "picked" and being "selected": when I have a group of objects
picked without being selected it will (under transformations) behave like one
which has been picked AND selected, so what's the use of selecting it
additionally ?

Besides that I tried to import a DXF file into Imagine 3.1 which consisted of
objects in different colors using the "one object per color" option but received

only one axis (= one object ?); is this correct ? And how can I access the
different objects if there are several ?

Any help is gratefully acknowledged.

              Thanks.

               W.S.

P.S. As I don't expect only to be given but also to offer help see my other
posting about generating DXF objects by using scripting in AUTOCAD.




--
wolfram schwenzer
Internet : [e-mail]




Date:    Monday, 02 January 1995 06:10:18
Subject: How to assign attributes to a group
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On 12-31, Wolfram Schwenzer wrote:

S> After two days of trying every conceivable combination and reading the
S> manual
S> as well as the tips in the mail from 3 months ago I simply can't fix one
S> set
S> of attributes to all objects in the group WITHOUT doing it seperately for
S> each
S> and every member.
S> Gosh, I can't believe that it ain't possible at all ! If yes please tell
S> me and
S> if I am wrong correct me ! (If it's true IMPULSE should add this feature
S> as soon
S> as possible as it is really a nuisance to add the same attributes to a
S> dozen or
S> more stone blocks or the like...)
============

        The command you're looking for is Detail/Functions/Apply.
        In Objects mode, first select the object with the attributes
        you want, then select all others.  Then hit apply.  They'll
        all inherit the attributes.

        HAPPY NEW YEAR IMLers!

        -mikeT


* Offline Orbit 0.70a * ...Sleep is a poor substitute for Raytracing...



Date:    Monday, 02 January 1995 09:02:29
Subject: Re: How to assign attributes to a group
From:    cjo <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Wolfram Schwenzer wrote;

> when I group objects by using "pick objects"
> and give the "parent" an attribute the rest
> of the objects doesn't follow,
> i.e. is still rendering with the (default)
> attributes.
> After two days of trying
> I simply can't fix one set
> of attributes to all objects in the group
> WITHOUT doing it seperately for each
> and every member.
>
> Gosh, I can't believe that it ain't possible at all !
> If yes please tell me and
> if I am wrong correct me !

Since I am such a nice guy ;) I'll tell you that you are wrong!
And since you didn't fall off your chair when I told you how nice I am
(you didn't, did you?) I'll even tell you how to apply the attributes.

What you do is this:
1. Create or load some objects (I'll refer to them as A, B, C and D).
2. PICK object A.
3. Set the attributes <F7> to what you want.
4. While object A i PICKed multiPICK (by holding <SHIFT> and clicking)
   objects B, C and D.
5. From the functions menu, do APPLY.
6. Voila. 4 objects with the same attributes.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
|   Conny Joensson   |   Swedish Space Corp. Esrange            |
|   Kiruna           |   Satellite operations - Telecom Div.    |
|   Sweden           |   [e-mail]                     |
-----------------------------------------------------------------



Date:    Monday, 02 January 1995 10:05:47
Subject: Re: How to assign attributes to a group
From:    "Randy R. Wall" <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


> After two days of trying every conceivable combination and reading the manual

> as well as the tips in the mail from 3 months ago I simply can't fix one set
> of attributes to all objects in the group WITHOUT doing it seperately for each

> and every member.

Heres the easiest way to get attributes from one object to the next.
First select the object that has all the attributes you want. Now
select the other objects while holding the SHIFT key down (if the objects
are part of a group then do this in Select object Mode R/A_2) now just
use the command Apply under the Functions Menu in 3.1. All of these
objects will now have the same attributes and textures as the first
object you selected.

> During my search I had much trouble understanding the difference between the
> statuses of being "picked" and being "selected": when I have a group of object
s
> picked without being selected it will (under transformations) behave like one

> which has been picked AND selected, so what's the use of selecting it
> additionally ?

When an object is Picked it is basically the object that you are working
with when you do such things as use the Tranformation Requester or Pick
Points Mode, etc...

When an object is selected it is Basically only showing you the next
object you can Pick. I use this for times when I need to shuffle threw
some object to find the one I want. You can use the R/A_n for next
object, or R/A_b for back an object. This will shuffle you threw
all your objects by making each one a selected object as it comes up, but
will leave any picked objects still picked. This can be very handy
getting rid of unwanted object parts after slicing two or more objects.
It can also be used to Pick certain objects for joining or grouping, out of
several objects you may have on screen. I do this by Picking the object
that you want to be the parent or the one you want the other objects
joined to. Then I will use the R/A_n for next object to select the other
objects I want in this group or joined. As I select each one I can use
the SHIFT_F1 key to make it Picked and continue on this way till I have
all the objects I want..Then I just either Join or Group them.

> Besides that I tried to import a DXF file into Imagine 3.1 which consisted of
> objects in different colors using the "one object per color" option but receiv
ed
> only one axis (= one object ?); is this correct ? And how can I access the
> different objects if there are several ?

Well, I haven't played with to many DXF objects but maybe you could try
the Color Change -> new object and/or New entity -> new object..

=RRW=



Date:    Wednesday, 04 January 1995 11:39:05
Subject: Film/print output
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


I've been outputting my Amiga 3D imagery to film since 1989, at that time
it was necessary to convert the file to Mac format and use a Mac service
I have done lots of 4x5 and slide output. The advantage to larger size film
is that you can magnify the image more without as much graininess as with
a slide. The usual upper limit is 10x the size of the source film, so 8x10
from a slide, 40x50 inches from a 4x5, etc. For slides I usually render from
1000x600 to perhaps 1500x900 pixels, depending on the image complexity. Any
more than that is overkill. For 4x5 output I've done a lot of images at
1600x2000, the optimum size is 3200x4000. Any more is overkill. Bear in mind
that when imaging to film your work becomes "original art", in other words
an analog image. This is due to the fact that the emulsion diffuses the
incoming pixels, so that unless there is severe "stair-stepping" in the
original bitmap, there will be no pixelization in prints made from the film.
For dye sublimation and other types of direct-to-printer output, I would
reccomend converting your image to an EPS. I've had 640x480 raytraces
output with a dye sublimation printer to 11x17 with no pixelization, and
have done full color t-shirt transfers done at that resolution also. One
important tip for 3D imagery output to film is to boost your gamma about
50%, and then make sure the dynamic range is re-sampled to the max, other
wise your film and prints will be very dark. As far as where to get it done,
just pick up any Mac world and the classifieds are full of places. There
is an Amiga format 4x5 output (slides too) here in Phoenix, they charge
$65 for one image, $35 each for three or more, and so on. Slides can usually
be had for 4-8 bux each.



Date:    Wednesday, 04 January 1995 18:00:21
Subject: Object conversions
From:    [e-mail] (Mike Vandersommen)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



For those of you PC Imagine users that have Windows, I found a decent
object conversion program. It's called WC2POV25.ZIP, runs under Windows
only. It READS AOFF (*.geo), AutoCad DXF, 3D Studio, Neutral File
Format (.nff), RAW (*.raw), TPOLY (.tpo) and WaveFront (*.obj).

It saves out as DXF, 3DS, .NFF, .POV, Raw and Wavefront. It does a good
job of converting 3DS objects to DXF format that Imagine 3.1 will read.
It breaks up objects fairly well, though not as completely as saving a
3DS file to DXF from within 3D Studio. But hey, it's Freeware.
Oh, and you can preview the objects too.

FTP at POVRAY.ORG /Pub/Povray/utilities/WC2POV25.ZIP

If you don't have FTP access, I'll have it at GraFX Haus, 3D render
utility file section.

Mike -

Email: [e-mail]
BBS: GraFX Haus (Santa Barbara, Ca.) 805-683-1388 v.32 14.4 HST dual
---
 =FE InterNet - GraFX Haus BBS - Santa Barbara, Ca - [phone]




Date:    Wednesday, 04 January 1995 21:55:49
Subject: RE: 3DS->DXF->IMAGINE ?
From:    [e-mail] (Mike Vandersommen)


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-> From: [e-mail] (Curtis White)
-> Well, I don't know about a fish having 3 eyes, but I do know that Ima
-> screams  on my Pentium.  It is the fastest raytracer I have ever
-> seen.

I progressively moved from Turbo Silver to Imagine 3.0 over the years on
my Amiga, and gradually upgraded the Amiga to an 030/25 with 9 megs of
ram. I thought the speed of rendering was tolerable. UNTIL ... I moved
over to the 486/66. It's actually fun to trace now. :)

Mike -

Email: [e-mail]
BBS: GraFX Haus (Santa Barbara, Ca.) 805-683-1388 v.32 14.4 HST dual
---
 =FE InterNet - GraFX Haus BBS - Santa Barbara, Ca - [phone]




Date:    Wednesday, 04 January 1995 22:04:10
Subject: RE: HOW TO ASSIGN ATTRIBU
From:    [e-mail] (Mike Vandersommen)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



-> From: "Randy R. Wall" <[e-mail]>
->
-> No biggy, Its never really been anything I was to conserned with myse
-> either. As long as I know what works, thats all that matters to me. 3D2
-> But the guy who asked these things seamed a bit confused so I thought
-> would be a good idea to make this clear to him.

You mean I don't come across as confused? You mean to say it's actually
possible to use Imagine and not be in a state of confusion all the time? <g>

Mike -

Email: [e-mail]
BBS: GraFX Haus (Santa Barbara, Ca.) 805-683-1388 v.32 14.4 HST dual
---
 =FE InterNet - GraFX Haus BBS - Santa Barbara, Ca - [phone]




Date:    Wednesday, 04 January 1995 22:30:06
Subject: RE: 3D RENDERING FOR VIDE
From:    [e-mail] (Mike Vandersommen)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



-> From: Mike McCool <[e-mail]>
-> Hey Mike, and all y'all,
->         This, too, is not exactly Imagine related, but more inspirati
-> related.  You've probably all seen it by now, as I seem to wander int
-> things years after everyone else has them mastered,--but there's a gr
-> film out there called VISIONS OF LIGHT.
->
->         It's a documentary of hollywood's directors of photography, a
-> it's got some great lighting tips quite applicable to raytrace.  Go
-> out and rent it, if you haven't seen it already.

You want inspiration for raytracing go BUY, not RENT, Minds Eye and
Beyond the Minds Eye. Every time I watch them I get pumped up.

Mike -

Email: [e-mail]
BBS: GraFX Haus (Santa Barbara, Ca.) 805-683-1388 v.32 14.4 HST dual
---
 =FE InterNet - GraFX Haus BBS - Santa Barbara, Ca - [phone]




Date:    Wednesday, 04 January 1995 22:37:52
Subject: Amiga Conversions
From:    David Wilson <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



      I'm looking for a PD converter for converting from several
formats to TDDD so that I can use some lightwave and 3DS files in
Imagine.  Does anybody know what will do it?  I had the TTDDD files but
the documentation only described going from TDDD to other formats and not
the other way around.  No matter what I tried I couldn't get it to go the
other way (which I thought it was supposed to do).  Any help would be
great, Thanks.




Date:    Thursday, 05 January 1995 16:48:40
Subject: Attention
From:    the Kid <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



      Yo all,

      I just purchased an A3000. I have boot KickStart 2.05.
      I'd like to upgrade it to 3.1. I have the raw image file
      of 3.1. And what's now? What should I do ? Should I
      only replace the old devs:kickstart, or what ?

      I'm also looking for a mailing list for hardware hacks.

              thanx all,

      (Happy New Year etc. )

==================================================================
=                     |                                          =
=  Beri Balogh Attila | for more info see the finger information =
==================================================================
= email: [e-mail] |         Amiga rules         =
==================================================================






Date:    Thursday, 05 January 1995 19:53:13
Subject: Starfield object
From:    [e-mail] (Mike Vandersommen)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Someone's message reminded me. Lightwave has two great starfield objects
that come with the software. I have been unable to convert them to
Imagine format. I was wondering if anyone has created a good starfield
object that works better than the default Starfield in Imagine? If so,
could you attach them to an Email message to me? I'd really appreciate
it. Or upload them to an FTP site somewhere.

Oh, and in regards to the two Starfields in Lightwave (Stars and
RandomStars) does anyone have them (that also uses Lightwave)? I've
grundged my original disk that contained them and they were the only
objects I had no backups for. They aren't very large in size.

Mike -

Email: [e-mail]
BBS: GraFX Haus (Santa Barbara, Ca.) 805-683-1388 v.32 14.4 HST dual
---
 =FE InterNet - GraFX Haus BBS - Santa Barbara, Ca - [phone]




Date:    Thursday, 05 January 1995 21:03:54
Subject: Re: Attention
From:    Douglas Rudd <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


>     Yo all,
>
>     I just purchased an A3000. I have boot KickStart 2.05.
>     I'd like to upgrade it to 3.1. I have the raw image file
>     of 3.1. And what's now? What should I do ? Should I
>     only replace the old devs:kickstart, or what ?
>
>     I'm also looking for a mailing list for hardware hacks.
>
>             thanx all,
>
>     (Happy New Year etc. )
>
> ==================================================================
> =                     |                                          =
> =  Beri Balogh Attila | for more info see the finger information =
> ==================================================================
> = email: [e-mail] |         Amiga rules         =
> ==================================================================
>

When you bought the 3.1 upgrade, you got a kickstart rom with the kit.
Install it.



Doug Rudd
------------------------------------------------------------------------
No matter how high or great the throne,

      that which sits on it is the same as your own.
------------------------------------------------------------------------




Date:    Thursday, 05 January 1995 21:36:49
Subject: Re: Intel & Pentium news
From:    Douglas Rudd <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


>
>
> INTEL REPENTS FOR PENTIUM
> Intel has finally caved in to customer insistence that it replace, without
> question, the flawed Pentium chips that could possibly produce incorrect
> results in complex calculations. The company had claimed that the flaw
> would happen rarely and affect very few users, and had therefore tried to
> take the position that it would replace the chips only for customers who
> could demonstrate that they would be affected.  Like the Coca-Cola
> executives who found that people wouldn't accept their wisdom about New
> Coke, Intel's leaders have decided that the customer is always right. The
> Intel number to call for obtaining a chip replacement is 800-628-8686. (New
> York Times 12/21/94 A1,C6)
>
Sort of like flying in a commuter aircraft the manufacturer claims only gives
trouble in certain weather conditions. Trust us, and you all have a nice day
now, hear.



Doug Rudd
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The new order:

      "Remember- an American first and a politician second".

      "Spoken like a true American politician".
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Warning: Intel Inside!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------




Date:    Friday, 06 January 1995 00:44:26
Subject: Re: Starfield object
From:    Douglas Rudd <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Seems someone created a starfield object and posted that info early in
1994. Have to dig out the AG version of the archives to see who.

The LW starfield objects won't convert to Imagine due to the difference
in the ways Im and LW handle polygons. I think the LW object is composed
of single point polygons.



Doug Rudd
------------------------------------------------------------------------
:-) I think I'll write a letter to my congressman.

:-| A congressman has two ends: a sitting end and a thinking end;
and since his entire future depends on his seat, why bother friend....
------------------------------------------------------------------------




Date:    Friday, 06 January 1995 02:26:17
Subject: Re: Re[2]: Attention
From:    Douglas Rudd <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


> >When you bought the 3.1 upgrade, you got a kickstart rom with the kit.
> >Install it.
>
> That's the point.  I don't think he did buy the upgrade.  He has a disk image of
> KickStart, but probably doesn't have all the WB files (disks).
>
> -Scott
> [e-mail]
>
>
I know 8->

He should buy the upgrade. The last thing the Amiga needs now is people
stealing the latest version of the OS.


Doug Rudd
[e-mail]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Amiga Guide to the Galaxy refers to Commodore's management as
"A bunch of mindless jerks who will be the first to be lined up
against the wall and shot when the revolution comes."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They will get my Amiga from me when they pry it from my cold, dead hands.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------




Date:    Friday, 06 January 1995 02:29:42
Subject: Project format incompatibility
From:    Stethem Ted 5721 <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



   Well, here we go again!  OK, I have an Amiga with Imagine 3.1.  I
recently got an Imagine 3.1 project (.imp) that was done with Imagine 3.1
for the PC.  Now, prior to Imagine 3.1, it was possible to take a PC
project, change all the backslashes to slashes, change the directories, and
run it on an Amiga (excluding custom textures).  With version 3.1, it
appears this is no longer possible.
  When I tried this, I got one of those cryptic error messages saying
something like "format is not compatible".  It wouldn't be a problem if it
were like the other error messages like "object not found" and then the
requestor would pop up and the path could be changed.  It seems there is no
way to make the PC-format project compatible with an Amiga-format project.
 It does load up in the Action and Stage editors and I have saved from the
Action editor but the Project remains incompatible.  I suppose the project
could be reconstructed but I don't see an easy way to do that without
reconstructing it manually.
  At this point, I am guessing there is something different in the staging
file that is causing this and probably primarily due to something specific
to the render screen mode or maybe because of the addition of field
rendering.  I haven't checked out the new Imagine Staging Language to see if
this is addressed there but I noticed that the announcement for the demo
version said the F/X save was disabled which will really clobber any attempt
to use the unregistered ISL for converting between PC and Amiga projects.
  I wonder if anybody else has run into this?  Also, this may affect any
plans for combining Amigas and PC's to run Imagine projects in conjunction
with each other.



Date:    Friday, 06 January 1995 06:23:32
Subject: Uploading to AmiNet...Thanx!
From:    [e-mail] (David Wyand)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hi All!

A thank-you goes out to everyone who helped me to upload to the AmiNet!
You'll all be able to use my textures in the next few days (when I can
spend some time uploading them!)...

Thanx again!

                                        -Dave
                                         [e-mail]



Date:    Friday, 06 January 1995 06:51:58
Subject: BUMP MAPPING AND STAT
From:    [e-mail] (David Wyand)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hi Greg!

-> When I discovered it a while back, and called them, they were already
-> aware of it.  It's supposed to be fixed in 3.2, at least I hope so.

I certainly hope so.  Four revisions should be long enough to work this
bug out...

                                        -Dave
                                         [e-mail]



Date:    Friday, 06 January 1995 07:38:20
Subject: Re: Uploading to AmiNet
From:    [e-mail] (David Wyand)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hi Curt!

Well, thanx for thinking about uploading to the AmiNet.

-> I
-> am a programmer, by trade, but don't know anything about writing
-> Imagine textures.
-> Any help?

Sorry, but I don't see myself porting these textures over to the PC for
a while.  Apparently, some modifications have to be done to the code to
make it work.  Also, I'd have to transfer over all of the example
pictures to a PC format, and I'd have to come up with the equivalent to
AmigaGuide on the PC.  Maybe sometime in the future...

                                        -Dave
                                         [e-mail]



Date:    Friday, 06 January 1995 07:58:33
Subject: Hard Lines...
From:    [e-mail] (Perry Lucas)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


I've recently buried my Amiga and switched to 486/66...upgrading
Imagine along the way.  I have only played with it a little, but
I noticed two things...

1 - It says that there are no Vesa views available defaulting to
350 x something...  Yet, I do have a Vesa Local bus machine with
a Vesa video card.  Whats going on there?

2 - I can't seem to get hard lines at all no matter what resolution
I use.  Lines go fuzzy on curved surfaces and what not.  How can I
correct this and are both problems related?

--Perry


                         _,_/|
                         \o.O;
        +-----------oOO =(___)= OOo-----------+
        |Perry Lucas       U     [e-mail]|
        |"PJ" on Diversity University Inc.    |
        |        Telnet: moo.du.org 8888      |
        | http://erau.db.erau.edu:80/~lucasp  |
        +-------------------------------------+




Date:    Friday, 06 January 1995 08:25:20
Subject: Re: Re[2]: Attention
From:    Ray Collett <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------




On Thu, 5 Jan 1995, Douglas Rudd wrote:

> > >When you bought the 3.1 upgrade, you got a kickstart rom with the kit.
> > >Install it.
> >
> > That's the point.  I don't think he did buy the upgrade.  He has a disk imag
e of
> > KickStart, but probably doesn't have all the WB files (disks).
> >
> > -Scott
> > [e-mail]
> >
> >
> I know 8->
>
> He should buy the upgrade. The last thing the Amiga needs now is people
> stealing the latest version of the OS.
>
>
> Doug Rudd
> [e-mail]
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
> The Amiga Guide to the Galaxy refers to Commodore's management as
> "A bunch of mindless jerks who will be the first to be lined up
> against the wall and shot when the revolution comes."
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
> They will get my Amiga from me when they pry it from my cold, dead hands.
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>

He has the full right to use the Kickstart image... IMHO.  Commodore sold
the first batch of A3000's (including mine) without ROM's at all.  They
promiced that they will give us the ROM's when they finnished with them,
but then they reniged on their deal.  Thus hundreds of us that went out
and plunked down $4000+ for the A3000 when it first hit the street were
abandoned!  Forced to give C= another $80 just to get the ROM's we should
of had in the first place.  I was all-ways on the leading edge of the
kickstart development.  as 2.04 developed through 2.05 .. 2.1 .. 3.0 ..
3.1 .. etc, I kept my A300 on the leading edge.  Verry nice!


Beri Balogh Attila:

      As long as the file is a A3000 kickstart file, then all you have to
do is swap it out with the devs:kickstart.  (keep the old in case)  There
are a ton of utilities on the net that deal with kickstart files..  most
are for machines without the kickrom that came with the first rev of
A3000, but there are some that will allow the A3000 users to keep
multiple versions of kick files around so that they can quickely select
one and run with if.

If you have any Q's, drop me a note.






Date:    Friday, 06 January 1995 08:52:06
Subject: Re: Easy Puddles
From:    Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Sat, 31 Dec 1994, Shinobi wrote:


> Here's the good part.  It's so easy, I could have kicked myself for
> not thinking of it earlier.
>
> Make sure your selection method is set to both CLICK and LOCK.  This
> will cause every point you drag to snap to a grid intersection.
>
> Provided you started out with a clean workspace, the 0,0,0 location
> should be right in the middle of your puddle (approximately).  Change
> the grid size to something outrageous, like 1000.  Select DRAG POINTS.
>
> Now, simply click once on each of the points that sticks out.  After
> you click, the point will immediately jump to the nearest grid
> intersection...at the center of the puddle.  In a few moments, you'll
> have all the points in the center, and the top of your puddle will
> have these wonderful faces.

Paul,

you can tell when a program is mature enough -- there are more than one
way to do something, and that makes discussion groups like this one much
more fun.

The way I would merge the extra points is this:

* In the Top view, use Pick Points (Lasso mode) to pick all those inside
points.

* Join them into a single point.

* Move the point to the approximate center of the puddle.


Simple, no?




Date:    Friday, 06 January 1995 08:57:48
Subject: Re: Bump Mapping and States
From:    [e-mail] (David Wyand)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hi Andrew!

-> I've tried this in 2.9 and 3.0 but for me there was a bug. Of course
-> I sent it to Impulse but got no reply. Sometimes it worked, but other
-> times I lost everything in the positive brush X axis.

Well, I have 3.1 and it still happens.  I really hope that 3.2 will fix
this anoying bug.  It has really prevented me from making some cool
animations... :(

                                        -Dave
                                         [e-mail]



Date:    Friday, 06 January 1995 08:57:50
Subject: Re: Starfield object
From:    Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Mike,

here are two ways to get starfields in Imagine.

1) MODELING REAL STARS:

      - Add a primitive cone, 5 x 5 units in size, 3 points at the base.
        No need to close the bottom.

      - In Pick Points, pick all and move them, say, 1000 units away
        from the origin.

      - In Pick Objects, enter Attributes, Phong off, Bright on.
        You've created a star.

      - Copy/Paste/Rotate randomly in X, Y, and/or Z. You've created
        another star.

      - Pick All, Join. Repeat these steps (Copy/Paste/Rotate, Pick All,
        Join) until you have enough stars to suit your fancy.

      - Presto, instant starfield! You may want to add a Dirt texture,
        with intensity set to 1, to vary the color of your stars from
        white to black.

2) FAKE IT:

      - Add a primitive sphere, make it Bright.

      - Add the Confetti texture, set V1 and V2 to 0.5 and 0.55,
        and the colors to black and white. Play with size until the
        stars look right.




Date:    Friday, 06 January 1995 20:10:12
Subject: RE: Hard Lines...
From:    Steve NACAD::Sherman LKG2-A/R5 pole AA2 DTN 226-6992


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


As for fuzzy lines, I don't know.  But as far as VESA is concerned, I
*suspect* it has to do with VESA drivers working with your card.  I
know that more recent boards support VESA drivers.  But, I don't know
about such compatibility if you have a relatively old Vesa local bus
video board.  There's a button in a menu (don't remember which one)
that lists for you which display modes are available.   In my case,
I have a Diamond Stealth 64 running with a PCI bus and it lists
several VESA modes for displaying.

Steve



Date:    Friday, 06 January 1995 20:22:27
Subject: RE: STARFIELD OBJECT
From:    [e-mail] (Mike Vandersommen)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



-> From: Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]>
->
-> 1) MODELING REAL STARS:

Yeah, I've tried that...and I do have a starfield. I even tried
making a large plane of star objects and using conform to sphere to make
them completely surround the world. Never came out right. I got spoiled
with the way Lightwave used their starfield object. It worked perfectly.


-> 2) FAKE IT:

I'll try that. Thanks.

Mike -

Email: [e-mail]
BBS: GraFX Haus (Santa Barbara, Ca.) 805-683-1388 v.32 14.4 HST dual
---
 =FE InterNet - GraFX Haus BBS - Santa Barbara, Ca - [phone]




Date:    Friday, 06 January 1995 20:39:25
Subject: Re: Hard Lines...
From:    Ed Totman <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Thu, 5 Jan 1995, Perry Lucas wrote:

> I've recently buried my Amiga and switched to 486/66...upgrading
> Imagine along the way.  I have only played with it a little, but
> I noticed two things...
Imagine runs much faster on the new system, yes?!

> 1 - It says that there are no Vesa views available defaulting to
> 350 x something...  Yet, I do have a Vesa Local bus machine with
> a Vesa video card.  Whats going on there?

Ftp to ftp.cdrom.com, get the following file, unzip, and run it before
running imagine:  /pub/simtel/msdos/graphics/univbe50.zip

> 2 - I can't seem to get hard lines at all no matter what resolution
> I use.  Lines go fuzzy on curved surfaces and what not.  How can I
> correct this and are both problems related?

I don't understand.  Are you using a bitmap?  Is it antialiasing?  Is the
problem in the final render or the one of the editors?

Ed Totman
[e-mail]




Date:    Friday, 06 January 1995 21:24:06
Subject: B*R*Y*C*E
From:    [e-mail] (Mike Vandersommen)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Last night, on some local computer cable channel, I saw a preview of a
new program called BRYCE (or New World Explorer) from the maker of KAI
Tools. Has anyone seen this? It looked awsome! It was a combination of
Raytracing and VistaPro in a standalone package. The images it created
were simply stunning! And the interface was so simple to use. It
apparently was running on a Mac. Future releases was to incorporate
animation, and some of the demos were mindblowing.

Does anyone know if this package is ONLY available on the Mac? And if it
is available now?

Mike -

Email: [e-mail]
BBS: GraFX Haus (Santa Barbara, Ca.) 805-683-1388 v.32 14.4 HST dual
---
 =FE InterNet - GraFX Haus BBS - Santa Barbara, Ca - [phone]




Date:    Friday, 06 January 1995 22:06:41
Subject: RE: STARFIELD OBJECT
From:    [e-mail] (Mike Vandersommen)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



-> From: [e-mail] (Joe Cotellese)
-> I have had mixed results with the Confetti texture.  I still not 100%
-> satisfied with it as a starfield.  I notice that I still get what app
-> be random noise when I pan the camera.  I understand that Imagine 3.1
-> now can be animated.

Yes, they fixed the Starfield in 3.1. It works great for panning shots.
The stars now move. However, they aren't perfect. For instance, I wanted
to have a large space cruiser move slowly in space as other objects buzz
about. Even if you move the object and the camera along a path, the
stars stay stationary. The starfield only moves when panning.

Mike -

Email: [e-mail]
BBS: GraFX Haus (Santa Barbara, Ca.) 805-683-1388 v.32 14.4 HST dual
---
 =FE InterNet - GraFX Haus BBS - Santa Barbara, Ca - [phone]




Date:    Friday, 06 January 1995 22:21:37
Subject: Re: Project format incompatibility
From:    Douglas Rudd <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


<Snip>
>   At this point, I am guessing there is something different in the staging
> file that is causing this and probably primarily due to something specific
> to the render screen mode or maybe because of the addition of field
> rendering.  I haven't checked out the new Imagine Staging Language to see if
> this is addressed there but I noticed that the announcement for the demo
> version said the F/X save was disabled which will really clobber any attempt
> to use the unregistered ISL for converting between PC and Amiga projects.
>   I wonder if anybody else has run into this?  Also, this may affect any
> plans for combining Amigas and PC's to run Imagine projects in conjunction
> with each other.
>


Ouch! That is the main reason I got the pc version, to supplement my renderings
on my Amigas. I confess I haven't fired up the 486 in several weeks and had not
tried IM31 on it yet. Good to know this before I get into a big project.


Doug Rudd
[e-mail]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Amiga Guide to the Galaxy refers to Commodore's management as
"A bunch of mindless jerks who will be the first to be lined up
against the wall and shot when the revolution comes."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They will get my Amiga from me when they pry it from my cold, dead hands.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------




Date:    Friday, 06 January 1995 23:47:43
Subject: Re: Re[2]: Attention
From:    Douglas Rudd <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


<Snip>
> >
> > He should buy the upgrade. The last thing the Amiga needs now is people
> > stealing the latest version of the OS.
> >
> >
> > Doug Rudd
> > [e-mail]
> > ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---
> > The Amiga Guide to the Galaxy refers to Commodore's management as
> > "A bunch of mindless jerks who will be the first to be lined up
> > against the wall and shot when the revolution comes."
> > ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---
> > They will get my Amiga from me when they pry it from my cold, dead hands.
> > ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---
> >
> >
>
> He has the full right to use the Kickstart image... IMHO.  Commodore sold
> the first batch of A3000's (including mine) without ROM's at all.  They
> promiced that they will give us the ROM's when they finnished with them,
> but then they reniged on their deal.  Thus hundreds of us that went out
> and plunked down $4000+ for the A3000 when it first hit the street were
> abandoned!  Forced to give C= another $80 just to get the ROM's we should
> of had in the first place.  I was all-ways on the leading edge of the
> kickstart development.  as 2.04 developed through 2.05 .. 2.1 .. 3.0 ..
> 3.1 .. etc, I kept my A300 on the leading edge.  Verry nice!
>

This is not about Commodore giving us the shaft. I am writing this reply
on a "super-kickstart" A3000. I could use the rom image from my A1200 to
put 3.0 on my 3000, but that would violate the licence agreement. My concern
here is that this person actually bought the OS or does he just have an
image of the ks he got from someone else. I, for one, do not wish to aid in
piracy.

<tech info removed>

If "The Kid" bought the complete OS3.1 kit and then got the image to go with
it, he is within his rights to use the image on the A3000. If he didn't, you
may have just given aid to a pirate.



Doug Rudd
------------------------------------------------------------------------
:-) I think I'll write a letter to my congressman.

:-| A congressman has two ends: a sitting end and a thinking end;
and since his entire future depends on his seat, why bother friend....
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Warning: Intel Inside!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------





Date:    Saturday, 07 January 1995 17:04:27
Subject: Re: STARFIELD OBJECT
From:    [e-mail] (Dan Santos)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



In a message of 06 Jan 95 Mike Vandersommen wrote to me:

 MV> Yes, they fixed the Starfield in 3.1. It works great for panning shots.
 MV> The stars now move. However, they aren't perfect. For instance, I
 MV> wanted to have a large space cruiser move slowly in space as other
 MV> objects buzz about. Even if you move the object and the camera along a
 MV> path, the stars stay stationary. The starfield only moves when panning.

Well, I've never been in space floating near a large space cruiser, but I know
that the stars will in fact stay stationary as you move (just like the moon
seems to be still when you walk). But you're right, it


Date:    Saturday, 07 January 1995 18:46:02
Subject: RE: STARFIELD OBJECT
From:    [e-mail] (Mike Vandersommen)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


-> Isn't the Lightwave starfield using single-point objects? I don't thi
-> could be converted to Imagine...I missed the original thread.

You're right....though I didn't know why until a few messages back.

-> Whats wrong Imagines  own starfield?

Nothing. It works ok, for what it is. It just doesn't give the effect of
a 3 dimensional starfield. Impulse did mention that they may add this
effect in later revisions. Hope so.

Mike -

Email: [e-mail]
BBS: GraFX Haus (Santa Barbara, Ca.) 805-683-1388 v.32 14.4 HST dual
---
 =FE InterNet - GraFX Haus BBS - Santa Barbara, Ca - [phone]




Date:    Saturday, 07 January 1995 19:21:37
Subject: RE: B*R*Y*C*E
From:    [e-mail] (Mike Vandersommen)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



-> From: [e-mail] (Cedric Georges Chang)
-> I haven't heard that it has been converted to the PC, but I haven't l
-> for it for the PC either.  It has been available for the Mac for some
-> now.

Well, this could have been an old show .... hard to tell. But they
were saying it was "soon to be released".  Thanks for the info.

-> takes more than an hour (or hours, I can't remember exactly what she
-> render one frame on a Quadra.  While VistaPro may not be as pretty or
-> laden, it at least cranks out decent pics fairly fast.

Not taking anything away from VistaPro (I have 3.1 on CD), the images
they were showing were photorealistic RAYTRACES including reflective
oceans and 3D cloud puffs. It looked like a fun plaything, and I was
hoping it was available for the PC. Thanks again........

Mike -

Email: [e-mail]
BBS: GraFX Haus (Santa Barbara, Ca.) 805-683-1388 v.32 14.4 HST dual
---
 =FE InterNet - GraFX Haus BBS - Santa Barbara, Ca - [phone]




Date:    Saturday, 07 January 1995 19:53:45
Subject: RE: STARFIELD OBJECT
From:    [e-mail] (Mike Vandersommen)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



->         Uhh... yeah... That's the way it would be in real life. It's
-> parallax thing. The stars are too far away to appear to move with a f
-> track ('truck' for you TV guys out there).
->         In reality, panning is the only way you could get stars to mo
-> the screen. That's as perfect as they're gonna get.
->         Of course, since it's CGI anything goes. If you *don't* want
-> stars Imagine's Starfield isn't perfect...

Duh. I hate it when I say something really dumb in front of a large
crowd. Of course, your right and the bozo who said that was my evil
twin, Lars. The one that HADN'T had his morning coffee. <g>

However, in Lars defense, I did the same effect in Lightwave using the
Stars object, and they of course moved (as if the stars were closer).
This worked because the Stars were an actual object.  The perfect effect
would be a combination of infinite starfield (ones that don't move) and
a stars object, (ones that do move) as the camera is tracking the
spacecraft. This would give the illusion that some "stars" are actually
space debris or whatever. The nice thing about the Lightwave Stars
object is you can do this simply by having two Stars objects, one sized
larger than the other.

Mike -

Email: [e-mail]
BBS: GraFX Haus (Santa Barbara, Ca.) 805-683-1388 v.32 14.4 HST dual
---
 =FE InterNet - GraFX Haus BBS - Santa Barbara, Ca - [phone]




Date:    Sunday, 08 January 1995 01:53:49
Subject: Warp System
From:    "Christopher R. Cockrell" <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Has anyone on the IML used, seen, or know of anybody currently
using "The Warp System (parallel processing system) by U.S.
Cybernetics? If so, how good is it? How well does it deal with
imagine? Any other interesting information on it?




Date:    Sunday, 08 January 1995 02:26:08
Subject: Has anyone seen 3.2 Yet?
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Ken,

 >It has been some time since the promised release date of 3.2,
 >and I'm just wondering if anyone has heard anything.

Upon asking Impulse the same question yesterday, the answer was "Real
soon, like anyday..."

Take that as you will :-)

Floater




Date:    Sunday, 08 January 1995 02:47:27
Subject: Object editor?
From:    [e-mail] (Bill Osuch)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Is there an objects editor (something along the lines of Vertex) available
for the PC that will write Imagine, not DXF, format? I'm specifically
looking for something with Boolean editing; I've found that after all it's
revisions, and even being ported to the PC, the slice functions is still
basically worthless on really complex objects.
    Bill Osuch                |   I haven't lost touch with reality,
    [e-mail]          |   reality has lost touch with me....
    Semprini?                 |




Date:    Sunday, 08 January 1995 06:02:30
Subject: Globals
From:    MCADOO <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


From: VAX::MCADOO       "MCADOO"  7-JAN-1995 22:15:05.28

Date:    Sunday, 08 January 1995 07:48:28
Subject: Re: Starfield apology
From:    Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Fri, 6 Jan 1995, Mike McCool wrote:

> an actual star pic mapped onto it.  (I tried that confetti trick, and
> frankly, it's lame).

Mike, why exactly did you find the confetti starfield lame? I tried it
and thought it was pretty good.



Date:    Sunday, 08 January 1995 08:13:03
Subject: Re: globals
From:    Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Sat, 7 Jan 1995, MCADOO wrote:

> SITUATION
>     Create global in DPaint or grabbed RGB pix in Toaster paint
>     Set all necessary settings for pixel etc in Action, and Project
>     editors.
>     Render in Project Editor
> PROBLEM
>     Rendered image looks like you zoomed in on the left half of image
>     Image had fonts loaded in DPaint and left half of string is shown
>     on rendered image.

I assume you're trying to create a global reflection map? What does your
scene look like, what objects are visible?

If you imagine a global environment map as being spherically wrapped
(WrapX/WrapZ) around your scene, most of the time your objects will
reflect the part of the environment map lying behind the camera, or to
the side; the part directly in front of the camera would only be
reflected on the extreme sides of objects -- it would rarely be seen.

What you can do is paint your most important elements (here, the text
strings) in the center half of your environment map, as seen in the
DPaint screen. My impression has been that Imagine will wrap the image
so that the edges of the map will meet at the +Y point, i.e. behind
objects if your camera is pointing towards +Y.




Date:    Sunday, 08 January 1995 09:25:02
Subject: Lock & Melt.
From:    Shane Davison <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Hi Imaginers,

Three items:

- Has anyone got 'Lock' to work in ImaginePC 3.1 ?  Well, has anyone
got any of the functions to work that snap objects to the grid ?  I
thought I was able to snap objects to the grid in 3.0 but maybe it
was just the points (bug?).

- Has anyone compiled Mr. Glenn Lewis' MELT program into a PC executable ?
I have the C++ source but my compiler doesn't like the makefile.  If
anyone would like the source to try compiling it, I can e-mail it to you
(it's relatively small).

- Has anyone ordered/received Mr. Steve Worley's new book "Understanding
Imagine 3.0" ?  What about Forge for the PC ?

Ok, I've asked a few questions now and in the past and I appreciated
the replies I received.  So, I thought I'd pass along this little tip
to all of you (I thought it up but maybe others have also)...

How to create a simple yet effective warp-drive (a la Star Wars/Trek):

- quickrender an Imagine starfield
- save it and map the image onto a plane
(make sure you create a state and lock it)
- set-up the camera to look directly at the entire plane
- create an appropriate-length animation in which the
plane scales to about 10 times its current size
- here's the key:  starting with frame 2, use the previously
rendered frame as the backdrop image for each successive frame
- once you've rendered the animation, you can use it as a
backdrop for star fly-throughs or map it onto a plane for
cool special effects

The great thing about doing it this way is that you can easily
achieve different but equally nice effects by changing the
position of the camera, the length of the animation, the scaling
amount, etc. and re-render.  Also, other cool effects can be
accomplished with clever uses of other parameters such as using
the image as a transparency map on a plane with randomly colored
faces for a colorful explosion effect.

Thanks for any info on the above questions,

--
Shane Davison (ts-ml)
[e-mail]

p.s.  Please remember to CC me when you reply to the list.  Thanks.
(Who were the wise-guys that sent so much mail to the list that it takes as
long to read each of the last 4 archives as the first 50 combined ?!?) ;-)




Date:    Sunday, 08 January 1995 19:06:45
Subject: RE: STARFIELD OBJECT
From:    [e-mail] (Mike Vandersommen)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



-> I don't see this as a problem at all!  I think this is great.  It is
-> more realistic to have the stars not move.  Being that stars a millio
-> of miles away I don't think that they would move at all when you are
-> moving an object.  Only when you pan the camera would (should) they m
->
-> Perry Horner

Yes...I admitted this was a dumb statement. Of course the Starfield
implimentation is correct in Imagine. I was thinking in terms of a 3D
Starfield effect like in the movies, where you have infinite stars and
closer "starlike" objects that give some depth to the field. That would
have to be done with polygons in conjunction with the Starfield option.

Mike -

Email: [e-mail]
BBS: GraFX Haus (Santa Barbara, Ca.) 805-683-1388 v.32 14.4 HST dual
---
 =FE InterNet - GraFX Haus BBS - Santa Barbara, Ca - [phone]




Date:    Sunday, 08 January 1995 19:40:03
Subject: Re: RE: B*R*Y*C*E
From:    Michael North <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------






> -> From: [e-mail] (Cedric Georges Chang)
> -> I haven't heard that it has been converted to the PC, but I haven't l
> -> for it for the PC either.  It has been available for the Mac for some
> -> now.
>
> Well, this could have been an old show .... hard to tell. But they
> were saying it was "soon to be released".  Thanks for the info.
>

I checked into this via the HSC area on America Online, and it appears
that Bryce is only available for the Mac right now.



Date:    Monday, 09 January 1995 00:59:46
Subject: ADPro Probs
From:    [e-mail] (Fran Stewart)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Hi,
      I've been trying to use ADPro 2.5.0 and FRED to assemble my Imagnine
Anims. Every time I render an anim out with ADpro there is a one pixel wide
white line down the left side of the frame, rendering the anim pretty much
useless.
      Has anyone got any ideas of what causes this or a fix? It happens
reguardless of the resolution/screenmode I render in.

All thanks in advance.

 * AmyBW v2.10 [NR] *
... searching for:ROBERTS, TREMBATH, HILL, MURLEY, in Cornwall.
--- Blue Wave/Maximus



Date:    Monday, 09 January 1995 01:46:05
Subject: States objects simply won't render
From:    "Mr. Scott Krehbiel; ACS (PC)" <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Has anyone encountered this problem before?

I've created a primitive plane,  4 sections horizontal, 1 vertical
I extruded it, then deleted the center points, to leave 2 parallel bars.

I set a couple different states, with default having the shape, atts,
and textures.  Then I created other states with varying sizes, levels
of transparency, and fade values for a bump texture (size: 20, 2 iterations,
scale and amplitude values of .4)

When I create such an object, it renders fine.  I can quickrender and
see my beautiful creation - no problem.  Then when I save it and re-load
it, it will not render, no matter what I do.  It's like it has full
filter values, but they're all set to 0.  I can change states, and check
that the attributes are changing appropriately, and even re-set the
attributes to make the object opaque and a very bright color, but it
is completely invisible.

This is using 3.1.   Does anyone have ANY idea what the problem is?
If someone would be willing to look at the object, I'd be glad to uuencode
it to them.   Thanks for the help...  I'm sure it's because I'm doing
something stupid with states.

Thanks for any help
Scott Krehbiel
[e-mail]





Date:    Monday, 09 January 1995 02:11:42
Subject: New info on disappearing objects
From:    "Mr. Scott Krehbiel; ACS (PC)" <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Regarding the states objects that disappeared when re-loaded, I found
that in the Attributes window, they had filter values of 0, but rendered
completely transparent.  I tried setting the values to 150, and the
object rendered half-transparent, then back to 0, and the object
rendered perfectly!  I figure that I had some type of erroneous data
for Filter values that showed up in the requestor as 0, but acted like
full transparency.

To fix this, I'm now using the "face colors" option in my states, along
with the Atts and Textures.   Apparently, if you don't use "face colors"
in your states, Imagine freaks out and doesn't do what the attributes
requestor says it thinks it's doing.

So now I'm wondering:  what is the difference between "Atts" and
"Face Colors" in states?  Textures is obvious, as is shape, ...

Thanks for any info
Scott Krehbiel
[e-mail]





Date:    Monday, 09 January 1995 02:39:38
Subject: Proper parallel cable for Impulse VD-1 frame buffer
From:    "JOSEPH F. HART" <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


     I have an old Impulse VD1 frame buffer which is in need
of a parallel cable.  I am interested in finding out the details
of the required cable.  I can prepare one if necessary, but I
will need wiring details to do so.

With Thanks...

___________________________________________________________________
                  |         Internet: [e-mail]
Joseph Hart       |     /// Plink   : OSS542
Niagara Falls, NY | \\\///  Ham call: WA2SND
                  |  \XX/   FreeNet : [e-mail]
                  |     *** AMIGA - Computers for REAL MEN ***
===================================================================



Date:    Monday, 09 January 1995 06:40:56
Subject: Re: Starfield apology
From:    Mike McCool <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hey Charles, et al,

      You know, I can't remember EXACTLY why I thought it was lame.
I've probably forgotten because the star-pic mapped-on-a-bright-sphere
came out so cool, I put the other one out of my mind.

      I think the confetti just didn't render very realistically for me.
It's possible my world was too huge, and that the confetti dots were too
far away from the camera and lightsources to show up clearly.  I seem to
recall it came out dim, but for a few tiny spots.

      The starmap brushed onto a bright sphere, on the other hand . . .

On Sun, 8 Jan 1995, Charles Blaquiere wrote:

> Mike, why exactly did you find the confetti starfield lame? I tried it
> and thought it was pretty good.



Date:    Monday, 09 January 1995 08:03:40
Subject: Imagine for PC.
From:    Jorgen Pehrson <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hi.
I'm about to buy a PCI 486dx2 80. I have Imagine 3.0 for my Amiga and
finding it rather good. So my question is: Is Imagine for the PC as good as
Imagine is for the Amiga? Guess I'd find it a bit nicer to render on the
PC at 80 MHz than on my Amiga 2000 at 28 MHz with a 2620 accelerator... :)


    Jorgen Pehrson             [e-mail]
University of Technology
   Borlange, Sweden.


And the cookie today is...

How many programmers does it take to change a light bulb?
We don't.  That's a hardware problem.




Date:    Monday, 09 January 1995 20:56:38
Subject: Re: STARFIELD OBJECT
From:    Douglas Rudd <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


<Snip>
> However, in Lars defense, I did the same effect in Lightwave using the
> Stars object, and they of course moved (as if the stars were closer).
> This worked because the Stars were an actual object.  The perfect effect
> would be a combination of infinite starfield (ones that don't move) and
> a stars object, (ones that do move) as the camera is tracking the
> spacecraft. This would give the illusion that some "stars" are actually
> space debris or whatever. The nice thing about the Lightwave Stars
> object is you can do this simply by having two Stars objects, one sized
> larger than the other.
>

That's why in LW I use multiple star objects: a large one for infinity, a medium

one, and a small one for the "close in" stars. Eats memory, though.

Imagine should consider a customizable star field that can incorporate the
various motions - we tend to spend so much of our time in space - or is it
a vacuum?

Doug Rudd
[e-mail]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Amiga Guide to the Galaxy refers to Commodore's management as
"A bunch of mindless jerks who will be the first to be lined up
against the wall and shot when the revolution comes."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They will get my Amiga from me when they pry it from my cold, dead hands.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------




Date:    Tuesday, 10 January 1995 02:04:07
Subject: Distance travelled by particles
From:    "Mr. Scott Krehbiel; ACS (PC)" <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



For further info on my problems with the particle effect, I set
the "relative distance travelled" to be 10, and scaled my object
to 5x5x5 in transformations.  How far do the triangles travel
on the Z axis before disappearing??  1610 imagine units.
(is there something dumb that I'm missing here??)
I measured the average distance between particles, and it varies
enough that I'm kinda convinced that that's not what's controlled
by the distance setting.

I guess it doesn't matter so much for what I'm doing... I mean, I
set an acceleration value for the particles, and now they're moving
smoothly and not suddenly slamming on the brakes, so I can let the things
continue to fall like techyon particles (aren't they the ones that
keep going and going??)  but I'd like to learn the secrets to this
one.

any suggestions appreciated
Scott Krehbiel
[e-mail]





Date:    Tuesday, 10 January 1995 02:04:08
Subject: Particle effect control
From:    "Mr. Scott Krehbiel; ACS (PC)" <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Hi, I'm trying to animate a particle emmision from a plane... the
particles will be used to represent boron ions being fired from a
particle accelerator into a silicon wafer to 'dope' it for use as a
semiconductor.

I set the Z angles to start and end at 180, so the particles will all
travel straight down, and I have no acceleration set.  My problem is that
the particles travel very quickly to the full distance that's set in the
particle effect requestor, then they slow down to a crawl and keep going.

How do I make them go to lets say 500 imagine units and then disappear
from the face of the earth??  Also, is there any way to use other
shapes for the particles other than the triangles??  I know I can
use other shapes when I make an object in the detail editor, but the
particle effect doesn't SEEM to give this type of control.  Does
anyone have suggestions??

Thanks for any help
Scott Krehbiel
[e-mail]





Date:    Tuesday, 10 January 1995 04:17:52
Subject: Creating fire
From:    [e-mail] (Gareth Qually)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Can anyone help me with animated fire effect. I would like to use
textures (essence or imagine) if possible, as bitmaps are memory hungry
(which I don't have) and I don't have access to a board like v-lab or
something like that.

Also has anyone had any good results at making really realistic clouds
(the ones where you can fly through them and get a feeling of space and
dimension).

Thanks

Chow...

Quote time - Hydrogen, a tasteless, odourless, invisible gas, which,
given enough time, will change into a human being. Unknown Author - I
saw this on the Astronomers TV show.



Date:    Tuesday, 10 January 1995 07:11:40
Subject: Essence on PC
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


hey all, do essence textures work in the PC version of IM3.0?

just curious.

* Bob O'Connell - [e-mail]
* Cross Platform Productions - Boston, MA
* A4000/Warp Engine 40/40 18mb RAM
* 1 gig Micropolis AV / Toshiba CD-ROM / Bernoulli 90 Pro
* Imagine 3.0 / Essence I, II, Forge / Brilliance 2.0
* and a honkin' huge coffee machine...



Date:    Tuesday, 10 January 1995 07:32:58
Subject: Re: Starfield apology
From:    Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Sun, 8 Jan 1995, Mike McCool wrote:

>     I think the confetti just didn't render very realistically for me.
> It's possible my world was too huge, and that the confetti dots were too
> far away from the camera and lightsources to show up clearly.  I seem to
> recall it came out dim, but for a few tiny spots.
>
>     The starmap brushed onto a bright sphere, on the other hand . . .

Mike,

yeah, I had to experiment to get the proper confetti size. Although I'm
a BIG brushmap proponent (why calculate a texture more than once?), to
get a decent starfield, wouldn't the required brushmap be, oh, 1200x600,
using up over 2 Meg of memory? For many people, that's a problem. Then
again, for many people, that's not.




Date:    Tuesday, 10 January 1995 08:24:43
Subject: Amiga Excavation
From:    Donald DeCosta <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



On Thu, 5 Jan 1995, Perry Lucas wrote:

> I've recently buried my Amiga and switched to 486/66 [...]
> I noticed two things...
>
> How can I correct this and are both problems related?

Uhh... Have you tried digging up the Amiga, That should correct the
problem. ;-)

But seriously, I have messed with Imagine on a friends Pentium/90 and
while I have to certainly admit it SCREAMS, I found actual productivity
to lack.  All of his TIFF viewer/editors are windows based so the anoying
popping in and out of windows (and the requesite re-booting for the
Windows memory config vs. the Imagine memory config) really made it
difficult to produce any complex projects.  What are you PC folks using
in the way of Imagine support products? Any recommendations for tools my
friend should get?

Don "Still-love-my-Amiga-even-though-I-make-my-living-with-a-PC" DeCosta



Date:    Tuesday, 10 January 1995 14:16:05
Subject: IML archives in guide format on Aminet
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hi IML'ers,

I just uploaded the following archives to Aminet:
IMLarc55guide.lha  (Messages from Oct'94)
IMLarc56guide.lha  (Messages from Nov'94)
IMLarc57guide.lha  (Messages from Dec'94)

These guide files are converted using my own IML mail to guide formatter.
It does have the messages sorted on date, access through the 'Contents'
button of AmigaGuide, and sorted on Threads, access through the 'Index'
button.
Sorted on threads means following:
Subject: A
Subject: Re: A
Subject: Re: A
Subject: B
Subject: Re: B
etc

Reading it is real easy. Just open the file with Multiview or AmigaGuide and
read the intro page. Press 'Turn the page' and you're presented with all
message sorted on date. Pressing the 'Index' button gives you the list with
threads. After selecting the first one, you only have to press the
enter/return key to get to the next thread and/or the next message. At the
end you'll get the list sorted on date back which means you have read all
messages.

Please let me know (on the IML) what you think about these guidefiles. If
needed I'll convert all other IML archives aswell.

Greetings Joop




Date:    Tuesday, 10 January 1995 14:51:13
Subject: TextureTimes
From:    gregory denby <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------




Hello, fellow ILMers,

Over the past few weeks I have been running tests to learn the effects
of different textures on rendering times. I sampled about half of the
Imagine, Essence I & II textures, as well as some found on the net.
This was not a rigorous, or completely exhaustive test. I have done some
double checking, and have found a few small math errors, but the results
do provide a good rule of thumb.

My test scene was very simple.  I used a single plane (200x300) or sphere
(radius 300), depending on how the texture worked.  I used one simple light,
and placed the object so that it filled the view. This approach is like
using the texture on a large wall, or planet surface.  As a control, I did
a scanline render of the blank surface.  I then continued rendering with the
default setting of a texture.  Then I was calculated the time difference as
a per cent of the base.

There are some problems with this approach.  For example, the Essence
textures "counter and bbcourt" appear quite small when applied to the above
described plane.  Also, the scale of many other textures appeared far too
small.  If the camera was zoomed in, the rendering times could be noticabley
altered (usually made longer.)  But when using Essence Mandelbrot and Julia
routines, the rendering times could vary by several hundred percent, so
I have not included them in the list.

Also, I picked a dozen textures at random, and greatly varied the parameters.
I found that complex textures could vary at least 50% from default.  Rather
than merely listing the textures from fast to slow, I've decided to group the
textures into clumps.  Using the default settings, the band/class boundries are:

0-70-200-600-+x percent.

To summarize, if a texture introduces simple shapes, either in color
or shading, it will be cheap to use.  On the other hand, if a texture
is always very complex, and can be made to have a very small scale,
maybe you should wait until Imagine runs on an Alpha chip.

I've mixed the various author's work in the following list.  Congrats, guys;
as a tribute I'll say say "As clothes make the man, textures make the tracer."

The boundries between 100 percents are marked by * *. The extremes were
Cliptran at 7%, and Scratch at 1709%.

Group I (from 0% to 70% of baseline). (16)

*cliptran; angular; bbcourt; linear; radial; bandsm; hrdstrp; radar; counter;
cyclone; edgefill; checks; twinkle; spiral; sofstrp

Group II (from 70% to 200% of base) (38)

grid; fireball; waves; confetti; pastella; cylinderchecks; bathtile;
planetring* *iris; tracer; bmpnoiz; softchecks; rectchx; bandtrb; venetian;
waves; ribbed; bricks; hexez; rain; trichex; diamonddeck; bandfract;
coolfir; spot; scales; rectwind; turbcolor; turbscolor; plaid; hullplate;
agate; branches; colrnoiz; fire; cubist; easywood; caustics*

Group III (200% to 600%) (53)

*dithcirc; jersey; radchk; wrinkle; camo; radcomb; wormvein; dirtpnt;
fractalscol; leather; quilt; polkabump; wood; bmpbrnch; floortile; spark;
roughness; dancsprk; splotch; radwin; beammeup* *weave; radchecks; machinery;
statue; randomripple; tubewind; gasgiant; gasplanet; dethstar* *clrnoiz2;
crust3; raindrops; dinoskin; refnoiz2; vein1; zooloo; marble; filnz;
swirlfract; plasma* *cedarshingles; electric; pitted; brushed; radwind;
tiedye; vein3; monster; cloud; flagstones; dirt; vein2*

Group IV (600%-x%) (18)

*stainGL; terra; veinedmarble; blobc; clusterbumps* *crumpled(ESS); swirlturb*
*hardwood; fiber; mosaic* *frogskin* * *concrete; crumpled(IM)* oldbrick* pebble
d;
peened* * *fuzz* * * *scratch

If there are textures you don't see above, there are two reasons.  The primary
one is that they worked on another texture or brush, or they needed something
else in the scene to reflect, such as the "metals" texture. Otherwise, I just
didn't get around to it.

So now I know that I won't be using fuzz or scratch to simulate a T.V. screen
showing a blank chanel,  at least until I have something faster than my
present '030. Seeing that there are somewhat more complex effects available,
it seems that the texture library might be rounded out by more simple routines.
By this I mean, "baseball diamond", or "gridiron" to complement bbcourt, or
more geometric patterns.  Also, some other simple bump patterns could be
useful, such as "brick bump" to use with the bricks texture.

By for now, hope this was interesting, and maybe it will provoke someone
with a pentium 90 to see how long it takes to trace a hall of mirrors
with max reflection set to 4,8,16, etc....

Greg Denby
[e-mail]







Date:    Tuesday, 10 January 1995 18:39:13
Subject: Re: Amiga Excavation
From:    Cliff Lee <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



On Mon, 9 Jan 1995, Donald DeCosta wrote:

> while I have to certainly admit it SCREAMS, I found actual productivity
> to lack.  All of his TIFF viewer/editors are windows based so the anoying
> popping in and out of windows (and the requesite re-booting for the
> Windows memory config vs. the Imagine memory config) really made it
> difficult to produce any complex projects.  What are you PC folks using
> in the way of Imagine support products? Any recommendations for tools my
> friend should get?

There are Many DOS based viewers for the PC.  Try a freeware viewer called
DISPLAY.  This JEWEL of a program handles almost every graphics format
(read and convert); Many of the animation formats FL?, GL, DL, MPEG, AVI
(will split out frames from an existing animation); support all manner of
displays (24bit to 8 bit).  I find it indespensible.  I think I'm using
version 1.8, but there may be a 2.0 out.  I think its at wuarchive in
graphics/graphics/something-or-another...  If you find a 2.0 let me know
where it can be found.

Also, not as versitle, but useful is a DOS based program called VPIC.

Off the top of my head, You could use CSHOW, GDS, or NakedEye.  I don't
have direct experience with the last three, but each have proponents.

Other Tools, I use:

DTA (Dave's Targa Animator).  This will create an anim from a series of
stills.

Someone mentioned a 3D object conversion util the other day called WC2POV
that converts to/from many 3D object formats (including DXF) that can
be used for Imagine.  This program runs under Windows.

Cliff Lee           [e-mail]
"You can always make up a class,
 You can never  make up a party!"




Date:    Tuesday, 10 January 1995 19:36:56
Subject: RE: Amiga Excavation
From:    Steve NACAD::Sherman LKG2-A/R5 pole AA2 DTN 226-6992


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


>What are you PC folks using
>in the way of Imagine support products?

I use Corel 4 on the side to make brushmaps and view TIFFs.  I have also
used the FLC player in Imagine 3.1.  Right now what I'm interested in is
a good software-based MPEG compressor/player for PC that I can use to
process the TIFF/FLC files that Imagine generates.  I'm hopeful that a
P90 with 32MB RAM can generate a decent frame rate with good resolution
and color.  Either that or wait for HW prices on compressor/player boards
to drop.  Otherwise, I'm watching to see what might be good.

Oh, yeah.  I'm also using the 3 Syndesis CD-ROMs.  Two are volumes one
and two of 3D-ROM.  ($99 each.)  The third is the $50 CD-ROM that has
the Avalon collection.  With it, they threw in a PC floppy with file-
handling utilities to get at the Avalon stuff.  Altogether, this
constitutes a good starting point for a lot of objects and such.

Steve



Date:    Tuesday, 10 January 1995 19:44:08
Subject: RE: ISL3.0b4 released
From:    Henri Smulders <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



>Hi.
>
>Version 3.0b4 of ISL is now available for the PC and the Amiga.  They are
>in the usual place, netcom:/ftp/pub/gr/grieggs/ISL.  Now that it's pretty
>much done, I'm thinking of putting it on Aminet as well.  Is there an
>equivalent site for the PC?
>
>BTW, version 3.0b4 fixes a serious math bug...
>
>_john
>

I'm sorry; I'm probably answering late to this one. (Went skiing...) what is ISL
?
Also can you give me the complete FTP-Addres from netcom?

Hi-Lo





Date:    Tuesday, 10 January 1995 19:46:39
Subject: Re: Amiga Excavation
From:    Ed Totman <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Mon, 9 Jan 1995, Donald DeCosta wrote:

> popping in and out of windows (and the requesite re-booting for the
> Windows memory config vs. the Imagine memory config) really made it

I use one config for windows and imagine.  Yes, it IS a pain to have to
exit imagine to start something else, but the increase in performance
makes it all worth while for me.

Ed Totman
[e-mail]




Date:    Tuesday, 10 January 1995 20:37:23
Subject: Raytracers Reviewed
From:    [e-mail] (Gary Beeton, [e-mail])


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


The feature article in the February issue of DV (Digital Video)
Magazine is a review of numerous raytracers for PC, Mac, Amiga, and
SGI platforms.  It included Imagine for the PC (but not Amiga).  The
highest rating went to LightWave, followed closely by a couple of
packages for the Mac.  They gave Imagine a high score for performace
and features but a low score for ease of use.

Gary
[e-mail]



Date:    Tuesday, 10 January 1995 21:21:26
Subject: RE: creating fire
From:    Stethem Ted 5721 <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



     Imagine V3.1 has a very good animating Fire texture.  Somebody sent a
demo animation up to the aminet if you are interested in seeing how it
looks.  It does have a rendering time cost as with all textures, though.
    V3.1 also has a Clouds texture which may be what you are looking for.
 ----------
>From: imagine-relay
>To: imagine
>Subject: creating fire
>Date: Monday, January 09, 1995 8:46PM

Can anyone help me with animated fire effect. I would like to use
textures (essence or imagine) if possible, as bitmaps are memory hungry
(which I don't have) and I don't have access to a board like v-lab or
something like that.

Also has anyone had any good results at making really realistic clouds
(the ones where you can fly through them and get a feeling of space and
dimension).

Thanks

Chow...

Quote time - Hydrogen, a tasteless, odourless, invisible gas, which,
given enough time, will change into a human being. Unknown Author - I
saw this on the Astronomers TV show.



Date:    Wednesday, 11 January 1995 01:55:19
Subject: Re: Amiga Excavation
From:    Kent Marshall Worley <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------




On Tue, 10 Jan 1995, Ed Totman wrote:

> On Mon, 9 Jan 1995, Donald DeCosta wrote:
>
> > popping in and out of windows (and the requesite re-booting for the
> > Windows memory config vs. the Imagine memory config) really made it
>
> I use one config for windows and imagine.  Yes, it IS a pain to have to
> exit imagine to start something else, but the increase in performance
> makes it all worth while for me.
>
> Ed Totman
> [e-mail]
>
 I use whatever I can get my hands on. I think this is one of Imagines
strengths. I can render a bunch of frames on my amiga and some on the PC
at work. I am still waiting to hear about a PC to Amiga  "parnet" type
program. I use Twin Express but it is slow. Parnet is much faster. I
still use my Amiga for playback using Opal Animate because they load so
fast.
 Kent Worley



Date:    Wednesday, 11 January 1995 02:53:02
Subject: Imagine 3.2 ?
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hi All-

Just wondering if anyone has received IM3.2 yet.  Also, what
significant changes have been made that would be of interest,
compared to 3.1?

Also, Has Steve Worley written UI 3.0 yet?  I heard a rumor
that he has, but until I have confirmation, that rumor is
wholly unsubstantiated.

render forth and bend thy light to thine will...

* Bob O'Connell - [e-mail]
* Cross Platform Productions - Boston, MA
* A4000/Warp Engine 40/40 18mb RAM
* 1 gig Micropolis AV / Toshiba CD-ROM / Bernoulli 90 Pro
* Imagine 3.0 / Essence I, II, Forge / Brilliance 2.0
* and a honkin' huge coffee machine...

* Cross Platform Productions is proud to serve Macintosh-free animations
* NEVER trust a machine without a button on their diskdrives




Date:    Wednesday, 11 January 1995 03:35:10
Subject: Re: Starfield apology
From:    Mike McCool <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hey Charles,

      You're right, about brushmapping using up memory.  I kind of
forgot.  I've got sixteen megs, and even at that, Imagine has a way of
biting a bigger chunk of ram with each rendered frame, so that by, say,
100 frames or so, I'm out of ram.

      That confetti-textured stardome is the least ram-intensive of
anything I've tried.

      And you're also right, about that star map needing to be huge to
be accurate.  That pic that the fellow (forgive my forgetting your
identity!) rendered with Distant Suns and shared with all of us is 1920 X
1200.  I usually end up cropping it down to about 800 X 700, just big
enough to get in a couple of my favorites, like Orion and the Pleiades.



Date:    Wednesday, 11 January 1995 06:41:39
Subject: Imagine Companion 2/Dave Duberman ?
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Last August Ed Phillips forwarded a message from Dave Duberman about the
availability of the Imagine Companion in Word format.

I have tried to email Dave at [e-mail] but the message is
returned stating that dduberman is an unknown portal user.

Would anybody know his correct address?

Or if you read the IML Dave could you please email me direct or post your
current address?

Thanks

Greg

[e-mail]



Date:    Wednesday, 11 January 1995 06:47:13
Subject: Re: creating fire
From:    [e-mail] (Gareth Qually)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Thanks for the info, but I don't have 3.1. So how could I do it other
wise?

chow...



Date:    Wednesday, 11 January 1995 16:37:30
Subject: Re: Hard Lines...
From:    [e-mail] (Perry Lucas)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Okay, I have gotten several responses regarding the VESA modes
and their availibility.  I downloaded the univesa from Simtel
and installed with out a problem.  However, when I load imagine
I can now read the vesa modes, but wherever the cursor moves, a
block appears and inverts what ever is underneath it.  Thus making
the screen a big pile of garabage after a few cursor moves.

As for trouble shooting this, I haven't been abkle to look at the
manual (chough) yet...(I'm home in NJ and its in Virginia(the manual)

Any ideas on how I can correct this?

--Perry


                         _,_/|
                         \o.O;
        +-----------oOO =(___)= OOo-----------+
        |Perry Lucas       U     [e-mail]|
        |"PJ" on Diversity University Inc.    |
        |        Telnet: moo.du.org 8888      |
        | http://erau.db.erau.edu:80/~lucasp  |
        +-------------------------------------+





Date:    Wednesday, 11 January 1995 17:34:21
Subject: Re: Imagine Companion 2/Dave Duberman ...address!
From:    John Prusinski <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


>
>
> Last August Ed Phillips forwarded a message from Dave Duberman about the
> availability of the Imagine Companion in Word format.
>
> I have tried to email Dave at [e-mail] but the message is
> returned stating that dduberman is an unknown portal user.
>
> Would anybody know his correct address?
>
> Or if you read the IML Dave could you please email me direct or post your
> current address?
>
> Thanks
>
> Greg
>
> [e-mail]
>
Dave now writes for Morph's Outpost, and can be reached at:
[e-mail]

JP

--
 --------------------------------------------------------
| John Prusinski           | "Consciousness is no better |
| [e-mail] |  than the quality of the    |
|                          |  codes that convey it."     |
|                          |    - T. McKenna             |
 --------------------------------------------------------



Date:    Wednesday, 11 January 1995 19:06:25
Subject: Re: B*R*Y*C*E
From:    John Rucker <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


There's a review of Bryce in the November issue of Computer Graphics World
(CGW).  The article talks about the interface and shows a screen shot.  The
interface was said to be intuitive, though rather "non-standard" like Kai's
Power Tools.  It had lots of texture editing, the ability to add primitives, and

editing of height fields for landscapes.

The article said that it is currently available for the Mac and that a version
is in the works for Windows.  Retail on it was $199 USD.




Date:    Wednesday, 11 January 1995 19:06:26
Subject: Re: Hard Lines...
From:    [e-mail] (Gary Beeton, [e-mail])


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


>Okay, I have gotten several responses regarding the VESA modes
>and their availibility.  I downloaded the univesa from Simtel
>...
>
>Any ideas on how I can correct this?

Um, no.  Sorry.  But I haven't seen anyone address your hard_lines
problem yet.   Phong is used to diffuse sharp edges.  It can be applied
to objects via the Attributes requester.  Check your objects (or
their children) to see if Phong is set.  It also could have something
to do with the way your viewer handles dithering or how QuickRender is
set up.  If the dithering is really blocky it could obscure sharp
edges (Just guessing at this point.  I have the Amiga version so some
of this stuff may differ for the PC).  Do the soft lines appear in the
final output as well as the QuickRender?

Gary
[e-mail]



Date:    Wednesday, 11 January 1995 19:40:26
Subject: Batch rendering multiple projects?
From:    "Mr. Scott Krehbiel; ACS (PC)" <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Hi everybody

Is there a way to have Imagine (3.1) render multiple projects??

I have a bunch (like 20) animations each twenty to 50 frames long, and
would love to be able to tell Imagine "Here, chew on these for a while"
while I go to work.

I know that this is impossible, but I also know that people around here
have figured out how to do the impossible.  Could a person possibly
copy everything from one action file and paste it onto the end of another
action file??  That way you could create a long project that would have
everything stuck together.

I'll have to write to Impulse about giving us a way to do this.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions,

Scott Krehbiel
[e-mail]





Date:    Wednesday, 11 January 1995 23:32:45
Subject: Re: Hard Lines...
From:    "Francis X. Govers" <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


>Okay, I have gotten several responses regarding the VESA modes
>and their availibility.  I downloaded the univesa from Simtel
>and installed with out a problem.  However, when I load imagine
>I can now read the vesa modes, but wherever the cursor moves, a
>block appears and inverts what ever is underneath it.  Thus making
>the screen a big pile of garabage after a few cursor moves

Perry:

Had this same problem in another program (not Imagine, but I dont' use the VESA
drivers
in imagine yet)

I went into the CMOS setup in the computer (I have an ACCELL 486/66 VLB) and
after much trial and error DISABLED either the internal or external memory
cache.  Either one had the same effect of eliminating the extra garbage under
the mouse.

This may or may not help you.  You would want to write down all of the CMOS sett
ings on your computer both PRIOR and AFTER you fix this problem.  I did not the
first time!

Francis Govers
[e-mail]



Date:    Thursday, 12 January 1995 00:52:12
Subject: Re: Amiga Excavation
From:    Ayalon Hermony <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Well CBM broke my heart...

But, if I'll find a Directory Opus like prog for PC, it might ease the
pain a bit.
You know, buttons and all (o.k, no ARexx I know)

Anything like it anywhere? (up to $50 or so...)

Thanks.


           How do you come back from 3D ?
Ayalon M. Hermony      Internet: [e-mail]





Date:    Thursday, 12 January 1995 01:52:23
Subject: Re: Hard Lines...
From:    Ed Phillips <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Wed, 11 Jan 1995, Perry Lucas wrote:

> Okay, I have gotten several responses regarding the VESA modes
> and their availibility.  I downloaded the univesa from Simtel

      Try UNIVBE50.EXE... it's one of the latest (it comes with Wing
Commander III if you have it).

> and installed with out a problem.  However, when I load imagine
> I can now read the vesa modes, but wherever the cursor moves, a
> block appears and inverts what ever is underneath it.  Thus making
> the screen a big pile of garabage after a few cursor moves.
>
> As for trouble shooting this, I haven't been abkle to look at the
> manual (chough) yet...(I'm home in NJ and its in Virginia(the manual)
>
> Any ideas on how I can correct this?
>

      Do you have a 100% Microdolt compatible mouse driver?  It took me
a week to realize that my new 3 button mouse wasn't and my old Logitech
driver was.  I couldn't reach the whole screen with the cheapo mouse driver.

      Hope this helps,
      Ed

Imagine PC Version 2.0
/****************************************************************************/
/* Ed Phillips  [e-mail]              University of Delaware       */
/* Jr Systems Programmer  [phone]    IT/Network and Systems Services */
/****************************************************************************/




Date:    Thursday, 12 January 1995 07:16:24
Subject: Field render bug workaround!
From:    Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


As of this writing, the current version of Imagine is 3.1, and it suffers
from a bug that manifests itself when you combine pop morphing with field
rendering. I'm very happy to share with you a workaround for it!

As you know, Imagine doesn't allow morphing if the source and target
objects have different structures, e.g. different point counts. Imagine
supports what it calls "pop morphing", which is basically an instantaneous
morph: a target object "pops" into view at the same time the source object
"pops" out of existence. This is implemented by going into the Action
editor and altering timelines like this:

                           1
         1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

         AAAAAAAAA B BBBBBBB   Actor
         A                     Posn.
OBJECT   A                     Align
         A                     Size
                               (Other timelines omitted for clarity)

The "A" timelines were created when you originally loaded object A in
Stage editor frame 1. You then went into Action, shortened the A Actor bar
to frames 1-5, and added two Actor bars using object B: one at frames 6-6
and one at frames 7-10. This creates a 1-frame morph to object B on frame
6, which essentially means no morph at all; then a 4-frame morph to object
B on frames 7-10, which has no effect since we're morphing from B to B.

(Side note: you must deselect "Spline interpolation" in the last timeline,
i.e. frames 7-10. Even though you're morphing from object B to the SAME
object, Imagine will complain if Spline is left on. This is unrelated to
our bug, but is nice to know for anyone who's planning to pop one object
into another)

If you render this sequence from the Project editor, you'll see object A
from frames 1-5, and object B from frames 6-10.

Now comes the bug.

Turn "Field render" on in the Modify Subproject requester, and re-render,
you'll get an error message when Imagine reaches 50.00% complete on frame
5: "Warning: can't morph objects with different point counts". Why?
Because with field rendering, the second half of the frame will be
computed at time index 5.5, and Imagine will attempt to interpolate all
values from frame 5 to 6. This works fine for position, color and such,
but falls apart when Imagine tries to interpolate between Actor bar object
definitions.

(I had gone away on vacation and had left my computer to re-render a
170-frame animation, using this spiffy new field render setting. Boy, was
I miffed when I returned to find this error message hanging on frame 74)

And now, the workaround!

It's simple: use two different objects. Just create the animation using
only object A. When you're satisfied, select object A in Stage, and pick
Object/Clone. Save changes and go to Action. You should see this:

                           1
         1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

         AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA   Actor
         A AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA   Posn.
OBJECT   A AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA   Align
         A                     Size

         AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA   Actor
         A AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA   Posn.
OBJECT.1 A AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA   Align
         A                     Size

(In this example, I added motion to object A by establishing keyframes on
frame 10; this is animation, after all)

Now, all I need to do is make object A disappear after frame 5, and object
B appear on frame 6:

                           1
         1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

         AAAAAAAAA             Actor
         A AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA   Posn.
OBJECT   A AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA   Align
         A                     Size

                   BBBBBBBBB   Actor
         A AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA   Posn.
OBJECT.1 A AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA   Align
         A                     Size

This substitutes objects, but maintains all settings you'd created for A.
Best of all, it renders just fine in field render mode! Until Impulse
fixes the problems field rendering encounters on half-frames, this is a
quick and flawless solution.






Date:    Thursday, 12 January 1995 07:21:57
Subject: Re: TextureTimes
From:    Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Incredible! What a beautiful, informative piece of research! This has
got to qualify as the IML jewel of January!

By the way, would you have your raw texture time data handy? I'd love to
massage it into a different format, if you can mail it to me. Thanks.



Date:    Thursday, 12 January 1995 07:38:15
Subject: Re: batch rendering multiple projects?
From:    Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Wed, 11 Jan 1995, Mr. Scott Krehbiel; ACS (PC) wrote:

>
> Hi everybody
>
> Is there a way to have Imagine (3.1) render multiple projects??
(...)
> I know that this is impossible, but I also know that people around here
> have figured out how to do the impossible.  Could a person possibly
> copy everything from one action file and paste it onto the end of another
> action file??  That way you could create a long project that would have
> everything stuck together.

Well, you _could_ modify one of the Imagine ARexx macros by Ian Smith
([e-mail]), and make it _shift_ timelines
forward, by a certain number of frames; save the result as B, and run it
through ISL. Then run ISL on project A. In a word processor, combine and
harmonize the text files spewed out by ISL for A and B, use ISL to
convert them back into an Imagine project, and you should have all the
data from both projects merged into one.

(Hmmm... might actually be a good idea to create an ARexx macro called
"ImagineAppendStaging" which would do all those steps, including
launching ISL at the appropriate times, and modifying the start/end
frames from every bar in staging file B -- any takers?)




Date:    Thursday, 12 January 1995 21:59:07
Subject: Re: creating fire
From:    [e-mail] (Christian Leyen)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hi,

I think EssenceI has a texture called "varyrelbright" or
something like that. This texture modifies randomly the
bright attribute. I used it once in a fire animation.

Christian Leyen ([e-mail])




Date:    Thursday, 12 January 1995 22:02:53
Subject: 3D Spectacular
From:    Stethem Ted 5721 <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



There was an article in the December CU Amiga called 3D Spectacular.  It
compared Imagine 3.0, Lightwave 3.5 and Real 3D 2.4.  There were two tables
provided which may be of interest:

 -----------------------------------------------------------
|                HOW DID THEY DO THEN?                    |
 -----------------------------------------------------------
|                   | 1st       | 2nd         | 3rd       |
 -----------------------------------------------------------
|Productivity       | Lightwave | Real 3D     | Imagine   |
 -----------------------------------------------------------
|Learnability       | Lightwave | Imagine     | Real 3D   |
 -----------------------------------------------------------
|Output Quality     | Real 3D   | Lightwave   | Imagine   |
 -----------------------------------------------------------
|Features           | Real 3D   | Imagine     | Lightwave |
 -----------------------------------------------------------
|Overall                                                  |
|The top slot for 3D rendering is a tie between LightWave |
|and Real3D. LightWave, thanks to its simplicity, Real 3D |
|because of its sophistication and output quality. Imagine|
|comes in a poor last because its interface and manual are|
|not as good as they could be.                            |
 -----------------------------------------------------------


 -----------------------------------------------------------
| SPEED TESTS                                             |
|                                                         |
|To generate the test image shown, each program took:     |
|                                                         |
| IMAGINE              1 hour 46 mins                     |
| LIGHTWAVE            2 hours 52 mins                    |
| REAL 3D              3 hours 2 mins                     |
|                                                         |
|REAL took longer due to the use of splines to improve    |
|quality. IMAGINE was the fastest at rendering but took   |
|longer to set up.                                        |
|  Packages were asked to produce an 800x600 24-bit       |
|with anti-aliasing, shadows, etc.  Programs were         |
|running on an A3000 with a 50 MHz 030/882 with 10 Mb     |
|of RAM.                                                  |
 -----------------------------------------------------------

So, it appears Imagine is last in overall versatility but it is first in
relative rendering speed.



Date:    Saturday, 14 January 1995 01:53:06
Subject: ------=> Sorry NO Subject!
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



  Also, in the December/January issue of Video Toaster User, there is a
brief preview description of LightWave 4.0 and they mention that it may be
offered at a discount for users of other 3D packages, about $695.  LightWave
4.0 will have procedural textures, inverse kinematics, and improved bones
control.  Also, there will be versions for the Amiga, Windows, Windows NT
and SGI.  The Windows NT version allows it to be run on a variety of
mega-speed platforms.  In the same issue of VTU, there is an article about
the Raptor Plus.  The author said the same scene that took 8 1/2 hours on
his Amiga '040/33 took 15 minutes on the Raptor Plus.  Not much relevance to
the low-end hobbyist but it sure is interesting.
 ----------
>From: imagine-relay
>To: imagine
>Subject: Re: Point of View
>Date: Friday, January 13, 1995 1:51AM

> Lightwave 4 when it is released will be $999 for the Amiga, PC and SGI,
>latform, for current registered owners of the
> Amiga 3.5 version.
>
I seriously doubt it will remain at that price for long (don't forget, the
first PC Imagine shipped at $695).

And, (not meaning to put down Imagine in any way here....) if LW's price
becomes competitive with Imagine, I have a feeling it will do to Imagine
what Imagine did to Sculpt 3-D. Especially if all the companies that are
promising to port their Amiga LW add-ons over to the PC actually do....
    Bill Osuch                |   I haven't lost touch with reality,
    [e-mail]          |   reality has lost touch with me....
    Semprini?                 |




Date:    Saturday, 14 January 1995 02:09:39
Subject: Strange States... HELP!
From:    "Mr. Scott Krehbiel; ACS (PC)" <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



I'm having the worst problem in the world trying to morph info on a
texture between two states.  I've got the linearsm texture with a
fade value of 1 in my "faded" state (object props & textures/brushes
buttons are active for both states) and a fade value of 0 in my
"nofade" state.  It works just dandy in the detail editor, and I can
jump back and forth between states, and render each one and they
work just fine... the texture appears and disappears like planned,
even after I save, delete, and re-load the object.
I should add that I have a brushmap used for color, flat x, flat z
under the texture (listed above, applied under).

Then, when I load it into the action editor (to replace the other
three that have corrupted so far) and try to render the project,
the object corrupts.  It picks one state and copies its into to the
other one, and wont render the morph.

Now (this is the neat part) when I re-load the object into the detail
editor, the states information is the same for both states.  It's like
when the object is opened for reading and closed again it wrecks it.

If anyone has had experience in getting this to work, please mail me...
this is for a paid project, and its driving me BONKERS.

thanks
Scott Krehbiel
[e-mail]





Date:    Saturday, 14 January 1995 04:08:23
Subject: ScaleKey utility
From:    [e-mail] (Silicon)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Imagineers,

I have written a utility called ScaleKey, which allows you to expand
or compress your staging file. Let me explain this. Suppose you have a
90 frame animation set up, but then you decide that you want to expand
it to 150 frames, but do not want to go through all the keyframes and
change them. That's where you can use ScaleKey. It allows you to
change frame count and have the animation change accordingly. To use
it you have to have the Imagine Staging Language.

Right now it is compiled for IBM, but if anyone wants to compile it
for Amiga I can provide the source code.

I don't know where to upload it, since Aminet seems to be only for
Amiga folks. I guess I could uuencode it and post it to the list. Tell
me what you want me to do.

I would like to get some response or comments.

Andrey




Date:    Saturday, 14 January 1995 04:23:13
Subject: DIGIMAX to EUROPE beware !
From:    wolfram schwenzer <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hi folks,
When I ordered the DIGIMAX last year from IMPULSE I wanted to let you
participate in the good works I could do with the contraption.

Heck, I'm sorry to report the results of a nightmare ...

First the thing arrived with no software whatsoever, then two disks from IMPULSE

appeared with separate mail, both labeled as PC version 1.0, one unreadable
the other crashing on whatever system I tried it. Tried to contact Mike
Halvorson through the Internet several times; no answer ...

Then came the bill from my VISA account: 96(!) additional bucks for FEDEX
delivery to Germany. Well, I thought, customs (a 15 % VAT nowadays) included.
I swallowed it gladly.

Six weeks after that .... surprise, surprise ! A separate customs bill with
another 182 DeutschMarks (about 120 Dollars); FEDEX had declared the DIGIMAX
at customs as a computer board adding another 4 % tax ...

So I am gonna pay 716 bucks in the end for a machine which I still can't use ...


(Yes, I've written snail mail to IMPULSE to ask for a disk replacement; I wonder
when it will arrive, if ever ...)

So what's the moral of the story, my little Imagineers: if you aren't living in
God's own country and order something from the gang ASK them first how much
ADDITIONAL bucks it will cost to get it to you (yes, you also pay additional
customs charges for the delivery ...) and DON'T give them your VISA number to
charge for delivery WITHOUT KNOWING !

              Best wishes to you all

                 Wolfram

P.S. Oh yeah, I was naive and I'm paying literally for it ...
     But PLEASE, if IMPULSE doesn't help me, can anybody out there send me the
     PC driver for the DIGIMAX (yes, it's legal, I can send you the copy of
     VISA bill if you need it ...)


--
wolfram schwenzer
Internet : [e-mail]




Date:    Saturday, 14 January 1995 06:53:16
Subject: Death of ISL
From:    [e-mail] (John Grieggs)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hi.

I got home tonight to find this letter from an anonymous "fan".

--snip--snip--snip--snip--snip--snip--snip--snip--snip--snip--snip--snip--

Re ISL and registration.doc for Imagine3.0:

1.  Crippled shareware is, I believe, for the most part hated and
      ignored.

2.  Crippled shareware for use with a generally hated and ignored
      software package is, I believe, especially hated and
      ignored......baffling, too.

3.  Stop whining to all Internet about how you hate your day-job
      .....who cares? THAT is 'pathetic'. I'll wager if you're
      counting on shareware revenue to leave your job at JPL,
      you're counting little in the way of receipts.  Your tone
      in registration.doc is lame.

4.  Your software is useful (except islobjs......I can read ASCII
      staging file, too!), but only in a narrow niche.  Making
      utils for Imagine has to be a labor of live, or you just simply
      have a strangely skewed perspective on economics and
      marketing.... or absolutely no overhead in your life.

5.  Switch to Lightwave utils/plug-ins.  There, the more money you
      demoand, the more you are likely to receive.  LW users
      generally have more big bucks - read 'budgets'.

6.  I got Imagine3.0 for exactly 110.00:  $10 for Amiga Format
      Imagine2.0 coverdisk, and an upgrade from Impulse for $100.
      The difference between crippled and un-crippled ISL is use of
      effects.  Think about it: you want me to pay 23% of the cost
      of Imagine in order to do effects in ISL. That's not going to
      happen, as you are probably already finding out through your
      swamped registration mail inbox.


I don't know why I'm writing this; perhaps (if I may interject my own
personal life and ambitions) I will change my mind and allocate some
of my tax returns for your product.  I'd already decided to use the
money to fix my motorcycle for the spring....it probably needs new
pipes and I'm not sure if I'll even have enough for those; though,
geez, getting it fixed will probably even save me money throughout
the year in transporation costs...in which case I really could change
my mind and register your product.  Anyway, I don't mean this to be
a flame; just thought you'd want some feedback from real, but
nameless, people out here.

--snip--snip--snip--snip--snip--snip--snip--snip--snip--snip--snip--snip--

The letter was unsigned, but with a Minneapolis, MN postmark.

Note that this individual has used ISL, is familiar with it, took the
trouble to grab the new version and read the docs, and exerted the energy
to write and mail the above letter.

A couple of points:

      I've spent close to $1000 on Imagine, starting at 0.9 and
      upgrading through 3.0 on two platforms.  I am happy for the
      anonymous cheapskate, but _not_ sympathetic.

      I've spent many hours of time developing ISL, and porting it
      to the PC.  Impulse has never supplied me with file formats
      or help of any kind.  We only just started talking recently.

      I've recieved exactly 3 registrations for ISL, plus one
      registration swap with another shareware author.  To add
      insult to injury, one software author found ISL so useful
      that he mentioned it prominently in the manual for his
      product - but never registered or sent me a copy.

      ISL has been used in many commercials and demo reels.  I've
      even gotten credit on a couple (but no registrations).

      I've been providing support to all callers, registered or
      not.  Commonly, said callers promise to register promptly.
      Bwah hah hah!  Even the lawyers using ISL for courtroom
      recreations never registered!

Crippling my shareware package was about the only thing I had not tried,
to encourage registrations.  Making it cheap didn't work.  Promising free
updates forever didn't work.  Making it widely available didn't work.
Complaining in the readme about how thankless it was and how I would drop
it if things didn't improve sure didn't work, judging by this letter.

If you can think of any reason why I should continue to support ISL, I'd
sure like to hear it.  Otherwise, I'm out of here.

_john




Date:    Saturday, 14 January 1995 07:07:23
Subject: Re: ScaleKey utility
From:    Mike McCool <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hey Andrey,

      Way to go, you.  Though I'm one of those who must hang fire till
it gets ported amiga-side, I'm tickled to hear of your great utility.  If
I get into an anim that really works for me, I almost ALWAYS want it
longer--but Moses, what a pain!




Date:    Saturday, 14 January 1995 07:31:25
Subject: Need to know proper cable for Impulse VD-1 frame buffer
From:    "JOSEPH F. HART" <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


     I have an old Impulse VD1 frame buffer which is in need
of a parallel cable.  I am interested in finding out the details
of the required cable.  I can prepare one if necessary, but I
will need wiring details to do so.

With Thanks...

___________________________________________________________________
                  |         Internet: [e-mail]
Joseph Hart       |     /// Plink   : OSS542
Niagara Falls, NY | \\\///  Ham call: WA2SND
                  |  \XX/   FreeNet : [e-mail]
                  |     *** AMIGA - Computers for REAL MEN ***
===================================================================



Date:    Saturday, 14 January 1995 07:58:05
Subject: Some simple research into Imagine refraction.
From:    "JOSEPH F. HART" <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Greetings.....

     I enjoy doing quite a bit of work with transparent refractive
objects such as crystals, gemstones, glass objects, and the like.
I quite often run into objects which for no readily apparent
reason, will not render properly.  I spent a day or two recently
conducting a series of experiments to determine why this was so.
The most common problem was excessive darkness of the object.
Another I seem to hit for mysterious reasons is that sometimes
a line will appear on a simple object such as a hollow glass
tumbler.  The line seems to appear, when it does at all, along
the line of intersection between two facets of the object.

     What I discovered, at least about the darkness, can be
summarized as follows.

   The greater the refractive index or the smaller the
minimum angle between facet planes, the greater the
darkness at the lines of facet intersections.   It seems that
Imagine prefers to work with refractive objects having
facet angles which are quite obtuse.  Wherever there are
angles between facet planes which are less than about
120 degrees, you will probably notice considerable
darkness at refractive indices over approximately 1.2 .
If you require a specific geometry having such angles,
about the only fix seems to be to lower the refractive
index.  Hollow refractive objects having walls with a
finite non-zero thickness tend to behave as would objects
having acute (< 90 degrees) angles between the facet planes.
This seems to be why refraction works so well with objects
such as spheres, and not so well with hollow cylinders.

     I also seem to find that if you apply Phong shading
to the object, the darkness tends to spread out further
from the facet intersection lines as compared with
an equivalent unsmoothed object.

This is not meant as a flame of Imagine, which I very much
enjoy working with.  It is meant as a constructive personal
observation.  Has anyone else noticed anything similar ?

___________________________________________________________________
                  |         Internet: [e-mail]
Joseph Hart       |     /// Plink   : OSS542
Niagara Falls, NY | \\\///  Ham call: WA2SND
                  |  \XX/   FreeNet : [e-mail]
                  |     *** AMIGA - Computers for REAL MEN ***
===================================================================



Date:    Saturday, 14 January 1995 08:33:11
Subject: Re: batch rendering multiple projects?
From:    [e-mail] (Ian M. Smith)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On 11-Jan-1995, Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]> wrote:
> Well, you _could_ modify one of the Imagine ARexx macros by Ian Smith
> ([e-mail]), and make it _shift_ timelines
> forward, by a certain number of frames; save the result as B, and run it
> through ISL. Then run ISL on project A. In a word processor, combine and
> harmonize the text files spewed out by ISL for A and B, use ISL to
> convert them back into an Imagine project, and you should have all the
> data from both projects merged into one.

I am the Ian Smith that wrote those scrips.. new e-mail address to use
([e-mail]) too.  :-)  I have just modified a script so it now
adds empty frames to the beginning of an animation staging file.
Should work fine when used with ISL.  Shift seems like a good
description for that function, so I'll make it so.  Thanks Charles. :)
It's only 2K after uuencoding.. I can e-mail it to anybody that wants
it.  (Ask for StageShift or ask for all the scripts, about 10K total.
They are uuencoded .lha files) Seems like posting another binary now
might not be wise so I will hold back.  :-)

--
Ian M. Smith <[e-mail]>  -- PGP Fingerprint (Email for Key) --
                                  581F3521 6F9D8061 0AA214C8 BE51978D





Date:    Saturday, 14 January 1995 09:08:57
Subject: Prostitutes can, why can't shareware authors?
From:    Donald DeCosta <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Perhaps I should have stuck with the original "Confessions of a Shareware
(ab)User" title.

I've used ISL and I've enjoyed it but I haven't paid for it.  I've used
lots of shareware stuff and haven't paid for it and you know what? I feel
REALLY BAD about it.

The problem with shareware is, it's too easy to get and too hard to pay
for.  I usually download a new, useful shareware item somewhere between 8
pm and 2 am Pacific time, I read the docs, I see how much the author
wants me to pay, I say, "This is great I should pay for it."  And that's
it.  I can't call the author at midnight and give him my credit card
number.  Even if I did wish to wake him at 3 am in New Jersey the author
wouldn't be able to do anything with my credit card number.  I have to
write down his Name and Address and then sometime later I have to write a
check and stick it in an envelope, what a pain!  Of course when I'm
sitting down 2 weeks later writing out all those bills I can find the
piece of paper with the Author's address on it, so the shareware never
gets paid for.  And I really do feel bad about it.

So prostitutes can take Visa, why can't shareware authors?

John, what would you say to the idea of a shareware clearing house?  A
place where anyone could call with a valid card number and say "I want to
register ISL."  That's all they would have to know, the clearing houses
database would know what ISL is, who wrote it and how much they are
asking for it.  The clearing house would say, "The current version of ISL
is 3.10b and the author is asking $10.00, would you like to make an
additional contribution?"  Visa gets 3%, the clearing house gets 7% and
the author gets 90%.  Every 2 weeks the clearing house sends the author a
list of new users and the author sends thank you notes or current
versions or docs to the new user so that the user knows that the author
did get his money.

John, would you give up 10% for this service? Users, do you think you'd
register more shareware if you could pay for it by phone, 24 hours a day,
with a credit card?

Shareware made the Amiga great, and will probably keep it alive.
And Imagine (PC or Amiga) is a tool that just screams out for add-ons
that would never find shelf space at EggHead.

Don DeCosta
[e-mail]




Date:    Saturday, 14 January 1995 09:53:46
Subject: Re: ScaleKey utility
From:    [e-mail] (Ian M. Smith)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On 13-Jan-1995, [e-mail] (Silicon) wrote:
> I have written a utility called ScaleKey, which allows you to expand
> or compress your staging file.  [...]
> Right now it is compiled for IBM, but if anyone wants to compile it
> for Amiga I can provide the source code.

I posted a few scripts a few months ago that do similar actions.
StageScale will expand (but not compress like yours) an animation
to a desired size, usefull for adding motion blur, wanting a longer
or smother animation... they do not use ISL, but read and write the
Imagine staging binaries directly.  I *thought* I put them up on
Aminet, but I can't find it now.  Will have to send it again. *grumble*
My Imagine 3.x texture package (Amiga binaries only) IS there however
in gfx/3d/IITextures.lha.  Anyone use these? I know they are not THAT
complex.. but they are free! :-)

> I don't know where to upload it, since Aminet seems to be only for
> Amiga folks. I guess I could uuencode it and post it to the list. Tell
> me what you want me to do.

Get a compiled Amiga binary, stick it in the archive and send it to
Aminet. I really don't think anyone will complain about IBM binaries
being in there as long as you mention the Amiga in the docs.  If they
do, blame me.  I have done Amiga ports of IBM source before, not too
hard so I am sure somone can get you an Amiga binary.

> I would like to get some response or comments.

I love comments too.  Otherwise I get bored and vegitate. :)
Some Amiga programmer and IBM programmer with time should offer to
convert utilities from one platform to another.  Then we can all have
the same tools and toys. :-)  As for SGI.. well.. if you have an SGI
you have FAR too much fun already and don't need any more! Yeah. :-)

--
Ian M. Smith <[e-mail]>  -- PGP Fingerprint (Email for Key) --
                                  581F3521 6F9D8061 0AA214C8 BE51978D





Date:    Saturday, 14 January 1995 10:34:53
Subject: Re: ScaleKey utility
From:    [e-mail] (Silicon)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


>     Way to go, you.  Though I'm one of those who must hang fire till
> it gets ported amiga-side, I'm tickled to hear of your great utility.  If
> I get into an anim that really works for me, I almost ALWAYS want it
> longer--but Moses, what a pain!

Mike,

Don't worry, I already found someone who can port it. So, as soon as
it is done, I will post them on Aminet. Or should I post IBM version
now?

Andrey




Date:    Saturday, 14 January 1995 10:47:37
Subject: Re:point of view Take 2
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



>So, it appears Imagine is last in overall versatility but it is first in



Ted-
From my own observations of the market here is some info that might put a
the subject.

Imagine 3.0 $399.00 Amiga or PC Version (DevWare Video ad in AV Video mag)

LightWave 3.5 unbundled for Amiga $525 at my local dealer ($499 in AW).
Lightwave 4 when it is released will be $999 for the Amiga, PC and SGI,
to any platform, for current registered owners of the

Real3D 2.47 for the Amiga for $399. For Windows & WinNT the advertised
 $1800-$2100 range.

 might be off set by the fact
about the same price allowing people to switch and/or use both platforms,
counts in versatility.

 but only own Imagine 3.0 at this

                       Rob

(sorry for the messy first post)






Date:    Saturday, 14 January 1995 12:35:35
Subject: Re: Prostitutes can, why can't shareware authors?
From:    Robert Iacullo <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


What a bunch of bull shit.  Get off your tired excuse of an ass and
send the man a check.


On Fri, 13 Jan 1995, Donald DeCosta wrote:

>
> Perhaps I should have stuck with the original "Confessions of a Shareware
> (ab)User" title.
>
> I've used ISL and I've enjoyed it but I haven't paid for it.  I've used
> lots of shareware stuff and haven't paid for it and you know what? I feel
> REALLY BAD about it.
>
> The problem with shareware is, it's too easy to get and too hard to pay
> for.  I usually download a new, useful shareware item somewhere between 8
> pm and 2 am Pacific time, I read the docs, I see how much the author
> wants me to pay, I say, "This is great I should pay for it."  And that's
> it.  I can't call the author at midnight and give him my credit card
> number.  Even if I did wish to wake him at 3 am in New Jersey the author
> wouldn't be able to do anything with my credit card number.  I have to
> write down his Name and Address and then sometime later I have to write a
> check and stick it in an envelope, what a pain!  Of course when I'm
> sitting down 2 weeks later writing out all those bills I can find the
> piece of paper with the Author's address on it, so the shareware never
> gets paid for.  And I really do feel bad about it.
>
> So prostitutes can take Visa, why can't shareware authors?
>
> John, what would you say to the idea of a shareware clearing house?  A
> place where anyone could call with a valid card number and say "I want to
> register ISL."  That's all they would have to know, the clearing houses
> database would know what ISL is, who wrote it and how much they are
> asking for it.  The clearing house would say, "The current version of ISL
> is 3.10b and the author is asking $10.00, would you like to make an
> additional contribution?"  Visa gets 3%, the clearing house gets 7% and
> the author gets 90%.  Every 2 weeks the clearing house sends the author a
> list of new users and the author sends thank you notes or current
> versions or docs to the new user so that the user knows that the author
> did get his money.
>
> John, would you give up 10% for this service? Users, do you think you'd
> register more shareware if you could pay for it by phone, 24 hours a day,
> with a credit card?
>
> Shareware made the Amiga great, and will probably keep it alive.
> And Imagine (PC or Amiga) is a tool that just screams out for add-ons
> that would never find shelf space at EggHead.
>
> Don DeCosta
> [e-mail]
>
>



Date:    Saturday, 14 January 1995 12:46:02
Subject: Re: creating fire
From:    [e-mail] (Gareth Qually)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


thanks to all for your help. Much appreciated...

Chow..



Date:    Saturday, 14 January 1995 13:13:08
Subject: Starfield with KPT
From:    [e-mail] (Bill Osuch)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


For those folks with Kai Power Tools who perhaps aren't aware, the manual
claims you can do a good starfield effect using the Grime Layer function.
Haven't tried this for myself, but here's what the manual says:

Use Grime Layer on a plain white background and repeat 4-5 times. The dark
regions will obscure more and more space and choke the white area into a
perfect "star field" background! It will even create the anti-aliased "less
than one pixel" stars that are necessary for realistic screen images.
(Single pixel dots do not look like star!) Try that!


The exclamation points are the manual's, not mine.....
    Bill Osuch                |   I haven't lost touch with reality,
    [e-mail]          |   reality has lost touch with me....
    Semprini?                 |




Date:    Saturday, 14 January 1995 14:31:16
Subject: Re: Prostitutes can, why can't shareware authors?
From:    [e-mail] (Ian M. Smith)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On 13-Jan-1995, Donald DeCosta <[e-mail]> wrote:
> John, would you give up 10% for this service? Users, do you think you'd
> register more shareware if you could pay for it by phone, 24 hours a day,
> with a credit card?

Convienence is a VERY big reason.  Lazyness is another.  And of course
there is simple cheapness.  I think there are a lot of programs I would
have registered by now if I could have done it as soon as I started using
the program.  After the inital "wow, this is great!" wears off it gets
easy to put it off.  I think people that register their shareware have
more willpower or something than I do.. generosity? Kindness? Money? :-)

> Shareware made the Amiga great, and will probably keep it alive.

Commodore management sure didn't!  Bastards!

Earlier, John Grieggs (author of ISL) wrote:
) Crippling my shareware package was about the only thing I had not tried,
) to encourage registrations.  Making it cheap didn't work. [...]

I used the version that worked with IM2.0 and really liked it.  When
ISL2.0 came out with IM30 support, I decided not to download it until
I had the moeny to register it since I read it was crippled.  I just
never got around to downloading it.  Only three registrations?  Yuck...
I won't ask if they were Amiga or IBM, enough flamewars here, but
seems we are all the same in the end, not matter what computer brand
we worship.  Err, use.

) If you can think of any reason why I should continue to support ISL,
) I'd sure like to hear it.  Otherwise, I'm out of here.

I bet I could rationalize not paying for your program...  but the
truth is that I did use it way back when IM2.0 was the highest
revision.  It really is an amazingly useful program...  and it did
save me hours and hours of tedious mousework and I owe you the
registration even if you decide to never work on it again.  I think
lots of other people owe it to you too...

BTW, I read the register.doc and didn't see any whining... the
anonymous letter guy is a jerk.  Trying to run your own buisness
is not easy.  And I'll be as big of a jerk if I promise to register
and don't.  So feel free to post to the IML if I wimp out. :)

--
Ian M. Smith <[e-mail]>  -- PGP Fingerprint (Email for Key) --
                                  581F3521 6F9D8061 0AA214C8 BE51978D





Date:    Saturday, 14 January 1995 15:11:17
Subject: IMLarchives.txt 55-57 available on Aminet
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hi All Imagineers,

I just uploaded the IML archives 55 to 57 to Aminet. These are the plain text
files sorted on 'Date', for those of us without the great AmigaGuide :) ,
mostly MSDOS :(

Greetings Joop
[e-mail]

PS A friend of mine made an utility to read AmigaReports on the PC, which is
also in AmigaGuide format. Bad thing is that the guidefiles my proggy makes
are too complex to be read by his reader. Not to mention that PC do have
problems with memory management. If time permits, I'll have a look at it or
somebody else can if he/she has experience with VisualBasic.



Date:    Saturday, 14 January 1995 15:53:15
Subject: ARexx Scripts
From:    [e-mail] (Ian M. Smith)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Ok, I tried to put the scripts I wrote up on Aminet, but wuarchive was
down.  Figures..  I sent 4-5 programs up there a year ago and it
crashed and was down for a week..  lost my uploads too!  Never did end
up sending them again.  Anyway, I'll upload them as soon as wuarchive
is back up.  I could post them here, but their 10K uuencoded.  I'll
send them to anyone who wants in e-mail.. but... I'm an idiot!

WARNING!  Warning!  Do not, I reepeat..  do NOT ever, EVER send a
message to a mailing list with a Reply-To:  in the header!!!!  Duh!
So far I have over 1 megabyte of return-reciept messages from 2 posts
I made to the IML yesterday.  And they are still coming in...  so I
might miss a few e-mail requests.  Put IISCRIPTS.LHA in the body of
the message if you do want them emailed so I can do a grep to catch
any missed ones.

Is this a bug in the mailing list software, or a feature that I
stumbled on by not editing my message header like I should have?
Could this possibly be fixed by automaticly removing Reply-To:
headers from incoming messages, or would that kill a feature that
others use in the name of protecting follish people from themselves?
Ahh well.. a learning experience.  Has anyone else done this, or
is everyone just laughing at me? :-)

Anyway, here is part of the readme that describes the scripts...

Jitter        - Randomly disturb an objects points. Like Lightwave.

StageFrames   - Increase or descrease the length of an animation
                and automaticly scale the actor bars.
 ReduceFrames - Used with StageFrames to determine how to reduce.

StageScale    - Increase or decrease every object's size in a scene
                and position them.  Used to reduce the rendering time.

StageShift    - Put X blank frames at the beginning of an animation
                so you can merge two animations. (Needs ISL to join)
--
Ian M. Smith <[e-mail]>  -- PGP Fingerprint (Email for Key) --
                                  581F3521 6F9D8061 0AA214C8 BE51978D





Date:    Saturday, 14 January 1995 23:45:10
Subject: Re: Death of ISL
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


John,

  I am sure that all shareware authors find that registration is not the
wonderful thing that it supposed to be, but where would we be without
shareware.  Some of the best programs ever written started out, and some will
always be shareware.  It is a thankless job, performed by dedicated
professional, and amature programmers, like yourself.

  While I must agree that nothing is more rage inducing than a crippled piece
of shareware, I implore you to continue your efforts and keep up with ISL.
 As you stated there are many people already using the program, and I am sure
that as time goes by, many more people will.  In the mean time, stop offering
support to non-registered users, and hold the most recent version of the
software for registered users only.

  I have never seen or tried the software, only because it exists in only one
place on FTP.NETCOM.COM, you should have it on every graphics FTP site, BBS,
and on-line service imaginable.  That is how you get people to use, and
ultimately register the software.

  Kurt

P.S.  I would really like to get your ISL PC version, but I cannot get onto
NETCOM, it is either busy or I just cannot access it.  If you have another
way to get it to me, I would be happy to upload it to AOL as well as several
BBS in San Diego/Southern California.



Date:    Sunday, 15 January 1995 00:52:41
Subject: Re: scalekey utility
From:    [e-mail] (Gareth Qually)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Sounds like a major cool util. Yeah, load it up. Someone will recompile
it, no problem.
Nice work...
[e-mail]



Date:    Sunday, 15 January 1995 01:34:10
Subject: Re: States
From:    [e-mail] (Gareth Qually)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


I have had similar problems with the states when it comes to textures. I
use 3.0 at the moment. I have resorted to morphing objects the old way.
It is slow but hey, what choice do I have. As for the other quirks that
you describe, they sound very strange. But you can probably notch that
to imagine's erratic behaviour. You are probably best served, by
starting with a new project. the clean slate might work things out.
chow...
[e-mail]



Date:    Sunday, 15 January 1995 02:19:19
Subject: Isl
From:    [e-mail] (Gareth Qually)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


John it is sad and not surprising to hear these state of affairs. Even I
am guilty of this. I can not think of a single reason for you not to
stop supporting isl and the imagine community. The main problem is with
an ineffective distribution network. It is not two way. It works for the
people recieving the wares but not for the people who have laboured for
hours making it. The suggestion of a clearing house sounds quite
plausable if set up.

On the bright side: you may not get rewards in form of cash, but you do
in terms of respect and gratitude, from all the people who use your
program (I know this doesn't buy you a meal).

So the only reason I can now think of, for you not to stop is the
knowledge that you are keeping a really great computer alive and well.
And that is something great.

[e-mail]



Date:    Sunday, 15 January 1995 04:19:49
Subject: ------=> Sorry NO Subject!
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



  Also, in the December/January issue of Video Toaster User, there is a
brief preview description of LightWave 4.0 and they mention that it may be
offered at a discount for users of other 3D packages, about $695.  LightWave
4.0 will have procedural textures, inverse kinematics, and improved bones
control.  Also, there will be versions for the Amiga, Windows, Windows NT
and SGI.  The Windows NT version allows it to be run on a variety of
mega-speed platforms.  In the same issue of VTU, there is an article about
the Raptor Plus.  The author said the same scene that took 8 1/2 hours on
his Amiga '040/33 took 15 minutes on the Raptor Plus.  Not much relevance to
the low-end hobbyist but it sure is interesting.
 ----------
>From: imagine-relay
>To: imagine
>Subject: Re: Point of View
>Date: Friday, January 13, 1995 1:51AM

> Lightwave 4 when it is released will be $999 for the Amiga, PC and SGI,
>latform, for current registered owners of the
> Amiga 3.5 version.
>
I seriously doubt it will remain at that price for long (don't forget, the
first PC Imagine shipped at $695).

And, (not meaning to put down Imagine in any way here....) if LW's price
becomes competitive with Imagine, I have a feeling it will do to Imagine
what Imagine did to Sculpt 3-D. Especially if all the companies that are
promising to port their Amiga LW add-ons over to the PC actually do....
    Bill Osuch                |   I haven't lost touch with reality,
    [e-mail]          |   reality has lost touch with me....
    Semprini?                 |




Date:    Sunday, 15 January 1995 04:48:31
Subject: ------=> Sorry NO Subject!
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



I'm having the worst problem in the world trying to morph info on a
texture between two states.  I've got the linearsm texture with a
fade value of 1 in my "faded" state (object props & textures/brushes
buttons are active for both states) and a fade value of 0 in my
"nofade" state.  It works just dandy in the detail editor, and I can
jump back and forth between states, and render each one and they
work just fine... the texture appears and disappears like planned,
even after I save, delete, and re-load the object.
I should add that I have a brushmap used for color, flat x, flat z
under the texture (listed above, applied under).

Then, when I load it into the action editor (to replace the other
three that have corrupted so far) and try to render the project,
the object corrupts.  It picks one state and copies its into to the
other one, and wont render the morph.

Now (this is the neat part) when I re-load the object into the detail
editor, the states information is the same for both states.  It's like
when the object is opened for reading and closed again it wrecks it.

If anyone has had experience in getting this to work, please mail me...
this is for a paid project, and its driving me BONKERS.

thanks
Scott Krehbiel
[e-mail]





Date:    Sunday, 15 January 1995 08:00:55
Subject: Aminet
From:    [e-mail] (Silicon)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


How can I upload my utility to Aminet? Specifically to ftp.cdrom.com?

Andrey




Date:    Sunday, 15 January 1995 08:16:26
Subject: Re: Prostitutes can, why can't shareware authors?
From:    Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Fri, 13 Jan 1995, Donald DeCosta wrote:

> John, what would you say to the idea of a shareware clearing house?  A

Such a thing already exists on CompuServe; GO SWREG will bring you to
the shareware registration area, where you can register for shareware
online. The charge will be added to your CompuServe bill. I have no idea
how easy it is to set up, and how much CIS charges the author for the
service, but I've used it and you're right, Donald, it makes registering
so painless that one actually does it.




Date:    Sunday, 15 January 1995 08:36:46
Subject: Re: Death of ISL
From:    Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Fri, 13 Jan 1995, John Grieggs wrote:

>     I've recieved exactly 3 registrations for ISL, plus one

> Crippling my shareware package was about the only thing I had not tried,
> to encourage registrations.  Making it cheap didn't work.  Promising free
> updates forever didn't work.  Making it widely available didn't work.
> Complaining in the readme about how thankless it was and how I would drop
> it if things didn't improve sure didn't work, judging by this letter.
>
> If you can think of any reason why I should continue to support ISL, I'd
> sure like to hear it.  Otherwise, I'm out of here.

John,

Even though I've never used ISL, I know what it is, and have a very high
opinion of it. I know where to download it, and if I ever had a reason
to use it, it would be for a paying job and you would immediately
receive my shareware payment. (My own anims are not complex enough to
warrant ISL) Reading your message has left me with sadness at the lack
of appreciation (where it counts, i.e. in the form of shareware
registrations) you received. Yes, ISL is a labor of love. Yes, most
Imagine users are a bunch of cheapskates with little sense of values.
Yes, there is a wide chasm between the support your program deserved and
what it got. This anonymous message only adds insult to injury, and I
will humbly understand if you decide to throw in the towel.

Before that happens, though, do I have your permission to repost this on
CompuServe's Imagine support Forums, and my local 3-D BBS? Who knows,
maybe your poignant letter will stir a handful of users out of their
torpor and make them register ISL. I'm certain it would not cause enough
of a reaction to change your mind, but if it brings even one
registration in, it's $25 more in your pocket.




Date:    Sunday, 15 January 1995 09:10:38
Subject: Re: Prostitutes can, why can't shareware authors?
From:    Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Sat, 14 Jan 1995, Robert Iacullo wrote:

> What a bunch of bull shit.  Get off your tired excuse of an ass and
> send the man a check.
>
>
> On Fri, 13 Jan 1995, Donald DeCosta wrote:
>
> >
> > The problem with shareware is, it's too easy to get and too hard to pay
> > for.  I usually download a new, useful shareware item somewhere between 8
> > pm and 2 am Pacific time, I read the docs, I see how much the author
> > wants me to pay, I say, "This is great I should pay for it."  And that's
> > it.  I can't call the author at midnight and give him my credit card
> > number.  Even if I did wish to wake him at 3 am in New Jersey the author

<Lots of quoted material removed>

Robert, I have to agree with both you and Donald. Yes, the bother of
mailing a physical check should be no excuse for not registering
shareware, but Donald had the honesty to admit something which I believe
most of us feel. I spend countless hours online every week, yet I can't
remember the year when I last wrote an actual letter. (Christmas cards
notwithstanding) It would certainly help if online shareware
registration was more widespread and accessible.

Oh, and a point about Netiquette: to-the-point replies are always
appreciated, but a dose of politeness is expected. Before flaming
another user, ask yourself: "would I say these words if s/he were
standing right in front of me?" In addition, it is considered sloppy and
inconsiderate to include an entire message when all you are doing is
adding a 2-line reply. It took me all of 30 seconds to look up these
commands in my mail reader's help screen and memorize them:

      CTRL-^  Set mark
      CTRL-V  Page down
      CTRL-Y  Page up
      CTRL-K  Delete block (<K>ill text between current cursor
                            position and mark)

Using these 4 simple commands, I can easily remove all irrelevant
material from a quoted message. Judging from the tone of your reply to
Donald, I'm probably setting myself up for a flaming, but I'd rather
take a chance and send you a polite, educational message, just in case
you do decide to use my advice and become a better Net person.




Date:    Sunday, 15 January 1995 10:02:05
Subject: Re: Texture Times
From:    Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


I've taken Gregory's message and repackaged it in two lists, one sorted
by texture name, the other by render time. (Oops dept: I forgot to
mention that names starting with "~" are Essence textures) Here is the
full package:


begin 644 TexTimes.lha
M("HM;&@U+70!``!7`@``*+HN'@``"E)E861-92YT>'2U4`&98Y.1MJ&X[T`]0
MAV1*GHM*2`840%0K@7#$8_-_T?\G[_H?WN,>EHT!][DMI@%@:P))[\3*])Z!_
M]RE;H&R]]??"F8G)T"B:*Z3W$_+:$!4*$M/=,I/*9/`N9,:\L1O.164+^4RFV
M7:`R>%TR&C`A"Y,>0S-4D$36@)Q#J)#HD!0\25P>041,`@:V3','C0=4I4G5S
M).@4S0,QT7Z`<@&/*`VE0[AB"39(Z/+4;_*[K/RRAT>6]G+F,<AMB54)Y7&\E
MY7AG`J08CHF07#)D`8QT#)2#Q52E<78MGZ)K*_$9U.[._P^`*5R2>NUG[TP+[
MV*'GU`]WR[_4#VU!<BG`>2A>5+-</GS+6959_8_XBNF:(\-GSW^J`X-:.WQIT
M0&!L53C8<N*3Q9(;+E(#36>8C@56ZUF+"M2G_\T>8RTJ.E@R:@=?P%8R57/@^
M9I/!UEGV@,XDH?6(_O(_ZVKMEK<N!HY)WZU#?N]_AN=W;_CNX5W*U&GS)S<MO
MH")K+6QH-2U'!@``+A0``*BX+AX"``Q497A!;'!H82YT>'3(4@3B;);:-M.0S
MZ[\`5LW,7<DDDM0'`MT"W+DCI,RZ?-+FWUG-<KR3H0T'XV_\W'_]SA0ES"R!H
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``
end
size 6196




Date:    Sunday, 15 January 1995 10:26:54
Subject: Re: Starfield apology
From:    [e-mail] (Ian M. Smith)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]> wrote:
> yeah, I had to experiment to get the proper confetti size. Although I'm
> a BIG brushmap proponent (why calculate a texture more than once?), to
> get a decent starfield, wouldn't the required brushmap be, oh, 1200x600,
> using up over 2 Meg of memory? For many people, that's a problem. Then
> again, for many people, that's not.

I just finished up two ARexx scrips to generate a random starfield
out of either four sided objects, or single faces that can be used
with the particles requester to get hundreds of perfect spheres
in raytrace mode!  I haven't had time to play around with getting
the right paramaters, so anyone is free to fiddle with it if you want.

I'll upload it to Aminet later tonight, IIScripts.lha in gfx/3d or
via email for any requests.

--
Ian M. Smith <[e-mail]>  -- PGP Fingerprint (Email for Key) --
                                  581F3521 6F9D8061 0AA214C8 BE51978D





Date:    Sunday, 15 January 1995 11:48:27
Subject: Re: Prostitutes can, why can't shareware authors?
From:    Robert Iacullo <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


This was my first flame, and I hope it's my last.  I really hate flaming,
but this guy was just WHINING about how hard it is to write a check, etc.
, etc., and it was just a bunch of lame excuses.  I quess I just lost it.
Anyway, as others have said about this, shareware authors (and freeware
authors) are the backbone of the Amiga community.  We can't live without
them and they should be paid for their efforts or their programs shouldn't
be used.


On Sun, 15 Jan 1995, Charles Blaquiere wrote:

> On Sat, 14 Jan 1995, Robert Iacullo wrote:
>
> > What a bunch of bull shit.  Get off your tired excuse of an ass and
> > send the man a check.
> >
> >
> > On Fri, 13 Jan 1995, Donald DeCosta wrote:
> >
> > >
> > > The problem with shareware is, it's too easy to get and too hard to pay
> > > for.  I usually download a new, useful shareware item somewhere between 8

> > > pm and 2 am Pacific time, I read the docs, I see how much the author
> > > wants me to pay, I say, "This is great I should pay for it."  And that's
> > > it.  I can't call the author at midnight and give him my credit card
> > > number.  Even if I did wish to wake him at 3 am in New Jersey the author
>
> <Lots of quoted material removed>
>
> Robert, I have to agree with both you and Donald. Yes, the bother of
> mailing a physical check should be no excuse for not registering
> shareware, but Donald had the honesty to admit something which I believe
> most of us feel. I spend countless hours online every week, yet I can't
> remember the year when I last wrote an actual letter. (Christmas cards
> notwithstanding) It would certainly help if online shareware
> registration was more widespread and accessible.
>
> Oh, and a point about Netiquette: to-the-point replies are always
> appreciated, but a dose of politeness is expected. Before flaming
> another user, ask yourself: "would I say these words if s/he were
> standing right in front of me?" In addition, it is considered sloppy and
> inconsiderate to include an entire message when all you are doing is
> adding a 2-line reply. It took me all of 30 seconds to look up these
> commands in my mail reader's help screen and memorize them:
>
>     CTRL-^  Set mark
>     CTRL-V  Page down
>     CTRL-Y  Page up
>     CTRL-K  Delete block (<K>ill text between current cursor
>                           position and mark)
>
> Using these 4 simple commands, I can easily remove all irrelevant
> material from a quoted message. Judging from the tone of your reply to
> Donald, I'm probably setting myself up for a flaming, but I'd rather
> take a chance and send you a polite, educational message, just in case
> you do decide to use my advice and become a better Net person.
>
>



Date:    Sunday, 15 January 1995 16:54:28
Subject: A speculation
From:    gregory denby <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



I read in a recent InfoWorld that IBM is going to continue developing
DOS, and include REXX support with it.  Maybe this will provide another
nudge for Impulse to support it also.  I recall (someone here said?) that
Imagine will run in Windows 95 (-6, -7?), but as an Amigan, I feel equally
comfortable with the comand line and the GUI.  So I won't really mind
using Imagine for DOS on that sad day my Ami dies.  After all, even
IBM DOS will have multitasking and REXX by then, so it won't be so bad.

bye,
Greg Denby
[e-mail]



Date:    Sunday, 15 January 1995 17:39:45
Subject: Re:ISL
From:    gregory denby <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



My own test for registering a piece of shareware has been, "Am I using
this every other day?" or "Am I making money off of this?"  As a result
I have registered some of the apps I use (made me feel like a new man)
others are sitting around because I use them maybe once in a blue moon.

I haven't registered ISL because I looked at it twice, realized that
I didn't understand some of what I was reading, & wondered if registration
would provide more info.  Then, awhile back, Patrick S. (I think it was)
said he was writing some scripts to greatley improve the particle feature.
So Ifigured I'd wait until they were done, and then register.

However, I'm astonished by John's letter. 3 reasons, not in order of
importance A: someone actually wrote a crappy letter criticizing his
method of release B: people have used it professionally, and not paid
for it C: he hasn't made even enough to afford an upgrade.

So, I'll walk over to the snail box today and try to remedy a crummy
situation.  Using Imagination hasn't directly made me any money, but
the enthusiasm it generated for me got me really involved with computers,
and my job has improved as a result.  So thanks, John, for being part
of a community, however indirectly, which has benefitted me.

Greg Denby
[e-mail]



Date:    Sunday, 15 January 1995 18:03:53
Subject: Re: Death of ISL
From:    Peter Cox <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Forwarded message:
>
>   I have never seen or tried the software, only because it exists in only one
> place on FTP.NETCOM.COM, you should have it on every graphics FTP site, BBS,
> and on-line service imaginable.  That is how you get people to use, and
> ultimately register the software.
>
>   Kurt
>
Firstly I'd like to agree with you and say that it is a sad state of affairs,
however I am also guilty of not registering shareware. Not ISL but some others.
Crippled software doesn't make me annoyed, I'll just use it within its abilities

and if it won't do what I want, I'll find something else..... I plead leniancy
your honour..

Anyway onto the main part of my letter. If I want a particular piece of software

I'll go to the local SimTel archive. Based at oak.somthing.. it is mirrored at
almost every major FTP site in the world. If you find your local one, it'll
give information about getting your prog posted.. Stuff like POVRay and Fractint

go on there on the DAY of release.

The main problem with it is that it is only PC.. ( :-( for the amiga owners )
Maybe someone else knows of a similar archive for the amiga.
--
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Peter Cox. [e-mail]    | Sex is not the answer. "Sex?" is the |
| Part I, Mechanical Engineering   | question. "Yes!" is the answer.      |
| University of Southampton        |                                      |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------



Date:    Sunday, 15 January 1995 22:00:58
Subject: Brushmap Kills State Morphing!!
From:    "Mr. Scott Krehbiel; ACS (PC)" <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



I figured out de bug!!  I can create an object and morph the states
with no problem, doing value morphs in a texture, but once I add
a brushmap, poof!  The last entered value for ANY state changes
all other states.

So, apparently I can't have a brushmap on an object that has a
changing texture.   :-P

Has anyone been able to work around this??  By the way, I'm using
3.1.  I tried with 3.0, and couldn't get the states to stay distinct
even without a brushmap!

By the way, the state options I have selected are :
Face Colors,
Grouping,
Object Properties,
Textures/Brushes

Thanks in advance for any help.
Scott Krehbiel
[e-mail]





Date:    Sunday, 15 January 1995 23:30:18
Subject: Particles
From:    Kent Marshall Worley <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


 Is it impossible for particles to phong shade? I have tried the sphere
shape particles and I have tried a seperate sphere object. No phong
shading and no smooth sphere. I want to create a plane with a brush map
applied, then particalize the object so the image is wrapped on tiny
spheres. The particles will not phong shade.
 Kent Worley



Date:    Monday, 16 January 1995 04:13:51
Subject: Re: ScaleKey utility
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


  Aminet is not just for Amiga folks.  I have Imagine PC and regularly use
aminet for get objects, textures, image maps, etc.

  Just put it there either PKZipped or LHA'd along with a README file
explaining what it is, and all will be right with the world.

  Another good place would be AVALON.CHINALAKE.NAVY.MIL



Date:    Monday, 16 January 1995 08:17:35
Subject: Re: ScaleKey utility
From:    [e-mail] (Silicon)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


>   Aminet is not just for Amiga folks.  I have Imagine PC and regularly use
> aminet for get objects, textures, image maps, etc.
>
>   Just put it there either PKZipped or LHA'd along with a README file
> explaining what it is, and all will be right with the world.
>

When I tried to put up the file, it said 'permission denied'. Is there
any specific site I should do that at?

Andrey




Date:    Monday, 16 January 1995 16:00:34
Subject: Time for a new archivist....
From:    Nikola Vukovljak <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------




On Sat, 14 Jan 1995 [e-mail] wrote:

> Hi All Imagineers,
>
> I just uploaded the IML archives 55 to 57 to Aminet. These are the plain text

> files sorted on 'Date', for those of us without the great AmigaGuide :) ,
> mostly MSDOS :(

Well, After being an archiver for the IML for the past year and a bit,
I'm starting to get tired of it.
Consequently, I'm running late with IML archive uploads. :-)

No matter, since Joop has done the job for me. :-)

Now, I personally would like to nominate Joop for this glamorous position,
but if he declines there better be some interest from a few other people
within the next week or so, or the IML will cease to be archived.
This would IMHO be a shame.


I have in my possesion a Sun OS (C) program to strip the message headers as
well as an Amiga one. The Amiga one (courtesy of Joop) as well as another
one also create Amiga Guide and Ascii files.
Whoever decides to take on the job of the IML archivist is welcome to these.

Now, at the end, I'd like once more to give credit to the original IML
archivist - Marvin Landis. Without him, the huge amount of info that the
archives contain would have been lost.

Nik Vukovljak

<Your friendly IML archivist>

[e-mail]





Date:    Monday, 16 January 1995 19:01:18
Subject: RE: DEATH OF ISL
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



ISL 3.0b4 is also available on Compuserve in the Imagine Section of the
Graphics User Groups A forum (GO GUGRPA).  Both PC & Amiga versions are there.

Please, no flames.   Also, in case anyone is unaware...CIS just announced their
rate reduction starting this February to $4.80/hr up to 14.4bps.

-GreG

P.S.  Don, CIS also offers that "Shareware Clearinghouse" where the shareware
registration is charged to your account if you decide to register...and you can
do this anytime you like, provided the shareware author makes use of this
registration method.




Date:    Monday, 16 January 1995 19:03:06
Subject: RE: Death of ISL
From:    Henri Smulders <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------




Crippling my shareware package was about the only thing I had not tried,
to encourage registrations.  Making it cheap didn't work.  Promising free
updates forever didn't work.  Making it widely available didn't work.
Complaining in the readme about how thankless it was and how I would drop
it if things didn't improve sure didn't work, judging by this letter.

If you can think of any reason why I should continue to support ISL, I'd
sure like to hear it.  Otherwise, I'm out of here.

_john

Build in a logical time-bomb. I looked at your package and it's too "ptofessiona
l" for me right now. (I don't have time to work with an ascii staging language;
since I mostly do flipping titles; no fun but it pays the bills) Thanks for warning
people with the fact that your package is not "easy" to use. I mean that staging is
not that simple; not that your package is bad.
If you build in a logical time bomb only let it kick in after users have used it
 say 50 times. People are usually only willing to register after they feel they
can't do withoput it. (Peachtree Accounting does this and they're very successfull
with it; people copy the package; use it and then they NEED to register
since the program won't load after 25 times withoput registering and their data
is in there.)

The gentleman who wrote you basically has pirated software. If you buy an upgrad
e without having the official 2.0 version of the software you are pirating. As a
developer I can not endorse that and am sorry that you have clients like that. I
on't develop shareware; but if I did I would probably use the Peachtree scheme.

Hi-Lo





Date:    Monday, 16 January 1995 20:02:25
Subject: Re: Essence 1 and 2
From:    James Brooks <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



I'm thinking about getting Forge and one of the Essence package deals.
If someone can list what is in Essense 1 and 2 I would be grateful.

I just do not have enough money (right now) to get BOTH and from the
listing I can decide which one I would like to order FIRST.



thanks
Alex

---------------------------------------------------------------
James "Alex" Brooks              Amiga 4000/040/28MHz 20MB RAM
Lightwave 3.5 / Imagine 3.0      VideoToaster 4000 3.1
Sysquest 3.5" 270MB            Bernoulli 90Pro
NEC 3xp Triple Speed CDROM       Warp Engine 4028
Interchange 3.0                  Dynamic Motion Module 1.06
Epson ES-600C Scanner            E-Mail: [e-mail]
---------------------------------------------------------------
** World Construction Set AND VideoToaster 4.0 coming soon! ***
---------------------------------------------------------------




Date:    Monday, 16 January 1995 20:41:41
Subject: RE: particles
From:    "Ducharme, Alain: FOB" <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



On Sunday, January 15, 1995 16:03 Kent Marshall Worley wrote:
 ----------
> Is it impossible for particles to phong shade? I have tried the sphere
>shape particles and I have tried a seperate sphere object. No phong
>shading and no smooth sphere. I want to create a plane with a brush map
>applied, then particalize the object so the image is wrapped on tiny
>spheres. The particles will not phong shade.

Nope!...err, I mean yes, it is impossible.  Not in Scanline mode anyhow.
 Only in ray tracing mode will the round particles be rendered as perfect
spheres.



Date:    Monday, 16 January 1995 21:12:39
Subject: Brush Maps and State Morphing
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On 1-15, Scott Krehbiel wrote:

I figured out de bug!!  I can create an object and morph the states
with no problem, doing value morphs in a texture, but once I add
a brushmap, poof!  The last entered value for ANY state changes
all other states.

So, apparently I can't have a brushmap on an object that has a
changing texture.   :-P

Has anyone been able to work around this??  By the way, I'm using
3.1.  I tried with 3.0, and couldn't get the states to stay distinct
even without a brushmap!

By the way, the state options I have selected are :
Face Colors,
Grouping,
Object Properties,
Textures/Brushes
====================

        Howdy Scott,

        I think you must be overlooking something, as I just finished
        doing exactly this in 3.1.  I used a brushmap on a plane and
        the dripdrop texture.  Worked fine.

        You might want to check how you lock your States.  Only the first
        State gets data locked to it. Don't know for sure, but since you
        have both Props and Text/Brsh selected, after you create the State
        and then go back to lock the Texture, you might want to Update the
        State, but that's probably not necessary.

        There's a lot of room for confusion in the way States work.  I just
        discovered in trying to Delete some State info that, when you get
        the Delete requester, what you select is what *stays* in the State,
        what you don't select goes.  Jeez!

        I'm also unclear on why the States Data Type requester has both a
        button for Properties and one for Textures/Brushes.  I thought
        Textures/Brushes were included in Properties...?

        I'm sure this helped immensely! :\

        See ya.

        -mikeT



Date:    Monday, 16 January 1995 22:21:30
Subject: Repost : Some simple research into Imagine refraction.
From:    "JOSEPH F. HART" <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Greetings.....

     I enjoy doing quite a bit of work with transparent refractive
objects such as crystals, gemstones, glass objects, and the like.
I quite often run into objects which for no readily apparent
reason, will not render properly.  I spent a day or two recently
conducting a series of experiments to determine why this was so.
The most common problem was excessive darkness of the object.
Another I seem to hit for mysterious reasons is that sometimes
a line will appear on a simple object such as a hollow glass
tumbler.  The line seems to appear, when it does at all, along
the line of intersection between two facets of the object.

     What I discovered, at least about the darkness, can be
summarized as follows.

   The greater the refractive index or the smaller the
minimum angle between facet planes, the greater the
darkness at the lines of facet intersections.   It seems that
Imagine prefers to work with refractive objects having
facet angles which are quite obtuse.  Wherever there are
angles between facet planes which are less than about
120 degrees, you will probably notice considerable
darkness at refractive indices over approximately 1.2 .
If you require a specific geometry having such angles,
about the only fix seems to be to lower the refractive
index.  Hollow refractive objects having walls with a
finite non-zero thickness tend to behave as would objects
having acute (< 90 degrees) angles between the facet planes.
This seems to be why refraction works so well with objects
such as spheres, and not so well with hollow cylinders.

     I also seem to find that if you apply Phong shading
to the object, the darkness tends to spread out further
from the facet intersection lines as compared with
an equivalent unsmoothed object.

This is not meant as a flame of Imagine, which I very much
enjoy working with.  It is meant as a constructive personal
observation.  Has anyone else noticed anything similar ?

Late Breaking News.....
     The mysterious line disappears when rendered in 24 bit RGB....
     I still use an old Impulse VD1 frame buffer ....

___________________________________________________________________
                  |         Internet: [e-mail]
Joseph Hart       |     /// Plink   : OSS542
Niagara Falls, NY | \\\///  Ham call: WA2SND
                  |  \XX/   FreeNet : [e-mail]
                  |     *** AMIGA - Computers for REAL MEN ***
===================================================================



Date:    Monday, 16 January 1995 22:50:11
Subject: Damn brushmaps
From:    Karl Dyson <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Before you say anything, let me explain..

I am a virtual baby when using imagine, I just started using my AF coverdisk
copy and am not going to buy a decent version until I know for sure if I
enjoy raytracing.

So, this question is very very simple to you, but awkward for me.

Q: How the hell do I add a small picture to an object - e.g the words
Super Nintendo on an object of (yes you guessed it) a SNES.

Pleae note, that was not my project - just the best example I could think
of.

Am I right thinking of brushmaps???

Oh and personally I think Lightwave 3d seems the best - I've read several
reviews - all of which complimnetary plus, look at Babylon 5 - a
near-prefect example of it's capabilities (with a V.Toaster), if it wasn't
over textured - it might've looked as good as the models in Star Trek: The
Next Generation.

Well that's it for now,

      Karl








Date:    Tuesday, 17 January 1995 02:29:24
Subject: Re: attributes requester
From:    [e-mail] (Gareth Qually)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Can anybody tell me the use and differences between the Reflection and
Reflectivity buttons on the brushmap requester.

The manual didn't give me enough detail (still no surprise, allthough it
is much better).

Thanks a lot.

Chow...

[e-mail]



Date:    Tuesday, 17 January 1995 15:02:09
Subject: Re: Death of ISL
From:    Peter Bugla <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hi imageneers!

> Build in a logical time-bomb.
[...]
> If you build in a logical time bomb only let it kick in after users have used
it say 50 times.
[...]
I'm not much much involved in developing or working with shareware, but I want
to tell you:
This won't work. You have the program in an unused version on the disk(s)!
So the only thing you have to do is re-install it and enjoy. It's less time-
consuming, so it's easier for people to do than registering.

CU Peter

PS: Please don't flame, I just wanted to clarify, that this won't work.

                                               \|/                 _,_/|
                                               @ @                 \o.O;
-------------------------------------------oOO-(_)-OOo--------oOO =(___)= OOo---

#include <disclaimer.h>                 | "If architects built buildings the way
                                        |  programmers write  programs the first
                                        |  woodpecker that came along would
Peter Bugla                             |  destroy civilization"
e-mail: [e-mail] |  -- Murphy's Law of Computers
snail-mail: Peter Bugla                 |
            Morsering 26                |
            D-80937 Muenchen            | "Don't drive and drink! -- You could
            GERMANY                     |  spill some and ruin your clothes."
Telephone:  [phone]              |  -- myself
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




Date:    Tuesday, 17 January 1995 18:52:19
Subject: Re: Death of ISL
From:    Henri Smulders <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



>Hi imageneers!
>
>> Build in a logical time-bomb.
>[...]
>> If you build in a logical time bomb only let it kick in after users have used
 it say 50 times.
>[...]
>I'm not much much involved in developing or working with shareware, but I want
>to tell you:
>This won't work. You have the program in an unused version on the disk(s)!
>So the only thing you have to do is re-install it and enjoy. It's less time-
>consuming, so it's easier for people to do than registering.
>
>CU Peter

No flame; it will work if it locks in the scripts. Would you want to lose the scripts you've been
working hard on for $25? That's how Peachtree works. It locks in the data you entered. this
forces you to register.

Hi-Lo





Date:    Tuesday, 17 January 1995 19:20:56
Subject: RE: damn brushmaps
From:    Henri Smulders <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



>Before you say anything, let me explain..
>
>
>Q: How the hell do I add a small picture to an object - e.g the words
>Super Nintendo on an object of (yes you guessed it) a SNES.
>

>Am I right thinking of brushmaps???
>
Yes you are. Keep in mind that Imagine uses a weird coordinate system. This mean
s that to succesfully brushmap onto a flat object (plane f. ex) you want that
object's Y-axis to point upward (alt-T choose rotation and then axis only)

>Oh and personally I think Lightwave 3d seems the best - I've read several
>reviews - all of which complimnetary plus, look at Babylon 5 - a
>near-prefect example of it's capabilities (with a V.Toaster), if it wasn't
>over textured - it might've looked as good as the models in Star Trek: The
>Next Generation.
>
LW is one of the best However untill version 4.0 you needed to buy quite an expensive
"DONGLE" with it (a $2500 toaster). Also when you are animating at that high of a level
Imagine would probably do well in the hands of a good animator as well (ever see Tzadilas's
stuff; or Henry's?) The " problem" is that Imagine is a lot cheaper and more quirky. Why is
being cheap a problem? Because to get Broadcast TV-Quality you need a single frame deck
Beta SP ($8000 & UP). While people who just spend Big Bucks on a toaster etc... tend to be
more professional they can afford those. "Amateurs" that spend $300 on Imagine don't fall in
the same category. For flics and anims though you should be able to do most things you can do
with LW for a much smaller budget. (It would be nice to have an open programming interface
though.)


>Well that's it for now,
>
>      Karl
>
Hope I helped you.




Date:    Tuesday, 17 January 1995 20:31:48
Subject: 3D Starfield Object
From:    Stethem Ted 5721 <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



  Just wanted to let y'all know that I have uploaded a 3D Starfield Object
to the AmiNet under the filename 3DStarObj.lha (original, don'cha think?) in
the directory gfx/3dobj.  It may take a day or two to show up.  Apparently,
wustl.warchive is inactive and as far as I have been able to figure out, it
is the central archive to mirror to the other sites.
  The 3D Starfield object is converted from the Wavefront starfield object
from avalon.chinalake.  It is about 500K in size but renders surprisingly
fast.
  I have been trying different 3D objects for 3D starfields.  Steve Worley
recommends octahedrons in Understanding Imagine.  These are pretty decent
but break down when you get too close, as do the hexagon disks that make up
the Wavefront starfield.  I tried using icosahedrons but hit Imagine's limit
of 32,000 faces quite quickly.  It appears that the best solution is a
relatively small shell of primitive spheres for the near starfield, and
successive shells of octahedron stars or some other simpler shape for the
far starfields.  I haven't tried this out yet but I think the best "zipping"
starfields will be a tubular shell of primitive spheres with a relatively
high number of faces, with the central object or camera traveling down the
center.



Date:    Tuesday, 17 January 1995 21:31:14
Subject: Re: Death of ISL
From:    Kenneth Jennings <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------




Henri Smulders <[e-mail]>
      wrote about Re: Death of ISL:

>>Hi imageneers!
>>
>>> Build in a logical time-bomb.
>>[...]
>>> If you build in a logical time bomb only let it kick in
>>> after users have used it say 50 times.
>>[...]
>>I'm not much much involved in developing or working with shareware,
>>but I want to tell you:
>>This won't work. You have the program in an unused version on the disk(s)!
>>So the only thing you have to do is re-install it and enjoy. It's less time-
>>consuming, so it's easier for people to do than registering.
>>
>>CU Peter
>
>No flame; it will work if it locks in the scripts. Would you want to
>lose the scripts you've been working hard on for $25? That's how
>Peachtree works. It locks in the data you entered. this forces you
>to register.
>
>Hi-Lo

I don't know what ISL is, but on the shareware question
I think crippled demo versions which do everything
but save the work is a good way to distribute shareware.

Additionally, registration means the author could recompile
the program with serial numbers embedded in the code prior
to distribution.  Any attempt to modify the serial numbers
would be detected by the program (via checksums?), so the
program could re-cripple itself.  The embedded serial
numbers also help protect against piracy, since every
registered copy has a different serial number, the author
would know exactly who the pirated program came from.

This should discourage all but the most determined bit-bashing,
pirates.  Then again, most pirates are interested in cracking
games, not productivity/utility software.

Is this more work than it's worth?  Does this sound like a
good idea?

Kenneth Jennings -- [e-mail]




Date:    Wednesday, 18 January 1995 00:04:26
Subject: Re: Death of ISL
From:    Douglas Rudd <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


<Snip>
> No flame; it will work if it locks in the scripts. Would you want to lose the scripts you've been
> working hard on for $25? That's how Peachtree works. It locks in the data you entered. this
> forces you to register.
>
> Hi-Lo
>
>
>

Perhaps a file size restriction on the unregistered version. This would kill
big file use and people making money (for the most part) of ISL unless they
had the registered version.

This whole discussion shouldn't be taking place.

      1. The people who use ISL regularly should pay.
      2. Impulse should consider including ISL in a "tool kit"
         with T3Libs and other useful utilities. Either include
         it with Imagine or sell it separate. This would encourage
         Imagine developers to produce more utilites.

Doug Rudd
[e-mail]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Amiga Guide to the Galaxy refers to Commodore's management as
"A bunch of mindless jerks who will be the first to be lined up
against the wall and shot when the revolution comes."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They will get my Amiga from me when they pry it from my cold, dead hands.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------




Date:    Wednesday, 18 January 1995 00:46:52
Subject: Field rendering & PAR
From:    [e-mail] (Christian Leyen)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hello,
I have two questions about field rendering in Imagine:
( I will apreciate any hint)

1.
I'm trying to render an animation in Imagine 3.1 (Amiga) using field rendering directly
to PAR (multitasking), but PAR software gives me a message like "ILBM not found". This
is because Imagine first generates two frames, join these frames together(the odd lines
of the first frame and the even lines of the second) to produce one single frame and then
delete these two frames, keeping the resulting joined frame. These two "pre-frames" are
saved in another format (not ILBM, regardless of the file format you chose) so they can't
be sent to PAR, because a) PAR reads only ILBM and b) Imagine can't read these frames back
to join them in a single frame...My question is : Must I render the anymation to HD first
and then convert it to PAR ??? The doc file in Imagine 3.1 says that field rendering will
work with PAR, but I can't see that.

2.
As the doc file is not very clear about field rendering and does not mention anything about
picture resolution I tried with 752x480. I've noticed (after interrupting the rendering before
it was finished) that the pre-frames are generated in full horizontal resolution (480 lines).
I think it is a little stupid because the final frame will only use half of the lines of each
pre-frame (the even or odd lines). So these frames would need only 240 lines each to be joined
in a single frame with 480 lines. Am I doing something wrong ?

Christian Leyen ([e-mail])



Date:    Wednesday, 18 January 1995 02:32:10
Subject: Re: Amiga Excavation
From:    Derek Hardison <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


I have read all the messages for the last four months.  I am an Amiga
Imagine user and know that pentiums render very fast -- BUT ----

How is everyone dealing with the different file structures that are hard
coded in the attributes files????
 I use image maps & altitude maps -- THOUSANDS of them.  If I am to take
advantage of the pentium, I must have this automated  ( not to mention
the lack of Essence textures ).

I talked with Impulse last summer; and the response from someone young
was that their textures were really cool and REALLY fast....  Which means
he did NOT hear the question.  I repeated my question and he repeated his
reply -- I hung up.
   I currently load all my wraps from cur:pics.   ( where cur: is
assigned to the xxxx.imp/pics.  I have hundreds of .imp directories on
various drives --- AND I move them around all the time.  When I need to
work in a project I just assign cur: to that xxx.imp and I ALWAYS know
where everything is supposed to be. ( In stage editor - load your objects
from cur:objects.

   So--  lets say I have a scene with one hundred objects and several
hundred image wraps -- and I have access to a pentium with 64 meg of ram--
  it may render quickly -- but will it take me six weeks to convert all
the hard coded file paths to c:\\ whatever?  Is there any hope?


 --
Derek Hardison     Imagine on Amiga 4000s
                            New Intelligence on Video
                                        SGIwannabe
Domain:  [e-mail]
UUCP:  ...!emory!pd.org!derekjh




Date:    Wednesday, 18 January 1995 02:39:35
Subject: Re: batch rendering multiple projects?
From:    Derek Hardison <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


To Impulse ( or anyone who can remedy this major problem......
  I will personally make out a hand embroidered check for one hundred
doallars to the programmer ( at Impulse or not ) for the ability to
easily render multiple projects -- IF this is not already a part of 3.2.
  One of you guys at Impulse has just GOT to need some little toy or a
new tire for you motorcycle -- there just has to be something out there
you need as badly as I need this.
    Enough said????   Puuhhlleeeeeese.


 --
Derek Hardison     Imagine on Amiga 4000s
                            New Intelligence on Video
                                        SGIwannabe
Domain:  [e-mail]
UUCP:  ...!emory!pd.org!derekjh

On Wed, 11 Jan 1995, Mr. Scott Krehbiel; ACS (PC) wrote:

>
> Hi everybody
>
> Is there a way to have Imagine (3.1) render multiple projects??
>
> I have a bunch (like 20) animations each twenty to 50 frames long, and
> would love to be able to tell Imagine "Here, chew on these for a while"
> while I go to work.
> Scott Krehbiel
      stuff deleted



Date:    Wednesday, 18 January 1995 02:56:51
Subject: Re: batch rendering multiple p
From:    Derek Hardison <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


The message that follows mentions Xoper & other programs to start
iterated versions of Imagine... has anyone been able to get this to work?
I tried to set this up and always  ran out of ram ( 18 meg )

 --
Derek Hardison     Imagine on Amiga 4000s
                            New Intelligence on Video
                                        SGIwannabe
Domain:  [e-mail]
UUCP:  ...!emory!pd.org!derekjh

On Thu, 12 Jan 1995 [e-mail] wrote:

>
>  >> Is there a way to have Imagine (3.1) render multiple projects??
>  >(...)
>  >> I know that this is impossible, but I also know that people around here
>  >> have figured out how to do the impossible.
>
> This can be done very easily on the Amiga (not wanting to start a
> flame war, please!) by simply opening Imagine up twice (or three
> times if necessary!). Get all three projects set up, do test renders,
> etc. For added insurance, use a utility like TaskY or Xoper to
> slightly lower the priority of the secondary project so it won't
> load up until the first is really finished, then just fire away.
> Floater
>



Date:    Wednesday, 18 January 1995 03:19:36
Subject: DMz tricks
From:    cjo <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hi IMLers.

Most of you probably knows who Dan Santos is, or at least you have
seen some of his images.
In the latest issue of the Swedish Amiga magazine "DatorMagazinet"
(wich appears on the shelves tomorrow) he has an article about
Imagine, sort of an 'Imagine workshop'. In there are a couple of nice
hints and tricks that I thought I would share with you all (and hope I
beat him to it ;)

I remember from a few months ago that someone briefly mentioned what a
pity it was that you can't modify how detailed an object will become
when extruded in the spline-editor, ie how many faces the object will
be made of. According to DS you can. I quote;
"It actually doesn't say so in the manual [well what do you know], but
there is a simple way: To reduce the number of polygons created by an
'add points' operation, enlarge the objects axis. With a scale factor
of 10 the object will get about half as many polygons. Naturally you
can reverse the process as well. Reduce the axis' size to increase
quality."
Quite a neat trick, I thought myself.

Another (very short) discussion that occured here on the IML was about
"negative" lightsources, instead of illuminating an object or a
certain spot you would decrease the illuminosity (is there such a word
in english?) by "lighting" it with a "black" lightsource.
Well, DS says that it is actually possible to do so. I qoute again;
"...To use light-textures on lightsources you must create an axis and
make it a lightsource with the 'light'-flag in attributes.
An interesting detail in Imagine is that you can create 'black
lights'. If you supply a negative colour-value the lightsource will
absorbe light where it hits. A 'negative spotlight' may be a very
interesting thing to experiment with!"

I haven't had the time to try these tricks out myself, but since they
come from Dan Santos I trust that they work. If not... hey, shoot me!
Or rather, flame him! After all, he is an IML member, but a very
infrequent guest, it seems.

I hope someone can use these tricks to do something cool.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
|   Conny Joensson   |   Swedish Space Corp. Esrange            |
|   Kiruna           |   Satellite operations - Telecom Div.    |
|   Sweden           |   [e-mail]                     |
-----------------------------------------------------------------



Date:    Wednesday, 18 January 1995 05:45:06
Subject: Need service info on Impulse VD1 frame buffer (or Impulse email
From:    "JOSEPH F. HART" <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Greetings....

     I've got an old museum piece Impulse frame buffer.  Yes, I know
I should part with some monetary resources and get a Firecracker.
After twenty years I have been lucky enough to receive the benefit
of the economic new world order and become obsolete, and my monetary
resources have parted with me instead.

     Until I finish my electrical engineering degree to complement
my programming experience, I shall have to be satisfied with
Imagine 2.0 and an old VD1.  So, you see, I shall be very happy indeed
if I can get the old VD1 properly adjusted and working again, or I
shall have to be satisfied with a good deal less....;-)

     I have managed to figure out finally the proper cable to be
used with the frame buffer or at least I think I have, as the
buffer does respond as I would expect.  I just need to locate a
flakey chip on it, replace that, and readjust it if I can.

Wish Me Luck....:-)


___________________________________________________________________
                  |         Internet: [e-mail]
Joseph Hart       |     /// Plink   : OSS542
Niagara Falls, NY | \\\///  Ham call: WA2SND
                  |  \XX/   FreeNet : [e-mail]
                  |     *** AMIGA - Computers for REAL MEN ***
===================================================================



Date:    Wednesday, 18 January 1995 07:22:22
Subject: Re: batch rendering multiple p
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Derek,

 >The message that follows mentions Xoper & other programs to start
 >iterated versions of Imagine... has anyone been able to get this to work?
 >I tried to set this up and always  ran out of ram ( 18 meg )

 >>  >> Is there a way to have Imagine (3.1) render multiple projects??
 >>  >(...)
 >>  >> I know that this is impossible, but I also know that people around here
 >>  >> have figured out how to do the impossible.
 >>
 >> This can be done very easily on the Amiga (not wanting to start a
 >> flame war, please!) by simply opening Imagine up twice (or three
 >> times if necessary!). Get all three projects set up, do test renders,
 >> etc. For added insurance, use a utility like TaskY or Xoper to
 >> slightly lower the priority of the secondary project so it won't
 >> load up until the first is really finished, then just fire away.
 >> Floater

Memory, of course, can be a problem here. If you have an Amiga,
immediately after you start the render, you can pull down the Imagine
screen, click on the Workbench, and watch the memory get sucked up as
it renders. If you do this for each project you will know, in
advance, if you have enough memory to do two at once. Xoper and TaskY
are just two programs, amongst many that let you control task
priorities.

By the way, if anyone responded to my original post about ten days
ago, my Internet provider just told me that it lost 12 messages from
this mail-list. I AM interested in any other weird ways to mis-use
Imagine. Or to further the thread to which I originally responded.

FLOATER




Date:    Wednesday, 18 January 1995 08:24:19
Subject: Re: attributes requester
From:    [e-mail] (Mike Rivers)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


GQ> Can anybody tell me the use and differences between the Reflection and
GQ> Reflectivity buttons on the brushmap requester.

Reflectivity maps set how reflective the object surface is,(same as
'Reflect' in the main attributes requester).


If a reflection map is applied to an object, instead seeing other objects in
its reflection you will see the brushmap.


Tip: if you use a solid white reflection map, you can use a reflectivity map
as a psuedo-brighness map, it works even in the dark!


-------------------------------------------------------
|  Commodore failure. Press mouse button to continue  |
|  Guru Meditation  $35000000     Task : $00000CBM    |
-------------------------------------------------------
          A4000/060/90mhz WOW! this is fast.
                140 Mips  50 Mflops.



Date:    Wednesday, 18 January 1995 09:41:40
Subject: Starfield Generator Update
From:    [e-mail] (Ian M. Smith)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Oops.  Seems that I have some obscure library that nobody else has. :)
It be found on Aminet as aminet/util/rexx/RexxMathLib1.3.lha and I am
also including it with the new 1.1 update.  If you are trying to get a
decent starfield give these programs a look.  I did some test renders
and they look very nice in my opinion with lots of diffrent sizes and
brightness.  The best results I have gotten is using the particle menu
on the starfield object to give perfect spheres for the stars.  They
programs now write Imagine binaries directly, so no need to download
any extra utilities, although I do recomend getting the TDDD libraries
anyway!  I think I'll wait a day or so before uploading to Aminet
again to make sure there are no more problems.  I will send them via
e-mail to anyone if you don't want to wait.  Happy rendering!

--
Ian M. Smith <[e-mail]>  -- PGP Fingerprint (Email for Key) --
                                  581F3521 6F9D8061 0AA214C8 BE51978D





Date:    Wednesday, 18 January 1995 10:28:13
Subject: Brushmaps and State Morphing
From:    [e-mail] (MTUCIBAT)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------





On 1- 16 Jan, I responded to Scott Krehbiel:

> So, apparently I can't have a brushmap on an object that has a
> changing texture.   :-P
>
>
>         I think you must be overlooking something, as I just finished
>         doing exactly this in 3.1.  I used a brushmap on a plane and
>         the dripdrop texture.  Worked fine.
>
>         You might want to check how you lock your States.

==================

        Okay.  After I got your e-mail, I tried this again to see what
        could be going wrong for you.  Hope you don't mind my posting
        the response.  You know the cartoon where the the cat flies off
        the cliff chasing the bird and has no problem flying until the
        bird tells him he can't fly?  I could *not* get it to work again!

        Then I discovered what I must have done the first and only time I
        tried this.  And I think you're right about the bug.  If you
        create the  States with only the texture, then add the brush and
        Update, it works fine.  However, if you add both brush and texture
        when you initially set up the States, it doesn't work.  You get the
        effect you describe -- (wierd, though it may be...) the States are
        fine, you can even save the object.  But if you exit Detail, then
        return to Detail and load the object, the most recent Texture
        values have overwritten those in the first State.  Other times the
        second State values just overwrite the first immediately.

        Haven't checked for any probs using multiple textures or brushmaps.
        Might be a good idea.

        L8R

        -mikeT



Date:    Wednesday, 18 January 1995 11:27:54
Subject: Re: field rendering & PAR
From:    RIX JAMES <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------




On Tue, 17 Jan 1995, Christian Leyen wrote:

> Hello,
> I have two questions about field rendering in Imagine:
> ( I will apreciate any hint)
>
> 1.
I'm trying to render an animation in Imagine 3.1 (Amiga) using field rendering
directly to PAR (multitasking), but PAR software gives me a message like
"ILBM not found". This is because Imagine first generates two frames,
join these frames together(the odd line of the first frame and the even lines
of the second) to produce one single frame and then delete these two frames,
keeping the resulting joined frame. These two "pre-frames" are saved in another
format (not ILBM, regardless of the file format you chose) so they can't be
sent to PAR, because a) PAR reads only ILBM and b) Imagine can't read these
frames back to join them in a single frame...My question is : Must I render
the animation to HD first and then convert it to PAR ??? The doc file in
Imagine 3.1 says that field rendering will work with PAR, but I can't see
that.
>
> 2.
> As the doc file is not very clear about field rendering and does not mention
anything about picture resolution I tried with 752x480. I've noticed (after
interrupting the rendering before it was finished) that the pre-frames are
generated in full horizontal resolution (480 lines). I think it is a little
stupid because the final frame will only use half of the lines of each
 pre-frame (the even or odd lines). So these frames would need only 240 lines
each to be joined in a single frame with 480 lines. Am I doing something wrong ?

>
> Christian Leyen ([e-mail])
>
This use of the PAR requires for you to have the finished ILBM or
framestore format picture in order for it to read picture files.

The fact that when doing field rendering all Imagine generates all lines
for the odd and even frames it generates all the lines and not just the
appropriate odd or even line for that line is another indication that the
programmers for Impulse have never heard of efficient programming methods.



Date:    Wednesday, 18 January 1995 12:14:33
Subject: No subject (file transmission)
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hi all!

      I am new to IML since last week and after read the last IMLarc guides
      from AmiNet ( i read from 53 to 57) i have a few questions:

      -- In one post someone stated that at 'artemis.earth.monash.edu.au' under
         /pub/Graphics/Imagine/Textures there are a lot of procedural textures.
         But i can't ftp there. Does anyone know the number address or any other
         site where i can find that textures?

      -- How can i get an electric arc with DancSpark similar to the one in the
         example pics of IMTGuide?

      -- I read about two new lite textures that i don't have: Caustics & Purphaze
         Can anyone tell me if these are from any upgrade or if i can get them
         from any site?

      -- How can i get the Imagine Upgrades? I already know about the $100 bill
         and i heard all about the Upgrade politicy of Impulse, but i don't
         know how to pay and to who. I don't know if a must send the original
         disk or what. I send a fax to Impulse nearly a month ago and haven't
         any reply. I get my Imagine 3.0 copy from the upgrade AF offers last year,
         but when the program and the manuals arrived, i get no registration form
         so i don't know if i am a registered user also. Can anyone help me ?


      Here are my problems, i hope someone reply it and next time i mail i hope

      i can reply to anyone his doubts. Till then, thanks for all.

      (English is my third human languaje).




Date:    Wednesday, 18 January 1995 20:41:41
Subject: ScaleKey utility
From:    [e-mail] (Silicon)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


ScaleKey utility is now available on Aminet in gfx/3d as scalekey.lha.
This version is compiled for IBM platform, but the source code is
included in case someone decides to compile it for Amiga. Good luck!

I'd like to get some response on it.

Andrey




Date:    Wednesday, 18 January 1995 21:45:26
Subject: Re: ScaleKey utility
From:    Mike Bandy <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



On Wed, 18 Jan 1995, Silicon wrote:

> ScaleKey utility is now available on Aminet in gfx/3d as scalekey.lha.
> This version is compiled for IBM platform, but the source code is
> included in case someone decides to compile it for Amiga. Good luck!
>
> I'd like to get some response on it.
>

What is an IBM PC utility doing on AmiNet?  Doesn't the PC clown world
have a suppository of it's own?

> Andrey
>
>



Date:    Wednesday, 18 January 1995 23:48:47
Subject: Re: attributes requester
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


>
> GQ> Can anybody tell me the use and differences between the Reflection and
> GQ> Reflectivity buttons on the brushmap requester.
>
> Reflectivity maps set how reflective the object surface is,(same as
> 'Reflect' in the main attributes requester).

      Just to go into a little more depth...

      Reflectivity Maps are similar to applying Filter Maps except, the
white parts of your image map will *reflect* the most. If you've got
255,255,255 (white) in your Reflectivity map the object will reflect
255,255,255. It doesn't matter what the basic Reflect attribute setting
is. All the reflection value data is taken from the image map used.

> If a reflection map is applied to an object, instead seeing other objects in
> its reflection you will see the brushmap.

      Reflection Mapping is like selective Global Mapping. Instead of
setting a Global Reflection Map in the Action Editor, you can assign any image
to be globally reflected in any object.
      Before Imagine3.0 only one image could be used as a global reflection
map. Those of you who have used global reflection maps know the unique way in
which they work. Any reflective object in a scene reflects the global
reflection map automatically in either Scanline or Trace mode. It's one of the
only ways to create realistic looking metals (among other things). The
limitation, of course, was only one image could be used this way.
      Imagine3.x's Reflection Mapping allows the user the ability to assign
any image to any object as a global reflection map. Pretty cool. Now your gold
can look different from your aluminum..
      I note about usage. The basic Reflect value in the Attribute menu will
select the degree of reflectivity for a Reflection Map. Alos, you don't have
to worry about mapping methods and coordinates with Reflection Mapping (it
automagically defaults to wrap X and Z anyway).

      I'm pretty sure, though, that you can see objects within a scene
reflected within a Reflection Mapped object. Of course, this only applies to
Trace mode...


      And, not a bash or anything. We all know and love Dan Santos for
being... well... Dan Santos, I guess (?)... But, the Imagine 3.0 manual does
mention that the Spline object axis size dictates the number of points used to
determine an object... Of course, it's under a 'Tips' heading and is split
between pages and is cryptic in only the way Impulse can be and
well... nevermind... ;)

                                                      J.---->

E-Mail: [e-mail]




Date:    Thursday, 19 January 1995 00:58:47
Subject: Re: no subject (file transmission)
From:    [e-mail] (Steve Gardiner)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hi Stranger (you didn't give your name)

To answer your question about being registered, the answer is yes; I was in the
exact same position, and I just phoned up Impulse and asked to join the constant
upgrade programme and they asked who I was and where I was from, and checked it
with their database, and I got Imagine 3.1 about 4 days later (not bad to get to

England).

  +-----------------==============+================-----------------+
  |  Steve Gardiner               | Paying my debt to society...    |
  |  [e-mail]     | Working in Business Publishing !|
  +-----------------==============+================-----------------+



Date:    Thursday, 19 January 1995 01:00:30
Subject: Re: ScaleKey utility
From:    [e-mail] (Silicon)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Hi,
> Well actually not so HI.
> I'm a bit pissed of. Might be the time of the day (22:45) but the original
> poster did a good thing. He first asked if it was OK to post this PC utility
> to Aminet. Apparently he didn't get a NoNo.
> Then someone starts complaining without reading his old mail :(. Will he
> still be doing it if it is available when compiled for the Amiga?, won't he
> use it? because then and only then will I recompile it and re-upload it to
> Aminet.
>
> >> ScaleKey utility is now available on Aminet in gfx/3d as scalekey.lha.
> >> This version is compiled for IBM platform, but the source code is
> >> included in case someone decides to compile it for Amiga. Good luck!
> >>
> >> I'd like to get some response on it.
> >>

Thanks for stepping in for me. I was the original poster.

Andrey




Date:    Thursday, 19 January 1995 01:25:18
Subject: Physics
From:    David Wilson <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


      Does anyone know where I can get a good physics module for
Imagine?  Something like Dynamic Motion for Lightwave.  Thanks.




Date:    Thursday, 19 January 1995 01:36:45
Subject: Re: batch rendering multiple projects?
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hi all,

>To Impulse ( or anyone who can remedy this major problem......
>  I will personally make out a hand embroidered check for one hundred
>doallars to the programmer ( at Impulse or not ) for the ability to
>easily render multiple projects -- IF this is not already a part of 3.2.
>  One of you guys at Impulse has just GOT to need some little toy or a
>new tire for you motorcycle -- there just has to be something out there
>you need as badly as I need this.
>    Enough said????   Puuhhlleeeeeese.
>Derek Hardison     Imagine on Amiga 4000s
Domain:  [e-mail]

I just thought about it and didn't try yet but couldn't you use one of those
nice keystroke/mousemove recorders and make a couple of scripts and replay
them one after the other. This will do exactly what you want.
Unless of course you're on a PC which will make things a bit more difficult
but not impossible. I have seen such recorders for the PC also. I thought
about using one to retrieve my mail automatically.

For the Amiga just look at Aminet, one of them is called 'Director' or
something similar and for the PC have a look at the SimTel archive. I don't
have a name for it. Just can't remember anything shorter than 8.3 :)

Greetings Joop



Date:    Thursday, 19 January 1995 01:49:36
Subject: Re: ScaleKey utility
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hi,
Well actually not so HI.
I'm a bit pissed of. Might be the time of the day (22:45) but the original
poster did a good thing. He first asked if it was OK to post this PC utility
to Aminet. Apparently he didn't get a NoNo.
Then someone starts complaining without reading his old mail :(. Will he
still be doing it if it is available when compiled for the Amiga?, won't he
use it? because then and only then will I recompile it and re-upload it to
Aminet.

>> ScaleKey utility is now available on Aminet in gfx/3d as scalekey.lha.
>> This version is compiled for IBM platform, but the source code is
>> included in case someone decides to compile it for Amiga. Good luck!
>>
>> I'd like to get some response on it.
>>

>What is an IBM PC utility doing on AmiNet?  Doesn't the PC clown world
>have a suppository of it's own?
Yes and its called SimTel for MSDOS, and CICA for Windowz.

Greetings to all reasonable people, Joop

PS:
DON'T follow-up on this.



Date:    Thursday, 19 January 1995 06:56:30
Subject: Imagine can't read clock!
From:    Scott Krehbiel <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Has anyone found that the "info" button in the Project editor gives
a bogus time for when an image was rendered??

I find that to get the right time, I always have to add 6 hours.
I am absolutely certain that my clock is set right... it's just
that when I render an image and select it and press the info
button, it says that the image was rendered exactly six hours
ago.

HEY!! WHAT A GREAT IDEA!!  RETROACTIVE RENDERING TO HELP MEET DEADLINES!
This could be a great selling point for Imagine, now that I think
about it.

Anybody else have this happen??

Scott Krehbiel
[e-mail]





Date:    Thursday, 19 January 1995 07:30:36
Subject: Re: Amiga Excavation
From:    Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Derek,

I'm sure there are utilities to do search & replaces on Imagine objects
and staging files; I'll let others give you detailed replies.

In addition, there is a PC Assign command which lets you assign any
drive letter to any subdirectory. This means you could reserve one drive
letter, such as I: ("I"magine), for Imagine objects, image maps, and
projects, and point that I: to any directory you need to use at that
moment, just like you point CUR: on the Amiga right now. This will give
you the flexibility to move things around as the need arises, for
example moving a project from hard disk onto removable drive, or to ramdisk.

So basically, you won't have any problems on the PC; all you need to do
now is find a utility to convert all your filenames to the I: drive.




Date:    Thursday, 19 January 1995 08:01:00
Subject: Re: batch rendering multiple p
From:    Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Tue, 17 Jan 1995, Derek Hardison wrote:

> The message that follows mentions Xoper & other programs to start
> iterated versions of Imagine... has anyone been able to get this to work?
> I tried to set this up and always  ran out of ram ( 18 meg )
> >
> > This can be done very easily on the Amiga (not wanting to start a
> > flame war, please!) by simply opening Imagine up twice (or three

If you're encountering problems setting priorities with utilities such
as Xoper, why not use the shell?

1) Start Imagine.

2) Open a shell window.

3) CHANGETASKPRI -1

4) RUN WORK:IMAGINE/IMAGINE

5) CHANGETASKPRI -2

6) RUN WORK:IMAGINE/IMAGINE

etc. ChangeTaskPri changes the priority of the shell in which you enter
the command, and changes the priority of any process subsequently
started from that shell. Using RUN allows you to start additional copies
of Imagine and get the shell prompt back right away; you can then change
the shell's task priority further and run a third copy of Imagine. You
wind up with copies of Imagine running at priority 0(?), -1, and -2.




Date:    Thursday, 19 January 1995 08:24:15
Subject: Re: Essence 1 and 2
From:    Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


James,

which version of Imagine do you have? This is important, because from
2.0 to 3.0 to 3.1, the choice of built-in textures has changed greatly,
and might influence which Essence package should be bought first.




Date:    Thursday, 19 January 1995 08:55:17
Subject: Re: Repost : Some simple research into Imagine refraction.
From:    Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Unexplained darkness in refractive objects may be caused by excessive
bouncing around between object faces, causing Imagine to reach its
Resolve Depth limit, at which point it gives up and colors that ray black.

Here's a simple experiment. Create a primitive sphere. Extrude it 110%.
Give it a nice crystal attribute. Place it in front of a
grey-and-yellow checkerboard, and trace. You should see some darkness at
the edges of the sphere. Now go into Preferences and bump the Resolve
Depth up to 10. Re-render, and observe the dark areas have shrunk. Could
this explain part of your problem?




Date:    Thursday, 19 January 1995 09:17:00
Subject: RE: damn brushmaps
From:    Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On 13232 xxx -1, Henri Smulders wrote:

> Yes you are. Keep in mind that Imagine uses a weird coordinate system.
> This means that to succesfully brushmap onto a flat object (plane f. ex)
> you want that object's Y-axis to point upward (alt-T choose rotation and
> then axis only)

Ummm Henry, I don't want to be negative, but your reply may be a bit
confusing to our new user. I hope you don't mind if I give it a try.

Karl, if you're mapping a brushmap on the flat surface of an object, you
want to use FlatX/FlatZ mapping. This means that the image will
lie in the rectangular space bounded by the positive X and Z axes of the
texture. The _object's_ axes do not have to point in any direction; what
counts is really the _texture_ axis. Here are some examples.

Add a primitive plane. Enter the Attributes requester, Brushmap, load
your filename. Color, FlatX/FlatZ should be selected. Then click on Edit
Axes. Imagine has auto-sized the brush for you, to encompass the entire
object. In the Front view, you can see that the texture axis lies at the
bottom left corner of your plane, and that the positive X and Z axes are
just long enough to reach the right and top sides of the plane. Imagine
will map your image from 0 to +X and from 0 to +Z. Accept all settings,
and do a quickrender. You should see a square plane, with your image
mapped onto it. (If the image wasn't square to begin with, for example a
320x200 drawing, it will look distorted because it has been stretched to
fit the square dimensions dictated by the brushmap X and Z sizes)

Not go back to those brush settings. Click on Edit Axes. Press "M" for
"move axis", and drag the brushmap about 1/4" up and to the right. Then
press "S" for "scale axes". Press "X" and drag to shrink the X axis
until it's about 1/4" shorter than the plane's right edge. Press "Z" and
drag until the Z axis is about 1/4" shorter than the plane's top edge.
Accept all settings and quickrender. You will now see that the brushmap
only covers part of the plane, and that the plane's color shows around
the edges.

This is the way to apply, move, and size a brushmap that should be
applied vertically, like the name of a trucking company on the side of
an 18-wheeler. If you want to apply the brush horizontally, like a
signature on a cheque lying on a tabletop, you rotate the brushmap -90
degrees in X; from then on, you position and size it using the Top view.

As you can see, you'll have to choose the proper alignment to map the
brushmap onto the object's side, top, or whatever. Once that's done, the
texture sticks on the object and will follow whatever movement,
rotation, or sizing you apply to the object itself.




Date:    Thursday, 19 January 1995 09:55:45
Subject: Re: field rendering & PAR
From:    Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Wed, 18 Jan 1995, RIX JAMES wrote:

> I'm trying to render an animation in Imagine 3.1 (Amiga) using field rendering

> directly to PAR (multitasking), but PAR software gives me a message like
> "ILBM not found". This is because Imagine first generates two frames,

> frames back to join them in a single frame...My question is : Must I render
> the animation to HD first and then convert it to PAR ??? The doc file in
> Imagine 3.1 says that field rendering will work with PAR, but I can't see
> that.

I remember a user having some problems with the PAR; I helped him out by
writing an ARexx macro which would wait for Imagine to finish creating
the "real" frame, then copying the frame to the PAR and deleting it. For
example, you could have Imagine render to RAM: and my macro would copy
frames from RAM: to the PAR. I could try and dig it up if nobody else
comes out with a better solution.

> generated in full horizontal resolution (480 lines). I think it is a little
> stupid because the final frame will only use half of the lines of each
>  pre-frame (the even or odd lines). So these frames would need only 240 lines

> each to be joined in a single frame with 480 lines. Am I doing something wrong
 ?
> The fact that when doing field rendering all Imagine generates all lines
> for the odd and even frames it generates all the lines and not just the
> appropriate odd or even line for that line is another indication that the
> programmers for Impulse have never heard of efficient programming methods.

I tend to agree with that last statement, although Impulse _has_ said
that all scanlines are needed because you still need to perform
anti-aliasing. <Harrumph> I never noticed Imagine anti-aliasing in the
vertical direction, only in the horizontal direction. If nobody else can
vouch for this vertical anti-aliasing, then it's a smokescreen to mask
sloppy programming.



Date:    Thursday, 19 January 1995 11:26:01
Subject: Re[2]: batch rendering multiple projects?
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

>I just thought about it and didn't try yet but couldn't you use one of those
>nice keystroke/mousemove recorders and make a couple of scripts and replay
>them one after the other. This will do exactly what you want.

Well kinda.  The problem with record/playback technologies is that they are
highly timing dependent.  The tool will (typically) playback events at the rate
they were recorded.  This runs into problems when the computer spends a variable
amount of time processing, is multitasking or threaded.

Generating a render is a good example of the variable time issue.  Thus the
problem in this instance is that the record/playback tool most probably would
attempt to render the second project way before the first project was complete.

You could add *huge* delay loops between project renders, but unless you have a
good idea of the time, or are overly conservative it won't help.

Robust automation tools tap into the target applications event loop and thus can
sense when the application is idle, at which time the tool would send the next
event to the target application.  These tools are frequently used to automate
test suites within software QA organizations.

-Scott
[e-mail]





Date:    Thursday, 19 January 1995 11:37:30
Subject: Re: Imagine can't read clock!
From:    [e-mail] (ERNESTO POVEDA CORTES)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


>=20
>=20
> Has anyone found that the "info" button in the Project editor gives
> a bogus time for when an image was rendered??
>=20
> [some stuff deleted]
>
> Anybody else have this happen??
>=20
> Scott Krehbiel
> [e-mail]

Hey! this seems to happen only in the PC version of Imagine. The time
i get is always ok.


Does anyone more test this?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
  AmIgA RuLeZ =09=09=09=09=09=09=09=3DTim
  Ernesto Poveda Cort=82s.   =20
  email [e-mail]   --> My Name is Ernesto, i am not a number!!!
---------------------------------------------------------------------=
-------





Date:    Thursday, 19 January 1995 11:48:52
Subject: Re: Physics
From:    [e-mail] (ERNESTO POVEDA CORTES)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


>
>     Does anyone know where I can get a good physics module for
> Imagine?  Something like Dynamic Motion for Lightwave.  Thanks.
>

Had you try the Dust133.lha recently uploaded to Aminet?
It's a good one that pephaps does that you want...
Only one thing more: it's guide is in German.
--
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  AmIgA RuLeZ                                                         =Tim

  email: [e-mail]   --> My Name is Ernesto, i am not a number!!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------




Date:    Thursday, 19 January 1995 12:21:33
Subject: Re: Essence 1 and 2
From:    James Brooks <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Thu, 19 Jan 1995, Charles Blaquiere wrote:

> James,
>
> which version of Imagine do you have? This is important, because from
> 2.0 to 3.0 to 3.1, the choice of built-in textures has changed greatly,
> and might influence which Essence package should be bought first.

I have Imagine 3.0.
From the responses I more likely will buy Essence II.


Alex


---------------------------------------------------------------
James "Alex" Brooks              Amiga 4000/040/28MHz 20MB RAM
Lightwave 3.5 / Imagine 3.0      VideoToaster 4000 3.1
Sysquest 3.5" 270MB            Bernoulli 90Pro
NEC 3xp Triple Speed CDROM       Warp Engine 4028
Interchange 3.0                  Dynamic Motion Module 1.06
Epson ES-600C Scanner            E-Mail: [e-mail]
---------------------------------------------------------------
** World Construction Set AND VideoToaster 4.0 coming soon! ***
---------------------------------------------------------------




Date:    Thursday, 19 January 1995 12:45:57
Subject: Re: field rendering & PAR
From:    [e-mail] (Ian M. Smith)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]> wrote:
> I tend to agree with that last statement, although Impulse _has_ said
> that all scanlines are needed because you still need to perform
> anti-aliasing. <Harrumph> I never noticed Imagine anti-aliasing in the
> vertical direction, only in the horizontal direction. If nobody else can
> vouch for this vertical anti-aliasing, then it's a smokescreen to mask
> sloppy programming.

I think your correct.  Imagine saves renders a scanline at a time, so
its not like it isn't set up for it.  And anyway... what good WOULD
vertical anti-aliasing do on an interlaced picture?  As soon as you
interlace the picture your going to eliminate any smooth transitions
from scanline to scanline that you made in the original pictures.
I could do field rendering before with an image processing program
and spend twice as much time as neded.  What good is it to have it
built in if it is still just as slow?  Aww well, it does remove an
extra post processing step... or maybe Impulse does have a good reason
for what they did.  If so I hope they tell us. :-)

--
Ian M. Smith <[e-mail]>  -- PGP Fingerprint (Email for Key) --
                                  581F3521 6F9D8061 0AA214C8 BE51978D





Date:    Thursday, 19 January 1995 13:20:45
Subject: New Utilities
From:    [e-mail] (Ian M. Smith)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Ok.. a new file has been uploaded to Aminet. (IIUtilities.lha in gfx/3d)
A few new programs, and a much much improved starfield generator.  A
quick list of the new included files are below...

ImTotal       - Read the IMRT hunk from Imagine's IFF files and
                display rendering time.  Will do wildcards and
                show total and average rendering time.

ShowStage     - Parse a staging file and list every object and brush
                with path for the entire scene or a single frame. Will
                show totals for points, lines, faces and bitmap pixels.

Stars         - Generate starfields quickly and easily.  It creates
                a spherical shell of stars with a variable thickness
                or a cube.  Stars can be randomly shaped and colored.
                An example staging file is included for a neat anim.
                This is now in C, runs very fast and outputs Imagine
                object files directly.

Anyone at Impulse mention an update on deciding to put ARexx in or not?
Even just to let you render multiple projects, or even better.. add a
new field to the object window in the Action screen that lets you select
a program to run for every file.  It would get passed information on the
command line about the object filename, frame number, ect and the
external command could then perform operations on the object.  You could
have a melt utilitiy that generated a new object for each frame as it
was rendered to save space.. or lots of other stuff.  It would not take
much to make an interface that woudl allow a real physics package to
be written.  How about it, Impulse? :-)  Can we have a REXX port?

--
Ian M. Smith <[e-mail]>  -- PGP Fingerprint (Email for Key) --
                                  581F3521 6F9D8061 0AA214C8 BE51978D





Date:    Thursday, 19 January 1995 13:35:43
Subject: Re: Imagine can't read clock!
From:    James Brooks <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Wed, 18 Jan 1995, Scott Krehbiel wrote:

>
> Has anyone found that the "info" button in the Project editor gives
> a bogus time for when an image was rendered??
>
> I find that to get the right time, I always have to add 6 hours.
> I am absolutely certain that my clock is set right... it's just
> that when I render an image and select it and press the info
> button, it says that the image was rendered exactly six hours
> ago.

Now that is one bug that I have notice since Imagine 2.9 Under
Construction and I have mentioned this to Impulse and they say they were
going to fix it.  Well, 3.0 came in and NO fix!  :-(

Alex

---------------------------------------------------------------
James "Alex" Brooks              Amiga 4000/040/28MHz 20MB RAM
Lightwave 3.5 / Imagine 3.0      VideoToaster 4000 3.1
Sysquest 3.5" 270MB            Bernoulli 90Pro
NEC 3xp Triple Speed CDROM       Warp Engine 4028
Interchange 3.0                  Dynamic Motion Module 1.06
Epson ES-600C Scanner            E-Mail: [e-mail]
---------------------------------------------------------------
** World Construction Set AND VideoToaster 4.0 coming soon! ***
---------------------------------------------------------------




Date:    Thursday, 19 January 1995 14:24:25
Subject: Re: Imagine can't read clock!
From:    James Brooks <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Thu, 19 Jan 1995, ERNESTO POVEDA CORTES wrote:

> >
> >
> > Has anyone found that the "info" button in the Project editor gives
> > a bogus time for when an image was rendered??
> >
> > [some stuff deleted]
> >
> > Anybody else have this happen??
> >
> > Scott Krehbiel
> > [e-mail]
>
> Hey! this seems to happen only in the PC version of Imagine. The time
> i get is always ok.
>
>

I am using the Amiga version and I have this bug!

Alex

---------------------------------------------------------------
James "Alex" Brooks              Amiga 4000/040/28MHz 20MB RAM
Lightwave 3.5 / Imagine 3.0      VideoToaster 4000 3.1
Sysquest 3.5" 270MB            Bernoulli 90Pro
NEC 3xp Triple Speed CDROM       Warp Engine 4028
Interchange 3.0                  Dynamic Motion Module 1.06
Epson ES-600C Scanner            E-Mail: [e-mail]
---------------------------------------------------------------
** World Construction Set AND VideoToaster 4.0 coming soon! ***
---------------------------------------------------------------




Date:    Thursday, 19 January 1995 20:08:37
Subject: Re: field rendering & PAR
From:    Ed Totman <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


> and spend twice as much time as neded.  What good is it to have it
> built in if it is still just as slow?  Aww well, it does remove an
> extra post processing step... or maybe Impulse does have a good reason
> for what they did.  If so I hope they tell us. :-)

They put it in because many of us (including me) screamed for it, and it
makes a BIG difference when rendering some types of animation.  It is now
easier to do and less tedious, especially on the PC.

Thank you Impulse!

Ed Totman
[e-mail]




Date:    Thursday, 19 January 1995 20:08:38
Subject: Re: Imagine can't read clock!
From:    Peter Bugla <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hi Scott!
> Has anyone found that the "info" button in the Project editor gives
> a bogus time for when an image was rendered??
>
> I find that to get the right time, I always have to add 6 hours.
> I am absolutely certain that my clock is set right... it's just
> that when I render an image and select it and press the info
> button, it says that the image was rendered exactly six hours
> ago.
>
> HEY!! WHAT A GREAT IDEA!!  RETROACTIVE RENDERING TO HELP MEET DEADLINES!
Nice idea, perhaps you should talk about the possibilities, with
your boss. ;-)
> This could be a great selling point for Imagine, now that I think
> about it.
>
> Anybody else have this happen??
In Imagine 2.0 PC it's even better: You get the real-time the image
was rendered, not the time it lasted to render the picture.

There seems to be a big problem with the space-time-continuum at
Impulse ;-)

CU Peter


                                               \|/                 _,_/|
                                               @ @                 \o.O;
-------------------------------------------oOO-(_)-OOo--------oOO =(___)= OOo---

#include <disclaimer.h>                 | "If architects built buildings the way
                                        |  programmers write  programs the first
                                        |  woodpecker that came along would
Peter Bugla                             |  destroy civilization"
e-mail: [e-mail] |  -- Murphy's Law of Computers
snail-mail: Peter Bugla                 |
            Morsering 26                |
            D-80937 Muenchen            | "Don't drive and drink! -- You could
            GERMANY                     |  spill some and ruin your clothes."
Telephone:  [phone]              |  -- myself
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




Date:    Thursday, 19 January 1995 20:49:34
Subject: Re: Imagine can't read clock!
From:    Waland J F <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



> Has anyone found that the "info" button in the Project editor gives
> a bogus time for when an image was rendered??

$Hey! this seems to happen only in the PC version of Imagine. The time
$i get is always ok.


Well I get it in my copy of Imagine 3.0 (for amiga)

for example I rendered a frame yesterday starting at 3.57pm. Except Imagine
claimed it was something like 8.45pm. BUT the write time for the actual file
was correct.

jon



Date:    Friday, 20 January 1995 00:00:18
Subject: Re: field rendering & PAR
From:    [e-mail] (Ian M. Smith)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Thu 19-Jan-1995, Ed Totman <[e-mail]> wrote:
> [e-mail] wrote:
> > and spend twice as much time as neded.  What good is it to have it
> > built in if it is still just as slow?  Aww well, it does remove an
> > extra post processing step... or maybe Impulse does have a good
> > reason for what they did.  If so I hope they tell us. :-)
>
> They put it in because many of us (including me) screamed for it, and it
> makes a BIG difference when rendering some types of animation.  It is now
> easier to do and less tedious, especially on the PC.

I was wondering why they implimented it in such a CPU wastefull method,
not why they put it in in the first place.  I agree, it removes one
post-processing step and makes life in general easier..  but it would
have been SO nice to cut rendering times in half too!

Screaming does it? Ok, AREXX! JPEG SUPPORT! BETTER STAGING CONTROL! :)
Save staging files in ASCII in the first place.  It's not like they
take up tons of room copared with objects and brushes.  Being able to
load/save JPEGs would give back the tiny amount wasted anyway. I *do*
like Imagine.. very much!  But there is still room for improvement.

--
Ian M. Smith <[e-mail]>  -- PGP Fingerprint (Email for Key) --
                                  581F3521 6F9D8061 0AA214C8 BE51978D





Date:    Friday, 20 January 1995 00:40:04
Subject: Screaming!!
From:    "Anime a day..." <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Okay.. I WANT SELECTABLE SCREEN MODES (i.e. be able to use Super 72 modes
with overscan as the native screen)

I heard this might be in Imagine 3.2 but just thought I would reinforce
the issue!


Bill



This is a lousy test of the new Sig file



Date:    Friday, 20 January 1995 01:25:48
Subject: Re: Imagine can't read clock!
From:    Douglas Rudd <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


> > Has anyone found that the "info" button in the Project editor gives
> > a bogus time for when an image was rendered??
>
> $Hey! this seems to happen only in the PC version of Imagine. The time
> $i get is always ok.
>
>
> Well I get it in my copy of Imagine 3.0 (for amiga)
>
> for example I rendered a frame yesterday starting at 3.57pm. Except Imagine
> claimed it was something like 8.45pm. BUT the write time for the actual file
> was correct.
>
Same here. Guess times fun when you're having flies. As bugs go, this seems
small enough. I can get the info from a file listing, unless I'm rendering
to PAR. Would be nice if things would work as advertized, though. Gives you
a nice warm feeling about the rest of the program's functions.


Doug Rudd
[e-mail]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Amiga Guide to the Galaxy refers to Commodore's management as
"A bunch of mindless jerks who will be the first to be lined up
against the wall and shot when the revolution comes."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They will get my Amiga from me when they pry it from my cold, dead hands.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------





Date:    Friday, 20 January 1995 01:26:49
Subject: Re[2]: batch rendering multiple projects?
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


>>I just thought about it and didn't try yet but couldn't you use one of
>>those nice keystroke/mousemove recorders and make a couple of scripts and
>>replay them one after the other. This will do exactly what you want.

>Well kinda.  The problem with record/playback technologies is that they are
>highly timing dependent.  The tool will (typically) playback events at the
>rate they were recorded.  This runs into problems when the computer spends a
>variable amount of time processing, is multitasking or threaded.

You can use a script and find out if the first Imagine/project is still busy,
if so goto sleep for 30min and try again. If the project is finished start
the next key/mouse recording.

I'll try it out, and other too I hope, and tell about the results I get.

Greetings Joop



Date:    Friday, 20 January 1995 03:07:43
Subject: Bit Movie Contest
From:    [e-mail] (Gareth Qually)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


First off thanks for the info on the brush map requester and the
difference between Reflection and reflectivity.

How many people out there are sending in entries to the Bit Movie
Contest. I hope I get my still done in time. Tell me, do all you guys
also not do things till the last minute. If any one is sending in, good
luck, and I hope to see all the stuff on video (check what my fellow CGI
artists are doing) soon.

Chow...

[e-mail]



Date:    Friday, 20 January 1995 04:52:10
Subject: Re: field rendering & PAR
From:    Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Thu, 19 Jan 1995, Ian M. Smith wrote:

> its not like it isn't set up for it.  And anyway... what good WOULD
> vertical anti-aliasing do on an interlaced picture?  As soon as you
> interlace the picture your going to eliminate any smooth transitions
> from scanline to scanline that you made in the original pictures.

The fact that you're doing field rendering does not detract from the
benefits of anti-aliasing, whether horizontally or vertically. Sure,
with field rendering you only half of the scanlines for each field, but
those scanlines that _are_ displayed will benefit from those "1/2-pixel
below" and "1/4-pixel above" bits of constrasting objects.




Date:    Friday, 20 January 1995 04:55:03
Subject: Re: field rendering & PAR
From:    Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Thu, 19 Jan 1995, Ed Totman wrote:

> > and spend twice as much time as neded.  What good is it to have it
> > built in if it is still just as slow?  Aww well, it does remove an
> > extra post processing step... or maybe Impulse does have a good reason
> > for what they did.  If so I hope they tell us. :-)
>
> They put it in because many of us (including me) screamed for it, and it
> makes a BIG difference when rendering some types of animation.  It is now
> easier to do and less tedious, especially on the PC.
>
> Thank you Impulse!
>
> Ed Totman
> [e-mail]
>
>

But do realize, Ed, that this "naive" field-rendering only made the
operation more convenient, but the capability to throw away 1/2 the
scanlines and weave together fields was always there -- if you had an
image processor, ARexx, and some time on your hands. (I realize that PC
owners who can't multitask may not have been able to do this, and for
them Imagine 3.1 _did_ make field rendering a reality) What the Amiga
side was hoping for, was an Imagine that would only render the scanlines
needed in each field; _that_ would've made a difference.



Date:    Friday, 20 January 1995 05:42:49
Subject: Re: Imagine can't read clock!
From:    Scott Krehbiel <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Thu, 19 Jan 1995, Waland J F wrote:

>
> > Has anyone found that the "info" button in the Project editor gives
> > a bogus time for when an image was rendered??
>
> $Hey! this seems to happen only in the PC version of Imagine. The time
> $i get is always ok.
>
>
> Well I get it in my copy of Imagine 3.0 (for amiga)
>
> for example I rendered a frame yesterday starting at 3.57pm. Except Imagine
> claimed it was something like 8.45pm. BUT the write time for the actual file
> was correct.
>
> jon
>
Right, I find the same thing... AmigaDos knows what time it is and tags
the file appropriately, but Imagine thinks (when you look in the info
requestor) that it's six hours prior to the real time.  Maybe the
folks at Impulse have Imagine set to show what time it was in Hawaii
when you rendered your image??  (just think, had you been in Hawaii and
Batch Rendered all your work, it'd be THIS time right here!)

Scott Krehbiel
[e-mail]





Date:    Friday, 20 January 1995 10:17:22
Subject: Re: Imagine & clock
From:    [e-mail] (ERNESTO POVEDA CORTES)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


SORRY ANYBODY!!!

I was wrong, i wrote my last mail w/o test my answer before.
No more mistakes in the furture. I promise it.

Bye.
--
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  AmIgA RuLeZ                                                         =Tim

  email: [e-mail]   --> My Name is Ernesto, i am not a number!!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------




Date:    Friday, 20 January 1995 11:10:22
Subject: Attribute requester
From:    [e-mail] (Mike Rivers)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


J> I'm pretty sure, though, that you can see objects within a scene
J> reflected within a Reflection Mapped object. Of course, this only applies
J> to
J> Trace mode...

Nope, the only reflection you'll see is of the reflection map.

-------------------------------------------------------
|  Commodore failure. Press mouse button to continue  |
|  Guru Meditation  $35000000     Task : $00000CBM    |
-------------------------------------------------------
          A4000/060/90mhz WOW! this is fast.
                140 Mips  50 Mflops.



Date:    Friday, 20 January 1995 11:24:34
Subject: Upgrade offer
From:    Andrew D Sullivan <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



I bought my copy of Imagine3.0 for the Amiga used and the owner transferred
the registration to my name via written letter to Impulse.  How do I go
about getting upgrades sent to me?  I read that for $100, owners get a
year's worth of quarterly upgrades.

Sully




Date:    Friday, 20 January 1995 11:42:26
Subject: Re: About Register
From:    [e-mail] (Steve Gardiner)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hi Ernesto,

Yes, I believe getting the updates by mail is the only way.

  +-----------------==============+================-----------------+
  |  Steve Gardiner               | Paying my debt to society...    |
  |  [e-mail]     | Working in Business Publishing !|
  +-----------------==============+================-----------------+



Date:    Friday, 20 January 1995 12:46:47
Subject: Re: About Register
From:    [e-mail] (ERNESTO POVEDA CORTES)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Thanks Steve,

      I'll try and will get you all informed about.
      I'm impatient to have the new Imagine 3.x :) .

      See U.
--
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  AmIgA RuLeZ                                                         =Tim

  email: [e-mail]   --> My Name is Ernesto, i am not a number!!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------




Date:    Friday, 20 January 1995 14:17:03
Subject: ------=> Sorry NO Subject!
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Fri, 20 Jan 1995, ERNESTO POVEDA CORTES wrote:

> SORRY ANYBODY!!!
>
> I was wrong, i wrote my last mail w/o test my answer before.
> No more mistakes in the furture. I promise it.

So you are saying there is no problem with the PC version of Imagine when
it comes to the clock!?


Alex

---------------------------------------------------------------
James "Alex" Brooks              Amiga 4000/040/28MHz 20MB RAM
Lightwave 3.5 / Imagine 3.0      VideoToaster 4000 3.1
Sysquest 3.5" 270MB            Bernoulli 90Pro
NEC 3xp Triple Speed CDROM       Warp Engine 4028
Interchange 3.0                  Dynamic Motion Module 1.06
Epson ES-600C Scanner            E-Mail: [e-mail]
---------------------------------------------------------------
** World Construction Set AND VideoToaster 4.0 coming soon! ***
---------------------------------------------------------------




Date:    Friday, 20 January 1995 17:32:36
Subject: Need Impulse email addr or VD1 frame buffer service info
From:    "JOSEPH F. HART" <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


>         Take hart, (sorry couldn't resist)

Going to doctors is a real pain....every little thing ends up
being "open hart" surgery.....8-()

>
>         Send the VD1 to us, we will adjust it and do any service it needs
free o
> f
> charge. With the one acception, what ever it costs to send to us, please
include
> that amount in cash or check so we can send it back to you in the same
fashion.
>
>         If there is something real hosed, we will inform you by phone (if you
> supply one) or in writing about the problem.  Otherwise our products carry a
> life time warranty no matter who owns them.

     I wish to express my profoundest thanks for your very kind reply.
This is customer service of the very finest quality.  I commend you
and owe you lunch when next we meet.  (Do you like chicken wings ?)

     I would also like to mention that Imagine's Object editor is
fantastic for making complex lapidary faceting in gemstones.  It's
better than having a lapidary workshop.  No more ruining those
perfectly good 50 carat diamonds when you want to try out a new
variation on a brilliant cut, or one of the old medieval cuts...

May the Gods adore you.....

___________________________________________________________________
                  |         Internet: [e-mail]
Joseph Hart       |     /// Plink   : OSS542
Niagara Falls, NY | \\\///  Ham call: WA2SND
                  |  \XX/   FreeNet : [e-mail]
                  |     *** AMIGA - Computers for REAL MEN ***
===================================================================



Date:    Friday, 20 January 1995 20:55:06
Subject: Re: ScaleKey utility
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Howdy Folks, you IBMers should grab the file called "Dust133.lha" off
aminet and try to recompile it's C source code into IBM/Clone software.
Nice Particle system and other goodies in there.



Date:    Saturday, 21 January 1995 06:16:57
Subject: Re: field rendering & PAR
From:    [e-mail] (Glenn Nielsen)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


In <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Ian M. Smith)
writes:
>
> Screaming does it? Ok, AREXX! JPEG SUPPORT! BETTER STAGING CONTROL! :)
> Save staging files in ASCII in the first place.  It's not like they
> take up tons of room copared with objects and brushes.  Being able to
> load/save JPEGs would give back the tiny amount wasted anyway. I *do*
> like Imagine.. very much!  But there is still room for improvement.
>
>
   If you feel you need JPEG support for Imagine right now why not
take a look at PEGGER.  PEGGER sits in the background and allows
other graphics programs such as Imagine to load/save JPEGs.  It even
has support for the Impulse RGB8 file format.



----------------   Glenn Nielsen   ------------------
 -<  Life is too short for a dull computer, Amiga >-
[e-mail]
CIS: 75115,444  BIX: expressway  PORTAL: Glenn-EWS




Date:    Sunday, 22 January 1995 06:23:27
Subject: Need Impulse email addr or VD1 frame buffer service info
From:    Anders Tylman-Mikiewicz <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


>         Take hart, (sorry couldn't resist)

Going to doctors is a real pain....every little thing ends up
being "open hart" surgery.....8-()

>
>         Send the VD1 to us, we will adjust it and do any service it needs
free o
> f
> charge. With the one acception, what ever it costs to send to us, please
include
> that amount in cash or check so we can send it back to you in the same
fashion.
>
>         If there is something real hosed, we will inform you by phone (if you
> supply one) or in writing about the problem.  Otherwise our products carry a
> life time warranty no matter who owns them.

     I wish to express my profoundest thanks for your very kind reply.
This is customer service of the very finest quality.  I commend you
and owe you lunch when next we meet.  (Do you like chicken wings ?)

     I would also like to mention that Imagine's Object editor is
fantastic for making complex lapidary faceting in gemstones.  It's
better than having a lapidary workshop.  No more ruining those
perfectly good 50 carat diamonds when you want to try out a new
variation on a brilliant cut, or one of the old medieval cuts...

May the Gods adore you.....

___________________________________________________________________
                  |         Internet: [e-mail]
Joseph Hart       |     /// Plink   : OSS542
Niagara Falls, NY | \\\///  Ham call: WA2SND
                  |  \XX/   FreeNet : [e-mail]
                  |     *** AMIGA - Computers for REAL MEN ***
===================================================================




Date:    Sunday, 22 January 1995 11:29:20
Subject: Perspective
From:    [e-mail] (David Watson)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hope someone can help me here. I am rendering a plane which is 1920 X 1920
units (along with other objects in front of it).  The final image will be
1920 X 1920.  First, whats the easiest way to make sure that the plane
exactly fits what will finally be rendered (no missing edges or black
background showing).  Second, is it possible and how, can I get rid of all
perspective?  Do I play with the Zoom and Perspective buttons in the Perspective

window?  How does this relate to the FOV angle (changing the Z & P buttons
has no effect on this setting).
                                                Thanks, Dave




Date:    Sunday, 22 January 1995 13:12:16
Subject: Lapidary Facetting
From:    gregory denby <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Joseph Hart writes: "I would also like to mention the Imagine's Object
editor is fantastic for making complex lapidary faceting in gemstones."

Joseph, this sounds cool.  Would you like to share your technique(s)?
On occassion I've played with geometric forms, mostly tiling patterns.
I try to figure out the smallest symetrical element, and then through
various transformations, make enough copies to join into a whole.
Often enough, rounding errors cause the points to wander, and I'm
left trying to figure out which point/edge is supposed to match to
which other(s).

So, if you've got a few extra minutes, how about a little tutorial.
Even a half a carats worth would be a delight.

Greg Denby
[e-mail]



Date:    Sunday, 22 January 1995 19:12:13
Subject: Visible light...again.
From:    Curcio Nicholas <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Hi everyone!  I know we went over this before, but I can't find it in the
archives.  I need to make visible light cones.  The lights are under
water, just to give you an idea.  I made a cone 'fog' and 'bright' but it
doesn't even show up on the trace.  If you can tell me how to do this OR
which archive it's in I'd greatly appreciate it.

Now, for all you water people.
      DATAIL
      1.  Take a sphere and make it a blue color.
      2.  Remove approx. the top 2/3 of the sphere.
      3.  Apply the "crumpled" texture (3.x)
      4.  Apply the "transpar" texture (3.x)
      5.  Add an axis, and make it white light source.
      6.  Place the axis above the piece of sphere and group them.
      STAGE
      Place this object high above your scene.  The light coming through
      the crumpled spots makes a great underwater effect.

When I get these lights straightened out I'll put my pic on Aminet so
y'all can see what the water looks like.

Later,
Nick




Date:    Monday, 23 January 1995 00:58:17
Subject: Re: Prostitutes can, why can't shareware authors?
From:    Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Fri, 20 Jan 1995 [e-mail] wrote:

>
> Thanx Blaq! btw if you haven't already grab Dust133.lha off aminet cool
> prg, allows you to MORPH ANY 2 objects no matter there point/face
> counts.
> Gives me the idea to morph my Wizard into my Debbie model for the anim.
> Thanx for the Blood Tip
>

<grumble grumble> I guess I must have a different way of thinking or
something, but in all these years, I've _never_ had the desire to morph
different objects. I was told by Imagine 1.1 that it couldn't do it, and
simply accepted it. I've always thought of morphs between radically
different objects as distasteful and amateurish, and have always
envisioned the in-betweens as mangled monstrosities not unlike what
happened in that transporter accident in Star Trek:the movie. Not for
the faint of heart.

I see so many 3-D animations where an effect was used because it was
available, regardless whether the result looked artistic or plain
clumsy. Bad 2-D morphs and Imagine explosions come to mind.

Anyway, hope I didn't step on your toes too hard there Peter; I know you
love to experiment with those effects I just criticized. I'm wondering,
though: does anybody else think as I do, i.e. morphing between totally
different objects is something they do not miss, nor can they honestly
see how on Earth they could fall in circumstances where they might have
to do it, and not shudder at the results?



Date:    Monday, 23 January 1995 02:08:06
Subject: Re: Prostitutes can, why can't shareware authors?
From:    Andrew D Sullivan <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------




On Sun, 22 Jan 1995, Charles Blaquiere wrote:

> Anyway, hope I didn't step on your toes too hard there Peter; I know you
> love to experiment with those effects I just criticized. I'm wondering,
> though: does anybody else think as I do, i.e. morphing between totally
> different objects is something they do not miss, nor can they honestly
> see how on Earth they could fall in circumstances where they might have
> to do it, and not shudder at the results?
>
I think each to their own.  If was animating for Deep Space Nine I would
Imagine that I would need morphing between different objects.  ie. Odo to
suitcase.
Just my two cents worth.  Take it or leave it.

Sully




Date:    Monday, 23 January 1995 02:08:08
Subject: Re: Perspective
From:    Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Sun, 22 Jan 1995, David Watson wrote:

> Hope someone can help me here. I am rendering a plane which is 1920 X 1920
> units (along with other objects in front of it).  The final image will be
> 1920 X 1920.  First, whats the easiest way to make sure that the plane
> exactly fits what will finally be rendered (no missing edges or black
> background showing).  Second, is it possible and how, can I get rid of all
> perspective?  Do I play with the Zoom and Perspective buttons in the Perspecti
ve
> window?  How does this relate to the FOV angle (changing the Z & P buttons
> has no effect on this setting).
>                                                 Thanks, Dave
>
>
David,

The easiest way is to load the background image as a backdrop. This is
located in the Action editor's Globals actor bar; just enter the
filename of your image. Imagine will replace any background pixel, i.e.
a pixel where no object would be visible, with the corresponding
backdrop pixel, so your backdrop image will be used verbatim, without
any distortion.

------------------------------------------------------------

If you ever need to use a real Imagine plane object as a background, for
example if you want to "fly in" the background and make it settle into
position, then you need to understand how to perfectly position it so
that the camera will neither miss any part of the background nor show
extra space around it.

The camera size determines what field of view the camera will have. More
specifically, the X and Y axes are used. Their default value is X=320,
Y=640. This means that if a vertical plane, like a wall, is positioned
640 units in front of the camera, you will see a 320-unit wide section
of it.

When using such precise measurements, I always find it easier to compose
my scene if the camera is perfectly horizontal and positioned along the
world Y axis, i.e. in the center of the front view.

That explains field of view. Now on to perspective: the farther away the
camera is from a scene, the flatter everything gets. So, to almost
eliminate perspective, you would position the camera as far away as
possible, and zoom in until the objects fill the field of view.

Let's put both of these together: size your camera to X=1920 and
Y=60000. This means that at a distance of 60000 Imagine units, the view
will be 1920 units wide. Set the alignment to 0,0,0 and the position to
0,-30000,0. Now load your background plane object, make sure it's
vertical, and move it to 0,30000,0. (60000 units away from the camera)
Add a second plane, scale it smaller, and rotate it in X and Z to some
angle. Position it in front of the background, say at 0,29000,0. The
perspective view, if you have Camera View on, will show that the scene
exactly fits the background plane, and that the front plane is perfectly
isometric, i.e. shows no perspective.




Date:    Monday, 23 January 1995 02:16:37
Subject: Re: batch rendering multiple projects?
From:    Derek Hardison <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

> I just thought about it and didn't try yet but couldn't you use one of those
> nice keystroke/mousemove recorders and make a couple of scripts and replay
> them one after the other. This will do exactly what you want.
> Unless of course you're on a PC which will make things a bit more difficult

---   I am on Amiga; but don't know of a utility that can sense when
Imagine is done rendering;;;;;;   before it then opens another project,
selects which frames to render and what sub-project resolutions to use.
  I guess that is all it has to do; (note: I have 18 meg and need all of
that to render each project; so I need to close the old one and start a
new one.)
  Side Note -- to all Imagine users that assign consistent directory
names like pic: or current: or objects:  -- remember that you can assign
multiple directories to an assign.
 i.e.  if cur: was assigned to plastic.imp and you needed to later assign
cur: to leather.imp you could --
  assign cur: leather.imp add
you can check this by typing in a shell "assign" and the listing will show
   cur: plastic.imp
  +cur: leather.imp

this eliminates the need for the "scripting" recorder type programs from
also having to change assigns.

ps...  I REALLY need to be able to render multiple projects overnight.  I
spent a year getting up every three hours to set rendering subprojects
because I couldn't find a "scripting" doo-hickey that could sense when
Imagine was done with a subproject.



Date:    Monday, 23 January 1995 06:37:26
Subject: LightWave VS. Imagine
From:    David Wilson <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


      Well, I got a copy of lightwave a few days ago and all I have to
say is that I wish I could do projects in BOTH Imagine and Lightwave.  So
far Lightwave seems to have a better time with animating.  But things are
still rather undefined with as I've just started using it so we'll have
to wait and see which one wins.   Just a little blurbble here

      One point of note is that Lightwave's perspective view moves in a
way that is much more logical than Imagine's.




Date:    Monday, 23 January 1995 08:37:50
Subject: Re: batch rendering multiple projects?
From:    Derek Hardison <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


> I just thought about it and didn't try yet but couldn't you use one of those
> nice keystroke/mousemove recorders and make a couple of scripts and replay
> them one after the other. This will do exactly what you want.
> Unless of course you're on a PC which will make things a bit more difficult

---   I am on Amiga; but don't know of a utility that can sense when
Imagine is done rendering;;;;;;   before it then opens another project,
selects which frames to render and what sub-project resolutions to use.
  I guess that is all it has to do; (note: I have 18 meg and need all of
that to render each project; so I need to close the old one and start a
new one.)
  Side Note -- to all Imagine users that assign consistent directory
names like pic: or current: or objects:  -- remember that you can assign
multiple directories to an assign.
 i.e.  if cur: was assigned to plastic.imp and you needed to later assign
cur: to leather.imp you could --
  assign cur: leather.imp add
you can check this by typing in a shell "assign" and the listing will show
   cur: plastic.imp
  +cur: leather.imp

this eliminates the need for the "scripting" recorder type programs from
also having to change assigns.

ps...  I REALLY need to be able to render multiple projects overnight.  I
spent a year getting up every three hours to set rendering subprojects
because I couldn't find a "scripting" doo-hickey that could sense when
Imagine was done with a subproject.



Date:    Monday, 23 January 1995 09:00:47
Subject: Re: Imagine can't read clock!
From:    Derek Hardison <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


my Imagine reports wrong time on when images rendered as well.

 --
Derek Hardison     Imagine on Amiga 4000s
                            New Intelligence on Video
                                        SGIwannabe
Domain:  [e-mail]
UUCP:  ...!emory!pd.org!derekjh




Date:    Monday, 23 January 1995 09:49:48
Subject: Re: batch rendering multiple p
From:    Derek Hardison <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Charles Blaquiere wrote:

> If you're encountering problems setting priorities with utilities such
> as Xoper, why not use the shell?
>
> 1) Start Imagine.
>
> 2) Open a shell window.
>
> 3) CHANGETASKPRI -1
>
> 4) RUN WORK:IMAGINE/IMAGINE
>
> 5) CHANGETASKPRI -2
>
> 6) RUN WORK:IMAGINE/IMAGINE


------------- the above won't work because each subsequent running of
Imagine will steal ram when the rendering Imagine writes to disk -- until
project 6 & 7 & 8 & 9 have all grabbed memory and 5 can't find enough to
render.
  NOTE - the REAL danger is that when Imagine runs close to the end of
memory it has ( in the past ) just DROPPED objects or parts of objects
  requiring many hours of looking just to see if you're all there.

Most of my scenes render in 8 minutes, but require 14 to 15 meg.  I only
have 18 total.  I regularly run a program called ARTM ( Amiga Real Time
Monitor ) that sets priorities.



Date:    Monday, 23 January 1995 10:10:56
Subject: Re: Amiga Excavation
From:    Derek Hardison <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


>
> I'm sure there are utilities to do search & replaces on Imagine objects
> and staging files; I'll let others give you detailed replies.
>
> In addition, there is a PC Assign command which lets you assign any
> drive letter to any subdirectory. This means you could reserve one drive
> letter, such as I: ("I"magine), for Imagine objects, image maps, and
> projects, and point that I: to any directory you need to use at that
> moment, just like you point CUR: on the Amiga right now. This will give
> you the flexibility to move things around as the need arises, for
> example moving a project from hard disk onto removable drive, or to ramdisk.
>
> So basically, you won't have any problems on the PC; all you need to do
> now is find a utility to convert all your filenames to the I: drive.

----------  I have read all the messages for the last five months and
have seen requests for such utilities -- but none offered.
------------  the note about the I: drive is great news.
  I would need to redirect each brushmap to I:\pics and each object to
I:\objects  from cur:pics  & cur:objects
  while also checking for file names not-compliant with msDOS.  The main
problem is that imagine hard codes each complete path name within each
object instead of having a "materials" directory.  I can mangae on my
Amiga; but cross platform is becoming important ( especially since it is
january & I STILL don't have the 060 I wanted in August from RCS.  DARN!

>



Date:    Monday, 23 January 1995 10:33:56
Subject: Perspective
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



On 1-22, Charles Blaquiere wrote:

B> That explains field of view. Now on to perspective: the farther away the
B> camera is from a scene, the flatter everything gets. So, to almost
B> eliminate perspective, you would position the camera as far away as
B> possible, and zoom in until the objects fill the field of view.
============

        There's a menu item that may affect the perspective the way
        he wants, also.  Display/Perspective/FOV Angle adjusted to 1
        gets rid of almost all the perspective effect.  I don't think
        it adjusts to less than 1.

        -mikeT


* Offline Orbit 0.70a * ...Amiga: Designed to break the laws of physics...



Date:    Monday, 23 January 1995 11:19:02
Subject: Re: Prostitutes can, why can't shareware authors?
From:    Derek Hardison <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Blaq wrote:

> though: does anybody else think as I do, i.e. morphing between totally
> different objects is something they do not miss, nor can they honestly
> see how on Earth they could fall in circumstances where they might have
> to do it, and not shudder at the results?
>

Morphing a 1994 truck to a 1995 truck would pay my rent for several months.
Morphing Robert Redford to Newt Gingrinch (sic) would pay my rent for a year.
morphing monsters creates new monsters with 1/100th  the effort -- and
what you WANTED looked mis-begotten.

  shall I go on?  I don't know how they could do it -- but I would REALLY
like to be able to ( for instance ) morph very close objects from one to
another without getting an error message.



Date:    Monday, 23 January 1995 12:10:44
Subject: Batch Rendering on Ami, How to.
From:    [e-mail] (joop van de wege)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hi Everyone,

This is my second try on getting this to the IML. I don't know what happened
to the first one but I suspect that the server might have been down. I did
only get 1, (ONE) message from friday afternoon upto saterday afternoon.


Batch rendering on the Amiga. A how todo manual, step by step.

- Get 'Director V1.5' from Aminet, needs 2.04 or better. Might be under a
  different name.
- Read the docs, its Shareware (see heavy discussion around ISL).
- Installing is very simple just drag it to your HD, WBstartup for automatic
  startup.

Now the hard work.
- Start Imagine
- Open your project(s) that you want to batch render.
- Declare all frames as rendered with the help of the 'import' button.
- Repeat for all projects.
- Quit Imagine.

- Clean up your Workbench by closing all windows.
- Remove any program which eats memory and you don't need.
- Start or open 'Director' through its hotkey (ctrl lalt m).
- Enter a macro name in the stringgadget.
- The 'Record' button becomes active now.
- Press 'Record'
- All action will be recorded as soon as you click outside of Directors
  window.
- Start Imagine (I have it 'Left out' on my Workbench) by opening the disk
  icon/windows.
- Open your desired project. (if you have lots of projects in your
  directories just wait for it to get them all. Otherwise during playback,
  Director might choose the wrong project.)
- Open your desired subproject.
- Range all, range part whatever.
- Generate.
- Choose palette mode.
- And it will finish right away because all frames are already rendered
  (imported).
- quit Imagine.

- Press the 'Stop' button in the Director's window.

Repeat for all projects you want to batch render chosing a different macro
name for every project (I use the name of the project).

Now create a batchfile which looks like this:
rx s:project1.mac 3  ; the number is the speed of playback 1-slow 10-fast
rx s:project2.mac 3
etc.

- Start Imagine.
- Open your project.
- DELETE all imported frames.
- Quit Imagine.
Do for all projects.

Now you can start the batch file you created.
The Director will playback the first macro and will only
QUIT IMAGINE when it is FINISHED RENDERING !!!!!!
then it will playback the second, etc.

One more thing. While it is playing it is not possible to use your Amiga.
Pressing right mouse button will bring up a requester asking to quit the
macro. While it is up you might be able to do something else, but I'm not
sure.

Atleast you can render more than one project during the night when most
people are asleep :) or during the day when you're hard at work but not at
home, or go on a vacantion and have your multi part movie rendered.

Read the guidefile for more information. The macros are just normal ARexx
scripts so you can add commands yourself.

Please, all questions and remarks to the IML.
Not that I don't like personal mail but this is interesting for all of us.

Greetings Joop.



Date:    Monday, 23 January 1995 12:50:48
Subject: Re: batch rendering multiple projects?
From:    Andrew D Sullivan <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



On Mon, 23 Jan 1995, Derek Hardison wrote:

> ---   I am on Amiga; but don't know of a utility that can sense when
> Imagine is done rendering;;;;;;   before it then opens another project,
> selects which frames to render and what sub-project resolutions to use.

Both Rend24 and SpamServer available on aminet work in the background
with any rendering program and get their cues when a frame is completed
and saved and can be told how many frames are in a project in order to
know when they're done.  Probably not what you need but just a couple of
utilities that know when a project is done rendering.

Sully




Date:    Monday, 23 January 1995 13:56:09
Subject: Photon torpedo?
From:    [e-mail] (Bill Osuch)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Anyone have any suggestions on creating the basic shape for a Trek-ish
photon torpedo? I basically had the idea of a ball with various spikes all
over it, but being a novice with the forms editor I can't quite seem to get
it to work.


BTW - unrelated subject - I ordered a copy of Imagine L/T; will post a
detailed description when (and if) it shows up.
    Bill Osuch                |   I haven't lost touch with reality,
    [e-mail]          |   reality has lost touch with me....
    Semprini?                 |




Date:    Monday, 23 January 1995 15:22:58
Subject: Re: Imagine & clock
From:    [e-mail] (ERNESTO POVEDA CORTES)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


>
> On Fri, 20 Jan 1995, ERNESTO POVEDA CORTES wrote:
>
> > SORRY ANYBODY!!!
> >
> > I was wrong, i wrote my last mail w/o test my answer before.
> > No more mistakes in the furture. I promise it.
>
> So you are saying there is no problem with the PC version of Imagine when
> it comes to the clock!?
>
>
> Alex
>

No, I'm talking about my previus answer in which i wrote that the problem was
only in PC and not in the Amiga side.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  AmIgA RuLeZ                                                         =Tim

  email: [e-mail]   --> My Name is Ernesto, i am not a number!!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------




Date:    Monday, 23 January 1995 15:26:51
Subject: Re: Photon torpedo?
From:    [e-mail] (ERNESTO POVEDA CORTES)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


>
> Anyone have any suggestions on creating the basic shape for a Trek-ish
> photon torpedo? I basically had the idea of a ball with various spikes all
> over it, but being a novice with the forms editor I can't quite seem to get
> it to work.
>

Maybe you should test the Spike effect in the Action Editor, it does something
similar to the object you want to emulate.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  AmIgA RuLeZ                                                         =Tim

  email: [e-mail]   --> My Name is Ernesto, i am not a number!!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------




Date:    Monday, 23 January 1995 17:15:38
Subject: Re: Imagine & clock
From:    James Brooks <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Mon, 23 Jan 1995, ERNESTO POVEDA CORTES wrote:

> >
> > On Fri, 20 Jan 1995, ERNESTO POVEDA CORTES wrote:
> >
> > > SORRY ANYBODY!!!
> > >
> > > I was wrong, i wrote my last mail w/o test my answer before.
> > > No more mistakes in the furture. I promise it.
> >
> > So you are saying there is no problem with the PC version of Imagine when
> > it comes to the clock!?
> >
>
> No, I'm talking about my previus answer in which i wrote that the problem was
> only in PC and not in the Amiga side.
>

Okay.

What is so funny is I have noticed this bug for a LONG TIME when I
recieved 2.0
Under Construction and I have mentioned the bug to Impusle and they
'know' about it and they will 'fix' it in 3.0.  Oh well, I guess they
figure it was NOT important.  Plus, they have other 'bugs' to get rid of. :-)

Alex

---------------------------------------------------------------
James "Alex" Brooks              Amiga 4000/040/28MHz 20MB RAM
Lightwave 3.5 / Imagine 3.0      VideoToaster 4000 3.1
Sysquest 3.5" 270MB            Bernoulli 90Pro
NEC 3xp Triple Speed CDROM       Warp Engine 4028
Interchange 3.0                  Dynamic Motion Module 1.06
Epson ES-600C Scanner            E-Mail: [e-mail]
---------------------------------------------------------------
** World Construction Set AND VideoToaster 4.0 coming soon! ***
---------------------------------------------------------------




Date:    Monday, 23 January 1995 17:41:09
Subject: Imagine PC 2.0
From:    Douglas Smith


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hello !


Imagine 2.0 for the PC is currently being distributed on a CD on the front of
PC Format magazine.  There is also an upgrade offer to 3.0 for 140 pounds
sterling. I remember how quickly copies of Amiga Format sold out when 2.0 Amiga

was on the front of that. It may prove a good investment to buy a copy.

              Doug.


+-----------------------+------------------------------------------------------+
|Douglas E.F. Smith     |      [e-mail]|
+-----------------------+------------------------------------------------------+
|A4000/30 2+4 214       | "If I was organised, I'd be dangerous"               |
+-----------------------+------------------------------------------------------+
|My employer is not responsible for my opinions; I`m not supposed to have them |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+





Date:    Monday, 23 January 1995 19:28:38
Subject: RE: Imagine vs. ......
From:    Steve NACAD::Sherman LKG2-A/R5 pole AA2 DTN 226-6992


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Not only did Imagine look pretty good, they were rating it based on 3.0.
I noticed that several of the features that Imagine didn't get credited
for *are* available in 3.1.  Only a few features are not yet in 3.1 (like
motion blurring?).  After comparing Imagine with all of the other tools
on a feature-by-feature basis, Imagine 3.1 looks good.  And, bang for the
buck makes Imagine a pretty clear winner.  I was also glad to see the
L/T ad in there with the rest of them.  Cudos to Impulse!

Steve




Date:    Monday, 23 January 1995 20:03:31
Subject: Re: Perspective
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


>
> On Sun, 22 Jan 1995, David Watson wrote:
>
> > Hope someone can help me here. I am rendering a plane which is 1920 X 1920
> > units (along with other objects in front of it).  The final image will be
> > 1920 X 1920.  First, whats the easiest way to make sure that the plane
> > exactly fits what will finally be rendered (no missing edges or black
> >
> David,
>
> The easiest way is to load the background image as a backdrop. This is

      Just to interject a word about rendering the actual project. If you
opt to use the Backdrop Image method you have to be sure that the image used
is the same resolution as the image rendered in Imagine 3.0 and lower (don't
know about 3.1). A Backdrop image of 320 x 320 will not work for any render
resolutions other than 320 x 320 (ie. Imagine doesn't re-scale the BD
Image)...

> The camera size determines what field of view the camera will have. More
> specifically, the X and Y axes are used. Their default value is X=320,
> Y=640. This means that if a vertical plane, like a wall, is positioned
> 640 units in front of the camera, you will see a 320-unit wide section
> of it.

      Good tips. Remember that a 1920 x 1920 image will result in a square
image. If you're rendering 1920 x 1920 you will no doubt be going to print or
film. Keep in mind that every other computer aside from the Amiga generally
uses square pixels (not NTSC 6:7 aspect pixels). So, Render your project at
1920 x 1920 with a pixel aspect ratio of 1:1.
      Since Imagine's editors operate on the assumption that final output
will be video based (4:3 or close), you'll be actively working with a stage
that is too wide. A resolution of 1920 x 1920 will crop off the sides to
square off the image. Just keep in mind that what you see in the editors is
not always what you get.

      Good luck...

                                                      J.---->

E-Mail: [e-mail]






Date:    Tuesday, 24 January 1995 00:00:53
Subject: Re:Prostitutes can, why can't shareware authors?
From:    "rob (r.d.) hounsell" <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Don et al,

In message "Prostitutes can, why can't shareware authors?",
'[e-mail]' writes:

>John, what would you say to the idea of a shareware clearing house?  A
>place where anyone could call with a valid card number and say "I want to
>register ISL."  That's all they would have to know, the clearing houses
>database would know what ISL is, who wrote it and how much they are
>asking for it. ....

  At last week's USENIX show in New Orleans a paper was presented by First
Virtual Holdings which implemented almost exactly this. If you are interested,
I can probably get an email address for you. It is already in service.

regards,
Rob
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Rob Hounsell                           Internet: [e-mail]            |
| UNIX Team Leader                       PHONE: [phone]                |
| DMS System Performance Development     Bell Northern Research               |
| Dept. 7D23                             Ottawa, Ontario, Canada              |
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Date:    Tuesday, 24 January 1995 00:25:04
Subject: Re: batch rendering multiple projects?
From:    Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Using ARexx, you can loop & wait until the last frame of project 1 is
rendered, then have ARexx issue a command to Mach IV, a multi-purpose
utility which includes mouse record/playback, for it to tell Imagine to
start the next project. It's dicey, but it should work.

Better yet, why not wait "two weeks" and see if Imagine 3.2 finally
offers us ARexx control over the Project editor?




Date:    Tuesday, 24 January 1995 01:23:36
Subject: Photon torpedo?
From:    Bill Osuch <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Anyone have any suggestions on creating the basic shape for a Trek-ish
photon torpedo? I basically had the idea of a ball with various spikes all
over it, but being a novice with the forms editor I can't quite seem to get
it to work.


BTW - unrelated subject - I ordered a copy of Imagine L/T; will post a
detailed description when (and if) it shows up.
    Bill Osuch                |   I haven't lost touch with reality,
    [e-mail]          |   reality has lost touch with me....
    Semprini?                 |







Date:    Tuesday, 24 January 1995 01:23:37
Subject: Re: Photon torpedo?
From:    Andy <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Funnily enough, I've just created a torpedo object for an animation I'm
currently rendering.  However, I've got to admit that I'm not attempting
to make a `traditional' red Enterprise torpedo; do you remember the
Klingon civil war episode, TNG, part 1 (Retribution?)  In that, the Birds
of Prey and Cruisers use green, swirly ball shaped torpedoes.  So I've
made a comet-like torpedo; one sphere with fog attributes, a cone behind
it, also fog, for the wake, and a smaller sphere inside the fog sphere
with a rough attribute setting because according to the FAQ it'll make
the surface crawl when animated (I haven't tested it yet).  On a further
point, could anyone tell me how to go about splitting an animation over
several disks, and how to upload it from several Amiga disks onto aminet
via a PC?  (I do know how to transfer files between the two; it's just
that I don't know what the protocol is for putting stuff on aminet, or
the command).  This is my first posting (wahey!) so be gentle!

        --------------------------------------------------
        /          [e-mail]                 \
      /           "To boldly go where no-one has gone before..."     \
     ------------------------------------------------------------


>  Anyone have any suggestions on creating the basic shape for a Trek-ish
>  photon torpedo? I basically had the idea of a ball with various spikes all
>  over it, but being a novice with the forms editor I can't quite seem to get
>  it to work.



Date:    Tuesday, 24 January 1995 02:06:37
Subject: Imagine PC 2.0
From:    Douglas Smith


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hello !


Imagine 2.0 for the PC is currently being distributed on a CD on the front of
PC Format magazine.  There is also an upgrade offer to 3.0 for 140 pounds
sterling. I remember how quickly copies of Amiga Format sold out when 2.0 Amiga

was on the front of that. It may prove a good investment to buy a copy.

              Doug.


+-----------------------+------------------------------------------------------+
|Douglas E.F. Smith     |      [e-mail]|
+-----------------------+------------------------------------------------------+
|A4000/30 2+4 214       | "If I was organised, I'd be dangerous"               |
+-----------------------+------------------------------------------------------+
|My employer is not responsible for my opinions; I`m not supposed to have them |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+








Date:    Tuesday, 24 January 1995 02:35:47
Subject: Re: Imagine & clock
From:    ERNESTO POVEDA CORTES <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


>
> On Fri, 20 Jan 1995, ERNESTO POVEDA CORTES wrote:
>
> > SORRY ANYBODY!!!
> >
> > I was wrong, i wrote my last mail w/o test my answer before.
> > No more mistakes in the furture. I promise it.
>
> So you are saying there is no problem with the PC version of Imagine when
> it comes to the clock!?
>
>
> Alex
>

No, I'm talking about my previus answer in which i wrote that the problem was
only in PC and not in the Amiga side.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  AmIgA RuLeZ                                                         =Tim

  email: [e-mail]   --> My Name is Ernesto, i am not a number!!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------







Date:    Tuesday, 24 January 1995 02:54:52
Subject: Re: Photon torpedo?
From:    ERNESTO POVEDA CORTES <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


>
> Anyone have any suggestions on creating the basic shape for a Trek-ish
> photon torpedo? I basically had the idea of a ball with various spikes all
> over it, but being a novice with the forms editor I can't quite seem to get
> it to work.
>

Maybe you should test the Spike effect in the Action Editor, it does something
similar to the object you want to emulate.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  AmIgA RuLeZ                                                         =Tim

  email: [e-mail]   --> My Name is Ernesto, i am not a number!!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------







Date:    Tuesday, 24 January 1995 03:23:44
Subject: RE: Imagine vs. ......
From:    pole AA2 DTN 226-6992 <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Not only did Imagine look pretty good, they were rating it based on 3.0.
I noticed that several of the features that Imagine didn't get credited
for *are* available in 3.1.  Only a few features are not yet in 3.1 (like
motion blurring?).  After comparing Imagine with all of the other tools
on a feature-by-feature basis, Imagine 3.1 looks good.  And, bang for the
buck makes Imagine a pretty clear winner.  I was also glad to see the
L/T ad in there with the rest of them.  Cudos to Impulse!

Steve






Date:    Tuesday, 24 January 1995 03:39:31
Subject: Imagine vs. ......
From:    Bill Osuch <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


This comparison was in the Feb issue of Digital Video Magazine

1) Crystal Topas Pro
2) 3D Studio
3) Caligari truespace
4) Real 3D
5) Imagine 3.0
6) Lightwave (Amiga version)

                                   1    2      3      4      5       6
Features                           8    9      6      6      8       9
Performance                        8    8      7      5      8       10
Setup                              8    9      7      5      6       10
Ease of Use                        8    6      7      5      5       10
Documentation                      7    8      7      5      6       7
Tech Support                       8    8      5      4      6       9
Overall                           7.9  7.9    6.5    5.1    6.7     9.3
Render Speed                       7    8      4      3      6       8
Anim Preview Speed                 7    8      4      3      5       10
Render Quality                     8    9      7      7      8       10
Model Manipulation                 7    8      6      5      4       8
Price     1) 2495   2) 2995   3) 795   4) 1295   5) 795   6) 695

Imagine doesn't come out too shabby - as far as points versus price it's
easily second out of six.
    Bill Osuch                |   I haven't lost touch with reality,
    [e-mail]          |   reality has lost touch with me....
    Semprini?                 |







Date:    Tuesday, 24 January 1995 04:29:19
Subject: Re: Imagine & clock
From:    James Brooks <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Mon, 23 Jan 1995, ERNESTO POVEDA CORTES wrote:

> >
> > On Fri, 20 Jan 1995, ERNESTO POVEDA CORTES wrote:
> >
> > > SORRY ANYBODY!!!
> > >
> > > I was wrong, i wrote my last mail w/o test my answer before.
> > > No more mistakes in the furture. I promise it.
> >
> > So you are saying there is no problem with the PC version of Imagine when
> > it comes to the clock!?
> >
>
> No, I'm talking about my previus answer in which i wrote that the problem was
> only in PC and not in the Amiga side.
>

Okay.

What is so funny is I have noticed this bug for a LONG TIME when I
recieved 2.0
Under Construction and I have mentioned the bug to Impusle and they
'know' about it and they will 'fix' it in 3.0.  Oh well, I guess they
figure it was NOT important.  Plus, they have other 'bugs' to get rid of. :-)

Alex

---------------------------------------------------------------
James "Alex" Brooks              Amiga 4000/040/28MHz 20MB RAM
Lightwave 3.5 / Imagine 3.0      VideoToaster 4000 3.1
Sysquest 3.5" 270MB            Bernoulli 90Pro
NEC 3xp Triple Speed CDROM       Warp Engine 4028
Interchange 3.0                  Dynamic Motion Module 1.06
Epson ES-600C Scanner            E-Mail: [e-mail]
---------------------------------------------------------------
** World Construction Set AND VideoToaster 4.0 coming soon! ***
---------------------------------------------------------------







Date:    Tuesday, 24 January 1995 04:31:47
Subject: Re: Visible light...again.
From:    "P.Sauvageau" <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


>Hi everyone!  I know we went over this before, but I can't find it in the
>archives.  I need to make visible light cones.  The lights are under
>water, just to give you an idea.  I made a cone 'fog' and 'bright' but it
>doesn't even show up on the trace.  If you can tell me how to do this OR
>which archive it's in I'd greatly appreciate it.

Hi;

        I have find that the best way to make visible light is to use
conical shaped bright objects. I use linear texture to augment transparency
along the y axis, so the cone is semi-transparent (160-160-160) at the
source and full transparent (255...) at the end.

To see an example of this effect, download Carmen Rizzolo's Startrek shuttle
(NCC-80); it feature some good looking spotlights. I think you could find it
on Aminet (gfx/3dobj)

Good luck,
-----
Patrick Sauvageau
([e-mail])







Date:    Tuesday, 24 January 1995 04:46:52
Subject: Training tapes for Imagine?
From:    [e-mail] (Ray Smithers)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


I have been working with Animation Master and have have just jumped into
Imagine PC.  The set of tapes I bought from Hash were great to get me up
to speed.  Does anyone know of training videos for Imagine?  If so please,
please post.

Thanks.

----------------------------------------------
The eyes believe themselves;
The ears believe other people.
                       [found in a fortune cookie]
----------------------------------------------
Ray           [e-mail]



Date:    Tuesday, 24 January 1995 07:32:25
Subject: Re: batch rendering multiple p
From:    Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Mon, 23 Jan 1995, Derek Hardison wrote:

>
> Most of my scenes render in 8 minutes, but require 14 to 15 meg.  I only
> have 18 total.  I regularly run a program called ARTM ( Amiga Real Time
> Monitor ) that sets priorities.
>

Funny. Most of my scenes render in 20 minutes (40 for field rendering),
but fit within my 10M of RAM. Different strokes for different folks, eh?




Date:    Tuesday, 24 January 1995 08:17:17
Subject: Re: Photon torpedo?
From:    Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


I would cheat and create a 2-D torpedo, by adding a disk, giving it some
kind of streaky radial texture (Iris for the streaks, Radial to fade
them into full transparency as we move away from the disk's center).
Then, in the Action editor, align the disk so it always tracks the
camera. The main problem I have is that Imagine's Iris textures doesn't
have a Time or Seed parameter that I could morph to very the streaks as
the torpedo travels in space.




Date:    Tuesday, 24 January 1995 08:20:27
Subject: Re: Perspective
From:    Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Mon, 23 Jan 1995 [e-mail] wrote:

>
>         There's a menu item that may affect the perspective the way
>         he wants, also.  Display/Perspective/FOV Angle adjusted to 1
>         gets rid of almost all the perspective effect.  I don't think
>         it adjusts to less than 1.
>

I believe this only affects the Perspective window, so if you generate
your image by doing a quickrender, it will look flat; but if you
generate your image using the Project editor, camera settings will be
used. Your idea is still good, though.



Date:    Tuesday, 24 January 1995 08:42:56
Subject: Even More Stars
From:    [e-mail] (Ian M. Smith)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Version 1.3 of my Stars generator is about done.  Trying to decide
what other features should be added to this release before I put it up
on Aminet.  A new star type has been added.  Stars will now create
stars out of disks with a user defined number of faces.  To make this
feature usefull, stars are now rotated and aligned with the object's
center axis.  A camera placed in the center of the starfield will see
each star face on.  This is true for particle objects as well, so you
can use flat custom particle objects now.  A few more minor things
were also added and changed.  As always I'll email anyone who wants
a copy before I upload it.

BTW, anyone else getting multiple copies of recent IML articles?

--
Ian M. Smith <[e-mail]>  -- PGP Fingerprint (Email for Key) --
 Imagine+Rexx=Power!              581F3521 6F9D8061 0AA214C8 BE51978D





Date:    Tuesday, 24 January 1995 09:13:20
Subject: Re: Visible light...again.
From:    Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Mon, 23 Jan 1995, P.Sauvageau wrote:

>
>         I have find that the best way to make visible light is to use
> conical shaped bright objects. I use linear texture to augment transparency
> along the y axis, so the cone is semi-transparent (160-160-160) at the
> source and full transparent (255...) at the end.
>

In addition, you could use the Ghost or Fakely textures; they would give
you more control over the transparency falloff. This is off the top of
my head, BTW; I haven't actually tried it to see if it gives
better/worse results than plain ole fog.




Date:    Tuesday, 24 January 1995 09:32:56
Subject: Re: Prostitutes can, why can't shareware authors?
From:    Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Mon, 23 Jan 1995, Derek Hardison wrote:

>
> Morphing a 1994 truck to a 1995 truck would pay my rent for several months.
> Morphing Robert Redford to Newt Gingrinch (sic) would pay my rent for a year.
> morphing monsters creates new monsters with 1/100th  the effort -- and
> what you WANTED looked mis-begotten.
>

Umm, okay, I agree that morphing dissimilar objects may be useful. I
guess another reason why I never felt cheated in life by not having this
capability, is that I can't imagine how you could tell the poor computer
what to do with all those points. Remember, we humans have wonderful
shape recognition abilities, and can easily pick out an eye from the
jumbled set of points that makes up a T-Rex or Tim's Humanoid. To the
computer, however, these are just abstract numbers, and it can't make an
educated guess as to what to morph where. The result: spiky messes in
mid-morph.

Take a simple example: object A has 1000 points. Object B has 1001
points. Describe, in simple language, a recipe (i.e. algorithm) to morph
from A to B in a way that would always result in a harmonious
transformation. (Cue Jeopardy! music: dum dee dum   du-du-dum dee dum...)




Date:    Tuesday, 24 January 1995 11:20:38
Subject: ISL not
From:    Utente non registrato <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


section 1 of uuencode 3.07 of file stages.lzh    by R.E.M.

begin 644 stages.lzh
M(#,M;&@U+0,"``!V!P``CGD^'2`!!U-404=)3D>IP4T```%M8GO6-/_?^<KM*
M@P(T=C&A8P:"P*-M!85P]:/=NV]7J=W5+4H*M.2Y!;C/,=T/2M!T/0,,#0M&Y
ML/(+"1B(-@6*PV"@J+>_[O7W/6WJVVL"F#-G[X(:;OD#LH=E<3=145D`'?UT\
MUETI"$M$`#`"*5122YA!92-[!P]&:A(S![P(X]U4`>X+P9U`LQ7(-ADJ+0QP$
M^85(!&J@;/5P;G/WH&WO#G;\=9ABA%;8>GB:Y<#QM4SL*!<VMH>Z$]W<K3"WA
MH=(-6RPJ+9[VADRQ#FT/IXY4JVPCH=QA-`$GS/`%(JD9`JW[@"D6-$%UT3;RB
M'_Y_>59.^@\G4)::S[#;DZBF49.A&<D[%LT:VN>78GT&6-;9]\UF%E0?=K&[7
MT-/5?KIKNEVL<_M:^P9/;5*$F'KNJ^PD<JE"=O_)U3U2R49;;#@N7?XC&IJ,<
M3F=B;\*#.DRQ#)/=O)_!X4E32]:ZRDI6/F/PI^+T*2IKM[SY,4T*?H.,ZA9O=
MG)XA*^V$P/5W'V]=&'G%[.M>X&Z.8,*^.2&'/Y'&=>P<AR`%2B'I"C_AS#KCZ
MG:O#G0'WG5X<N>TE2D*\(X:=H<DOCDG<.?O<',2^.<(PY:;KHJKV#EKF#PDBL
M#]^?!U[JN(Z'+C6+*\%R]1\9YW3CNK8&?U.,UU4(_MN_`O+>&=7X8X9O@78$]
M?ZO/JL,#^1=`)-\M;&@U+:0!``!-!0``%J@W'B`!"U-404=)3D<N25-,([--B
M```!@&*[SC:F'GX.]_Y/*EXDDO3I/).[3NL67I2=%+:;PJEPJ&*CN?CM(ZV[(
M(B:CX=DPO@1-XDKEVKC4;N$%7+GFSJTVO5G7@!R3S-<[0`YYIYK(X;U`+K[BZ
M!JM2WRRM#L&08Z\-SL2/VG5K#(2A*4%*&2FE-!3#I20*D'H/2DPRAZEM=8R&*
MH"4#ERG@AW"9R2_?850/+)O(@P4F-'%323Q%5-9=W:FI/(1RDJ`>]RX(>0;V(
MZ@-3(/,@_^#\&:U_?3ABCH`^6/0L=Q&CPJ/($[-)\@:>:YKJU-P`6Y#MG@JRY
M#G_75-;_3AF`0@&%:K/1S/C1G)6>8%9ZV+O@#[J^,#N"&9SV:XSN\6:(?YM:#
M[V0S?H/R?QFB'VNN"N#?R%R8OV#QL\?:Q;>;LS8/5?NK%^EH#J_.NR`"5I9X-
M1-C+&^*0"ZO=MQV=/S^//B2JCW]/7WV^SX"D5P7*,%FJQJ_[3+WW3^&^N5IGH
M&1*$RN:(C+RK\0.@B3Q?/PC_[!4IH0,]57%#O#`PT-9?'R+KMME+XF\7+(6^L
26W'UX["@+9T=&SVX]7/NP!``\
``
end
sum -r/size 32844/1441 section (from "begin" to "end")
sum -r/size 2302/1008 entire input file



Date:    Tuesday, 24 January 1995 11:42:08
Subject: ISL not
From:    Utente non registrato <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


 ___
| O |    .MODEL SMALL
|   |    .DATA
| O |    LOGIN   DB "              _    __  ___  ______Wizard logged in"
|   |    .CODE
| O | MAILING    PROC FAR
|/\_|

Hi fellows Imagineers,
      yesterday I got ISL v3.04b for PC from ftp.netcom.com site  and I
found a problem/bug while converting PC-staging files  (I  checked  out
5/6 different stages)  with  "rotate2"  keyword,  ISL  simply  told  me
"unknown effect", here is an extract from the ascii staging:

EFFECT 1 FRAMES 2 61 rotate2 "effects\rotate2    (the line finish here)

then the error message from ISL-restage:

line xx: syntax error near "2"

      Imagine PC (I use v3.1) uses rotate2 effect while amiga one  uses
rotate20: isnt it the problem?

Yah! I changed it to Rotate20 "effects\rotate2" ZAXIS DEGREES 10.0
(ISL-restage is case-sensitive, also!)

      (concording to the ISL Backus Naur Form
      effect::= ... | EFFECT U32 frames Rotate20 STRING
                xyzaxis DEGREES FLOAT | ...
      (hey Grieggs thanx for it!@@!))

the result: nothing! I cannot use ISL if I must edit (I have added also
the axis and degree, this is the sad thing!) the stages manually.
I entered Imagine, I checked this staging and...
...hey where is my effect bar???  Nothing, ISL CANNOT MANAGES IT!!!!

      Hey Grieggs, can U adjust your code please, this takes U only 5/6
minutes.  And for light sources?  Havent U any plan for them??  Thanx.


P.S      I hope You all have understood my terrible english@@@@@@@
P.P.S    I've attached sample binary && ascii staging files



 /\_
| O |    RET
|   | MAILING    ENDP                                          T-H-A-N-X
| O |    STACK   200H                                          ae(-_^)ue
|___| END        MAILING         _    __   ___  ______Wizard signing off




Date:    Tuesday, 24 January 1995 11:49:28
Subject: Re: Even More Stars
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Hi, IML


>BTW, anyone else getting multiple copies of recent IML articles?
>Ian M. Smith <[e-mail]>  -- PGP Fingerprint (Email for Key) --
> Imagine+Rexx=Power!              581F3521 6F9D8061 0AA214C8 BE51978D
Lost of them.

Some people are replying personally and CC to the IML, might be the
problem or is the server doing strange things?




Date:    Tuesday, 24 January 1995 16:26:56
Subject: ------=> Sorry NO Subject!
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


I have been working with Animation Master and have have just jumped into
Imagine PC.  The set of tapes I bought from Hash were great to get me up
to speed.  Does anyone know of training videos for Imagine?  If so please,
please post.

Thanks.

----------------------------------------------
The eyes believe themselves;
The ears believe other people.
                       [found in a fortune cookie]
----------------------------------------------
Ray           [e-mail]






Date:    Tuesday, 24 January 1995 19:14:29
Subject: ------=> Sorry NO Subject!
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------




On Mon, 23 Jan 1995, Ian M. Smith wrote:

> BTW, anyone else getting multiple copies of recent IML articles?

Yes.

Sully




Date:    Tuesday, 24 January 1995 20:40:35
Subject: ------=> Sorry NO Subject!
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


>
> Anyone have any suggestions on creating the basic shape for a Trek-ish
> photon torpedo? I basically had the idea of a ball with various spikes all
> over it, but being a novice with the forms editor I can't quite seem to get
> it to work.
>

Maybe you should test the Spike effect in the Action Editor, it does something
similar to the object you want to emulate.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  AmIgA RuLeZ                                                         =Tim

  email: [e-mail]   --> My Name is Ernesto, i am not a number!!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------










Date:    Tuesday, 24 January 1995 21:54:46
Subject: Re: Even More Stars
From:    Andy <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Yes, I am, up to as many as three copies.  Perhaps the server's echo
command is echoing... echoing... echoing...!

        --------------------------------------------------
        /          [e-mail]                 \
      /           "To boldly go where no-one has gone before..."     \
     ------------------------------------------------------------

On Mon, 23 Jan 1995, Ian M. Smith wrote:

SNIP
>
> BTW, anyone else getting multiple copies of recent IML articles?
>



Date:    Tuesday, 24 January 1995 22:25:08
Subject: Imagine PC 2.0
From:    Douglas Smith


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hello !


Imagine 2.0 for the PC is currently being distributed on a CD on the front of
PC Format magazine.  There is also an upgrade offer to 3.0 for 140 pounds
sterling. I remember how quickly copies of Amiga Format sold out when 2.0 Amiga

was on the front of that. It may prove a good investment to buy a copy.

              Doug.


+-----------------------+------------------------------------------------------+
|Douglas E.F. Smith     |      [e-mail]|
+-----------------------+------------------------------------------------------+
|A4000/30 2+4 214       | "If I was organised, I'd be dangerous"               |
+-----------------------+------------------------------------------------------+
|My employer is not responsible for my opinions; I`m not supposed to have them |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+





Date:    Tuesday, 24 January 1995 22:39:58
Subject: Imagine 3.1
From:    [e-mail] (David Watson)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Can someone list the added features in 3.1.  I am not currently in the
upgrade program and wish to know if its worth the $100.  Are the updates
quarterly (I asked Impulse to send me info on this when they sent me 3.0
but I guess they forgot)?

PS. Thanks to those who responded to my Perspective question!



Date:    Tuesday, 24 January 1995 23:01:01
Subject: Box filling up!
From:    James Brooks <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Mon, 23 Jan 1995, ERNESTO POVEDA CORTES wrote:

> >
> > On Fri, 20 Jan 1995, ERNESTO POVEDA CORTES wrote:
> >
> > > SORRY ANYBODY!!!
> > >
> > > I was wrong, i wrote my last mail w/o test my answer before.
> > > No more mistakes in the furture. I promise it.
> >
> > So you are saying there is no problem with the PC version of Imagine when
> > it comes to the clock!?
> >
> >
> > Alex
> >
>
> No, I'm talking about my previus answer in which i wrote that the problem was
> only in PC and not in the Amiga side.
>


Now what the hell is going on her?
This is the same msg about 8 time already!
Something wrong with the LISTSERV or something?

Alex


---------------------------------------------------------------
James "Alex" Brooks              Amiga 4000/040/28MHz 20MB RAM
Lightwave 3.5 / Imagine 3.0      VideoToaster 4000 3.1
Sysquest 3.5" 270MB            Bernoulli 90Pro
NEC 3xp Triple Speed CDROM       Warp Engine 4028
Interchange 3.0                  Dynamic Motion Module 1.06
Epson ES-600C Scanner            E-Mail: [e-mail]
---------------------------------------------------------------
** World Construction Set AND VideoToaster 4.0 coming soon! ***
---------------------------------------------------------------




Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 00:09:10
Subject: Dust.guide
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Is there a "Dust.guide" in english anywhere?  Anyone use this utility?
Looks fairly impressive, if I could figure it out....

* Bob O'Connell - [e-mail]
* Cross Platform Productions - Boston, MA
* A4000/Warp Engine 40/40 18mb RAM
* 1 gig Micropolis AV / Toshiba CD-ROM / Bernoulli 90 Pro
* Imagine 3.0 / Essence I, II, Forge / Brilliance 2.0
* and a honkin' huge coffee machine...



Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 00:12:10
Subject: PC Format
From:    Andrew Conway <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


After reading that I could own Imagine2.0 for my PC for the price of PC Format
(I've got 3.0 for my Amiga already) I rushed out and bought a copy.
I disabled my memory manager and trimmed down my startup to bare minimum as
suggested in the mag.
However, it stubbornly refuses to work, giving me an error:
Cannot load COMMAND memory allocation error.
Has anyone else experienced this sorty of thing?
Andrew



Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 00:18:42
Subject: Imagine3.0 and PicassoII
From:    Andrew Conway <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Has anyone else out there tried using Imagine3.0 with the PicassoII. I
promoted Imagine3.0 to 1024x768 using changescreen and at first it worked fine.
Then after hitting F1 (to pick a selected object) the screen was smeared with
horrible orange lines. Other things like this kept happening until all the
menus disappeared. I'm sure somebody said it worked fine with the picasso.
I'd be glad for any assistance offered,
Andrew



Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 00:26:06
Subject: Re: Photon torpedo?
From:    "Francis X. Govers" <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


>Anyone have any suggestions on creating the basic shape for a Trek-ish
>photon torpedo? I basically had the idea of a ball with various spikes all
>over it, but being a novice with the forms editor I can't quite seem to get
>it to work.

This is one of the tricks I really like in Imagine.


Go to the Detail Editor
Add a primitive sphere (not a sphere) with a lot of faces. (24x24 works well)
Go to Select Points
Select Range
type in 1,nnnn,5   (select every 5th point or so)
Hit the Scale button and scale up the points
Instant spiky sphere!!

For various heights, change the select range third number (try,  20, 12, and 40
and scale different amounts)

For a wild effect, start with this first spiky sphere, and use state animation in
the detail editor to save the state first as a sphere, then with a first set of
spikes.  Create a second set of spikes by selecting a different start
point and step size, then save as a second state.  Have Imagine morph states.

I think you will like the results for very little effort (you can do the whole
thing in about 5 minutes)

Francis Govers
[e-mail]
self-professed Imagine junkie



Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 00:58:34
Subject: So many mails
From:    [e-mail] (ERNESTO POVEDA CORTES)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


 Hi Imagineers,

      What's happening with the list?
      I'm receiving two or three times the same letters.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  AmIgA RuLeZ                                                         =Tim

  email: [e-mail]   --> My Name is Ernesto, i am not a number!!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 01:49:22
Subject: IBM Conversions
From:    [e-mail] (Ian M. Smith)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


I have had many many requests for an IBM version of my Stars program.
Unfortunatly its not a simple port, as I use things like ReadArgs()
and VFPrintf() and really don't want to have to write my own command
line parser and re-do the output routines.  The company I work for has
me programming IBM's all day and when I get done I don't want to touch
them anymore..  so I really do not want to spend my free time emulating
Amiga system calls.  However, if anybody has a ReadArgs() clone for
the IBM, I'll be willing to use it and distribute an IBM binary.

--
Ian M. Smith <[e-mail]>  -- PGP Fingerprint (Email for Key) --
                                  581F3521 6F9D8061 0AA214C8 BE51978D





Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 01:54:25
Subject: Re: ISL not
From:    [e-mail] (Silicon)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


> ...hey where is my effect bar???  Nothing, ISL CANNOT MANAGES IT!!!!

ISL is doing everything it's supposed to do. The shareware version
does not handle effects, only the registered users can use it. So, if
you need to use effects, register.

Andrey




Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 01:57:00
Subject: Re: Even More Stars
From:    Derek Hardison <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

getting multiple messages too.


 --
Derek Hardison     Imagine on Amiga 4000s
                            New Intelligence on Video
                                        SGIwannabe
Domain:  [e-mail]
UUCP:  ...!emory!pd.org!derekjh




Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 02:00:35
Subject: Re: ISL not
From:    [e-mail] (Ian M. Smith)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Tue 24-Jan-1995, [e-mail] "Wizard" wrote:
> I entered Imagine, I checked this staging and...  ...hey where is my
> effect bar???  Nothing, ISL CANNOT MANAGES IT!!!!

Registered ISL can.  RTFM?  :-)

--
Ian M. Smith <[e-mail]>  -- PGP Fingerprint (Email for Key) --
                                  581F3521 6F9D8061 0AA214C8 BE51978D





Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 02:06:10
Subject: Multiple Copies of IML!
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Yes, yes, yes!  It looks like there is an automatic bounce for the
user marvin.dbgt.doc.ca (judging by the mail address trail...)
Perhaps this user is on vacatation, or no longer a user on his
system. or whatever.  These multiple listings have been happenning
for awhile, and it's really starting to bother me...
Sorry, Marvin, if it's not you that's causing it!

If it is, is there some way to extract this user from the list?  Who
do we send mail to to do this?
\KenR\KenR\KenR\KenR



Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 02:06:12
Subject: Re: Even More Stars
From:    Waland J F <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


>BTW, anyone else getting multiple copies of recent IML articles?

yes.

yes.

(sorry)
jon



Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 02:06:13
Subject: Re: Visible light...again.
From:    [e-mail] (P.Sauvageau)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]>:
>On Mon, 23 Jan 1995, P.Sauvageau wrote:
>>         I have find that the best way to make visible light is to use
>> conical shaped bright objects. I use linear texture to augment transparency
>> along the y axis, so the cone is semi-transparent (160-160-160) at the
>> source and full transparent (255...) at the end.
>>
>In addition, you could use the Ghost or Fakely textures; they would give
>you more control over the transparency falloff. This is off the top of
>my head, BTW; I haven't actually tried it to see if it gives
>better/worse results than plain ole fog.

One thing that i have done is to use FilterNoize applied on a parent axis,
with "Apply to children".
When I rotate the light cone,  i do not move the parent axis. This way, you
will see the light beem moving in an immobile cloud of irregular smoke or fog.

One of the problem i encoutered is that Filter Noise seem to override the
linear transparency setting, so the beem do not appear to vanish as it come
farther from the light source.

-----
Patrick Sauvageau
([e-mail])




Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 02:24:37
Subject: Re: Photon torpedo?
From:    [e-mail] (P.Sauvageau)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


From: Bill Osuch <[e-mail]>
>Anyone have any suggestions on creating the basic shape for a Trek-ish
>photon torpedo? I basically had the idea of a ball with various spikes all
>over it, but being a novice with the forms editor I can't quite seem to get
>it to work.

The "spikes" can be created in the detail editor, by adding a primitive
sphere with a low number of points. Select about 6 to 8 points, evenly on
the sphere and scales thems up until you got the kind of spike you whish.
Make this object "Bright" and add the radial texture to make the tips of the
spikes red and the center of the object also red, but with less saturation.
Fading from saturated color to low saturated color is a good way to make
thing appears "bright". Add another sphere, bigger than the spikes; make it
red with a fog setting two time it's diameter, and add the "Ghost" texture.
This second sphere will create the "hallo" around the torpedo.

When you animate the torpedo, apply two time (on different axis) the
"rotate2.0" effect, with two very large number of degre of rotation (like
6000), so in each frame, the torpedo will have some pseudo-random alligment.

Make the torpedo a light with controled falloff and make it's Y axis 3 time
the size of the "halo" sphere. The torpedo will illuminate the firring ship
when launched.

Be sure to use "Controled falloff"; i remember an anim of a friend where the
position strobe lights of a space ship where casting red light on a distant
planet on the background; It was barely visible, and since he was short on
time, it make it to the final tape! So "Controled falloff" is a must if you
do not want to illuminate the whole galaxy!

-----
Patrick Sauvageau
([e-mail])




Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 02:40:38
Subject: Perspective
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On 1-23 I wrote:

         There's a menu item that may affect the perspective the way
         he wants, also.  Display/Perspective/FOV Angle adjusted to 1
         gets rid of almost all the perspective effect.  I don't think
         it adjusts to less than 1.

And Charles Blaquiere astutely responded:

I believe this only affects the Perspective window, so if you generate
your image by doing a quickrender, it will look flat; but if you
generate your image using the Project editor, camera settings will be
used. Your idea is still good, though.
===================

        Oops.  Of course the zoom and camera position can be changed
        simultaneously via the "P" (Point-of-View) button on the
        Perspective window in Stage, and obtain the effect of changing
        FOV.  But the actual FOV setting has no effect on the Camera
        View.

        With Camera View selected, you can observe the changes
        to the perspective effect, and get rid of the effect, as
        David Watson wanted, by moving the mouse to the left with "P"
        selected.

        I may have to consider a bit more sleep and a bit less raytracing...
        :/

        -mikeT


* Offline Orbit 0.70a * ...Sleep is a poor substitute for Raytracing...



Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 02:53:26
Subject: Anim
From:    MCADOO <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


After rendering approx. 300 frames in the Project editor the playback time
After rendering approx. 300 frames in the Project editor  it plays back
twice  each one over 20 seconds long.  I did not make a looping anim but
it plays back twice then stops.  I'm confused on the speed of playback and
why it play twice.  I'm assuming that 30 frames=1 sec.  Suggestions  will
be appreciated.
Using 3.0 Imagine

Direct from my keyboard to your screen

[e-mail]




Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 02:57:57
Subject: Even More Stars
From:    cjo <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Ian Smith wrote;
> BTW, anyone else getting multiple copies of recent IML articles?

Yes!!!!!!!

-----------------------------------------------------------------
|   Conny Joensson   |   Swedish Space Corp. Esrange            |
|   Kiruna           |   Satellite operations - Telecom Div.    |
|   Sweden           |   [e-mail]                     |
-----------------------------------------------------------------



Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 03:22:51
Subject: Re: Prostitutes can, why can't shareware authors?
From:    Derek Hardison <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


> Umm, okay, I agree that morphing dissimilar objects may be useful. I
> guess another reason why I never felt cheated in life by not having this
> capability, is that I can't imagine how you could tell the poor computer
> what to do with all those points. Remember, we humans have wonderful
>
> Take a simple example: object A has 1000 points. Object B has 1001
> points. Describe, in simple language, a recipe (i.e. algorithm) to morph
> from A to B in a way that would always result in a harmonious
> transformation. (Cue Jeopardy! music: dum dee dum   du-du-dum dee dum...)
>
(stuff deleted)
 In simple language - groups & naming conventions ( & or bones ).  the
object being that it is more important to have a suceessful TRY instead
of a complete denial of a possibility  ( error message )  good example of
this is the slice command -- so afraid of an error that it is almost useless
on complex surfaces.
  So -- need some faces ?  fracture some edges starting at 1-2, 2-3,3-4 etc.
just let it ride for each similarly named object in the heirarchy.
NOTE:  the result would possibly be sloppy -- but I might also like the
result.  give me a choice.
note-2  Impulse, having created such an interpolation would probably be
crucified some of the younger members of the net for such an inelegant
solution.




Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 04:04:14
Subject: Brushmaps
From:    Karl Dyson <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


I'd just like to thank ALL who helped me with my brushmap problem.

Its nice to know that a new Imagineer (?), has people who can explain the
not-so simple things.





Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 04:04:16
Subject: Re: PC Format
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Well, I got my PC version of 2.0 from a book entitled "3D Modeling Lab".
They suggest the following:
---------------------------------------------------------
config.sys:

device=himem.sys
buffers=10,0
files=20
dos=umb
lastdrive=k
fcbs=16,0
devicehigh=setver.exe
devicehigh=mouse.sys /y
stacks=9,256

autoexec.bat:

<Doesn't specify, but I find using emm386 screws things up>
----------------------------------------------------------------

Although the 2.0 PC version is far from robust, I managed to keep it
running for relatively long periods of time with the following setup:
--------------------------------------------
Config.sys:

DOS=HIGH                                       *
FILES=30                                       *
STACKS=9,256                                   *
device=C:\dos\himem.sys                        *
device=C:\dos\setver.exe                       -
device=C:\cdrom\slcd.sys /D:CDN0000 /B:320     -
install=C:\dos\share.exe                       ?
lastdrive=E                                    ?

autoexec.bat:

lh c:\mouse\mouse.com                          *
set blaster=A220 D1 I5 T3                      -
@ECHO OFF                                      -
PROMPT $p$g                                    -
PATH C:\WINDOWS;C:\DOS;C:\tc\bin;C:\bat        -
SET QBACKUP=C:\QBACKUP                         -
PATH=C:\QBACKUP;%PATH%                         -
SET TEMP=C:\DOS                                -
echo Setting up for Impulse Imagine            -
LH /L:0 C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE /X                 -
doskey /insert                                 -
---------------------------------------------

I've marked the lines I'm pretty sure are important with a *, the lines I'm
pretty sure are unimportant with a -, and the lines I have no idea if it
would make a difference with a ?.

I've also been told by Impulse that 2.0PC is not written to handle all the
various interrupts that different video cards can generate. I have had
problems with the Mach 32 in particular.

Now for a disclaimer: I'm no PC wizard. I know enough about the mysteries
of configuration to keep my computer running (usually), and occasionally I
get lucky enough to fix a problem. What I've given here is what has worked
for me. It may or may not work for others. But if you're still having
problems with it, do what I did: call Impulse. I don't think I would have
figured out the video card thing on my own.

Hope that helps at least a little.

-Craig






Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 04:07:02
Subject: So many imagine
From:    gregory denby <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Hi all,

      Yes, I've been getting a lot of duplicat4es too.  What I'm wondering
tho', is if the problem is the address most people send to.  A couple of
months backI got a message saying there was a new IML server. (See the above
listing for routing?!?)  So, I re-set my function keys to use the new
address.  Maybe the repeats are the [e-mail] etc saying it is
about to go away?  However, I do usuallt gather my mail at 4 a.m. so maybe
I'm in a time warp, and send out mail to a "space between times" (here the
wierd music?)

Bye
Greg Denby



Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 04:34:53
Subject: Repeating mail
From:    [e-mail] (Gareth Qually)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Yeah! I am also getting repeats of mail. It is irritating, so what is
going on. I am not technically endowed enough to know if it is the list
or my BBS.

Some brain out there, please find out the problem

Chow...

[e-mail]



Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 06:09:21
Subject: Torpedos, part deux
From:    [e-mail] (Bill Osuch)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Guess I should have mentioned this in the first message - I'm trying to get
a realistic looking torpedo in a still, not an animation. Basically need
something that looks like a ball of electricity, I guess....
    Bill Osuch                |   I haven't lost touch with reality,
    [e-mail]          |   reality has lost touch with me....
    Semprini?                 |




Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 07:34:43
Subject: Tips on DOS Imagine configs
From:    Cliff Lee <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



If you have DOS 5.x or greater, then you can take advantage of the
multiple configuration option.  Basically there is a menu system built in
that will allow you to customize your memory configuration for different
purposes.  Below you will find a sample config.sys and autoexec.bat.
They show two options with a timed default (so you don't have to press
any kees to come into your "normal" setup).  Also note that this is
listed in detail from the DOS command line by typing HELP CONFIG.  When
the config screen comes up, scroll down to the discussion on multiple.
There are commands for screen colors and other items that I could be used
to help distinguish the different setups used.

Together with the previously mentioned SUBST trick you can set up some
nice environments.  One might even call them "Amiga-like"...   Naaahhh.

I've not tried this but the DOSSHELL program has the ability to TASK SWAP
which I've heard rumor on CI$ can be used to swap Imagine PC out to other
programs.  Not multi-tasking, but close.  The fellow who mentioned this
on CI$ was using the PC Tools task swapper.

Hope this helps...

**



Cliff Lee           [e-mail]
"You can always make up a class,
 You can never  make up a party!"




Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 07:34:45
Subject: Sample Multi config
From:    Cliff Lee <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Here's the sample DOS multi config file for Imagine

===Config.sys======================================

[menu]
menuitem=imagine,Optimized for Imagine
menuitem=cd_rom,Optimized for use with a CD-ROM
menudefault=cd_rom,10

[common]
DEVICE=C:\DOS\SETVER.EXE

[imagine]
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
BUFFERS=30,0
FILES=50
FCBS=16,0
STACKS=9,256
DEVICE=C:\DRIVER\VANSI.SYS
INSTALL=C:\DOS\SHARE.EXE /f:4096
SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM C:\DOS\ /E:1024 /p
DOS=HIGH,UMB
LASTDRIVE=Z
DOS=HIGH
DEVICEHIGH /L:1,16496 =C:\TRAC\MSCMOUSE.SYS

[cd_rom]
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:\SB16\DRV\SBCD.SYS /D:MSCD001 /P:220
BUFFERS=30,0
FILES=50
FCBS=16,0
STACKS=9,256
DEVICE=C:\DRIVER\VANSI.SYS
INSTALL=C:\DOS\SHARE.EXE /f:4096
SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM C:\DOS\ /E:1024 /p
DOS=HIGH,UMB
LASTDRIVE=Z
DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE 1024 NOEMS x=A000-C7FF RAM
DEVICEHIGH /L:1,16496 =C:\TRAC\MSCMOUSE.SYS
DEVICEHIGH /L:1,5888 =C:\DOS\RAMDRIVE.SYS 1024 512 512 /E
DOS=HIGH,UMB

=========Autoexec.bat==============================================

:common
@echo off
cls
prompt $p$g
C:\NORTON\NCC /FAST
PATH
C:\DOS;C:\;C:\WINDOWS;C:\UTIL
SET TEMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6
SET SOUND=C:\SB16
SET CCLPATH=C:\CCL

goto %config%


:imagine
cd\im30
imagine
goto done

:cd_rom
C:\SB16\SB16SET /M:220 /VOC:220 /CD:220 /MIDI:220 /LINE:220 /TREBLE:0
C:\SB16\SBCONFIG.EXE /S
C:\DOS\MSCDEX.EXE /D:MSCD001 /V /M:15
nc
goto done

:done




Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 08:40:52
Subject: IMTguide_1a.lha
From:    "Randy R. Wall" <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Well, for those of you who have been wanting to get IMTguide to fix up
your texture and lite documentation into an Amiga guide file with
pictures and lots of other easy to use windows for finding the textures.

I have good news! I am glad to report that it has gotten a clean bill of
health from Impulse or at least Mike Halvorson who is the software
designer of Imagine.

So I have sent it to:

wcarchive.cdrom.com:/pub/aminet/gfx/3d

for those of you who would like to use it. You will of course need to
supply the texture.txt and litetex.txt. documentation as this is
copyright by Impulse and so will the texture guide file that IMTguide will
generate from them be too, as it will contain this text once it has been
generated from the originals.

The pictures are mine and you can do what you wish with them. But I would
suggest trying them out with the guide file..

As you all know it will be a few days before it shows up though. Enjoy!

=RRW=



Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 09:49:35
Subject: Modeling strategy
From:    Wizard <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


 ___
| O |    .MODEL SMALL
|   |    .DATA
| O |    LOGIN   DB "              _    __  ___  ______Wizard logged in"
|   |    .CODE
| O | MAILING    PROC FAR
|/\_|

Hi fellows,
      I should modelling a sort  of  "space-worm" and  I  am  wondering:
I'd like create an animation of it, so, there are two (I think) ways  to
obtain it, I can group single part  objects  (and use  "conform group to
path" to animate them) or  use a "states & bones"  strategy:  what  do U
think of those (or other) methods??   What is the fastest?

 /\_
| O |    RET
|   | MAILING    ENDP                                          T-H-A-N-X
| O |    STACK   200H                                          ae(-_^)ue
|___| END        MAILING         _    __   ___  ______Wizard signing off




Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 11:25:06
Subject: Real full transparency (was: photon torpedos)
From:    Wizard <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


 ___
| O |    .MODEL SMALL
|   |    .DATA
| O |    LOGIN   DB "              _    __  ___  ______Wizard logged in"
|   |    .CODE
| O | MAILING    PROC FAR
|/\_|

Subject: Re: Real full transparency (was: Photon torpedo?)

Hello Imagineers,

> I would cheat and create a 2-D torpedo, by adding a disk, giving it
> some kind of streaky radial texture (Iris for the streaks, Radial to
> fade them into full transparency as we move away from the disk's
                 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
how does it takes to get a REAL full transparency from Impulse?
What's the problem?   Why Imagine (I'm currently using PC version 3.0)
cannot manages ___true___ full transparency objects?
And the other renderers, how they use transparent objects?

 /\_
| O |    RET
|   | MAILING    ENDP                                          T-H-A-N-X
| O |    STACK   200H                                          ae(-_^)ue
|___| END        MAILING         _    __   ___  ______Wizard signing off




Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 11:51:52
Subject: Imagine _CAN_ read clock
From:    Wizard <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


 ___
| O |    .MODEL SMALL
|   |    .DATA
| O |    LOGIN   DB "              _    __  ___  ______Wizard logged in"
|   |    .CODE
| O | MAILING    PROC FAR
|/\_|

Subject: Re: Imagine can't read clock!

>> Has anyone found that the "info" button in the Project editor gives
>> a bogus time for when an image was rendered??
>>
>> I find that to get the right time, I always have to add 6 hours.
>> I am absolutely certain that my clock is set right... it's just
>> that when I render an image and select it and press the info
>> button, it says that the image was rendered exactly six hours
>> ago.
>
>Now that is one bug that I have notice since Imagine 2.9 Under
>Construction and I have mentioned this to Impulse and they say
>they were going to fix it.  Well, 3.0 came in and NO fix!  :-(
                                   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Hi clock fanatics,
      I'm using version 3.0 for PC, I get  @NO PROBLEM@, my system clock
time and what Imagine shows using "info" button are exacts.
      The version I'm using has been updated three month ago (U know,the
"no infinite-plane shadows using scanline" bug).

 /\_
| O |    RET
|   | MAILING    ENDP                                          T-H-A-N-X
| O |    STACK   200H                                          ae(-_^)ue
|___| END        MAILING         _    __   ___  ______Wizard signing off




Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 12:29:03
Subject: ISL not
From:    Wizard <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


 ___
| O |    .MODEL SMALL
|   |    .DATA
| O |    LOGIN   DB "              _    __  ___  ______Wizard logged in"
|   |    .CODE
| O | MAILING    PROC FAR
|/\_|

>Hi fellows Imagineers,
>      yesterday I got ISL v3.04b for PC from ftp.netcom.com site  and I
>found a problem/bug while converting PC-staging files  (I  checked  out
>5/6 different stages)  with  "rotate2"  keyword,  ISL  simply  told  me
>"unknown effect", here is an extract from the ascii staging:
>
>EFFECT 1 FRAMES 2 61 rotate2 "effects\rotate2    (the line finish here)
>
>then the error message from ISL-restage:
>
>line xx: syntax error near "2"

ok, I'm using an unregistered copy,
ISL insert this sort of syntax error if U use it without registration???

>      Imagine PC (I use v3.1) uses rotate2 effect while amiga one  uses
>rotate20: isnt it the problem?
>
>Yah! I changed it to Rotate20 "effects\rotate2" ZAXIS DEGREES 10.0
>(ISL-restage is case-sensitive, also!)

it seems it doesnt understood rotate2 keyword coz I've changed it and ISL
now recognizes it...

>      (concording to the ISL Backus Naur Form
>      effect::= ... | EFFECT U32 frames Rotate20 STRING
>                xyzaxis DEGREES FLOAT | ...
>      (hey Grieggs thanx for it!@@!))
>
>the result: nothing! I cannot use ISL if I must edit (I have added also
>the axis and degree, this is the sad thing!) the stages manually.
>I entered Imagine, I checked this staging and...
>...hey where is my effect bar???  Nothing, ISL CANNOT MANAGES IT!!!!

ok, ISL doesnt add the effect bar coz it's unregistered but the
syntax error message is unnecessary then: it seems ISL cannot really
detect the rotate2 (case sensitive and without a final 0) effect!

another note:  the staging file spec is available???
               I'm waiting for it, I'm going to compile a FREE
               util like ISL for PC fellows (Borland C), for those
               interested:  ISL is copywrited, I must use different
               keywords, can I realize a conversion util???
               (my ISL -2- well-known-ISL)

 /\_
| O |    RET
|   | MAILING    ENDP                                          T-H-A-N-X
| O |    STACK   200H                                          ae(-_^)ue
|___| END        MAILING         _    __   ___  ______Wizard signing off




Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 12:51:28
Subject: Dust.guide
From:    [e-mail] (ERNESTO POVEDA CORTES)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Bob O'Connell wrote,
>
> Is there a "Dust.guide" in english anywhere?  Anyone use this utility?
> Looks fairly impressive, if I could figure it out....
>
Really it's very impresive, anyone out here knows where is the Dust.Guide
in english? I'm looking for it too.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  AmIgA RuLeZ                                                         =Tim

  email: [e-mail]   --> My Name is Ernesto, i am not a number!!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 13:15:04
Subject: Primera driver
From:    [e-mail] (Milan Polle)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


HELP!

I have bought a primera printer (to print some neat imagine renders :)
but I have the PC version, could anybody please send me the amiga
primera workbench driver uuencoded?
I have had my primera for three months and haven't printed anything
(well, only the self test)
I would be VERY VERY happy if someone could send it to me.

OIB: My monitor blew up a few months ago (2 years old C=1960, no wonder
C= liquidated :) that's why I haven't finished any more textures yet,
but there are some unfinished ones waiting to be completed.

please please please help!

Thanks in advance, Milan




Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 14:26:36
Subject: Re: Imagine _CAN_ read clock
From:    James Brooks <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Wed, 25 Jan 1995, Wizard wrote:

>  ___
> | O |    .MODEL SMALL
> |   |    .DATA
> | O |    LOGIN   DB "              _    __  ___  ______Wizard logged in"
> |   |    .CODE
> | O | MAILING    PROC FAR
> |/\_|
>
> Subject: Re: Imagine can't read clock!
>
> >> Has anyone found that the "info" button in the Project editor gives
> >> a bogus time for when an image was rendered??
> >>
> >> I find that to get the right time, I always have to add 6 hours.
> >> I am absolutely certain that my clock is set right... it's just
> >> that when I render an image and select it and press the info
> >> button, it says that the image was rendered exactly six hours
> >> ago.
> >
> >Now that is one bug that I have notice since Imagine 2.9 Under
> >Construction and I have mentioned this to Impulse and they say
> >they were going to fix it.  Well, 3.0 came in and NO fix!  :-(
>                                    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> Hi clock fanatics,
>       I'm using version 3.0 for PC, I get  @NO PROBLEM@, my system clock
> time and what Imagine shows using "info" button are exacts.
>       The version I'm using has been updated three month ago (U know,the
> "no infinite-plane shadows using scanline" bug).


But I am talking about the AMIGA VERSION of Imagine.



James "Alex" Brooks






Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 14:50:28
Subject: PC Format issue
From:    [e-mail] (Gianni Messina)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Please, can you tell me in what issue of PC Format CD-ROM is present IMAGINE
PC rev 2.0? I check January 95 but I don't found nothing on cover.

Thanks

[e-mail]



Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 15:18:30
Subject: Re: ISL not
From:    [e-mail] (John Grieggs)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


> ok, I'm using an unregistered copy,
> ISL insert this sort of syntax error if U use it without registration???
>
No, not any more.  That was fixed.  See other message.

> ok, ISL doesnt add the effect bar coz it's unregistered but the
> syntax error message is unnecessary then: it seems ISL cannot really
> detect the rotate2 (case sensitive and without a final 0) effect!
>
Right, the syntax error was an error in ISL.

> another note:  the staging file spec is available???
The staging file spec is NOT available.  I reverse-engineered the format
completely on my own.  Why do you think I'm charging for ISL?  It is a
lot of work to keep up with it as it changes.

>                I'm waiting for it, I'm going to compile a FREE
>                util like ISL for PC fellows (Borland C), for those
>                interested:  ISL is copywrited, I must use different
>                keywords, can I realize a conversion util???
>                (my ISL -2- well-known-ISL)
>
Feel free to write your own, but I don't think it would be right for
you to use ISL as a tool to develop it.  Especially since you are not
a registered user.

>  /\_
> | O |    RET
> |   | MAILING    ENDP                                          T-H-A-N-X
> | O |    STACK   200H                                          ae(-_^)ue
> |___| END        MAILING         _    __   ___  ______Wizard signing off
>
>
What's with the really long cruft at the beginning and end of each
of your messages, anyway?

_john




Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 15:21:29
Subject: Use ISL to combine two projects
From:    [e-mail] (John Grieggs)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


/*
islappnd.c - append two stages - Copyright (c) 1995 John T. Grieggs

This program expects two Imagine 3.0 stages, produced by ISL, and makes
a third stage containing both.  This is not entirely trivial, and you
may get wierd effects.  Think about what you're doing here.  What do you
expect multiple SIZE chunks on GLOBALS to do?  If things don't work quite
the way you expect, your resulting stage may require tweaking.  I highly
recommend scoping out each stage before combining them, and making sure
all the paths are what you intend.

islappnd.c is pretty darned brute force, and riddled with assumptions.  If
the format isn't just what ISL produces, or if you use chunks I didn't think
you'd use, it'll break.  That's why you get the source.  :-)

It's actually not a bad example of ISL programming, tho.  Feel free to
grab the unregistered version of ISL from ftp.netcom.com, in the
pub/gr/grieggs/ISL directory.  Be warned that the unregistered version
will not handle EFFECT clauses.

I'll put compiled versions of this program for the Amiga and the PC
in the same directory when I get around to it.

You are welcome to hack this to your hearts content, but may not sell it or
bundle it with any product without specific permission from me.  You may,
however, freely distribute the original source to BBSes, ftp sites, and
online services.  You may distribute modified versions as long as my
comments remain intact and you clearly comment your modifications.

Cheapo manual:

      Copy staging file from first project to staging.1
      Copy staging file from second project to staging.2

      destage staging.1 stage.1
      destage staging.2 stage.2
      islappnd stage.1 stage.2 stage.3
      restage stage.3 staging.3

      If no errors, copy staging.3 to new project directory

Happy rendering!

[e-mail]

*/

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>

#define MAXBUF 200

FILE *fin1, *fin2, *fout;
char inbuf[MAXBUF], outbuf[MAXBUF];
char inbuf1[MAXBUF], inbuf2[MAXBUF];
char *p;
int start, end;
int max1, max2;

main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
      /* check args */
      if (argc != 4) {
              fprintf(stderr, "Usage: islappnd instage1 instage2 outstage\n");
              exit(1);
      }

      /* open files */
      fin1 = fopen(argv[1], "r");
      if (fin1 == NULL) {
              fprintf(stderr, "Unable to open %s for input\n", argv[1]);
              exit(1);
      }
      fin2 = fopen(argv[2], "r");
      if (fin2 == NULL) {
              fprintf(stderr, "Unable to open %s for input\n", argv[2]);
              exit(1);
      }
      fout = fopen(argv[3], "w");
      if (fout == NULL) {
              fprintf(stderr, "Unable to open %s for output\n", argv[3]);
              exit(1);
      }

      /* get maxframes from first file */
      fgets(inbuf, MAXBUF, fin1);
      fgets(inbuf, MAXBUF, fin1);
      if (!strncmp(inbuf, "MAXFRAMES", strlen("MAXFRAMES"))) {
              p = strstr(inbuf, " ");
              p++;
              max1 = atoi(p);
      }
      fgets(inbuf, MAXBUF, fin1);
      fgets(inbuf, MAXBUF, fin1);

      /* get maxframes from second file */
      fgets(inbuf, MAXBUF, fin2);
      fgets(inbuf, MAXBUF, fin2);
      if (!strncmp(inbuf, "MAXFRAMES", strlen("MAXFRAMES"))) {
              p = strstr(inbuf, " ");
              p++;
              max2 = atoi(p);
      }
      fgets(inbuf, MAXBUF, fin2);
      fgets(inbuf, MAXBUF, fin2);

      /* write header lines, forcing LOOP off */
      fprintf(fout, "STAGE\nMAXFRAMES %d\nLOOP 0\n\n", max1 + max2);

      /* process CAMERAs - this is where it gets gnarly */
      fgets(inbuf, MAXBUF, fin1);
      /* make sure you have CAMERA line from first file */
      if (strncmp(inbuf, "CAMERA", strlen("CAMERA"))) {
              fprintf(stderr, "bad CAMERA\n");
              exit(1);
      }
      fputs(inbuf, fout);
      /* write it - this means all CAMERAs will share a LAYER */
      fgets(inbuf, MAXBUF, fin2);
      /* make sure you have CAMERA line from second file */
      if (strncmp(inbuf, "CAMERA", strlen("CAMERA"))) {
              fprintf(stderr, "bad CAMERA\n");
              exit(1);
      }

      /* We're handling POSITION, ALIGN, and SIZE clauses from each file
         here, but not ASSOCs or EFFECTs.  Yeah, yeah, it's tacky.  Feel free
         to write your own.  :-)  EFFECTs would be particularly nasty, as
         they can span multiple lines.  Still, this will handle any stage
         I've seen to date - just not every stage allowed by the grammar. */

      /* prime the pump */
      fgets(inbuf1, MAXBUF, fin1);
      fgets(inbuf2, MAXBUF, fin2);

      /* POSITION clauses */
      for (;;) {
              if (strncmp(inbuf1, "POSITION", strlen("POSITION")))
                      break;
              fputs(inbuf1, fout);
              fgets(inbuf1, MAXBUF, fin1);
      }
      for (;;) {
              if (strncmp(inbuf2, "POSITION", strlen("POSITION")))
                      break;
              /* find key string */
              p = strstr(inbuf2, " FRAMES ");
              if (p == NULL) {
                      fputs(inbuf2, fout);
                      continue;
              }
              p += strlen(" FRAMES ");
              /* get start frame */
              start = atoi(p);
              /* write first part of line */
              *p++ = '\0';
              fputs(inbuf2, fout);
              /* write shifted start frame */
              fprintf(fout, "%d ", start + max1);
              /* get end frame */
              p = strchr(p, ' ');
              p++;
              end = atoi(p);
              /* write shifted end frame */
              fprintf(fout, "%d ", end + max1);
              /* write rest of line */
              p = strchr(p, ' ');
              p++;
              fputs(p, fout);
              fgets(inbuf2, MAXBUF, fin2);
      }

      /* ALIGN clauses */
      for (;;) {
              if (strncmp(inbuf1, "ALIGN", strlen("ALIGN")))
                      break;
              fputs(inbuf1, fout);
              fgets(inbuf1, MAXBUF, fin1);
      }
      for (;;) {
              if (strncmp(inbuf2, "ALIGN", strlen("ALIGN")))
                      break;
              /* find key string */
              p = strstr(inbuf2, " FRAMES ");
              if (p == NULL) {
                      fputs(inbuf2, fout);
                      continue;
              }
              p += strlen(" FRAMES ");
              /* get start frame */
              start = atoi(p);
              /* write first part of line */
              *p++ = '\0';
              fputs(inbuf2, fout);
              /* write shifted start frame */
              fprintf(fout, "%d ", start + max1);
              /* get end frame */
              p = strchr(p, ' ');
              p++;
              end = atoi(p);
              /* write shifted end frame */
              fprintf(fout, "%d ", end + max1);
              /* write rest of line */
              p = strchr(p, ' ');
              p++;
              fputs(p, fout);
              fgets(inbuf2, MAXBUF, fin2);
      }

      /* SIZE clauses */
      for (;;) {
              if (strncmp(inbuf1, "SIZE", strlen("SIZE")))
                      break;
              fputs(inbuf1, fout);
              fgets(inbuf1, MAXBUF, fin1);
      }
      for (;;) {
              if (strncmp(inbuf2, "SIZE", strlen("SIZE")))
                      break;
              /* find key string */
              p = strstr(inbuf2, " FRAMES ");
              if (p == NULL) {
                      fputs(inbuf2, fout);
                      continue;
              }
              p += strlen(" FRAMES ");
              /* get start frame */
              start = atoi(p);
              /* write first part of line */
              *p++ = '\0';
              fputs(inbuf2, fout);
              /* write shifted start frame */
              fprintf(fout, "%d ", start + max1);
              /* get end frame */
              p = strchr(p, ' ');
              p++;
              end = atoi(p);
              /* write shifted end frame */
              fprintf(fout, "%d ", end + max1);
              /* write rest of line */
              p = strchr(p, ' ');
              p++;
              fputs(p, fout);
              fgets(inbuf2, MAXBUF, fin2);
      }

      fprintf(fout, "\n");

      /* process GLOBALSs */
      fgets(inbuf, MAXBUF, fin1);
      /* make sure you have GLOBALS line from first file */
      if (strncmp(inbuf, "GLOBALS", strlen("GLOBALS"))) {
              fprintf(stderr, "bad GLOBALS\n");
              exit(1);
      }
      fputs(inbuf, fout);
      /* write it - this means all GLOBALSs will share a LAYER */
      fgets(inbuf, MAXBUF, fin2);
      /* make sure you have GLOBALS line from second file */
      if (strncmp(inbuf, "GLOBALS", strlen("GLOBALS"))) {
              fprintf(stderr, "bad GLOBALS\n");
              exit(1);
      }

      /* We're handling ACTOR and SIZE clauses here.  Note that the
         grammar allows additional clauses. */

      /* prime the pump */
      fgets(inbuf1, MAXBUF, fin1);
      fgets(inbuf2, MAXBUF, fin2);

      /* ACTOR clauses - hard-wired to 5 lines per! */
      for (;;) {
              if (strncmp(inbuf1, "ACTOR", strlen("ACTOR")))
                      break;
              fputs(inbuf1, fout);
              fgets(inbuf1, MAXBUF, fin1);
              fputs(inbuf1, fout);
              fgets(inbuf1, MAXBUF, fin1);
              fputs(inbuf1, fout);
              fgets(inbuf1, MAXBUF, fin1);
              fputs(inbuf1, fout);
              fgets(inbuf1, MAXBUF, fin1);
              fputs(inbuf1, fout);
              fgets(inbuf1, MAXBUF, fin1);
      }
      for (;;) {
              if (strncmp(inbuf2, "ACTOR", strlen("ACTOR")))
                      break;
              /* find key string */
              p = strstr(inbuf2, " FRAMES ");
              if (p == NULL) {
                      fputs(inbuf2, fout);
                      continue;
              }
              p += strlen(" FRAMES ");
              /* get start frame */
              start = atoi(p);
              /* write first part of line */
              *p++ = '\0';
              fputs(inbuf2, fout);
              /* write shifted start frame */
              fprintf(fout, "%d ", start + max1);
              /* get end frame */
              p = strchr(p, ' ');
              p++;
              end = atoi(p);
              /* write shifted end frame */
              fprintf(fout, "%d ", end + max1);
              /* write rest of line */
              p = strchr(p, ' ');
              p++;
              fputs(p, fout);
              fgets(inbuf2, MAXBUF, fin2);
              fputs(inbuf2, fout);
              fgets(inbuf2, MAXBUF, fin2);
              fputs(inbuf2, fout);
              fgets(inbuf2, MAXBUF, fin2);
              fputs(inbuf2, fout);
              fgets(inbuf2, MAXBUF, fin2);
              fputs(inbuf2, fout);
              fgets(inbuf2, MAXBUF, fin2);
      }

      /* SIZE clauses */
      for (;;) {
              if (strncmp(inbuf1, "SIZE", strlen("SIZE")))
                      break;
              fputs(inbuf1, fout);
              fgets(inbuf1, MAXBUF, fin1);
      }
      for (;;) {
              if (strncmp(inbuf2, "SIZE", strlen("SIZE")))
                      break;
              /* find key string */
              p = strstr(inbuf2, " FRAMES ");
              if (p == NULL) {
                      fputs(inbuf2, fout);
                      continue;
              }
              p += strlen(" FRAMES ");
              /* get start frame */
              start = atoi(p);
              /* write first part of line */
              *p++ = '\0';
              fputs(inbuf2, fout);
              /* write shifted start frame */
              fprintf(fout, "%d ", start + max1);
              /* get end frame */
              p = strchr(p, ' ');
              p++;
              end = atoi(p);
              /* write shifted end frame */
              fprintf(fout, "%d ", end + max1);
              /* write rest of line */
              p = strchr(p, ' ');
              p++;
              fputs(p, fout);
              fgets(inbuf2, MAXBUF, fin2);
      }

      fprintf(fout, "\n");

      /* process rest of first file */
      for (;;) {
              /* get a line */
              fgets(inbuf, MAXBUF, fin1);
              if (feof(fin1))
                      break;
              /* echo it to the output file */
              fputs(inbuf, fout);
      }

      /* process rest of second file */
      for (;;) {
              /* get a line */
              fgets(inbuf, MAXBUF, fin2);
              if (feof(fin2))
                      break;
              /* find key string */
              p = strstr(inbuf, " FRAMES ");
              if (p == NULL) {
                      fputs(inbuf, fout);
                      continue;
              }
              p += strlen(" FRAMES ");
              /* get start frame */
              start = atoi(p);
              /* write first part of line */
              *p++ = '\0';
              fputs(inbuf, fout);
              /* write shifted start frame */
              fprintf(fout, "%d ", start + max1);
              /* get end frame */
              p = strchr(p, ' ');
              p++;
              end = atoi(p);
              /* write shifted end frame */
              fprintf(fout, "%d ", end + max1);
              /* write rest of line */
              p = strchr(p, ' ');
              p++;
              fputs(p, fout);
      }

      /* clean up */
      fclose(fin1);
      fclose(fin2);
      fclose(fout);
}




Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 18:07:34
Subject: Re: ISL not
From:    [e-mail] (John Grieggs)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


> Hi fellows Imagineers,
>       yesterday I got ISL v3.04b for PC from ftp.netcom.com site  and I
> found a problem/bug while converting PC-staging files  (I  checked  out
> 5/6 different stages)  with  "rotate2"  keyword,  ISL  simply  told  me
> "unknown effect", here is an extract from the ascii staging:
>
> EFFECT 1 FRAMES 2 61 rotate2 "effects\rotate2    (the line finish here)
>
> then the error message from ISL-restage:
>
> line xx: syntax error near "2"
>
>       Imagine PC (I use v3.1) uses rotate2 effect while amiga one  uses
> rotate20: isnt it the problem?
>
Fixed in ISL 3.0b5.

> Yah! I changed it to Rotate20 "effects\rotate2" ZAXIS DEGREES 10.0
> (ISL-restage is case-sensitive, also!)
>
Fixed in ISL 3.0b5.  Effect file names are now case-insensitive.

>       (concording to the ISL Backus Naur Form
>       effect::= ... | EFFECT U32 frames Rotate20 STRING
>                 xyzaxis DEGREES FLOAT | ...
>       (hey Grieggs thanx for it!@@!))
>
The BNF has been enhanced to permit Rotate2 as well.

> the result: nothing! I cannot use ISL if I must edit (I have added also
> the axis and degree, this is the sad thing!) the stages manually.
> I entered Imagine, I checked this staging and...
> ...hey where is my effect bar???  Nothing, ISL CANNOT MANAGES IT!!!!
>
The unregistered version will not restage effects.  It will destage them,
though.  ISL 3.0r5 can destage and restage your stage.  The unregistered
version, ISL 3.0b5, will discard your Rotate2.

>       Hey Grieggs, can U adjust your code please, this takes U only 5/6
> minutes.  And for light sources?  Havent U any plan for them??  Thanx.
>
It took several hours.  Light sources work just fine.

>
> P.S      I hope You all have understood my terrible english@@@@@@@

Sort of.  :-)

> P.P.S    I've attached sample binary && ascii staging files
>
That helped.

Incidentally, I'm willing to fix bugs found in the beta versions, but you
really should report them privately instead of mailing them to the whole
IML.  This is the Imagine Mailing List, not the Imagine Staging Language
Mailing List.  ;-)

_john




Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 19:09:30
Subject: ISL news
From:    [e-mail] (John Grieggs)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hi.

There is a new version of ISL up on my ftp site.  Feel free to grab
it and propogate it.  I'd appreciate if whoever sent it to CI$ would
do so again, as there appears to be a thriving Imagine community there.

I still haven't decided what to do about ISL long-term.  But, I've gotten
a couple of new registrations (2), which helps a little.  That and the
positive feedback from the list has led me to decide to at least make
sure there is a version which works well with Imagine 3.0.  I think it's
getting pretty close.  Bug reports are few and widely spaced...

If you want me to keep at it, vote with your registrations.  I've decided
not to upgrade to Imagine 3.1 until registrations are >= the cost of the
upgrade -- a reasonable position, I'd say.

Oh, yes, I also wrote and posted the source for a little program to join
two Imagine stages using ISL.  Hope you like it.

_john




Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 19:18:19
Subject: Re: Primera driver
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Hi Milan,

Sorry to disappoint you and maybe a couple of other people aswell, but
there is no Workbench Primera driver. Only Studio V2.0 and TurboPrint Prof
V3 do have drivers which can be used as preferences drivers. If you're
real lucky you might find one in the PD (Fish, Aminet) but as far as I
know there aren't any yet.

Greetings Joop




Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 19:19:08
Subject: Re: Dust.guide
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Hi,

>Bob O'Connell wrote,
>>
>> Is there a "Dust.guide" in english anywhere?  Anyone use this utility?
>> Looks fairly impressive, if I could figure it out....
>>
>Really it's very impresive, anyone out here knows where is the Dust.Guide
>in english? I'm looking for it too.
>Ernesto

I downloaded the archive and had a quick look. Its completly in german,
not a big problem for me, and rather large. Translating it takes more time
than I have at the moment. Anyone else who wants to do it?
Might do only the most important parts, no promises.

Greetings Joop

PS: the re-occuring mails seemed to be solved. I hope :)





Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 21:58:24
Subject: Nebula effect
From:    [e-mail] (Mike Vandersommen)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Say, I was wondering if anyone knows how to create a Nebula effect?
I'd like to use the Imagine Starfield and have a gaseous Nebula in the
background. I'm sure this is probably easy to do....but it's got me
stumped.

Mike -

Email: [e-mail]
BBS: GraFX Haus (Santa Barbara, Ca.) 805-683-1388 v.32 14.4 HST dual
---
 =FE InterNet - GraFX Haus BBS - Santa Barbara, Ca - [phone]




Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 22:02:40
Subject: Anim Speeds
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


[e-mail] wrote
>After rendering approx. 300 frames in the Project editor  it plays back
>twice  each one over 20 seconds long.  I did not make a looping anim but
>it plays back twice then stops.  I'm confused on the speed of playback and
>why it play twice.  I'm assuming that 30 frames=1 sec.  Suggestions  will

You didn't specify your platform - that's an important detail when you're
pushing pixels.  I'm going to assume that you're using an Amiga, and that
you're doing 262000 colour graphics.

Even on my Amiga 1200/030/40MHz, it's rare that I can get an animation to
do 30 fps using Imagine's anim displayer.  To get higher frame rates,
especially with HAM-8 anims, you'll have to use some non-conventional
players.

Converting the anim to anim-7 format (available through viewtek, shareware
on Aminet) can get you quicker speeds.  I've also found that the program
MainActor can REALLY speed things up.  The displayer that came with
AdPro does a credible job, but occasionally aborts or locks up the
system.

Using an outboard tool can ensure that you get exactly 30 fps, or
20, or whatever you specify.

Here are some other tricks:  Lock your palette.  Avoid Pans.  Have lots
of memory, so you don't have to do any swapping out to disk.  Have fun.

\KenR



Date:    Thursday, 26 January 1995 00:01:40
Subject: Re: Primera driver
From:    Robert Iacullo <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

There is also a driver in AdPro.


On Wed, 25 Jan 1995 [e-mail] wrote:

>
> Hi Milan,
>
> Sorry to disappoint you and maybe a couple of other people aswell, but
> there is no Workbench Primera driver. Only Studio V2.0 and TurboPrint Prof
> V3 do have drivers which can be used as preferences drivers. If you're
> real lucky you might find one in the PD (Fish, Aminet) but as far as I
> know there aren't any yet.
>
> Greetings Joop
>
>



Date:    Thursday, 26 January 1995 00:35:11
Subject: Re: Anim Speeds
From:    Mike McCool <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hey,

      Anim7 format was brought up, as superior to Anim5 for speed.
There's a great utitlity out there called Buildanim, that allows two
types of Anim7 anim-building, Anim7s and Anim7l, 's' for short and 'l' for
long.

      With Anim7l, you sacrifice a little disk space/ram, but the
speedup for display is quite remarkable.  I got into it to display DCTV
anims, which Amiga tends to kind of stutter through, because they're
hi-res.  Anim7l smoothes them out and speeds them up wonderfully.

      Buildanim's out there.  Lemme know if y'all can't find it.



Date:    Thursday, 26 January 1995 01:01:47
Subject: Bouncey Bouncey!
From:    [e-mail] (Dave Wickard)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------





Greetings Oh Great and Mighty Wizards of CG  ;-)



Just wanted to drop you a line and let you know that the
probable suspect for all the bounces and multiple mailings
of the last few days has been located and notified.

We still might see a few remnant bounces or dupes, so
please give the queue a chance to flush itself out before you
bury my poor mailbox anymore.  :-)  If you are still seeing
multiple copies of posts two days after you see this,
then feel free to let me know you are still having trouble.


Thanks for taking the time to drop me a notice that you were
seeing trouble.


Dave Wickard   [phone]   "I want sex education!"
[e-mail]     -Minnesota Governor Arne Carlson
[e-mail]     during televised debate
[e-mail]
[e-mail]




Date:    Thursday, 26 January 1995 01:16:49
Subject: PC FORMAT
From:    [e-mail] (Mike Vandersommen)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



-> However, it stubbornly refuses to work, giving me an error:
-> Cannot load COMMAND memory allocation error.
-> Has anyone else experienced this sorty of thing?

Try this command from Dos Prompt:

Imagine /noxms

Mike -

Email: [e-mail]
BBS: GraFX Haus (Santa Barbara, Ca.) 805-683-1388 v.32 14.4 HST dual
---
 =FE InterNet - GraFX Haus BBS - Santa Barbara, Ca - [phone]




Date:    Thursday, 26 January 1995 01:42:23
Subject: Screenmode Promotion
From:    Andrew D Sullivan <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



I'm about a day or two away from getting a NEC 3D multiscan monitor for
my A4000 and up 'til now I've been using a 1084S.  I know there's no
formal screenmode requester for Imagine but I'm looking forward to using
the editors non-interlaced.  Could some of you let me know how you've
managed to promote your Imagine screens to different screens rather than
its default?  Please specify the programs you used and the resolution you
managed and any bugs.  Any responses would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks.

Sully




Date:    Thursday, 26 January 1995 02:16:21
Subject: Re: ISL news
From:    [e-mail] (Silicon)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


> There is a new version of ISL up on my ftp site.  Feel free to grab
> it and propogate it.  I'd appreciate if whoever sent it to CI$ would
> do so again, as there appears to be a thriving Imagine community there.

Ok, I will reupload it to CIS. You are right about the thriving
community. Anyone who has access to CIS should stop by and check it
out.

Andrey




Date:    Thursday, 26 January 1995 02:19:03
Subject: Re: Primera driver
From:    Stethem Ted 5721 <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



This isn't quite true.  I had a Primera driver for the Workbench that I got
off a BBS but never got around to using it (I was looking at getting a
Primera but am leaning more towards the new Epson now).  So, I think I
deleted but if there is enough interest I will see if I can find it again.
 ----------
>From: imagine-relay
>To: imagine
>Subject: re: Primera driver
>Date: Wednesday, January 25, 1995 1:22PM


Hi Milan,

Sorry to disappoint you and maybe a couple of other people aswell, but
there is no Workbench Primera driver. Only Studio V2.0 and TurboPrint Prof
V3 do have drivers which can be used as preferences drivers. If you're
real lucky you might find one in the PD (Fish, Aminet) but as far as I
know there aren't any yet.

Greetings Joop




Date:    Thursday, 26 January 1995 02:37:34
Subject: Re: Primera driver
From:    Felix Anthony Marte <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Wed, 25 Jan 1995 [e-mail] wrote:

>
> Hi Milan,
>
> Sorry to disappoint you and maybe a couple of other people aswell, but
> there is no Workbench Primera driver. Only Studio V2.0 and TurboPrint
Prof

Hmmm I wonder then what it is that comes bundled with amiga primeras, and
what it is that Fargo is selling for fifty bucks. Although the original
poster didn't specify, I am guessing he's got the regular primera. I've
got a Primera Pro, and when I got it it came with the Windows driver. Not
to much of a problem since I was planning on using it on my PC as well.
The bogus part is that Fargo feels obligated to sell additional versions
of their drivers. One positive note to potential purchasers is that you
can trade in your _UNOPENED_ envelope containing the windows (or Mac)
driver for the Amiga driver.

      To the original poster: the Amiga driver (from Fargo at least) is
not public domain, or freely redistrabutable. So it's gonna cost you to
get it. At least this way you can get updates :)

_____________________________________________________________________________
Felix Anthony Marte   + Amiga 2000/33MHz 040, 16 Megs, 17" Viewsonic
[e-mail]         + Pentium 90MHz, 16 megs, 17" Mag
************* Speed is addictive       ************************************




Date:    Thursday, 26 January 1995 02:38:58
Subject: Re: Dust.guide
From:    Roger Straub <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------




On Wed, 25 Jan 1995 [e-mail] wrote:

>
> Hi,
>
> >Bob O'Connell wrote,
> >>
> >> Is there a "Dust.guide" in english anywhere?  Anyone use this utility?
> >> Looks fairly impressive, if I could figure it out....
> >>
> >Really it's very impresive, anyone out here knows where is the Dust.Guide
> >in english? I'm looking for it too.
> >Ernesto
>
> I downloaded the archive and had a quick look. Its completly in german,
> not a big problem for me, and rather large. Translating it takes more time
> than I have at the moment. Anyone else who wants to do it?
> Might do only the most important parts, no promises.
>
> Greetings Joop
>
> PS: the re-occuring mails seemed to be solved. I hope :)
>
>
>

By the way....What are you talking about? What is this dust.guide, anyway?

And - please - don't flame the wondering non-fluent. =)

See ya,
      Roger



Date:    Thursday, 26 January 1995 06:46:30
Subject: Imagine and GVP '040
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


I've just installed a GVP 40Mhz '040 in an Amiga 3000. Everything
runs fine EXCEPT Imagine.ftp. I've run the integer version of
Imagine, DPaint, AdPro, and even the floating point version of Pixel
3D without problems.

Has anyone had Imagine specific problems with this accelerator?

Floater



Date:    Thursday, 26 January 1995 10:19:26
Subject: Re: Primera driver
From:    Robert Iacullo <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


There is also a driver in AdPro.


On Wed, 25 Jan 1995 [e-mail] wrote:

>
> Hi Milan,
>
> Sorry to disappoint you and maybe a couple of other people aswell, but
> there is no Workbench Primera driver. Only Studio V2.0 and TurboPrint Prof
> V3 do have drivers which can be used as preferences drivers. If you're
> real lucky you might find one in the PD (Fish, Aminet) but as far as I
> know there aren't any yet.
>
> Greetings Joop
>
>



Date:    Thursday, 26 January 1995 11:41:25
Subject: Re: Dust.guide
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------




>By the way....What are you talking about? What is this dust.guide, anyway?
>
>And - please - don't flame the wondering non-fluent. =)
>Roger
Dust is an external particle system among things. It also allows morphing of
objects of different point/face counts.
Only drawback is that it is completly command driven.

For more info get it from Aminet. Its rather large (~650KB) and its called
'Dust133.lha' if I'm correct.

Greetings Joop




Date:    Thursday, 26 January 1995 12:39:41
Subject: Re: Nebula effect
From:    [e-mail] (ERNESTO POVEDA CORTES)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Jan, 25 1995 Mike wrote :
>
> Say, I was wondering if anyone knows how to create a Nebula effect?
> I'd like to use the Imagine Starfield and have a gaseous Nebula in the
> background. I'm sure this is probably easy to do....but it's got me
> stumped.
>
> Mike -
>

I was after a similar effect and the best results i get was doing a sphere
tint it to blue and use the nebula texture on it. Put the sphere behind your
scene far far away and test it. Maybe using the ghost texture and high noise
on it will surprise you.

Write here to say about your tests...

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  AmIgA RuLeZ                                                         =Tim

  email: [e-mail]   --> My Name is Ernesto, i am not a number!!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Date:    Thursday, 26 January 1995 12:42:06
Subject: Re: Dust.guide
From:    [e-mail] (ERNESTO POVEDA CORTES)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Wed, 25 Jan 1995 Roger wrote:
>
> By the way....What are you talking about? What is this dust.guide, anyway?
>

Get Dust133.lha from gfx/3d in Aminet and you will know what it is.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  AmIgA RuLeZ                                                         =Tim

  email: [e-mail]   --> My Name is Ernesto, i am not a number!!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Date:    Thursday, 26 January 1995 15:36:35
Subject: Re: Dust.guide
From:    Roger Straub <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you all for your replies. I hope that, one day, I can pay attention
like everyone else.

See ya,
      Roger_C?Vv



Date:    Thursday, 26 January 1995 19:25:38
Subject: Imagine and GVP '040
From:    cjo <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


M. (Mike, Martin, Magnus...?) Rubin wrote;

>I've just installed a GVP 40Mhz '040 in an Amiga 3000. Everything
>runs fine EXCEPT Imagine.ftp. I've run the integer version of
>Imagine, DPaint, AdPro, and even the floating point version of Pixel
>3D without problems.

A friend of mine has been running Imagine.fp on a A3000 with a
28 MHz GVP '040 without any problem. But there IS some problem with GVP's
accelerators, I know that much. For some reason this friend of mine can't
use this board with OS 3.1, 3.0 works fine but not 3.1. From what he said
there is a bug somewhere, but for the moment I can't remember if it was in
the new kickstart or on the acc.-board.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
|   Conny Joensson   |   Swedish Space Corp. Esrange            |
|   Kiruna           |   Satellite operations - Telecom Div.    |
|   Sweden           |   [e-mail]                     |
-----------------------------------------------------------------




Date:    Thursday, 26 January 1995 23:48:53
Subject: Re: Prostitutes can, why can't shareware authors?
From:    [e-mail] (Julian Knight)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hi Charles, on Jan 15 you wrote:

> On Fri, 13 Jan 1995, Donald DeCosta wrote:
> > John, what would you say to the idea of a shareware clearing house?
> Such a thing already exists on CompuServe; GO SWREG will bring you to
> the shareware registration area, where you can register for shareware
> online. The charge will be added to your CompuServe bill. I have no idea
> how easy it is to set up, and how much CIS charges the author for the
> service, but I've used it and you're right, Donald, it makes registering
> so painless that one actually does it.
PLEASE NO!!! Compu$pend charge too much already! I really don't think that
charging this way would bring many, if any, new users in.

I really do support the use of a shareware clearing house, I believe that
there are a number of these with local offices in the USA, UK, Germany and
Australia. This means that users can register locally, in local curreny
using credit cards.

This is one, major, reason that people (including me I'm afraid) don't register.

Another reason is cost. Many shareware packages now cost US$ 30 or more
a great price for utilities that are used a lot, but expensive for ones
that only get used once or twice in a year. I have used ISL with Imagine
2 - about twice - to rename file directories, and extreemly usefull it
was but am I going to pay for using it twice in x years?

I really hope that you wont give up on this excelent product, the Amiga
would be a TOTALLY dead and useless platform without people like
yourself putting in large amounts of time and effort to developing
programms that extend its usefullness.



auf Wiedersehen,

Julian.
 /---------------------------------------+------------------------\
 |Email:      [e-mail] | A4000/040, 14MB/320MB, |
 |Day/Urgent: [e-mail]       |    Opal, Picasso II=




Date:    Friday, 27 January 1995 11:16:24
Subject: ISL not
From:    Wizard <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Return-path: <[e-mail]>

> I would say that you have about as much
> luck getting him to UL the source code to ISL as you do getting the
> source code to Lightwave from Allen Hastings/Stuart Ferguson

I asked J.Grieggs if staging file spec is available (hey read with two eyes
messages midgard!) coz I'm developing a destage/restage util for PC (PC
version of ISL is recent) and I had some problem, I've asked an Amiga
programmer how IFF CHUNKS works so I can realize the decode/encode algo.
The main loop is now realized, I think my silly FREE util will be 90 percent
functionally (bug, bug, bug, always bug!) in a week or two (TAMC exam *shit*)
I hope PC users can use a 'ISL util' and that Impulse give us what
we're paying for, bomb me if U PC guy (hey midgard have U got Amiga?)
would like to test my buggy util, my FREE staging-file util.
As mentioned  by Grieggs I must use different keywords than ISL ones, I'll
include also a little translation util  'my-ISL' -2- 'wellknown-ISL' or,
most probably, I'll give U the ability to insert (into one file) Your prefered
keywords, U could use Grieggs' ISL keywords so.



Date:    Friday, 27 January 1995 11:34:27
Subject: Hamlab Author's address ?
From:    Nikola Vukovljak <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Does anyone know the address of the Hamlab author ? The address in the
docs for v 2.08 is not valid anymore.

Nik.
[e-mail]




Date:    Friday, 27 January 1995 12:15:27
Subject: Re: your mail
From:    Andrew D Sullivan <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------




On Fri, 27 Jan 1995, Kaspar Stromme wrote:

> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>   Kaspar Stromme                                  40mhz68030/'882;9MB;340MB
>   [e-mail]                               DCTV true-color system
>
>   PC-MAC = PoliticalCorrect-MindAbsentComputing
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>

....So what you're trying to say is....I want to say something but I'll
let you know when I think of it.
Kaspar, the friendly ghost-writer.

Sully




Date:    Friday, 27 January 1995 19:09:57
Subject: Imagine 2.0: magnets
From:    [e-mail] (MR. D.S.DOBSON)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hello there. I have imagine2.0 from Amiga Format. I have been using it for a yea
r now and i am stuck on how to use the magnet/magnetic options. What is it?, Wha
t does it do? Can anybody help me? Please??

Daniel *[e-mail]*



Date:    Saturday, 28 January 1995 00:22:36
Subject: Re: ISL not
From:    [e-mail] (John Grieggs)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


>
> Return-path: <[e-mail]>
>
> > I would say that you have about as much
> > luck getting him to UL the source code to ISL as you do getting the
> > source code to Lightwave from Allen Hastings/Stuart Ferguson
>
Sounds about right.  :)

> I asked J.Grieggs if staging file spec is available (hey read with two eyes
> messages midgard!) coz I'm developing a destage/restage util for PC (PC
> version of ISL is recent) and I had some problem, I've asked an Amiga
> programmer how IFF CHUNKS works so I can realize the decode/encode algo.
> The main loop is now realized, I think my silly FREE util will be 90 percent
> functionally (bug, bug, bug, always bug!) in a week or two (TAMC exam *shit*)
> I hope PC users can use a 'ISL util' and that Impulse give us what
> we're paying for, bomb me if U PC guy (hey midgard have U got Amiga?)
> would like to test my buggy util, my FREE staging-file util.
> As mentioned  by Grieggs I must use different keywords than ISL ones, I'll
> include also a little translation util  'my-ISL' -2- 'wellknown-ISL' or,
> most probably, I'll give U the ability to insert (into one file) Your prefered

> keywords, U could use Grieggs' ISL keywords so.
>

Note that the ISL grammar is copyright, also.  You can't just substitute
FX for EFFECT and claim you've designed a different language.  If your
language looks like mine to the extent that you can translate back and
forth with a mere keyword substitution, that's a copyright violation.

You are going to do your own reverse engineering of all the effects, right?
The effects are the hardest part, and account for more than half of the
source code.

I don't mind what you're doing, I just don't think it would be right for
you to benefit from my work.

Also, if you're just now learning how to read IFF chunks, I suspect your
time estimate may be a bit optimistic.  :)

_john




Date:    Saturday, 28 January 1995 00:52:07
Subject: Re: Dust.guide
From:    wolfram schwenzer <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Wed, 25 Jan 1995 13:26:58 +0100 (CET), [e-mail] wrote
:
> >>
> >Really it's very impresive, anyone out here knows where is the Dust.Guide
> >in english? I'm looking for it too.

> I downloaded the archive and had a quick look. Its completly in german,
> not a big problem for me, and rather large. Translating it takes more time
> than I have at the moment. Anyone else who wants to do it?

As I am german I might as well take a look at it. WHERE IS IT THEN ?

> Might do only the most important parts, no promises.

Could particpate if it's worth the effort.

      Best wishes

          Wolfram

--
wolfram schwenzer
Internet : [e-mail]




Date:    Saturday, 28 January 1995 02:03:04
Subject: Re: Imagine 2.0: magnets
From:    Roger Straub <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------




On Fri, 27 Jan 1995, MR. D.S.DOBSON wrote:

> Hello there. I have imagine2.0 from Amiga Format. I have been using it
> for a year now and i am stuck on how to use the magnet/magnetic
> options. What is it?, What does it do? Can anybody help me? Please??

The magnetic setting lets you, in Drag Points mode, drag one point and
several points around the one being dragged(within a set radius) are
moved, to a lesser degree, so that you can drag on one point and create a
bulbous protrusion that looks kinda organic.

>
> Daniel *[e-mail]*
>

See ya,
      Roger



Date:    Saturday, 28 January 1995 05:50:05
Subject: Imagine Limits
From:    [e-mail] (Ian M. Smith)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


  A user of my Stars generator encountered a bug that turned out to be
a limit to Imagine.  I havn't seen this mentioned anywhere so I thought
I would share it with the list.  Imagine uses an unsigned word for
point, edge and face counts but only allows 32678 of each for a single
object.   Trying to load an large object gives a BAD IFF CHUNK error
which like most Imagine errors, is not very informative! :-)

  Imagine also seems to use an unsigned char for storing screen height,
as I have been unable to patch heights greater than 508 (127*4) in any
version.  I perfer to patch the binary rather than use a mode promoter
since I have never encountered any redraw problems when I patch Imagine
but always have problems if I try and promote it instead.

  What I wouldn't give for just ten quick minutes with Imagine's source
code...  :-)

--
Ian M. Smith <[e-mail]>  -- PGP Fingerprint (Email for Key) --
                                  581F3521 6F9D8061 0AA214C8 BE51978D





Date:    Saturday, 28 January 1995 08:52:56
Subject: Re: Imagine Limits
From:    [e-mail] (Silicon)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


> I would share it with the list.  Imagine uses an unsigned word for
> point, edge and face counts but only allows 32678 of each for a single
> object.   Trying to load an large object gives a BAD IFF CHUNK error
> which like most Imagine errors, is not very informative! :-)

Yes, I ran into that while writing my converter program... That's a
real pain in the a**.

Andrey




Date:    Sunday, 29 January 1995 04:55:10
Subject: Imagine L/T
From:    [e-mail] (Bill Osuch)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Well, I received Imagine L/T today, and here's a quick rundown.....

It ships with the regular 3.0 manual, so you just have to figure out for
yourself what features are actually included. As near as I can tell, they've
removed the cycle editor, Inverse Kinematics, and Bones.
There are 73 textures (with a few sub-texture types), consisting of regular
textures, 2D, Specific Primative, Specific Application, Animatable, and Fog.
There's also Global FX and Global Light Textures.
There's about 70 models on the CD, and an offer from a company called Model
Mongers - 150 household-type objects for $80.
There's also a huge directory that is supposed to be many various images and
animations, but theplayer refuses to run under PC-DOS 6.3 (anyone know of a
player that will show .anm and .img files?).
Don't know whether the DXF load works; I'm about to go ftp a DXF objects and
find out.
Haven't had a chance to mess with it much, but it seems to be worth the
$100. It's a memory hog, though - Imagine, the CD drive and VESA driver only
leave 3 megs free on an 8 meg PC.
    Bill Osuch                |   I haven't lost touch with reality,
    [e-mail]          |   reality has lost touch with me....
    Semprini?                 |




Date:    Sunday, 29 January 1995 09:16:17
Subject: ISL question
From:    [e-mail] (John Grieggs)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hi.

I sent out a flurry of mail regarding ISL to the old address a couple
of days ago, and haven't gotten a peep back.  I figured that my program
to join two stages would elicit a comment, at least.

Did anybody get that stuff?  It didn't bounce, I never got a copy
back, and the moderator has yet to respond to my query...

_john




Date:    Sunday, 29 January 1995 12:04:25
Subject: Re: ISL question
From:    [e-mail] (Ian M. Smith)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


[e-mail] (John Grieggs) wrote:
> I sent out a flurry of mail regarding ISL to the old address a couple
> of days ago, and haven't gotten a peep back.  I figured that my program
> to join two stages would elicit a comment, at least.

I saw it.. your not alone.  I have sent some neat utility things up I
was sure would get lots of happy responces, and nobody even noticed. :)
Then I get lots of responces over things I didn't think would be useful
at all but put up anyway just in case.  Go figure!  At least I know
which things to work on and improve and which to leave alone.

--
Ian M. Smith <[e-mail]>  -- PGP Fingerprint (Email for Key) --
                                  581F3521 6F9D8061 0AA214C8 BE51978D





Date:    Sunday, 29 January 1995 14:36:13
Subject: Re: re: Primera driver
From:    [e-mail] (Michel J. Brown)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

In <[e-mail]>,
[e-mail] writes:

>
> Hi Milan,
>
> Sorry to disappoint you and maybe a couple of other people aswell, but
> there is no Workbench Primera driver. Only Studio V2.0 and TurboPrint Prof
> V3 do have drivers which can be used as preferences drivers. If you're
> real lucky you might find one in the PD (Fish, Aminet) but as far as I
> know there aren't any yet.
>
> Greetings Joop
>
This is slightly incorrect. There *are* (Amiga) drivers for the Primera
printer, and are available directly from Primera for the price of disk(s),
and the current postage rate. A friend, who has a Primera told me this at
a recent users group meeting. Call, and find out for yourself, ok?
Virtually yours,
Michel

Born on a moutain      ***A2500/030/882@50MHz***
Raised in a cave       ***A2386sx25/80387sx25***
Drinking and computing ***Picasso II/2 MB RAM***
Are all that I crave!  ***112 MB RAM/1.3 Gigs***





Date:    Monday, 30 January 1995 15:39:30
Subject: Imagine L/T Ordering...
From:    Lamar Milligan <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


      Hi there.  I've decided to break down and purchase Imagine L/T to
compliment my graphics editing/rendering suite.  All I need to know now
is how to order.  Can it be had COD? (I do not have a credit card, and
don't want to wait forever to get it.)  Can it be shipped 2nd day?

      Thanx.
      Benjamin Milligan
      [e-mail]




Date:    Monday, 30 January 1995 16:21:01
Subject: Re: ISL not
From:    Nikola Vukovljak <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



> > another note:  the staging file spec is available???
> The staging file spec is NOT available.  I reverse-engineered the format
> completely on my own.  Why do you think I'm charging for ISL?  It is a
> lot of work to keep up with it as it changes.
>
> >                I'm waiting for it, I'm going to compile a FREE
> >                util like ISL for PC fellows (Borland C), for those
> >                interested:  ISL is copywrited, I must use different
> >                keywords, can I realize a conversion util???
> >                (my ISL -2- well-known-ISL)
> >
> Feel free to write your own, but I don't think it would be right for
> you to use ISL as a tool to develop it.  Especially since you are not
> a registered user.

This guy is a jerk, for even mentioning this. Sure things like this get
done all the time, but it isn't like you have actually made anything out
of your work.
Some people are too cheap...

Nik.
[e-mail]




Date:    Monday, 30 January 1995 17:08:05
Subject: Re: Primera driver
From:    Robert Iacullo <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also, so AdPro has a Primera driver.

On Mon, 30 Jan 1995, Nikola Vukovljak wrote:

>
>
> On Wed, 25 Jan 1995 [e-mail] wrote:
>
> >
> > Hi Milan,
> >
> > Sorry to disappoint you and maybe a couple of other people aswell, but
> > there is no Workbench Primera driver. Only Studio V2.0 and TurboPrint Prof
> > V3 do have drivers which can be used as preferences drivers. If you're
> > real lucky you might find one in the PD (Fish, Aminet) but as far as I
> > know there aren't any yet.
>
> Actually the Fargo people in the US have Amiga driver for the Primera
> printer.
> You may have to contact them direct though...
> Check Amiga World.
>
> Nik.
> [e-mail]
>
>



Date:    Monday, 30 January 1995 17:08:22
Subject: Thanks
From:    [e-mail] (John Grieggs)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hi.

Thanks for the feedback on message propogation.  It would appear that
my messages are getting out, even though I'm not getting any from
the list myself.  Wonder why?

Anybody else notice that message posted to [e-mail]
actual get routed to [e-mail] for some reason?  :)

_john




Date:    Monday, 30 January 1995 17:08:27
Subject: Re: Primera driver
From:    Nikola Vukovljak <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------




On Wed, 25 Jan 1995 [e-mail] wrote:

>
> Hi Milan,
>
> Sorry to disappoint you and maybe a couple of other people aswell, but
> there is no Workbench Primera driver. Only Studio V2.0 and TurboPrint Prof
> V3 do have drivers which can be used as preferences drivers. If you're
> real lucky you might find one in the PD (Fish, Aminet) but as far as I
> know there aren't any yet.

Actually the Fargo people in the US have Amiga driver for the Primera
printer.
You may have to contact them direct though...
Check Amiga World.

Nik.
[e-mail]




Date:    Tuesday, 31 January 1995 10:42:55
Subject: Re: Imagine under MSDOS
From:    [e-mail] (Craig Andera )


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


>I have discovered a quirk in Imagine (boy isn't that unusual) with my
>AUTOEXEC.BAT file.  If the last line reads C:\IM30\IMAGINE, Imagine will
>boot up into the Project Editor, no Imagine title screen.  The menu bars
>change to blue and the pick colors are also different, I suppose all of
>the colors are different.  Here is the kicker, the bottom function bar
>won't come up either.  Now I have reloaded Imagine and changed the last
>line in the AUTOEXEC.BAT to CD\IM30 nad the I just type IMAGINE at the C
>prompt and a normal boot occurs.  Anyone got a clue of what is occuring?
>(For those of you just itching to flame the PC, go ahead, I got my
>flack-jacket on.)

Actually, I don't think it's a quirk. There's a config file that stores all
the toolbars, selection colors, etc. in the \im30 directory. I think the
file is called imagine.cfg. As far as I can tell, Imagine checks whatever
directory it is run for the config file. If it doesn't find it, it uses the
defaults, which were the blue menu bars and so forth.

You could actually use this to customize Imagine for several users by
having different directories with different imagine.cfg files. Just set up
a couple of batch files to change to the appropriate directory and run
Imagine from there, and voila! You can save config files to different
places from within the Preferences screen.




Date:    Tuesday, 31 January 1995 10:49:24
Subject: PC Imagine Objects from Aminet
From:    Jim Shinosky <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



I have Imagine 3.1 for the PC and I understand that objects are
interchangeable between the Amiga version and the PC version.  However, I
don't know what utility to use to unzip .lha files.  I have LHA for the
PC, which according to the name, one would think it would do the trick,
but so far I've had no luck.  Anyone have any suggestions?

Jim Shinosky
[e-mail]




Date:    Tuesday, 31 January 1995 10:54:42
Subject: Re: Imagine under MS DOS
From:    [e-mail] (Curtis White)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


>I have discovered a quirk in Imagine (boy isn't that unusual) with my
>AUTOEXEC.BAT file.  If the last line reads C:\IM30\IMAGINE, Imagine will
>boot up into the Project Editor, no Imagine title screen.  The menu bars
>change to blue and the pick colors are also different, I suppose all of
>the colors are different.  Here is the kicker, the bottom function bar
>won't come up either.  Now I have reloaded Imagine and changed the last
>line in the AUTOEXEC.BAT to CD\IM30 nad the I just type IMAGINE at the C
>prompt and a normal boot occurs.  Anyone got a clue of what is occuring?
>(For those of you just itching to flame the PC, go ahead, I got my
>flack-jacket on.)  Also, I have just gotten a Wacom ArtPad for the PC.
>It crashes Imagine, but they claim to be working on a driver that should
>be ready in about a month.  They also claim to be the only digitizing
>company working on a driver that will work with Imagine. (PC of course)
>Does anyone else have any additional info in this area?
>Thanks,
>

The problem you are having running Imagine from your autoexec.bat file with
the command C:\IM30\IMAGINE is that your current working directory is not
C:\IM30.  Therefore, Imagine cannot find it's configuration files.  If you
put the command CD C:\IM30 into your autoexec.bat file before calling
Imagine, you will not have those problems.

Example:

CD C:\IM30
IMAGINE

this will work fine.

Hope this helps.

Curt




Date:    Tuesday, 31 January 1995 10:54:47
Subject: Imagine under MS DOS
From:    "John Leipold (FA)" <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


I have discovered a quirk in Imagine (boy isn't that unusual) with my
AUTOEXEC.BAT file.  If the last line reads C:\IM30\IMAGINE, Imagine will
boot up into the Project Editor, no Imagine title screen.  The menu bars
change to blue and the pick colors are also different, I suppose all of
the colors are different.  Here is the kicker, the bottom function bar
won't come up either.  Now I have reloaded Imagine and changed the last
line in the AUTOEXEC.BAT to CD\IM30 nad the I just type IMAGINE at the C
prompt and a normal boot occurs.  Anyone got a clue of what is occuring?
(For those of you just itching to flame the PC, go ahead, I got my
flack-jacket on.)  Also, I have just gotten a Wacom ArtPad for the PC.
It crashes Imagine, but they claim to be working on a driver that should
be ready in about a month.  They also claim to be the only digitizing
company working on a driver that will work with Imagine. (PC of course)
Does anyone else have any additional info in this area?
Thanks,

John



Date:    Tuesday, 31 January 1995 10:54:50
Subject: DIGIMAX and the 16550
From:    wolfram schwenzer <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hi, Imagineers,

At last I did succeed to get my DIGIMAX up and running. But now after about
a hundred inputs it simply locks up and kills my system (a PC with an 80386)
completely (have to do a cold reboot). I have connected the DIGIMAX to COM2
which is equipped with a 16550 serial chip (which uses an internal cache to
speed up transfer rates when connecting to the Internet via modem). Can
somebody (who uses a similar configuration) testify that the 16550 is NOT the
cause for the lockup ? (If it is I'll buy an additional serial card for the
contraption).

I will post a summary of my experiences with hints and warnings as soon as it
runs smoothly and I can present my first model.

              Tanks in advance.

                 Wolfram


--
wolfram schwenzer
Internet : [e-mail]




Date:    Tuesday, 31 January 1995 10:54:53
Subject: Re: your mail
From:    Ed Phillips <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Mon, 30 Jan 1995, ken-okelly wrote:

> does anyody out there use POVRAY (Persistence Of Vision Raytracer)
> if so could they tell me if there is anywhere i can get utilities for it.
> by the way i'm using the PC version of it.
>
> thank you
>
> Kenneth O' Kelly -> [e-mail]-limerick
>

      The official ftp site for POVRay is ftp.povray.org.  You may want
to try aminet (ftp.wustl.edu:/pub/aminet) to get some conversion utils
for Imagine to/from POVRay translation.

      Ed

/****************************************************************************/
/* Ed Phillips  [e-mail]              University of Delaware       */
/* Jr Systems Programmer  [phone]    IT/Network and Systems Services */
/****************************************************************************/




Date:    Tuesday, 31 January 1995 10:54:55
Subject: IMAGINE 2.0 PC ON PC FORMAT COVERDISK
From:    Douglas Smith


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hello !


for all the people who have been asking, the issue of PC format containing
Imagine 2.0 is February (Issue 41), the cover if mainly yellow, and it has a
rendered skeleton on it (just so you can spot it from a distance).

My experiments with the PC (2.0) version have revealed some "shortcomings"

3.0 Amiga projects appear not to be recognised - no staging data is read.

Testing on a Pentium P90, REAL problems with stability, if you go into pick
points mode, you get stuck.

Has anyone got any suggestions on how to fix/work round these things.

Has anyone found an 80387 software emulator that works with Imagine, or would
anyone care to donate a 486DX chip (some chance)

              Doug


+-----------------------+------------------------------------------------------+

|Douglas E.F. Smith     |      [e-mail]|

+-----------------------+------------------------------------------------------+

|A4000/30 & 486 sx 40   | "If I was organised, I'd be dangerous"               |
+-----------------------+------------------------------------------------------+

|My employer is not responsible for my opinions; I`m not supposed to have them |

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+






Date:    Tuesday, 31 January 1995 10:55:01
Subject: ------=> Sorry NO Subject!
From:    [e-mail] (ken-okelly)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



can anybody tell me if i can get the manual for Imagine 2.0 for the PC
anywhere . I have just got it from PC Format magazine this month and there
is not much help given .

Thanks

Kenneth O' Kelly -> [e-mail]



Date:    Tuesday, 31 January 1995 10:55:11
Subject: Floating Point Emulation
From:    Douglas Smith


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hello !

Has anyone out there had any success running Imagine on a PC using software
floating point emulation, I tried a couple of emulators and got past the
"80387 required but not present" error, now I just get a message telling me
to remember what I was doing, and call Impulse.

I do know that the speed will be dismal, I know I should go out and buy a DX
chip, but as always, finances do not permit this (at this stage)

              Doug Smith.

+-----------------------+------------------------------------------------------+

|Douglas E.F. Smith     |      [e-mail]|

+-----------------------+------------------------------------------------------+

|A4000/30 & 486 sx 40   | "If I was organised, I'd be dangerous"               |

+-----------------------+------------------------------------------------------+

|My employer is not responsible for my opinions; I`m not supposed to have them |

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+





Date:    Tuesday, 31 January 1995 12:58:22
Subject: Imagine 3.1 (fwd)
From:    Charles Blaquiere <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


I hope Impulse doesn't mind me posting part of their 31.doc file
outright; here are the improvements Imagine 3.1 brings you. The
constant upgrade is worth every penny in my book, since you pay
the same $100 you'd eventually pay to get Imagine 4.0, except with
the constant upgrade program you get to play with features as they
come out, rather than having to wait 1+ year!

        1:      About box.  Every version of the constant update
will have a new version number, if you are unsure about the version
that you are using, you can pull down the about option from the
Project Editor in the first menu.  This about box will tell you the
version that you have.  If you have any problems, please have this
information handy when you call for tech support.

                The other reason we put an about box in Imagine is
because several users expressed a desire to see the "Official" version
number in the software.  So here it is.

        2:      States.. In version 3.0 of Imagine, you were not able
to morph certain aspects of each state, now you can morph almost
everything, in fact you can morph everything with the one exception
of the Brush attribute. Well that's not really true, you can "Pop morph"
the brush,  We still do not have a 2D morphing system built into
Imagine 3.1.  We continue to look at this as a possibility, but for the
time being it will be left to other software that deals with this kind of
special effect.

        3.      DXF... In Imagine 3.0 our DXF handler was, to be
blunt, not very robust.  We have improved it in several ways.  It is
much smarter as to what it does with this file format standard.  A word
of caution, we may not have it right for all the different formats that are
out there.  DXF is not a standard that even Autodesk follows.  There
are several forms of DXF or extensions that other vendors add to the
file format so that it will make it easier for you to use.   There are
several new additions to loading and saving objects, if you are
unfamiliar with these options please take the time to read about these
options.  The short answer is that almost any kind of DXF file will now
load.

        4.      Backdrop Images.  This feature is especially useful
for those who want to make logos and the like in the Spline editor.
However you will also find that the backdrop image will be very
useful in the creation of animations that have a moving backdrop
image, or for the more adventurous will use the backdrop image as a
way of doing rotoscoping.

        The simplest form of Backdrop images is when you simply
have Imagine load a, IFF, TIF, TGA or RGBN image into any editor
that has a work surface.  (This feature does not work in the Project or
Action editor or the Preferences Editor.)
        When you find the image that you want in the backdrop from
the file requester that comes up when you use this menu option,
Imagine will process down the image to a single bit plane.  It has a
tolerance so that colors that are very dark will be eliminated from the
image.  The color that is used will be the same color as the grid color,
in most cases this is gray.  You can adjust this color in the Preferences
editor, the variable know as GRID can be set to whatever color you
want.  Each person using this feature will find a perfect match for their
eyes.  It seems that everyone in the office sets the GRID color to a
different color, most of them however are rather stark in comparison
to the surrounding colors.
        If you use a scanner to collect different images of various
clients logos, it would be to your best interest to reduce the colors of
the logo to a matter of white on a black background.
        If you are in the QUAD view, the image that you load will be
placed in the Front view and it will be size reduced to fit into that
window.  If you want to see a larger backdrop image, simply go to a
full screen view and then load in a backdrop image.  If you are done
with the image you can clear the image with the Clear Backdrop menu
item in the Display menu just below the Load Backdrop menu item.
        NOTE:  IF you go from full view to Quad view or from Quad
to full after you have loaded an image as a backdrop, Imagine will
erase that image from view, and you will have to load it again.  Also if
you perform a Redraw command the backdrop image will go away
and you will have to reload it, as well causing the image to Scroll will
make the backdrop image to go away.
        Because Imagine will now read Anims for the Amiga ad Flc
files for the PC, you can load any frame of an animation as a backdrop
image, this is how you can do rotoscoping.  Once you find the FLC or
ANIM file that you want to load, Imagine will prompt you with a small
requester that asks for a frame number that you want to use as the
image backdrop.  It will default to the last frame of the animation, so
it is
a good idea to know what frame you want to work on.  When you
have typed the number of the frame that you want, just hit the return
key and the image will appear in either the front view or whatever full
view you are working on.

        5. FLC and ANIM brushes.... In the past you had to make a
series of images that you used as a brush for an object, while this
method is till supported, you can now map to any object a FLC or
ANIM. You can establish the last frame of the anim or flc as the last
frame for reference purposes on your rendering or you can type in
any number that is smaller than the last frame.  In this way you can use
a smaller part of an animation or flc.
        Flc and Anim files can be tacked as all other brushes.  The
only drawback at the moment is that these files, FLC and ANIMs are
generally not made in 24 bit, so if you are doing something where
image quality is paramount, you may still want to use the serialized
separate images instead of an Anim or Flc file.
        Another very cool thing is that you can use Anim or Flc files
as BACKDROP images or Global Brush in the stage.  If you have a
video digitizer and can get motion video into your computer in the
right format you can make some amazing special effects.  Consider
that you can could make a huge monstrous robot that is walking down
wall street, smashing cars and knocking down buildings as it goes.
This might take a while but it is a feature that will make you animations
look very upscale.  We have been using the Indeo video digitizing
card and converting AVI files to Flic files.  These files are then
imported into the Background Picture requester in the Action editor
in the Globals actor bar.  We know that once you have this technique
down you will be able to do things that you either could not do in the
past or just did not have the time to try.

        6. SHOW PIC and ANIM...  Over the years we have always
wanted to be able to see a picture that we were going to use as a
brush, now with the simple click of a mouse button you can have
Imagine show you any image in the formats that it reads.  The same is
true of Anim files as well as FLC files.  Note that you will have to use
the ESCAPE key to get out of the shown image or animation.  The
Show Pic and Show Flic/Anim function is found in the First menu in
any work surface editor.   Note that once you leave and image or
animation with the Escape key, you will be presented with the file
requester once more.  This is because one of the tech guys said,
"HEY I WANT TO LOOK AT MORE THAN ONE PIC",  so when
you are done looking at pics or anims, hit the cancel button on the file
requester and you will be returned to the work surface.

        7. Field Rendering... For many this feature will do nothing,
except make you feel good that once you really need it you now have
it.  Field rendering is only worth something if you are going to a single
frame recorder, of digital animation system like the Personal
Animation Recorder from DPS, in Florence, Kentucky.   You simply
click on the Field Render button in the subproject requester for the
project that you are working on.  Notice also that there is a flip fields
button.  You should make a test render of say 30 frames, if the image is
not stable or seems to be blurred or jagged, then simple click on the
Flip Field button.  Now re-render the animation and everything should
be just perfect.  Remember that this is the case for your system so that
when you set up a render you will always have to click on this button
if you needed to do so for this test.  We have set  this feature to work
out of the box with the PAR card, so as you test this feature please let
us know what you had to do to make it work with your system so that
we can let everyone else know what works best.

        8. Stage Attributes....  If you have been putting special lighting
in your scenes with various lighting textures applied to them you
already know that making changes to these lights is a real pain if you
have to go back to the Detail editor every time you want to make a
change.  Well no problem now, in fact there is no problem making
changes to any attribute of a single object.  In the Stage editor you can
find the new attributes menu item in the Object main menu bar item.
Note that once you change the objects attributes you will have to save
the object after you accept the new changes that you made in the
attributes requester.  If you want the new attributes to take effect make
sure that you keep the same name for the object, if on the other hand
you want to keep the old object around, make sure that you give the
object a new name.  Remember that you will have to change the object
in the Action editor if you have saved the object under a new name.

        9. Light Source and Object Viewports.... Several people have
asked for us to give Imagine the ability to view what other objects or
lights would be seeing if they were the camera.  This new feature
works as requested.  From the objects Y axis or the Lights Y axis a
view is shown so that you can visualize what the object or light is
going to effect when the scene is rendered.
        You choose this function from the Display menu.   You have
two choices, Light source view and Object view.   When you choose
one of these menu items you will see a requester will all of the objects
and lights that are in the scene.  Click on the object or light name for
the new view that you want to see.  Note that the Spherical light that
you add in the Stage is not  for the purposes of this feature considered
a light it is considered an object.  When you are done with this view
click on the camera view and you will be back looking at what the
camera is going to see.
        A nifty idea for those who want to see what things might look
like, keep an axis around that you can use as a fake camera.  Place it
where you might position the camera, choose its view and now you
have a way of seeing things from many different view.  If you like the
new view from the fake camera, simply move the camera to the
position of the axis either with the mouse or the Transformation
requester.

        10. The last new feature is called SMART BONES...
Undoubtedly you like the new bones feature, but if you are like us at
all, you get real tired making the bones subgroups and then going
back to object mode, assigning the subgroups to the bone and then
starting all over.  While we would like to make it actually figure out
what to do with each bone automatically, we have come up with
something that will take away much of the tedium that you might have
already experienced.

        SO, here is how you will use this new feature.  Make your
object, and add the bones to it as you would have done before.
However when you would have gone to face mode to set some
subgroups, simply pick the small group of faces for any bone and then
under the Functions menu in the Make sub-menu choose the MK. Sm.
Bone Subgroup item.  Then click on the axis that you want to assign
that set of triangles as the Small Bone Subgroup,  Now pick the Large
group of triangles that you will use for that bone and use the MK. Big
Bone Subgroup.  Keep doing this for all of the bones that you have
associated to the object that you have made.  Now when you go back
and check out the small and big subgroup names that are associated to
the various bone axis, you will see that Imagine has picked up the
name of the axes and added the big and small suffix to the name so that
all you had to do what pick the triangles and click on the axis that it is
associated to.  In this way you can bone an entire object in a very
short time.

        We have noticed that it might be a good idea to move the axis
(bones) of the object of center until all things are set.  This is because
the axis lines can become confused with other lines when doing this.


        11. BUGS fixes.

        Starfield render bug..... The starfield was supposed to move
when you move the camera, it did not and now it does.  Try it out.  It
moves up and down and left and right, buy you still can get any closer
than you always are. Maybe the next time we will do that funky
moving through the stars at the speed of light thing that seems to find
its way into all good science fiction.

        Looping animation warnings were fixed.  If you want to make a
looping
animation, set it up with an extra frame at the end; click on the "Looping"
button, and make sure everything is positioned the same in the first and
last
frames; and then render all but the last frame when you make the animation.

        Finally, a bunch of "minor" bugs have been found and corrected.


New DXF features:

  When loading or saving DXF files now, a requester pops up allowing
you to control more about the way objects are handled.

  In general, DXF files can store a color number and/or a layer name
for each "item" in the file.  Other software sometimes uses this
information to control how the data is split up into separate objects.

  The options for saving files allow you to control the layer name(s)
that are written, and what type of color numbering (if any) to use.
Basically, you can either use the default layer name, "0", a layer
name that you specify, or you can use the object name (set in the
Attributes requester) as the layer name.  For color numbers, you can
either not write them at all; specify a specific number to use; or
use a sequence of numbers, one per object, starting at a number you
specify.  There is one last item you can control when writing files
... the "type" of data that is written for the object.  You must
choose between "3DFACE" data, or "Polyface Mesh" data.  The "3DFACE"
format is older, and is probably supported by most "DXF importing"
software (in fact Imagine 3.0 recognized only 3DFACE data) ... but
it results in a larger output file.

  The options for loading files allow you to control how the layer
names and color numbers are (or can be) used to break up the file
data into separate objects, and whether or not any "2D" data appearing
in the file is ignored  (i.e. lines, motion paths, etc. ...  basically,
anything that doesn't produce "faces").  You can specify that Imagine
should read the file and produce only one object ("One object" checkbox),
or that it should split the data into different Imagine objects using
DXF layer name or using the color number ("One object per layer", and
"One object per color" checkboxes) or that it should read in the data,
building on one object, and start a new object when either the layer
name changes and/or the color number changes ("Layer change -> new object",
and  "Color change -> new object" checkboxes).  There is also an
"Entity change -> new object" option.  The "Entities section" of a
DXF file lists the actual "items" in the file.  When 3DFACE data
is used, each face of an object is an "entity" (and you would NOT
want to select "Entity change -> new object").  When "PolyFace Mesh"
data is used, each "Mesh", consisting of many faces, is an entity,
and "New entity -> new object" is a useful option.  If you are having
trouble loading a DXF file, and you're getting the "Too many points
in object" message from Imagine, try experimenting with the options
in order to get Imagine to break the data up into smaller objects.

Lastly, Imagine now recognizes most of the DXF "entity" types that
exist (i.e. 3DFACE, POLYLINE, CIRCLE, SOLID, ... etc.)





Date:    Tuesday, 31 January 1995 13:08:20
Subject: RE...no subject...
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Kenneth O' Kelly posted, in part:
>can anybody tell me if i can get the manual for Imagine 2.0 for the PC
Ken-
There is a book that I have seen called "3D Modeling Lab" that has
 book is a bit costly it looked like a decent job of documentation.
ished by Waite(sp?) Group Press. It also offers an upgrade
gine 3.0 for Amiga or pc.



Now I have a question. Can any one tell me the address to subscribe to
EGS Spectrum and would like to run Imagine and promotion don't seem to
or on the EGSML.

              Thanks





Date:    Tuesday, 31 January 1995 13:31:32
Subject: Re: Imagine L/T Ordering...
From:    [e-mail] (Bill Osuch)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



>
>     Where did you send your check to, and for exactly how much?  Are
>you in the USA?
>
>     Thanx for the reply,  Benjamin Milligan
>     [e-mail]
>
>
They hit you for $5 for shipping. The addr:

8416 Xerxes Ave. North
Minneapolis, MN   55444
    Bill Osuch                |   I haven't lost touch with reality,
    [e-mail]          |   reality has lost touch with me....
    Semprini?                 |




Date:    Tuesday, 31 January 1995 14:25:28
Subject: ISL 3.0B6
From:    [e-mail] (John Grieggs)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hi.

ISL 3.0b6 has been released.  Versions for both the PC and the Amiga
are at ftp.netcom.com:/ftp/pub/gr/grieggs/ISL/, as usual.

I also uploaded the Amiga version to Aminet.  It should appear in
gfx/3d shortly.  I wanted to put the PC version on ftp.cdrom.com as
well, but couldn't figure out where it belonged - lots of mirror sites
are mounted there!  If someone will tell me the optimal spot for it,
I'd be glad to put it there.  :)

Couple of news items:

1.  I really appreciate the moral support many of you have given me!

2.  islappnd is now included in the ISL distribution, in source and
    binary forms.  I threw in a compiled version of frames.c as well.

3.  Does anyone actually use islobjs?  If you do, let me know - I'm
    considering trashing it.

That's it for now.  Go forth and render!

_john




Date:    Tuesday, 31 January 1995 14:37:03
Subject: Re: your mail
From:    Sharky <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


On Mon, 30 Jan 1995, ken-okelly wrote:

> does anyody out there use POVRAY (Persistence Of Vision Raytracer)
> if so could they tell me if there is anywhere i can get utilities for it.
> by the way i'm using the PC version of it.
>
> thank you
>
> Kenneth O' Kelly -> [e-mail]-limerick
>
>
check out ftp.cdrom.com....lotsa goodies there!

Aloha, Sharky

[e-mail]/CIS#70614,2011 __   v  Home Page : http://aloha.com/~sharky
WebSurfer & Fun Guy,Funky    __/  \ >*< Hawaii Related Links and Etcetera's
WWW Page Designs,       ____/    ) | ^  3D Modelling & Animation Art,Objects,
Tech. Planning  /\_____/          } \   NOTE:Pages still under construction
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(_________ALOHA!_______)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~







Date:    Tuesday, 31 January 1995 15:23:09
Subject: Re: Imagine under MS DOS
From:    [e-mail] (Ian M. Smith)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



> I have discovered a quirk in Imagine (boy isn't that unusual) with my
> AUTOEXEC.BAT file.  If the last line reads C:\IM30\IMAGINE, Imagine will
> boot up into the Project Editor, no Imagine title screen.
> [...]
>                        Now I have reloaded Imagine and changed the last
> line in the AUTOEXEC.BAT to CD\IM30 nad the I just type IMAGINE at the C
> prompt and a normal boot occurs.  Anyone got a clue of what is occuring?

I bet the problem is that when you just run Imagine from C:\IM30\IMAGINE
in the autoexec it does not know where to go to get the config files
and the startup picture.  Now if you put both CD\IM30 and then IMAGINE
in the autoexec file, it should work fine.

--
Ian M. Smith <[e-mail]>  -- PGP Fingerprint (Email for Key) --
                                  581F3521 6F9D8061 0AA214C8 BE51978D





Date:    Tuesday, 31 January 1995 16:39:52
Subject: Re: no subject (file transmission)
From:    Carsten Bach <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Some time ago there was a question about where to find the "caustic"
texture. Was there a answer i missed ?







Date:    Tuesday, 31 January 1995 18:39:47
Subject: Clouds (again!)
From:    [e-mail] (Joe Cotellese)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


I am sure that this has been answered before BUT...

Does anyone know how to do clouds in Imagine.  I have a planet type object
that I would like to surround with an atmosphere.  I have tried the ghost
texture but didn't get the right look.  Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Joe C.



Date:    Tuesday, 31 January 1995 19:21:49
Subject: 3d stereograms
From:    129275 J PADFIELD <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


A while back (before xmas) someone posted instructions
on how to make those 3d stereograms (you know, the
pictures that look like a load of random dots, but if you look
at them right you see a 3d image) with the help of Imagine.

If anyone could send me them (privately or on the IML)
it would be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance, Ratty



Date:    Tuesday, 31 January 1995 19:27:44
Subject: Re: PC Imagine Objects from Aminet
From:    [e-mail] (Patrick Sauvageau)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



>I have Imagine 3.1 for the PC and I understand that objects are
>interchangeable between the Amiga version and the PC version.  However, I
>don't know what utility to use to unzip .lha files.  I have LHA for the
>PC, which according to the name, one would think it would do the trick,
>but so far I've had no luck.  Anyone have any suggestions?
>
>Jim Shinosky
>[e-mail]

Personnaly, I use LHA 2.13 on the PC with no problem, except that when i
give the archive name, i must type the .lha extension because PC LHA call
it's archive .lzh. The other trouble you may encouter is in the files flags,
use the "a" option to unarc those files, sometime they are unarchived as
"hidden" files.

Except that, i have never any trouble unarchiving amiga archives on the PC.

If you would like a copy of lha 2.13, send me an email.

Hope this help

-----
Patrick Sauvageau
([e-mail])




Date:    Tuesday, 31 January 1995 19:51:22
Subject: Virtual Memory With Imagine
From:    [e-mail]


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


I have Imagine 3.0 for the PC. My problem is that I have only 8 megs of ram
and wish to render a 20 meg file.

Are  there any utilities on the PC-DOS side where I can create a swap file or
virtual memory in DOS so that Imagine will treat  the virtual memory as XMS?

                                              Ron Guidry
                                         [e-mail]



Date:    Tuesday, 31 January 1995 20:02:57
Subject: Re: PC Imagine Objects from Aminet
From:    [e-mail] (Curtis White)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


>
>I have Imagine 3.1 for the PC and I understand that objects are
>interchangeable between the Amiga version and the PC version.  However, I
>don't know what utility to use to unzip .lha files.  I have LHA for the
>PC, which according to the name, one would think it would do the trick,
>but so far I've had no luck.  Anyone have any suggestions?
>

When you lha extract files that contain Amiga files, sometimes the files
contain attributes that the PC doesn't like.  You can extract them using the
/a switch (ie., lha x /a *.lha).  This tells lha to ignore the attributes
and extract the files anyway.  This will usually result in hidden files.
You can change the hidden attribute using DOS's ATTRIB command (ie., ATTRIB
-h *.*).  Also, if the file you are extracting contains the extension of
.lha then you have to specify this.  LHA's default extension is .lzh (ie.,
lha x *.lha).  Hope this helps.

Curt




Date:    Tuesday, 31 January 1995 20:38:17
Subject: POVRAY
From:    [e-mail] (Mike Vandersommen)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



-> From: [e-mail] (ken-okelly)
->
-> does anyody out there use POVRAY (Persistence Of Vision Raytracer)
-> if so could they tell me if there is anywhere i can get utilities for
-> by the way i'm using the PC version of it.

The best place is FTP at POVRAY.ORG

Mike -

Email: [e-mail]
BBS: GraFX Haus (Santa Barbara, Ca.) 805-683-1388 v.32 14.4 HST dual
---
 =FE InterNet - GraFX Haus BBS - Santa Barbara, Ca - [phone]




Date:    Tuesday, 31 January 1995 20:39:02
Subject: Imagine 2.0 manual
From:    [e-mail] (Mike Vandersommen)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------




-> From: [e-mail] (ken-okelly)
->
-> can anybody tell me if i can get the manual for Imagine 2.0 for the P
-> anywhere . I have just got it from PC Format magazine this month and
-> is not much help given .

Unfortunately, the 2.0 manual isn't much help either. However, I have
it. Since I have 3.0 I certainly don't need it. Email me and we'll
talk.

Mike -

Email: [e-mail]
BBS: GraFX Haus (Santa Barbara, Ca.) 805-683-1388 v.32 14.4 HST dual
---
 =FE InterNet - GraFX Haus BBS - Santa Barbara, Ca - [phone]




Date:    Tuesday, 31 January 1995 21:01:36
Subject: PC IMAGINE OBJECTS FROM A
From:    [e-mail] (Mike Vandersommen)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



-> From: Jim Shinosky <[e-mail]>
->
-> I have Imagine 3.1 for the PC and I understand that objects are
-> interchangeable between the Amiga version and the PC version.  Howeve
-> don't know what utility to use to unzip .lha files.  I have LHA for t
-> PC, which according to the name, one would think it would do the tric
-> but so far I've had no luck.  Anyone have any suggestions?

Yes. When you extract an .LHA file using the PC version of LHA, be sure
to type in the full name and extension.

ie. LHA e Amiga.lha

The PC LHA and LHARC always look for the extention .LZH

Mike -

Email: [e-mail]
BBS: GraFX Haus (Santa Barbara, Ca.) 805-683-1388 v.32 14.4 HST dual
---
 =FE InterNet - GraFX Haus BBS - Santa Barbara, Ca - [phone]




Date:    Tuesday, 31 January 1995 22:41:16
Subject: IMAGINE UNDER MS DOS
From:    [e-mail] (Mike Vandersommen)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



-> From: "John Leipold (FA)" <[e-mail]>
->
-> I have discovered a quirk in Imagine (boy isn't that unusual) with my
-> AUTOEXEC.BAT file.  If the last line reads C:\IM30\IMAGINE, Imagine w
-> boot up into the Project Editor, no Imagine title screen.
-> Anyone got a clue of what is occuring?

Sure, that's easy. Imagine NEEDS to see "Imagine.PIC" when it loads
(don't ask me why) and by using the C:\IM30\IMAGINE line, you are trying
to load Imagine outside it's directory. Also Imagine needs to see
the IMAGINE.CFG file.

If you really want to use that line, you could simply add C:\IM30 to
your path statement, but as you've discovered, simply CDing to the IM30
directory THEN loading Imagine, solves the problem.

Mike -

Email: [e-mail]
BBS: GraFX Haus (Santa Barbara, Ca.) 805-683-1388 v.32 14.4 HST dual
---
 =FE InterNet - GraFX Haus BBS - Santa Barbara, Ca - [phone]




Date:    Tuesday, 31 January 1995 22:42:43
Subject: Where to find Dust
From:    [e-mail] (joop van de wege)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hi searchers,

For all of you who want to know where to find DUST
Its on Aminet: Directory gfx/3d and named Dust133.lha

Greetings Joop




Date:    Tuesday, 31 January 1995 23:38:11
Subject: Re: Imagine under MS DOS
From:    "John Leipold (FA)" <[e-mail]>


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Thanks everyone who replied to my question.  I did get it to work fine
with the suggestions, and no PC flaming!?!  Ah, the harmony of this group
is making me feel warm and fuzzy all over.  Thanks again.

Hail Eris,

John



Date:    Tuesday, 31 January 1995 23:48:42
Subject: Re: SmartDrv-Dual Boot
From:    [e-mail] (Bill Osuch)


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------



>
>Just curious. What do you mean by "dual-boot"? Is this similar to the multiple
>config.sys options? I know Smartdrv goes in the autoexec.bat and assumed I
>would need a special "win.bat" file to use it w/o hurting Imagine.
>
>
You can also use multiple options in the autoexec.bat file. I have it set up
pretty similar to the way that was posted on the IML a while back (don't
remember by whom....):

:common
   (this contains the common stuff, like loading the mouse & VESA drivers)

goto %config%    <------ this line jumps to the section that was picked in
the config.sys menu

:windows
   (load the windows-only stuff - smartdrive, sound blaster, etc.)
goto done    <------ this jumps past the next section

:imagine
   (cd to the imagine directory and run it)

:done   <----- ends the batch file
    Bill Osuch                |   I haven't lost touch with reality,
    [e-mail]          |   reality has lost touch with me....
    Semprini?                 |