Subject: re Imagine and Freelancing
Date: Fri, 20 May 94 03:47:56 PDT
From: 20-May-1994 0457 <leimberger@marbls.enet.dec.com>
> Are any major network or syndicated shows being produced using Imagine?
> Any commercials or movie effects? I read AV Video, a video professional's
> rag, and they make references all the time to LW, ADPro, and all kinds of
> Toaster utilities. They include artwork produced on Amigas and have a
Last year Amiga World had a few examples of Imagine used for TV.
I remember one of these was "Young Indiana Jones". The use was to get
some old style signs. I forget the others.
>>These mag's are all biased on what they cover, the Toaster has a name,
>>they cover it.. Amiga does not have a name... it's not seen, same thing
>>with other 3D packages .. I'm sure LOTS of things are used that never get
I Agree with the above statement. The Toaster has a great following,
And I like to be able to afford lightwave also. But I don't think
I'd drop Imagine off my HD. Also the Toaster User is not in exsistance
simply because of lightwave. Many Toaster users I've met don't gat past
the CG, and the Switcher. If Lightwave had simply been stanalone software
youd be reading nothing more than a newsletter. I don't see mags for
many of the highend systems regardless of merit.(If I'm wrong here let
me know! I love reading about this stuff).
Also we have to remember what the largest installed OS for PC's
is. Now who want's to tell me that because it is widely used it is the best!
> No version numbers? I called up Impulse before 2.9 was released because I
>>Version numbers? thats more a "programer" thing than a Video thing...Heck
>>for me it's give me the newest... not give me V3.4.5c lev 4.6r Bleh.
I can see the advantage of version numbers, but I hope to join the auto
update service Impulse offers so it is a moot point to me.
> one of the things you have to worry about is time. Arexx allows you to
>
> How about something simple, like getting 30fps playback. I need to
> produce test animations for my clients. Usually, at some point they're
> going to want a version that they can include in their off-line edit (know
> what that is?). This test version must be exactly the right speed, and
Well then you should look at other methods like the DPS PAR card. I don't
know how you plan on doing the finished product, but a demo on video is
often more impressive to those that WANT VIDEO. It may look great on screen
and you and I understand what is going on but some may worry about how it
will translate. Aside from that you can send possible clients a video.
At this time it simply taks more than one program to do it all.
> In the stage editor, when you play a test animation, your choice of speeds
> ranges from 'slow' to 'fast', and most of the slow speeds are totally
> useless, as is the default speed, which is way to fast. The useful range
> of speeds are all in a small range on the right side of the slider, but
> you don't know what the actual speed is, and 30fps in not one of them as
> far as I can tell by timing it. Professional software would not waste my
> time with my watch to my ear, counting frames trying to figure out what
> frame rate I'm running at.
Again you can use ADPRO to build the anim and use FRED to time stretch,
ect. The preview in stage is so YOU can see if your heading in the right
direction with what you are doing.
> > > My appeals to this group is my last ditch effort to see if there's
> something I'm missing. I've asked, and no one answered, what are Forge
> and Essence? These seem popular, but I've never heard of them. I just
> found out about ISL, would really have helped me out a year ago. I didn't
If you don't give 30 a chance you could be missing a whole LOT.
> contact with my peers, and I'm finding out that my peers in the
> professional world think Imagine stinks and that my fellow Imagine users
> are art students and part timers. I just feel like I'm at the wrong
> party. No offense is meant.
>
>>By all means do everything your peers say, buy anything they like and be
>>just like them at all costs ;)
Most of my peers run MSDos, but I haven't followed them yet! Were talking
Apples and oranges here. I have a pretty nice home setup, but daily I see
people with a third of my resources doing more and better stuff than me.
And I've seen Imagine stuff that will exceed the stuff many of your
Professional peers may do. Buying a hammer, and a saw don't make you
a carpenter, and simply buying a toaster won't make most people a
professional animator.
>> Do Babylon 5. Do SeaQuest. Do something for someone who wants two test
>> anims a week and will constantly ask for changes. Come up with a
>> perfectly timed test anim that you are confident can be cut into an
>> offline and used as a basis for music, voice over, and editing. Try to pick
>> the right texture without spending all day, or waiting weeks
>> for someone to upload a sampler.
Get real! If you could count the number of Amiga's/Toasters used on these
shows and add the times from them together then look at the total as
manhours you could end up counting months, and months.
As for Beauty and the beast it is my belief the final product was rendered
on Macs but Imagine was used for preview and setup, and storyboard. I
could be wrong here.
BTW I live three miles from a Toaster Dealer, and have spent days watching
Lightwave render a few scenes. Then do it over again at the final pass.
We have an award winning Toaster User browsing this list. (This guy is
one of the peers you mention). He uses lightwave but understands what
it takes to do a great animation. Every time I see him he's looking for
more speed. Not just from processing power, but from creative usage of
LW. This person could apply many of his tricks( I hate to use thar word)
to Any of the 3D modelers used today. Some are LW only but many are
generic in nature.
When a person goes to tend their garden they use more than one tool.
Animators are the same way. I still use PageRender 3D to build Arrays
on objects and then move the objects to Imagine for animation.
bill
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