Amiga Tools 3/Amiga Tools 3.iso/grafik/raytracing/imagine/tips/arc27.txt

Text File | 1993-03-12 | 127KB | 3,294 lines

IMAGINE archive: collected off of [e-mail]

ARCHIVE XXVII
Sep. 9 '92 - Oct. 1 '92

If you have questions or problems with this file, email Marvin Landis
at [e-mail]

note: each message seperated by a '##'

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Subject: contest questions
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 92 15:28:09 CDT
From: [e-mail] (Dale R Rogers)

    Dave,

    I would like to possibly enter an animation that I have been
    toying with for a while now.  I am a registered user of some font
    objects from UniliGraphics.  Instead of re-inventing the wheel, I
    would like to use their fonts for my animation.  Is there a
    problem with using commercial fonts in the contest.  All other
    objects would be created by me.

    Also, can I use other products to enhance my animation.  For
    instance, Could I use Imagine to produce my rendered objects and
    then use ADPro to enhance the images, and DPaint to add other
    graphics to it?  Or should it be totally Imagine?

    Dale



       _____________________________^_____________________________
                                  __ __
                                ____ ____
       _____________________________ _____________________________
       dale r. rogers                Email:  ingr!b24a!camelot!dale
                                     Internet:
                                     [e-mail]

                                    .

##

Subject: Re: Editing 24bit pics with DCTV paint
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 14:12:41 -0700
From: [e-mail] (Jeff Walkup)

[e-mail] (Michael Linton) goes:

>          MY question is, if I add my signature to the 24bit file using
> DCTV paint, and then save the file back as 24bit, will the edited file
> have all the clairity of an RGB 24bit pic when displayed on somehthing
> like a FireCracker?  Or will the picture be downgraded a bit when I save
> it back as 24bit (i.e. will DCTV paint save it with a poorer quality than
> the orginal file)?


Yes, the DCTV software will degrade your image quite a bit, even if
you save it out as 24-bit again.

DCTV-Paint uses the equivalent of the RAW format for its internal buffer.
Any image you load will be converted to this format, which will
introduce "fringing" artifacts, similar to HAM fringing but more like
NTSC artifacts.  So no matter what you save it as, it will suffer.

If you have ADPro, I suggest you use that to overlay your signature
on the image.  ADPro uses a true 24-bit buffer, and thus will not degrade
the image at all.  You can even use ADPro to overlay font-based text,
with the "Text_Visual" operator.

-----------                                                       //
Jeff Walkup <[e-mail]> Graphics/Animation Designer \\//

##

Subject: Starfields, etc.
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 14:09:49 -0700
From: [e-mail] (Jeff Walkup)

Adam Benjamin <[e-mail]> sez:

> If you wanted you could put a transparent plane behind your
> earth and then the fog should work fine.  BUT then of course you have
> the other problem of the background NOT rendering through transparent
> objects.

I just tried this.  I works fine.  The background does not show thru
the "transparent" objects, but that looks OK since you wouldn't be
able to see the stars thru the Earth's atmosphere, or the Sun.  The
only problem is that it's difficult to make the objects the right size
and shape, and position them in the correct perspective.  Works OK for
a still, but forget about doing an animation where the fog objects, or
the camera, moves.


> Your star field sounds interesting.  Might you uuencode a copy or FTP
> it to somewhere.   (Or if it is really simple maybe tell me how you do
> it. Although I don't have Image master)

Sure, I could post it to Hubcap, maybe I will.  It *is* really simple
to reproduce though, if you have ImageMaster.


------ Make-Stars Tutorial ;^) ------

Load DPaint with a hires 4 or 8 color screen.  (or 2 if you just want
white stars).  Click the RMB on the Airbrush tool, drag it out to its
maximum size.  Splatter the screen with dots, white, light-blue,
light-red, etc... whatever colors you want your stars to be.  I used
the second built-in brush, the one that looks a little bit like: +
Then save it and load it into IM.

Select "Process Panel/Special Effects/Make Shine".  This effect will
put a little cross-shaped "sparkle" on any area of the image that is
bright.  Since you have a black screen with bright dots, it should
make all the dots into a little star.  Play with the settings of
"Make Shine" a little until it does.

Then, if you want to make a few larger stars, select "Asterize"
(nearby to "Make Shine"), and draw a rectangle, the size that you
want the star to be.  You can adjust the colors and the thickness
of the 'arms' to get a nice big, bright, blue star.  Make a bunch
of big bright stars, they look nice!  If your image still contains
any small dots or thin lines, you will probably want to select
"Filters/Anti-Alias" to smear them a bit, so your final image will
look decent on DCTV or other NTSC video device.

Voila!  It's full of stars!  Now write to Impluse and complain about
the background&fog/filter bug, or use a plane with yer image on it
(Shhhyaaa, right!  Good luck!!)

Other options to produce the initial field-of-dots would be: Vista
(turn on stars, point the camera straight up, 90 degrees), or use
Distant Suns, or render just a starfield with Imagine (use hires).

-----------                                                       //
Jeff Walkup <[e-mail]> Graphics/Animation Designer \\//

##

Subject: Did you see it?
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 92 17:17:02 -0500
From: [e-mail] (PJ Foley)

Aladdin 4D from Adspec Programming is reviewed in the latest Amazing/Amiga
(October 1992).  It is a review in this issue along with a few snippits
about the Playmation system as seen at SIGGRAPH.  Aladdin is Real3D Pro
with some great stuff added.  It is given a great review by R. Shamms Mortier
who says that he'd like to see this as the staple Amiga animation program,
like DPaint is to 2D painting.

All I have to say is:  If Imagine 3.0 isn't here now, and is not something
incredible in terms of interface and capabilities, I'm outta here.

I have invested quite a bit of money and time into Imagine, but I am now
seeing other programs doing neat things a lot easier and a lot faster
than Imagine can.  I have "mastered" the pathetic Imagine interface, but
now I see that I do not have to put up with it any longer (comparing it
to Lightwave, Aladdin, etc....).  It's really losing it's edge, and losing
it fast.  I'm afraid that Imagine, in it's current form, would be laughed
out of the MS DOS world once the port is released.  They are used to much
different and better things there.  The manual and technical support
that Impulse is known for is completely unacceptable for "us", and will
even be more so for "them."

Sorry to go off like this, but I've been quite for a while on this list,
and just wanted to say a few things.

ANy comments?

PJ FOley
#-------------------------------------------------------------------------#
| "My moral standing is lying down."       Kinetic Dreams wholeheartedly  |
|         --Trent Reznor, NIN              agrees with the things I have  |
| "The problem with SynthBananas is that   written here.                  |
|  you still have to peel them."           And so should everyone else.   |
|        --Vacter                          Kinetic Dreams, Lafayette, IN  |
#-------------------------------------------------------------------------#

##

Subject: Starfield on Hubcap
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 14:52:08 -0700
From: [e-mail] (Jeff Walkup)

OK.  I just put my awesome starfield on hubcap.clemson.edu .
It's in:

  /pub/amiga/incoming/imagine/brushmaps

called:

  Starfield24.lha

There's also a .readme, of course.

Have fun!

##

Subject: Single Frame Controlles
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 92 08:33:37 EST
From: Adam Benjamin <[e-mail]>

I'm still trying to make sence of all the buzz words when it comes to
video production, so please bury me (opps, I mean bare with me)

SFC's are getting cheaper, that's cool.  I know you can get a SFC that
is a card right inside the 2000, but how do you know what VTR's will
work with any SFC??  To do animation with the toaster just what kind
of deck do you need?  The Cable access center has a toaster hooked up
to a Time-code VTR, but they don't have any SFC.  Might it just be a
simple, cheap (relativly speaking), purchase of a SFC so I can do
animation on their system?
If I get the model# of the VTR can someone tell me if it will work?
Since the VTR uses Time-code does that mean it is Frame Accurate?

Confused, Budding Videographer...
Adam Benjamin

##

Subject: SFC's
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 15:07:45 -0700
From: [e-mail] (Jeff Walkup)

Adam Benjamin <[e-mail]> writes:

> SFC's are getting cheaper, that's cool.  I know you can get a SFC that
> is a card right inside the 2000, but how do you know what VTR's will
> work with any SFC??

The only card I know of is the Diaquest DQ-TACO.  Goes for about $2000.
I've heard it's junk.  (Well, not as good as the $400 Nucleus Personal-
SFC, that is ;^)  The P-SFC is really good.  Lets you use a multitude
of video devices for output: Toaster, DCTV, Firecracker, IV24 etc...
The latest s/w will also let you do rotoscoping with the Toaster,
I believe (that's where it grabs a frame, advances the tape one frame,
grabs another, etc...)  In conjuction with Imagemaster or ADPro and
AREXX, you could do sophisticated video effects, without ever having
to store the images on disk.  (Grab, process, record back to tape.)

There are also interfaces written for the popular deck controllers,
i.e. the VLAN, BCD, etc..  These are little black boxes or rack-
mount units that connect to the serial port of the Amiga.  They
are expensive though.  The AmiLink editing system uses VLANs.


> To do animation with the toaster just what kind of deck do you need?

One that is capable of recording a single frame of video, with
absolute +/- 0 frames accuracy.  Some decks are claimed to be
"frame accurate" in playback, but not in recording.  SMPTE time-
code is a must for any frame-accurate VTR.


> The Cable access center has a toaster hooked up to a Time-code VTR,
> but they don't have any SFC.  Might it just be a simple, cheap
> (relativly speaking), purchase of a SFC so I can do animation on
> their system?

If it's an editing deck, with a serial port and SMPTE timecode,
you might not even need an SFC.  You can send ASCII commands to the
VTR with Lightwave.  LW will render a frame, pop it to a framebuffer,
and then tell the deck to record it.  Of course, it can also process
a batch of pre-rendered frames, which is the way to go.  I'm not sure
if this'll work with their deck though.  I know it works with those
nifty Recordable Laserdiscs.  In any case, yes, a (cheap) P-SFC with
it's software will do the trick if the deck can't do it directly.
One of the best things about the P-SFC is that it's just a serial
cable, so you could buy one and bring it with you, and 'install' it
without having to open the Amiga's case.

-----------                                                       //
Jeff Walkup <[e-mail]> Graphics/Animation Designer \\//

##

Subject: Object Scaling
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 92 04:52:21 PDT
From: [e-mail] (don hirschfeld)

When I create an object in the Detail editor and try to scale it in just
one or two directions in the Stage editor, I get the object back to the
original scale when rendered. Is scaling only possible in all three
directions at once in the Stage editor or am I doing something wrong?

--
[e-mail] (don hirschfeld)

##

Subject: Re: SFC's
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 92 8:54:24 EDT
From: [e-mail] (Stephen Pietrowicz)

> grabs another, etc...)  In conjuction with Imagemaster or ADPro and
> AREXX, you could do sophisticated video effects, without ever having
> to store the images on disk.  (Grab, process, record back to tape.)

Unless the P-SFC folks have reverse engineered the method of doing so,
you can't currently exchange stuff from the Toaster to ImageMaster or
ADPro directly.  You have to go to disk before and after you process
the image with IM or ADP.

##

Subject: Lens Flares and other related stuff.
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 92 10:09:16 MDT
From: [e-mail] (David Ingebretsen)

How does one make "lens flares"? By this I mean the highlights caused
by a bright light reflecting off the different surfaces of a multiple
element lens. I would like to create this effect in an animation as I
pan the camera across a very bright light source.  Related to this,
how does one create a "star" highlight on a very shiny object; one
that grows and then shrinks over 10 to 15 frames? I have done this by
hand on single frames using Imagemaster but would like to automate it
from within Imagine or Lightwave.

One last question. Does anyone know specifically where the "old world"
textures came from that New Tek used in their opening animation on
their Toaster 2.0 tape?

    David

    Evans & Sutherland Computer Corp.
    Salt Lake City, UT

    Disclaimer: The content of this message in no way reflects the
                opinions of my employer, nor are my actions
            encouraged, supported, or acknowledged by my
            employer.

##

Subject: ANIM player in a window
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 15:01:30 -0400
From: [e-mail] (ESTES,JON-PAUL)

Does anymone no of an ANIM player that will play the animation in a window
instead of on its own screen?  I don't know if the Director will do this
or if another player is needed.  Any suggestions?

-- Jon-Paul Estes

##

Subject: ilbm viewer in a window
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 92 13:01:40 -0700
From: Always a rainbow <[e-mail]>

Anim player in a window? I dont even think there is a ilbm viewer in a window.
How do u view a, say, ham picture, in a 4 color WB window?

##

Subject: It's been unreal.
Date:     Fri, 11 Sep 1992 11:14:01 -0400
From: [e-mail] (Caleb J. Howard (Tech Support))

Hello there Imagine users everywhere.

I have been involved with this list since it's very beginning.  I have learned
quite a lot from it, and the members who have contributed.  I have used this
knowledge to obtain a position for a software developer for SGI imaging
software (Prisms, MoJo).  I will still be involved with the Amiga, and will
probably still use Imagine, but alas, I will no longer be working for Commodore
so I must ask to be unsubscribed from the list so that my account here doesn't
bounce things all over the place.

When I get my new account, I will rejoin.

It's been real, er... virtual, that is.

-caleb

##

Subject: Single frame / DCTV
Date: Sun, 13 Sep 92 07:13:44 PDT
From: [e-mail]

I've been following the latest messages concerning single frame recording
with alot of interest. What I want to do is use a Imagine/DCTV/Single frame
set-up to make industrial quality animations. I did some tests with DCTV
output straight to VHS and the people I showed it to were very satisfied
with the picture quality, it was the jerky animations which gave them second
thoughts. The deck that seems to be the best for what I want is the AG7750
with the time code option. Questions:

1. Does the 7750 have composite in, or would I need a composite/SVHS
converter? (Or the mythical DCTV/RGB thing)
2. Does it have a composite output? (For VHS copies)
3. If i got a P/SFC, what else would I need to make this system work?

(What I really want is a VHS single frame deck for $1000. :>)

There has also been some mention of the recordable video disk units. What
are the advantages/disadvantages to these units?

Any comments welcome!

Bill Carey
[e-mail]

##

Subject: Aladdin 4D
Date:     Sun, 13 Sep 1992 12:48:30 -0400
From: "Christopher Stevenson" <[e-mail]>

PJ Foley mentioned very recently that Aladdin 4D was reviewed in
October's Amazing.  My only comment is that I picked up this issue
from a newstand yesterday and leafed through it for the article,
and found it (on pg. 48, I believe) - Aladdin, as reviewed, is a
theatrical lighting package, not a rendering package.  Perhaps I
was looking in the wrong place.

-The Electric Monk

##

Subject: Rend24
Date: Sun, 13 Sep 92 10:26:35 -0700
From: [e-mail] (Marcelino Vilaubi)

I discovered something not to try in Rend24 under WorkBench 2.0. If you click
on the zoom gadget the Rend24 window will become a one pixel wide strip on the
left edge of the WorkBench, under the WorkBench window. It seems to have a
front/back gadget, but that is useless. The only way I can get rid of it is to
quit. Just thought I'd warn ya.

Mars

##

Subject: Lighting, Composition, Etc...
Date: Sun, 13 Sep 92 14:43:05 PDT
From: [e-mail]

Would one of you fine list members mind uploading (hubcap would be fine) a simp
le
scene (Sphere, Cube and Pyramid on checkered floor) with the lights, camera and
global parameters all positioned and set to make an appealing HAM image?

I've been messing with Scuplt 3D, 4D and Imagine for several years now and
my pictures always look lousy... I think lighting is my problem (that and
lack of good composition, good ideas, good modeling...) I've thought of finding
a book on lighting technique, but I haven't seen one that was heavy on theory.
I asked a photographer for lighting tips and she said, "Basic rule... what you
see the camera sees..." fine rule except in the virtual world of Computer
Graphics where what you SEE is what the camera SAW.

P.s. If you'd like to upload a more complex scene... feel free, I just
understand being protective of objects.

Don DeCosta
[e-mail]

##

Subject: Re: Lighting, Composition, Etc...
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 15:02:18 GMT
From: [e-mail] (Stephen Menzies)

[e-mail] writes:

>Would one of you fine list members mind uploading (hubcap would be fine) a simp
>le
>scene (Sphere, Cube and Pyramid on checkered floor) with the lights, camera and
>global parameters all positioned and set to make an appealing HAM image?

>I've been messing with Scuplt 3D, 4D and Imagine for several years now and
>my pictures always look lousy... I think lighting is my problem (that and
>lack of good composition, good ideas, good modeling...) I've thought of finding
>a book on lighting technique, but I haven't seen one that was heavy on theory.
>I asked a photographer for lighting tips and she said, "Basic rule... what you
>see the camera sees..." fine rule except in the virtual world of Computer
>Graphics where what you SEE is what the camera SAW.

>P.s. If you'd like to upload a more complex scene... feel free, I just
>understand being protective of objects.

>Don DeCosta
>[e-mail]

If you're working in Ham, you'll work twice as hard. Consider a cheap 24bit
display or quasi display like dctv. This in it'self will get rid the problem
with "grain" (dithering) that often ruins an otherwise good render.

On lighting, people tend to get good results with a light or two  to the
left and right of the camera and fill lights placed out infront of the
camera.
I have heard it suggest to use an ambient light setting of 25,25,25. I
personally used (when I use to use Imagine) between 50 and 80 but I
suppose this will be different for different people and their lighting
methods. Most of the time I used as few lights as possible. One up,
behind and to the left or right of the camera. A second on the other
side of the camera, somewhat lower than the first light (near the
same altitude as the camera) and I would put this 2nd light as far
around to the side as I could get away with in order not to have yet
another specular hit. If things still didn't work, I'd usually start
by moving the 1 light even higher (lower). And if it still didn't work,
I'd place a 3rd light within, above, backof the scene. But I always
found something odd about the way the raytrace software on the Amiga
(opposed to the scanliners) worked. It sounds odd, but lights seemed
to "snap" into place. I always had to move the lights around alot.

On composition, you need something of interest to focus on. Thats pretty
important and this "interest" should be obvious and not camoflauged.
Make sure you have lots of contrast. What may seem like a lot to you
is like not enough to catch an eye. Push things a bit. Different modelling,
different colours. Also find the more dramatic shots or keys with your camera,
don't just "stand back" and take a shot. Don't worry about cutting out
objects that you worked hard on. You can get them from another angle.

Colours, especially in ham and even in 24bit, work with the higher rgb's.
They're "easier" to use and get good results. Then work down into the
lower rgb's (ie darks, earthy colors)

I don't know what to offer about modelling. I know patience is a virtue:)
I work with heavily refined objects, especially the principle objects.
If you can imagine working with characters you'd likely see that the
principle characters require alot of attention and alot of that would
be in the modelling as well more detailed movement. You'd have to
make a decission about the secondary characters or characters that your
principle characters come in direct contact with. These secondary
actors , at least their role, won't justify the same amount of work as
the principles, but then again, they can't look and act less real.
The background characters, crowd scenes (:)) , will need significant
cuts in detail of modelling and animation yet have to look and feel
like a crowd. This applies to any image or animation you're doing
and it gets pretty interesting when you figure what you need and
what you can cut.

anyway, got to go...

stephen

--
Stephen Menzies
#Internet: [e-mail]
#Fidonet : Stephen Menzies @ 1:167/265

##

Subject: Single frame / DCTV
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 92 09:34:42 MDT
From: [e-mail] (David Ingebretsen)

The 7750 has composite and Y/C in and out. You need nothing more in addition
to the P-SFC other than what it comes with. You will need to buy the
time code board for the 7750, though. The P-SFC needs the deck to generate
the time code internally.

David

##

Subject: Contest Questions
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 92 15:16:53 CDT
From: [e-mail] (Dave Wickard)

Greetings Imagineers,

Dale Rogers had a question or two last week regarding the Contest.
He states:

>        I would like to possibly enter an animation that I have been
>        toying with for a while now.  I am a registered user of some font
>        objects from UniliGraphics.  Instead of re-inventing the wheel, I
>        would like to use their fonts for my animation.  Is there a
>        problem with using commercial fonts in the contest.  All other
>        objects would be created by me.


The important thing to remember is that the point of the Contest
is not to make it rough on you. All we would like to see is
creativity. Feel free to use commercial fonts provided that you
declare every supporting product on the entry form in the
space provided. Same with your questions regarding image
processing software. Feel free to "process" away... just make
sure to declare products used.

This declaration will serve two purposes. It will let the
judges know that you aren't trying to take credit for something
that you didn't design. Most importantly though, if you win
one of the categories, it will allow everyone to get a rough
idea of how your image was created. This is of interest
mostly to newer users who may not have the basics of image
creations down pat yet.

Anyways...
Keep on pumping on them entries. It appears we may have
one or two more prizes coming in soon that will be awarded
on a random basis to contestants.

More on those new prizes in a short while.

I have had personal business to attend to on weekends
lately, so requests for address changes, unsubscriptions
and such may not be dealt with until Monday mornings.

Until later...

Dave Wickard  [phone]   FAMOUS LAST WORDS:
[e-mail]        "Hey, the sushi sounds good."
[e-mail]      -President George Bush

##

Subject: Vertex
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 92 12:07:51 PDT
From: [e-mail] (don hirschfeld)

I just got the demo version of Vertex v1.28. What new features have been
added since the demo? How does it differ from Animatrix?

--
[e-mail] (don hirschfeld)

##

Subject: Imagine file listing
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 92 15:30:12 CDT
From: [e-mail] (Dale R Rogers)

    Imagineers,

    I have two questions for you:

    1.    I rendered all the frames for my 342 frame animation.  I then
        bought a syquest removeable drive and moved my project to the
        removeable disk.  I had to change the path names for the animation
        frames and still frames in the project module; in addition to
        the path names of all the objects.

        Whoa!  When I did that all the asteriks (*) under the frame
        numbers disappeared.  So I can't SHOW them anymore through the
        PROJECT module.  How can I get the asteriks back?  The
        rendered frames are still there.  Is it the SPECS file that
        contains that data?  Can I edit that file with an ASCII file
        editor?  What format do I have to follow when listing the
        files if this is the workflow?

    2.    I'm considering getting DCTV.  What is the latest version?
        I'd like to buy mail order and don't want to end up with a
        prehistoric version.


    Thanks,

    Dale



       _____________________________^_____________________________
                                  __ __
                                ____ ____
       _____________________________ _____________________________
       dale r. rogers                Email:  ingr!b24a!camelot!dale
                                     Internet:
                                     [e-mail]

                                    .

##

Subject: Tumble
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 92 15:35:25 PDT
From: [e-mail]

HI all.

     I am having some trouble getting the tumble effect to work.
That is, it does nothing whatsoever...

     I am running imagine 2.0, and the Tumble I have is length 14500,
dated 2-mar-92.

     Any assistance would be appreciated.

                                          Leo Hoban

##

Subject: Re: SFC's
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 00:29:52 -0700
From: [e-mail] (Jeff Walkup)

Adam Benjamin <[e-mail]> writes:

> The little I have read seems to point to the P-SFC as being one of the
> best for the $$. What is it? (how does it connect to the
> computer/VTR?)  What type of VTR can it talk with?

It's basically a serial cable, connects to the Amiga's RS-232c and
the VTR's serial (probably RS-422).  That's it.  It needs certain
specific VTRs to work, I know it works with the 7750+TC, but I'm
sure someone can give you the full list of decks that work.
Basically, the deck needs internal timecode, and maybe interal
TBC as well, I dunno.  The 7750s I've worked with all have TBC
built-in.


> But do all SMPTE coded VTR's have absolute frame accuracy??

NO.  But it's pretty safe to say that all frame-accurate VTRs
have SMPTE (or somesuch time-code).  Hope that's clear ;^)


> He promised a toaster 2.0 software upgrade when they bought
> the toaster, but the upgrade consisted of making copies of the
> software and NOT giving them a new manual

Shame shame!  This is highly ILLEGAL.  If they bought the Toaster
for the (new) $2495 price, they have a right to the full, real
upgrade for free.  Contact NewTek about this.  If they bought it
at the old $1595 price, then they have to pay about $400 for the
upgrade.  (Well, WELL worth it!!)


> Is the above feature in lightwave that you mentioned in the old
> Toaster manual?

Yes, it should be.  You'll need the manual for the deck also, to look
up which commands you need to send it.

-----------                                                       //
Jeff Walkup <[e-mail]> Graphics/Animation Designer \\//

##

Subject: Impulse Gazette - Why? (+FDPro)
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 00:28:39 -0700
From: [e-mail] (Jeff Walkup)

I just got my copy of the (ahem) "Summer" issue of the Impulse
newsletter.  S-N-O-R-E.  Looks nicer, still reads like it was
written and edited by MAD Magazine... on a bad day.
If you haven't recieved it yet, I will summarize it for you
(and if you have recieved, but haven't read it, I will save you
the time and trouble).

1. Imagine PC-version coming, Amiga will still be supported.

2. SAGE sucks, TI graphics chips suck.  An '040 is better.

3. SIGGRAPH '92 sucked.

4. MORPUS is coming soon, but will suck.

5. Imagine 3.0 is coming soon, but will mostly suck.

6. You can make Journeyman-like spline-based objects with
    Imagine now, but it takes more time and doesn't look as good.

7. Imagine is difficult to use beacuse if it weren't, all of
    your animations would be boring.  Plus, we are not going to
    tell you how to use it, you will have to "experiment" until
    you figure it out.  Besides, we don't know how to write.

     a) Case in point:

       "Now rotate the same to axis point of the path object
        in the opposite direction and conform the new fish to
        the path once again."

     b) Or how about:

       "If you were to rotate these vertebra you would see
        that the bones would cause the object that it was
        associated to would make the skin of that object to
        conform to the movement of the bones."

       Ex-squeeze me?  Baking powder?


Ahem.  Seriously, MORPUS won't morph ANY 2 objects like we thought.
Imagine 3.0 will add some interesting new features, which I will
be happy to have, but mostly these are all things available now in
Lightwave and Caligari-BC. (Although Imagine is still much cheaper
than either.)


Now for some good news.  The other piece of (non-virtual) mail I got
today was from Jaeger Software, makers of *the* best flight simulator for
Amiga (and soon MS-DOS), Fighter Duel.  They will be releasing "Fighter
Duel Pro" and the "FDPro Flight Recorder" come November.  The FDPFR will
let you record the positional and attitudinal information of your air-
craft while playing the game, at 30fps, and save it to a Lightwave Motion
file.  Yes, that's right, you can now create animation interactively in
real-time.  Cool!  Naturally, this won't work with Imagine becuase there's
no way to import external motion files.......

##

Subject: Re: Lighting, Composition, Etc...
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 12:17:34 GMT
From: [e-mail] (Stephen Menzies)

[e-mail] (Stephen Menzies) writes:
>
>Colours, especially in ham and even in 24bit, work with the higher rgb's.

I meant to say "...work better with..." meaning to say, there's more colors to
work with.

-stephen
--
Stephen Menzies
#Internet: [e-mail]
#Fidonet : Stephen Menzies @ 1:167/265

##

Subject: Re: Imagine file listing (fwd)
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 92 8:42:35 CDT
From: [e-mail] (Dale R Rogers)

Forwarded message:
|To: [e-mail] (Dale R Rogers)
|From: [e-mail]
|Subject: Re: Imagine file listing
|
|>                Whoa!  When I did that all the asteriks (*) under the frame
|>                numbers disappeared.  So I can't SHOW them anymore through the
|>                PROJECT module.  How can I get the asteriks back?  The
|>                rendered frames are still there.  Is it the SPECS file that
|>                contains that data?  Can I edit that file with an ASCII file
|>                editor?  What format do I have to follow when listing the
|>                files if this is the workflow?
|>
|
|Select Range (or click 'em one by one :-) ) and then choose IMPORT... That's
|the way to tell Imagine that the frames are there already.
|
|Don DeCosta
|[e-mail]
|


    Thanks to all that responded.  I selected my range and IMPORTed
    the frames.  Worked like a charm. :)

    Dale


       _____________________________^_____________________________
                                  __ __
                                ____ ____
       _____________________________ _____________________________
       dale r. rogers                Email:  ingr!b24a!camelot!dale
                                     Internet:
                                     [e-mail]

                                    .

##

Subject: Virtual Screen Editing
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 92 10:24:07 PDT
From: [e-mail] (Aaron Tucker)

    Imagineers,

    Is there any way to have Imagine open on a virtual screen? I would
like to edit with a single Detail Editor window at 1280x800 if possible.
Does anyone know of any hack that will allow this? I don't think that it is
currently supported by the program from a menu or preferences.

Juan Trevino
[e-mail]

##

Subject: Re: SFC's
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 92 13:52:01 EST
From: Adam Benjamin <[e-mail]>

Thanks Jeff W. (and others) for your help on the Single Frame Q's.
I went into the studio over the weekend and one of the staff was
recording single frames from lighwave! (So I know it can be done)
He was doing all the recording by hand though.
If I remember right the recording deck is a sony 9850 (3/4 inch).
It already has an edit controller hooked to it. (didn't get the model
number on that.)  So shouldn't the toaster just be able to send out
the signals without a SFC at all?

I'm going back there tonight, I will ask what they paid for the
toaster (new vs. old) to see just how much the local dealer took them
for.
I'm taking a class for using this edit suite (with this setup)
starting tonight, hopefully they will know more than I think they do.
They seem to be quite verse in Video, but when it comes to the Amiga's
they are pretty slow.

************************************************************
* Adam Benjamin                    [e-mail] *
* Christian Animator           [e-mail] *
* Disclaimer:  Nothing I say means anything to anyone that *
*               might take it to mean something I didn't!  *

##

Subject: Re:  Imagine file listing
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 92 17:56:52 -0600
From: [e-mail] (Charles Cazabon (186-003-526))

The newest version of DCTV is 1.1.  If you buy 1.0, Digital Creations charges
$10 for the upgrade.  It's a software only upgrade.  MOst mail order houses
are stocking 1.1, as 1.0 hasn't been made in quite a while.  I got mine
from BriWall about three months back, and it was 1.1  Great service, too.
I heartily recommend BriWall.


--Chuck Cazabon, [e-mail]
* alternate address:  [e-mail]
* In the immortal words of JFK..."I am a jelly donut!"
I went to Israel on holiday, and all I got was this lousy gunshot wound.

##

Subject: Re: SFC's
Date: 15 Sep 1992 14:39:27 -0400 (EDT)
From: [e-mail] (Gargamel The Smurf killer!)

Adam,

I do some work with a guy who has a PalTex and a one inch machine and he just
recently receved a little hack that allows him to bump his Paltex when
LightWave is done rendering and it (The Paltex) taks care of the rest.  We
just got the information on making the cable so I don't know how it works yet.
Though the cable is very simple.  Just a ground and datasend.

Good luck!  And I can give more detalis if anyone is interested!

Aragorn.
I Imagine, Therefor I am! ---([e-mail])

##

Subject: GVP's CineMorph Debuts at WOC
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 92 21:14:48 PDT
From: [e-mail]

                CINEMORPH DEBUTS AT PASEDENA WOC

   KING OF PRUSSIA, PA - September, 1992.  In a surprise move, GVP has
released a previously unannounced morphing package.  Called CineMorph,
this impressive software system brings the features of a high-end
commercial morphing system to the Amiga, giving any user the ability to
warp single images, morph between two or more images, and even create
sequences of full motion morphs.

   CineMorph features include exceptionally fast rendering that can be
fully automated to save you time.  You can preview results within
CineMorph or render directly to Amiga formats, HAM-E, DCTV and
24-bit IFF with controls provided directly in CineMorph.  The system
also supports full 24-bit output for professional needs on framebuffers
such as the IV24.

   Using the industry standard dual window interface, CineMorph takes
this one step further by making these windows fully intuition based to
allow images to be shown and morphed in their correct aspect ratio.
These same windows can also be enlarged for precise editing.  CineMorph
follows Amiga style conventions in all areas and uses logical and easy
to understand controls for it's entire operation.

   Computer and video artists will appreciate the many professional
capabilities of CineMorph.  Some of these features include the ability
to warp images for comic effect, merge similar scenes for film or video
to eliminate bad edits, and create full motion morph sequences for
cinematic or video effects using CineMorph's unmatched controls for
automating the creation of full motion sequences.  Abilities not found
in any other Amiga-based morphing software!

   "CineMorph is boon to anyone who uses the Amiga for video
applications," says Lawrence Ough, Product Manager for the new product.
"And it's suggested retail price of $149.00 will put sophisticated
morphing capabilities within everyone's reach."

   CineMorph represents the state of the art in morphing software on the
Amiga.  It's currently being used by high profile companies in several
productions in Hollywood, New York and Florida, as well as many other
companies for their advertising, multimedia, and commercial works.

##

Subject: ADPro question
Date: Wed, 16 Sep 92 13:14:27 CDT
From: [e-mail] (Dale R Rogers)

    Hello Imaginaros,

    I rendered this really cool flying logo stuff for a friends
    business.  I rendered to 24bit.  Then I developed an Arex script
    to automatically convert the 24bit files to HAM format.  Then I
    want to build anims and ultimately control the presentation using
    Director 2.0.

    My problem is converting the files.  When I go into ADPro, I load
    the drawing, set the screen format, and execute.  Everything looks
    great on the screen.  Then I try and save it to HAM format.  The
    only option open to me is HAM6 or 24bit.  When I render to HAM6 I
    get weird results.  I get streeks accross the image and the
    background color is NOT black.  What is HAM6?  How does it differ
    from HAM?  I would really like to create the anim in HAM mode and
    control it form the Director 2.0.

    BTW, I changed my script to render to EHB and everything looks
    great.  I have already built the anims.  Tonight I'll start
    working on Director 2.0 script.  Still I think HAM would look
    better.


    As an additional thought.  Is it possible to control a DCTV
    animation from the Director?


    Thanks,

    Dale



       _____________________________^_____________________________
                                  __ __
                                ____ ____
       _____________________________ _____________________________
       dale r. rogers                Email:  ingr!b24a!camelot!dale
                                     Internet:
                                     [e-mail]

                                    .

##

Subject: Re: ADPro question
Date: Wed, 16 Sep 92 16:54:31 EDT
From: Steve J. Lombardi <[e-mail]>

>     I rendered this really cool flying logo stuff for a friends
>     business.  I rendered to 24bit.  Then I developed an Arex script
>     to automatically convert the 24bit files to HAM format.  Then I
>     want to build anims and ultimately control the presentation using
>     Director 2.0.
>
>     My problem is converting the files.  When I go into ADPro, I load
>     the drawing, set the screen format, and execute.  Everything looks
>     great on the screen.  Then I try and save it to HAM format.  The
>     only option open to me is HAM6 or 24bit.  When I render to HAM6 I
>     get weird results.  I get streeks accross the image and the
>     background color is NOT black.  What is HAM6?  How does it differ
>     from HAM?  I would really like to create the anim in HAM mode and
>     control it form the Director 2.0.

HAM6 is your basic home mode, 6 being the number of bitplanes. I believe
amigados3.0 and the aga chipset are going to have a HAM10 mode capable
of 200K+ colors leading to why adpro specifies HAM6. Unfortunately
I can't explain your black streaks.

>
>     BTW, I changed my script to render to EHB and everything looks
>     great.  I have already built the anims.  Tonight I'll start
>     working on Director 2.0 script.  Still I think HAM would look
>     better.
>
>
>     As an additional thought.  Is it possible to control a DCTV
>     animation from the Director?

Certainly. Save the anim out of Dpaint or hash's Animation:flipper.
control it in the Director as you would any other animation! You
may want to specify three bitplanes when you convert from 24 bit format
to DCTV as your animation will be much smoother. Here's a neat
trick in the Director II's readme file. As long as you blit pixels in
blocks of 4 you can create screen transitions for DCTV images in
the Director. I've used this to wipe one animation into another
A-B style. The results are pretty neat although playback speed
degraded.

 /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
 \                            /                                               /
 /                           /       Surviving this way is a crime.           \
 \  Steve Lombardi          /     I will not commit it.                       /
 /  [e-mail]    /           Most of the World lives this way       \
 \                        /     working another slave labour day.             /
 /                       /                              -- Azalia Snail       \
 \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

##

Subject: Early Essence Demo Pics
Date: Wed, 16 Sep 92 21:18:01 PDT
From: [e-mail]

In one of Steve's early demo pics (pillars I believe) the pillar had pieces
broken out it, kinda like chips instead of bumps... was this done with the
bump texture and if so how?

Don DeCosta
[e-mail]

##

Subject: Re: ADPro question
Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1992 11:28:10 -0700
From: [e-mail] (Jeff Walkup)

[e-mail] (Dale R Rogers) writes:

>When I render to HAM6 I get weird results.  I get streeks
>accross the image and the background color is NOT black.


Sometimes you will get "streaking" in HAM mode if the image is not
being displayed fully, i.e. the left edge is being cut off somehow.
Usually the streaks are thin lines of the same color.

Looks a little like this:

E  | STREAKSTREAKSTREAKgood image good image
d  | STREAK good image good image
g  | STREAKSTREAKSTREAKSTREAK good image
e  | STREAKSTREAK good image etc...

   ^ the LEFT edge of the screen.


When do you see this streaking?  When ADPro is displaying it, or
when Director or some other program is displaying it?  You might
try moving the screen to the right a little (if you can) and see
if the streaking goes away.


For batch conversions, you might want to check out Rend24, it will
convert IFF24-->HAM, and pack them to an ANIM, all automagically.
Rend24 will even wait for Imagine to render a file, then convert,
pack into an ANIM, and erase the original 24-bit.  Saves lots of
disk space!


BTW: the new "256K-color" mode is HAM8, and I've recently heard
that it can actually display the FULL range of the 24-bit palette,
i.e. you can have as many colors on-screen as you have pixels.
So a 1536x484 screen (SuperHires-Interlaced Overscan) could have
743,424 colors!  And you can animate it!  And it's ready for video!
Try   *T H A T*   on an SVGA card, hehe!

No, seriously, I hope this is true.

I suspect the 256K number comes from 640x400 = 256,000.  But why
would they sell it short??

-----------                                                       //
Jeff Walkup <[e-mail]> Graphics/Animation Designer \\//

##

Subject: Re: ADPro question
Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1992 16:15:44 -0400 (EDT)
From: Jose Vazquez <[e-mail]>

I believe that the 256,000, which is really 262,000, does not come from
the number of pixels but rather the way HAM works.

I'm not very sure but I think it works this way:
The first two bits dictate weather the pixel should be colored using the
one of the color slots ( like normal ham has a 16 base pallete ham8 has
a 64 color base palette) or if the next six bits determine a change in
red, green, or blue.

So we know we have a base of 64 colors ( 2^6=64  if the first two bits
say that a color slot shoud be used.)
And 64 levels of change for each RGB value, which comes out 262,144
different colors.
2^6*2^6*2^6 = 64*64*64 = 262,144

At least that's my theory based on my little knowledge of how HAM works.
I might (quite possibly) be totally wrong. I hope I could help a little
and I am aware this letter might be a little hard to understand since
english is my second language and my writting skills still need a little
improvement.

ANYWAYS the new AGA chipset really sounds great! I can't wait too see an
a4000 in the flesh. I hope new software supporting it comes out soon.

Have fun !!
Jose Vazquez - A lost Honduran at CMU

##

Subject: Re: Early Essence Pics
Date: Thu, 17 Sep 92 14:20:31 PDT
From: [e-mail] (Steven)

Yes, the pillar was done with the Bump texture. The broken off top had very fine
bumps on it. The side of the pillar had bump applied to several faces of the
pillar, (about a dozen scattered randomly). This made areas with pits and
bumps, like the pillar was old and chipped.

All through the magic of "apply to subgroup". :-)

-Steve
[e-mail]

##

Subject: Re: ADPro question
Date: Fri, 18 Sep 92 10:23:12 WST
From: [e-mail] (Jason S Birch)

> I'm not very sure but I think it works this way:
> The first two bits dictate weather the pixel should be colored using the
> one of the color slots ( like normal ham has a 16 base pallete ham8 has
> a 64 color base palette) or if the next six bits determine a change in
> red, green, or blue.

The six bits are the upper, or most significant bits. I think one of the
C= guys mentioned that if you choose the 64 base colours to be all
combinations of the lower two bits of each of red, green and blue, you
can effectively display any colour of the 16.7 M pallette onscreen. Of
course, you cannot display ALL of them - the screen isn't big enough :)
I doubt if you would want to do this in practice, though - it would
make the "fringing" much more apparent.

> So we know we have a base of 64 colors ( 2^6=64  if the first two bits
> say that a color slot shoud be used.)
> And 64 levels of change for each RGB value, which comes out 262,144
> different colors.
> 2^6*2^6*2^6 = 64*64*64 = 262,144
>
> At least that's my theory based on my little knowledge of how HAM works.
> I might (quite possibly) be totally wrong. I hope I could help a little
> and I am aware this letter might be a little hard to understand since
> english is my second language and my writting skills still need a little
> improvement.

As far as I know, you're right. BTW, your english is better than many
of the people I know, and it's their first language :)

> ANYWAYS the new AGA chipset really sounds great! I can't wait too see an
> a4000 in the flesh. I hope new software supporting it comes out soon.

Me too! I understand that several packages already support it (AdPro?)
but I don't know for sure.

> Have fun !!
> Jose Vazquez - A lost Honduran at CMU

You too. Cheers,
Jason Birch.

##

Subject: The Director
Date: Fri, 18 Sep 92 8:56:01 CDT
From: [e-mail] (Dale R Rogers)

    Is there a mailing list, or newsgroup (on Usenet), or some other
    support group for using the Director 2 from the Right Answers
    Group?  I called their support line and found that they don't
    really have direct telephone support.  I can contact them through
    CompuServe, send them a FAX, or send them mail (the US postal
    type).  Hmmmm.  OhhhhhKay...........  I'm sure there a gobbs of
    animators out there using it.  If I can open a dialog to them it
    would help me considerably.

    My first obtacle, as mentioned on another post breifly, is
    understanding how to get the Director to play my anims back at
    30fps.

    I'm producing my renderings with Imagine, converting the files,
    building the anim files, and I want to pull everything together
    (including transitions) with the Director.

    Thanks in advance.

    Dale



       _____________________________^_____________________________
                                  __ __
                                ____ ____
       _____________________________ _____________________________
       dale r. rogers                Email:  ingr!b24a!camelot!dale
                                     Internet:
                                     [e-mail]

                                    .

##

Subject: Re: ADPro question
Date: Fri, 18 Sep 92 8:47:35 CDT
From: [e-mail] (Dale R Rogers)

|[e-mail] (Dale R Rogers) writes:
|
|>When I render to HAM6 I get weird results.  I get streeks
|>accross the image and the background color is NOT black.
|
|
|Sometimes you will get "streaking" in HAM mode if the image is not
|being displayed fully, i.e. the left edge is being cut off somehow.
|Usually the streaks are thin lines of the same color.
|
|Looks a little like this:
|
|E  | STREAKSTREAKSTREAKgood image good image
|d  | STREAK good image good image
|g  | STREAKSTREAKSTREAKSTREAK good image
|e  | STREAKSTREAK good image etc...
|
|   ^ the LEFT edge of the screen.
|

    Actually what is happening is instead of the background color
    being 0 (or pretty close to it) it is a very dark (but noticeable
    blue).  Then I will get black streaks starting from the right edge
    of the image extending to the right side of the screen.  Very
    strange %~| indeed.  When I render it on the screen, in HAM,
    the background color is black.  Looks great.  The problem
    comes when I try to SAVE the file.  After having saved the file.
    I LOAD the saved file to see what happened.  This is when I see
    the streaks; SAVING in HAM mode.  So I created a EHB screen
    image from the original 24bit image, SAVED it, and reLOADed
    the saved EHB image. No problem.


|
|When do you see this streaking?  When ADPro is displaying it, or
|when Director or some other program is displaying it?  You might
|try moving the screen to the right a little (if you can) and see
|if the streaking goes away.


    I'm still trying to figure out how to get the Director to play
    back my ANIMs at 30fps.  No...the Director seems to play what is
    there.  The stills converted by ADPro are what is giving me the
    problem.  The stills look great when viewed in Imagine.  The stills
    look great when viewed, initially, in ADPro.  Only after the
    stills have been SAVED in HAM6 mode through ADPro and viewed
    again, do I get the problem.


|
|
|For batch conversions, you might want to check out Rend24, it will
|convert IFF24-->HAM, and pack them to an ANIM, all automagically.
|Rend24 will even wait for Imagine to render a file, then convert,
|pack into an ANIM, and erase the original 24-bit.  Saves lots of
|disk space!

    I'm interested.  Does it have an option to save the original
    242bit?  If there is a problem somewhere, it would be nice to know
    that I would not have to regenerate the original 24bit renderings
    all over again.

|
|
|BTW: the new "256K-color" mode is HAM8, and I've recently heard
|that it can actually display the FULL range of the 24-bit palette,
|i.e. you can have as many colors on-screen as you have pixels.
|So a 1536x484 screen (SuperHires-Interlaced Overscan) could have
|743,424 colors!  And you can animate it!  And it's ready for video!
|Try   *T H A T*   on an SVGA card, hehe!

    That would be nice.  So where do I get one? ;-)

|
|No, seriously, I hope this is true.
|
|I suspect the 256K number comes from 640x400 = 256,000.  But why
|would they sell it short??
|
|-----------                                                       //
|Jeff Walkup <[e-mail]> Graphics/Animation Designer \\//
|

##

Subject: DXF conversion
Date: Fri, 18 Sep 92 05:31:42 PDT
From: [e-mail] (don hirschfeld)

Is the a program (preferably PD) that will convert an ACAD DXF object to
an Imagine object? I'm looking for other ways to model and using my PC
may be useful.

--
[e-mail] (don hirschfeld)

##

Subject: Re:  Single frame / DCTV
Date: Fri, 18 Sep 92 10:06:16 MDT
From: [e-mail] (Ben Scott)

Just thought I'd note that DMI's new Digital Editmaster may signal
the beginning of the end of single-frame dumping, if you think
about it... I mean, yes it's $2500 (or will be), but that's cheaper
than a single-frame capable VCR and you can play back whatever you
like at whatever speed with it.  And if you hurry it's only like $1600.

.                         <<<<Infinite K>>>>

--
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
|Ben Scott, professional goof-off and consultant at The Raster Image, Denver|
|Internet [e-mail], or call the Arvada 68K BBS at [phone].|
|--------------------------------------..-----------------------------------|
|"Where are we going??"  "Planet 10!!" ||The Raster Image IS responsible for|
|"When?!" "Real soon!!"-Buckaroo Banzai||everything I say!  ** Amiga Power**|
`--------------------------------------'`-----------------------------------'

##

Subject: Re: Lens Flares and other related stuff.
Date: Fri, 18 Sep 92 17:29:57 CDT
From: Wayne Haufler 283-4160 <[e-mail]>

David Ingebretsen writes,
> How does one make "lens flares"? By this I mean the highlights caused
> by a bright light reflecting off the different surfaces of a multiple
> element lens. I would like to create this effect in an animation as I
> pan the camera across a very bright light source.

I'm sure you've probably seen it by now, but I saw a second hand
(video camera aimed at a video screen) recording of NUtopia's
(Tod Rungren and NewTek's venture) production of "THEOLOGY".
I noticed that when the camera (animated camera) swung around,
the sun object caused very convincing lens flares.
It was quite impressive, the whole animation, but I couldn't
hear the music.  Don't know how they did it, but thought I'd
point you in that direction.

> Related to this,
> how does one create a "star" highlight on a very shiny object; one
> that grows and then shrinks over 10 to 15 frames? I have done this by
> hand on single frames using Imagemaster but would like to automate it
> from within Imagine or Lightwave.
Good question.  Imagine can control and animate the brightness, color,
and size of the specular spot, of course, but to change the shape
of the spot... well...

I can't think of how existing Essence textures could be used, either.
Unless you modified the Essence manual's example of a sun corona object
using a "radial fractal" texture as a filter.  You could put a small very
bright disk object tangent to the object where its highlight would be.
Then apply the radfrac (?) texture to it, causing the area outside of
the roughly round fractal area to be transparent.  This may be too much
trouble, esp. if you don't know, or want Imagine to figure out, where
the highlight(s) would be.  And I don't know if you could set it to
give a very 'spiky' appearance.  Perhaps I'll try it and let you know.

Perhaps that would be a good candidate for a future Essence texture. :)


         __      Wayne A. Haufler   [Christian/SW Engineer/XWindows/Amigan]
\\ /\\ /\\ //_    [e-mail]    McDonnell Douglas-Houston
 \/--\// \//__    Hobby:"Exploring the Use of Computer Graphics and
     //                  Animations To Support Christian Endeavors"

##

Subject: Imagine 3.0
Date:     Sat, 19 Sep 1992 01:50:50 +0200
From: Hannes Heckner <[e-mail]>

Hi

Is there any information about the new Imagine 3.0

when will it come

how much does it cost

new features ?


I am hungry for it

Hannes

PS: Where is the PC Version of Imagine ?

##

Subject: Problems with tumble
Date:     Sat, 19 Sep 1992 01:48:59 +0200
From: Hannes Heckner <[e-mail]>

Hi

not long ago someone wrote about problems with the tumble special
effect of imagine 2.0

I think I have these problems, too.
If I use Tumble the tumbling objects rotate wildly but at the end
of the special effect they stay rather distorted, so this effect
can not be used for any logo animation. IS there something i had
done wrong ?

Hannes

##

Subject: Editmaster
Date: Fri, 18 Sep 92 19:24:55 PDT
From: [e-mail]

>Just thought I'd note that DMI's new Digital Editmaster may signal
>the beginning of the end of single-frame dumping, if you think
>about it... I mean, yes it's $2500 (or will be), but that's cheaper
>than a single-frame capable VCR and you can play back whatever you
>like at whatever speed with it.  And if you hurry it's only like $1600.
>
>.                         <<<<Infinite K>>>>
>

What is an Editmaster? The price is right, but what does it do?

Bill
[e-mail]

##

Subject: Re: Single frame / DCTV
Date: Fri, 18 Sep 92 15:05:30 EDT
From: Mark Thompson <[e-mail]>

[e-mail] (Ben Scott) writes:
> Just thought I'd note that DMI's new Digital Editmaster may signal
> the beginning of the end of single-frame dumping, if you think
> about it.

Oh, very nice...name drop a new product and don't bother to say
what it is. :-) :-) :-) So I'm waiting.... is this some sort of low cost
Abekas thing? What is it? What does it do? How well? 24bit? NTSC? How
many seconds of storage? What does it output to? What does it take for
input?
%~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~%
%      `       '        Mark Thompson                 CONCURRENT COMPUTER  %
% --==* RADIANT *==--   [e-mail]        Principal Graphics   %
%      ' Image `        ...!uunet!masscomp!mark       Hardware Architect   %
%     Productions       [phone] [phone]   & General Nuisance   %
%                                                                          %
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

##

Subject: Re:  Editmaster
Date: Fri, 18 Sep 92 21:09:04 MDT
From: [e-mail] (Ben Scott)

> What is an Editmaster? The price is right, but what does it do?

Well, I'm posting this to the whole list since I've received about
15 replies along the above lines in the past 24 hours - I'd have
thought that everyone on the net would've heard about it by now but
perhaps not.

Digital Editmaster is a new board that DMI was showing at last week's
WOC.  It's basically a realtime JPEG board - it will do full screen,
30 FPS compression and decompression of video to and from the hard
drive.  It has S-VHS (Y/C) in and out, and the compression rate is
user-selectable (though I imagine that if you go too low your HD might
not be able to keep up).  It's intended as an offline editing system,
like AVid (much better and MUCH cheaper, of course) but the software
is not ready yet and so at the show they were selling them for around
$1600.  Actually, they were demoing it on a large-screen TV processing
video from a laserdisk of Terminator II - it looked good enough for
ONline editing, at least lower-end (if you're at M-II or above, never
mind, but S-VHS or U-Matic, it just might do the job).

Anyway, point is, you can render to the HD, convert to JPEG (maybe
the board will even do this for you) and output 30FPS to anything.

.                            <<<<Infinite K>>>>

(BTW - it also connects to their new Vivid 24 for even more incredible
possibilities!  You should see what Vivid 24 can do with Imagine objects;
I mean, with only one coprocessor, they were doing interactive rotation
of solid, SHADED objects, like jet fighters, REALTIME.  Imagine on a 3000
(and Lightwave) just do outline boxes at best.  It's amazing)

--
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
|Ben Scott, professional goof-off and consultant at The Raster Image, Denver|
|Internet [e-mail], or call the Arvada 68K BBS at [phone].|
>------------------------------------------..-------------------------------<
|"Doesn't know when he's beaten, this chap,/\The Raster Image IS responsible|
|doesn't know when he's winning, either..."| \for everything I say!  *Amiga*|
`------------------------------------------' `------------------------------'

##

Subject: Re: Virtual Screen Editing
Date: Fri, 18 Sep 92 00:19:33 EST-10
From: [e-mail] (John Rowe)

:On Tue, 15 Sep 1992 19:24:07 +0200
:Aaron Tucker <[e-mail]> writes
:
:    Imagineers,
:
:    Is there any way to have Imagine open on a virtual screen? I would
:like to edit with a single Detail Editor window at 1280x800 if possible.
:Does anyone know of any hack that will allow this? I don't think that it is
:currently supported by the program from a menu or preferences.
:
:Juan Trevino
:[e-mail]

GVP's new enhanced graphics display board does this by patching the
Kernel routines to call their own Intuition and Graphics look-a-like
libraries written for their board.  I actually saw them running Imagine
on an approx. 1280x800 screen at the World of Commodore show here
recently.  It seemed to run fine, and the editor was real, REAL, BIG!
However, you need their display board which only interfaces to their
G-Force accelerator cards, and it costs big, BIG $$$$$ :-(

I haven't seen it done any other way...

   ____ John    ____       Australian Developer   FAX   [phone]
  //      Rowe //               Christian         VOICE [phone]
 // __        //--          Amiga Programmer, Renderer, 3-D Animator
//__//rafix  //__ffects   EMAIL [e-mail]
     OR EMAIL cbmehq!cbmaus!cbmozq!wilson!rowe![e-mail]

##

Subject: AGA/HAM8
Date: Sat, 19 Sep 1992 17:49:31 -0700
From: [e-mail] (Jeff Walkup)

[e-mail] (Jason S Birch) said:

>can effectively display any colour of the 16.7 M pallette onscreen. Of
>course, you cannot display ALL of them - the screen isn't big enough :)
>I doubt if you would want to do this in practice, though - it would
>make the "fringing" much more apparent.


Suffice it to say then, that HAM8 should have enough colors for
most any application!  I think the most # of colors I've had in
one of my renders was around 200,000, in a 736x482 24-bit image,
about 56% colorspace utilization.  Most come out with much less.

Lets just hope that we get software that can easily remap the palettes
of 2 images so we can combine them on one screen.  Should be easier
and come out looking better than current HAM, owing to the larger
number of base colors available, and higher resolution.

Yeah, ADPro has supported AGA for about a year.  I wondered what
"HAM8" was (available in the # of colors requestor)!  And that
funny message: "Oops!  The display mode and depth you have selected
is not supported on your Amiga." -- that always looked a little
suspicious!

BTW, you guys(gals?) know that you *can* open an 8-bit screen under
2.04, right?  No problem, using "PublicS", the public screen opener
and manager.  You can open an 8-bit Hires or SuperHires screen.  Of
course you can't see all the colors, but you can grab the screen
with ADPro, and it will tell you that it has 256 colors.  It's quite
a bit too slow, on the ECS, no doubt.  Just try scrolling text in a
fullscreen CON: on an 8-bit SuperHires-Interlaced screen... can you
say "watch the scanlines get drawn in"?  Reminds me of using Virtual
Memory.... s      l              o                                  w.

-----------                                                       //
Jeff Walkup <[e-mail]> Graphics/Animation Designer \\//

##

Subject: Re: ADPro question
Date: Sat, 19 Sep 1992 17:50:49 -0700
From: [e-mail] (Jeff Walkup)

[e-mail] (Dale R Rogers) writes:

>       I'm interested.  Does it have an option to save the original
>       242bit?  If there is a problem somewhere, it would be nice to know
>       that I would not have to regenerate the original 24bit renderings
>       all over again.

Yeah, hehe, Rend24 has can either delete the original or NOT.

Sorry you are having trouble with ADPro, I've never seen that one and
have not been able to reproduce it.  Perhaps you should try something
else to do the conversions.  (Rend24? hehe.)

-----------                                                       //
Jeff Walkup <[e-mail]> Graphics/Animation Designer \\//

##

Subject: Re: AGA/HAM8
Date: Sat, 19 Sep 92 18:17:33 PDT
From: [e-mail] (Jonathan Trachtenberg)

[e-mail] (Jeff Walkup) writes:
>[...] Lets just hope that we get software that can easily remap the pallettes
>of 2 images so we can combine them on one screen.  Should be easier and come
>out looking better than current HAM, owing to the larger
>number of base colors available, and higher resolution.

I was at the WOC show in Pasadena, and *THE* best place to see the A4000 shown off
was at the v2.1 & 3.0 WB demo (at least on Friday).  Using C='s new multi-view
(yes an actualy Commodore product), the guy giving the demo opened 6 256 color
pictures in different windows on the workbench screen.  There was no color
degredation at all, and it ran fast and smooth.

But don't throw your DCTV boxes out the window yet, as a talk with some DC reps
provided some interesting info.  DC was given a 4000 to play around with (they are
releasing a new paint program which will support the ham8 and 256 color modes.
It looks like an excellent program as well). They discovered that with an extra
10 cents worth of hardware, you could drive two monitors with dctv by display
two hi-res pics on a super hi-res screen.

The AGA chip set is nice, but I personally want to wait for C= to finish it
(they are supposedly working on a new, 16 bit paula)

  ___________________________________________________________________________
 /  [e-mail]                                          |     //         \
|"There may be a correlation between humor and sex" -Data   |    //Only Amiga |
|You're just gettin' wierd, and that results in creativity. |\\ //  makes it  |
 \__________________________________________________________|_\X/___possible_/

##

Subject: Editmaster
Date: Sat, 19 Sep 1992 21:02:45 -0700
From: [e-mail] (Jeff Walkup)

> What is an Editmaster? The price is right, but what does it do?

Got a flyer right here:

DMI's "Digital EditMaster (TM) Non-linear Editing System".

* Full-motion JPEG Technology
* Real-time 30fps Video Capture
* Real-time Video Display & Recording
* SMPTE Time Code Read & Write
etc....

"DMI's video compression board decompresses the stored video
segments from the hard drive in real time, delivering full screen,
broadcast quality video frames to an NTSC, PAL, of SVHS recorder
or monitor."

ZorroII card.  Will sync to the Sunrize audio board thru SMPTE.
Uses the LSI Logic JPEG chipset.  Comes with software to do
non-linear video editing ala "Avid Media Composer" (for a lot less
money!)  Suggested List Price $2495.00.  Send one to me now for
a full review!

-----------                                                       //
Jeff Walkup <[e-mail]> Graphics/Animation Designer \\//

##

Subject: Imagine&speed
Date: Sun, 20 Sep 92 0:22:58 EDT
From: [e-mail]

Question for Imagine users:

I am working on modeling some 3D objects in Imagine and I find it really
slow, if the object is complicated, it's slow in the form editor, really
slow in the detail editor...etc...I use an Amiga 2500 with an 030/25.

So does the refreshing of the screen gets a lot faster with a 3000, with
the 030/25 ? Or do you still have to wait ? . Is there a special chip, or
any tricks to minimise the waiting time ?

Would the accelarator 040 solve the problem completely ?

I am trying to buy the right thing ... thank you for your help.

[e-mail]

##

Subject: Re: DXF conversion
Date: 20 Sep 92 00:48:45 EDT
From: "Syndesis Corp/J. Foust" <[e-mail]>

To: [e-mail]

On Fri, 18 Sep 92 05:31:42 PDT, [e-mail] (don
hirschfeld) asked about converting AutoCAD DXF files to Imagine
objects.  I think I answered this about three weeks ago on this list,
maybe we should put this in the "frequently asked questions" list.
Here's a re-hash of my previous message:

Syndesis released a DXF Converter about two years ago. It both reads
and writes DXF, including the faceting of polygons into 3- and
4-sided 3DFACEs.

DXF has dozens of ways to represent things.  It's a terrible format
for 3D exchange.  It has no color or surface info, short of "pen
numbers" that do not correspond to any specific color.  Our
InterChange Plus DXF Converter has an easy way to assign full
Imagine-like surface attributes to each pen color.  DXF does not have
a non-ambiguous way to represent a 3D polygon-like entity with more
than four sides.  3DFACEs can have three or four sides.  There are
many other headaches with DXF, too.

Our new price for the add-on DXF Converter is $150, and for all those
who purchased it in the past, there's a special deal:  they get a
free upgrade to InterChange Plus and the new DXF Converter.

I wrote an article that appeared last summer in Avid magazine that
warned of the many hassles involved with DXF.  For example, clients
will send objects composed of 2D entities, or disconnected 3D
entities, and expect you to create beautiful walk-throughs - yet the
"walls" will be nothing more than edges hanging in space, or better
yet, they give you a purely 2D drawing with three orthogonal views
(top, left and side) of the building, insisting that it's a "3D"
object.

To assist people interested in Amiga 3D and DXF, I've revised and
updated this article.  Syndesis is selling this article and the
entire DXF Converter manual for just $10, refundable when you
purchase the Converter.  In this way, you can get a feel for what our
Converter can do without risking $150.

We're about to release InterChange Plus.  If you'd like a copy of the
newsletter that describes our product line, call or write:

Syndesis Corporation
N9353 Benson Road
Brooklyn, WI 53521
[phone]
[phone] FAX

and give us your address.  If you own a Syndesis product and haven't
registered yet, or have moved since you registered, please send us
your new address.

NewTek licensed our DXF-reading conversion code for inclusion in
Toaster 2.0.  I think it's clear our translator is superior to the
other commercial and shareware translators.  We take a very serious,
professional attitude about DXF translation.  We're registered
Autodesk multimedia developers, and we actually use AutoCAD and 3D
Studio on a regular basis.

##

Subject: Re: DXF converters
Date: Sun, 20 Sep 92 16:25:37 CDT
From: [e-mail] (Thomas E. Smith [LORAL])

Sorry Syndesis Corp, I think I'll write my orn DXF converter and keep my
$150 + the price for Interchange :)

                    Tom

##

Subject: Tumble
Date: Sun, 20 Sep 92 13:28:30 EDT
From: [e-mail] (Leo Hoban)

Does anyone have a tumble effect that works?

The tumble that I have with imagine 2.0 does nothing
whatsoever... it is 14500 long, dated 2-march-92.

-- Via DLG Pro v0.992

##

Subject: Editmaster
Date: Sun, 20 Sep 92 20:17:43 EDT
From: [e-mail]

I thought MPEG was the JPEG like standard for compressing 24bit anims, etc.?

If this is so, wouldn't a real-time (30fps) JPEG comp/decompression system
be just the same as MPEG?

Does anyone know a definate answer on this?

Thanks,

Jason Kitch

##

Subject: Re: DXF converters
Date: Sun, 20 Sep 92 23:07:46 CDT
From: "Scott Jones (Dr. Jones)" <[e-mail]>

>
>
> Sorry Syndesis Corp, I think I'll write my orn DXF converter and keep my
> $150 + the price for Interchange :)
>
>                     Tom
>
So Tom,

will this possibly end up as share-ware?

Scott..

##

Subject: Re: DXF converters
Date: Mon, 21 Sep 92 08:03:23 +0200
From: [e-mail]

Dear Imaginists,

  in the distribution of DkB (now PoV) there was and probably is a
rudimentary converter for DXF-files. Althoug the output format is this
of DKB, it would not be very hard to hack in the Imagine stuff.

  You can get POV-Ray from:

      alfred.ccs.carleton.ca (134.117.1.1)
        directory: pub/pov-ray/POV-Ray1.0

Hope that helps

Georg.

       >>>>>> No Imagine user, but interested in Raytracing !! <<<<<<

##

Subject: Problems with tumble
Date: Mon, 21 Sep 92 08:07:12 EST
From: Adam Benjamin <[e-mail]>

>not long ago someone wrote about problems with the tumble special
>effect of imagine 2.0

>I think I have these problems, too.

I believe the problem is that the tumble effect does absolutly nothing
to your object.  So it sounds like your's is working.

>If I use Tumble the tumbling objects rotate wildly but at the end of
>the special effect they stay rather distorted, so this effect can not
>be used for any logo animation. IS there something i had done wrong ?
>Hannes

Well I have found quirks with most of the effects. The Squash effect I
have moves my object up about 30 imagine units!  I had to compensate
by putting my object lower during the effect then putting back after
the effect was over.
As for the tumbling effect, mine does the same thing, so what I did
was build my animation in reverse. The first frame is where you want
the tumble to stop, then run the tumble effect off the screen. (My
project was of letters falling in from the top of the screen and
landing, squashing a little, then straightening up.  If you want to go
from stationary to tumble to stationary, this trick won't work.
If there is a better way (and there SHOULD be) please let me know.

************************************************************
* Adam Benjamin                    [e-mail] *
* Christian Animator           [e-mail] *
* Disclaimer:  Nothing I say means anything to anyone that *
*               might take it to mean something I didn't!  *

##

Subject: Re: Lens Flares and other related stuff.
Date: Mon, 21 Sep 92 09:03:41 EDT
From: Mark Thompson <[e-mail]>

Wayne Haufler writes:
> (Tod Rungren and NewTek's venture) production of "THEOLOGY".
> I noticed that when the camera (animated camera) swung around,
> the sun object caused very convincing lens flares.

These were accomplished with a beta copy of the new LightWave. Rungren is
one of the VERY few people who have early access to the new release.
However, you certainly don't need 3.0 to make a lens flare. I did one a
very nice one with 2.0 for the film I just completed. It involves more
hand labor but is certainly not insurmountable. Using similar techniques,
you could also create sparkling highlights but since you will be placing
those highlights by hand, you need to know where to put them.
|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
|           Mark Thompson                 CONCURRENT COMPUTER              |
|           [e-mail]        Principal Graphics               |
|           ...!uunet!masscomp!mark       Hardware Architect               |
|           [phone]                 & General Nuisance               |
|                                                                          |
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

##

Subject: Re: Editmaster
Date: Mon, 21 Sep 92 10:03:54 EDT
From: Mark Thompson <[e-mail]>

> I thought MPEG was the JPEG like standard for compressing 24bit anims, etc.?
> If this is so, wouldn't a real-time (30fps) JPEG comp/decompression system
> be just the same as MPEG?

JPEG is a still image compression technique. That does not prevent it from
being used on a sequence of still images (ie. video or animation). MPEG
on the other hand uses predictive techniques to take frame to frame
differences into account to help improve ccompression ratios. MPEG however
has several disadvantages currently: standard still not completely defined,
very high compute cost, silicon implementations are few in number and
rather expensive, compression ratios have not yet made large strides over
JPEG. In a year or two, MPEG compression will become much more prevelent,
but it is an immature technology at the moment.
%~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~%
%      `       '        Mark Thompson                 CONCURRENT COMPUTER  %
% --==* RADIANT *==--   [e-mail]        Principal Graphics   %
%      ' Image `        ...!uunet!masscomp!mark       Hardware Architect   %
%     Productions       [phone] [phone]   & General Nuisance   %
%                                                                          %
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

##

Subject: question abut Cinemorph
Date: Mon, 21 Sep 92 12:17:09 CDT
From: [e-mail] (Toaster Man)

Sorry this isnt imagine material..


I have a question I have had a chance to play around with GVP's new
Cinemorph.  I Want to know if any1 know how to do motion morphs?

Steve Tietze
VisioNary Graphics

##

Subject: Anybody who got the DMI JPEG board ??
Date:     Mon, 21 Sep 1992 21:11:35 +0200
From: Hannes Heckner <[e-mail]>

Now I think this is rather early but if there is anybody on this
mailing list who has got the DMI JPEG board it would be great
if this person could give us a small report about his/her experiences
with this marvellous board.


Thanks a lot ..

Hannes

##

Subject: What the hell is Vivid 24 ????????
Date:     Mon, 21 Sep 1992 21:09:09 +0200
From: Hannes Heckner <[e-mail]>

Hi

I heared a bit about Vivid 24 but still I can't IMAGINE what it
really can do.
Now is there anybody who could explain it to me. All I know is that
it can animate Imagine Objects in realtime !! So I thought the
people of this mailing list would be interested, too .....


Thanks for any info
Hannes

##

Subject: Another bug on Imagine 2.0
Date:     Mon, 21 Sep 1992 21:06:08 +0200
From: Hannes Heckner <[e-mail]>

I don't know if anyone has posted this yet:

When using stars (via global settings) in an animation the results
are not very impressing because the star-background changes sometimes
which results in a rather flickering background.

Is there something I missed or have the other members the same
problems ?

Hannes

##

Subject: Re: ADPro question
Date: Mon, 21 Sep 92 14:12:35 EDT
From: [e-mail] (Mike Bandy)

> [e-mail] says:
>
>
>    I rendered this really cool flying logo stuff for a friends
>    business.  I rendered to 24bit.  Then I developed an Arex script
>    to automatically convert the 24bit files to HAM format.  Then I
>    want to build anims and ultimately control the presentation using
>    Director 2.0.
>
>    My problem is converting the files.  When I go into ADPro, I load
>    the drawing, set the screen format, and execute.  Everything looks
>    great on the screen.  Then I try and save it to HAM format.  The
>    only option open to me is HAM6 or 24bit.  When I render to HAM6 I
>    get weird results.  I get streeks accross the image and the
>    background color is NOT black.  What is HAM6?  How does it differ
>    from HAM?  I would really like to create the anim in HAM mode and
>    control it form the Director 2.0.
>
>    BTW, I changed my script to render to EHB and everything looks
>    great.  I have already built the anims.  Tonight I'll start
>    working on Director 2.0 script.  Still I think HAM would look
>    better.
>
>

I use AdPro all the time and have never seen this problem.  I wonder if your
script is right?  I've used Arexx scripts using AdPro and encountered
the sort of file format problems you're talking about.  Save the file
interactively in the format you want, then save it using your script.  If
the parameters are the same the files should be identical (byte count, TYPE HEX,
etc).

What happens when you try to view the HAM file with one of the PD viewers like
Mostra?  When you load it into Deluxe Paint what size/bitplane configuration
does it want?

Hope this helps...

        Mike Bandy
        Johns Hopkins University / Applied Physics Lab
        [e-mail]

##

Subject: Tumble F/X
Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1992 12:47:22 -0700
From: [e-mail] (Jeff Walkup)

Adam Benjamin writes:

> Well I have found quirks with most of the effects. The Squash effect I
> have moves my object up about 30 imagine units!  I had to compensate
> by putting my object lower during the effect then putting back after
> the effect was over.

After about 1/2hr. of searching my hard drive, and original Imagine
disks for this elusive "Squash" effect.... I realized you are talking
about the "Boing" effect, duh!  Anywayz, the Boing effect does nothing
to my objects.  Why?  I dunno.  Is there anything special I have to
do?  I made a Primitive cone, loaded it into the Stage, (a project of
30 frames), and added the Boing effect to the cone over all 30 frames.
Nothing.  Playing with the options of Boing didn't help either.


However, the Tumble effect, I did get to work: this effect ONLY
tumbles the CHILDREN of an object to which the effect is attached.
I.E. groups the object(s) you want to tumble to an (invisible) axis.
I can't see how it's terribly useful -- the objects "pop" very
abruptly into and out of the effect.  You have to do as Mr. Benjamin
suggests, have the effect start and/or end offscreen.

-----------                                                       //
Jeff Walkup <[e-mail]> Graphics/Animation Designer \\//

##

Subject: A Visit to Impulse.
Date: Mon, 21 Sep 92 16:22:05 CDT
From: [e-mail] (Dave Wickard)

Last Wednesday I received a call from AMIGA
(Amiga of Minnesota Interest Group Alliance)
and specifically their Imagine SIG.
I was invited to the monthly meeting as a representative of
the Imagine Mailing List.
I arrived fashionably late...even by my standards.

Nice group of guys. Seemed very friendly and informal.

The meeting was being held at Impulse headquarters with
the chair being commandeered by Mr Impulse himself,
president Mike Halvorson. This is the first time I have
ever dealt with Mike other than by phone, so I wasn't
really sure of what to expect. He has a bit of an "off the wall"
image that many of you have described as "unprofessional".
I have never really been put off by this, but dealing with
it in person *might* cause a bit of a confrontation.
Fortunately, in person, I found Mike to be a very enjoyable
guy. Certainly opinionated, low-key to the point that
might be disconcerting to some, but all in all an interesting
and likeable dude. The atmosphere at Impulse is an excellent
one. Relaxed and creative in nature. Mike is way into
cool little toys in the shop for distraction during the day.
They have remote controlled balloon races, and many many
large (3-4 feet fuselage) planes hanging in the shop.
A great place to work with tons of neat looking lab gear
laying around. Reminds me of my own lab here at Unisys.

The meeting was underway by my arrival. Mike was up in
front doing a demonstration of MORPHUS for the group.
Taking a plane, making it into ocean waves with "whitecap"
points, taking another plane, making a flag "wave", just
general manipulation of the objects. Taking a plane, rolling
it up and twisting it into a torus. (Try THAT!) Most cool.

I will let you know about MORPHUS sometime this week.
(I simply *had* to buy a copy. No...nothing gratis.  :-(  )

Then Mike talked a tad about his recent purchase of 3D
Studio for his 486 machine. He wasn't too impressed by it
for a number of reasons mostly related to sub-menu depth
and complexity of accomplishing a simple task.
(Don't get all cranked up now, that was MIKE'S opinion) :-)
I guess they need to keep up on the products that will soon
become their competition upon the release of Imagine-PC.

By the way, I called him today and Mike mentioned that
the PC version has an ETA of 30-40 days. I would assume
that Nov. 1 is a good date for general distribution
then.

So the meeting progressed. We watched some video tapes of
a PLAY-MATION (?) demo and a couple other little creations
sent to Impulse by users. Pretty neat.

I asked about the 3.0 version of Imagine. Mike said that
there was really nothing that he could  say about the
release date publically yet. It's firm, he knows it,
but he just can't say quite yet. So...we wait.

The meeting then went on into what the Imagine SIG was
working on as a group project. A video production
using objects from all the contributing members that
would give everyone some hands-on experience
with video production. Impulse would fund the single
framing and production costs. Next meeting, they were
all told to bring their objects.
While this may seem boring and meaningless to the
pro-video and pro-Amiga people out there, to actually
learn some hands-on video production at Impulse using
Imagine might be very interesting to many of us.
Myself, I am not familiar at all with video production,
and any knowledge I can get from those "in the know"
will be thankfully accepted and passed along.

So, if you are interested in reading about how this project
progresses and how a real live video production is laid
down, watch for my monthly updates under this same title
"A Visit to Impulse" and maybe we can learn something
about it together.


After the completion of this, the group says they want
to undertake an ambitious project to stretch the
knowledge they gain during this one. It should be
interesting!

Well, until next time...


Dave Wickard  [phone]   "They called me MAD at the
[e-mail]         Electronics Institute! But I'll
[e-mail]       show them...I'll show them ALL!"
                                -Me (in a non-sober moment)

##

Subject: Lots o stuff
Date: Mon, 21 Sep 92 17:08:38 -0400
From: [e-mail] (Michael B. Comet)

    1]  Just got off the phone with DMI....place who makes
EditMaster..  said it would hopefully start to ship in the next 30-60
days.  Sounds pretty keen..   It requires a high speed SCSI Hard Drive
with high speed transfer to enable the drive to keep up with the board.
I think it uses a 10 to 1 compression ratio....though that may be
adjustable.  Also, the board will take any image and compress it for
you...and then play them back.  He also said teh editing software wasn't
done yet...but should follow close after the board initially ships.

    2]  Here's a question..... i keep hearing about the Vivid 24
board.  However... I have no idea what it is..  Could someone who know
s and or has it please post as to what it does?!  Thanks! :)

    3] As for the problem with the stars.  I  have found that having
the star density up too high causes imagine to sometimes create a
changing background pattern.  Try using a smaller number like 0.0312 or
something for the star density.

    4]  Don't forget to use a plain AXIS as the parent of the object
or group of objects you wish to "tumble" for the tumble command.


               Michael Comet
               [e-mail]

##

Subject: using InPAL
Date: Mon, 21 Sep 92 20:40:54 CDT
From: [e-mail] (Daniel Jr Murrell)

Hi all,
   I just happened to be running InPAL on my A500, and I ran SYSInfo
to see if it said my display was in PAL mode.  It didn't, but I
noticed that it showed my clock speed to be 8.53 mhz, not 7.14 as I
am used to.  What I am wondering is if this figure is accurate, and
if so, can I run Imagine in this mode for a little extra oomph.  Since
I only have a 68000 right now, I'll welcome all the speed I can scrape
up.  Also, are there any problems with dropping in a 68010 and Imagine?
Will it also speed up in PAL?  Finally, does anyone know about a new
68030 called a Derringer for $249.00?  I vaguely remember seeing
something about it in c.s.a.hardware.  Thanks alot...

Dan Murrell Jr.
[e-mail]

##

Subject: Re: Lots o stuff
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 92 2:03:33 CDT
From: [e-mail] (Steve Davis)

Michael B. Comet

>     2]  Here's a question..... i keep hearing about the Vivid 24
> board.  However... I have no idea what it is..  Could someone who know
> s and or has it please post as to what it does?!  Thanks! :)

Well it looks like the decked out card will have a 34020, two 34080's,
an NTSC/PAL encoder chip, some more chips, and great gobs of high
speed memory.  I think 16 meg of video memory and 4 meg of program
memeory for the TIGA chips.  The base card will be around $2000 and
the full system around $3000.  The card will only run in 3000's and
4000's.

It will be very slick, but too much money for my budget.

Stratocaster

--
       Steve Davis (I'm a student, not a spokesperson!)
      [e-mail] - Kansas State University - Manhattan KS

We encourage employees who create, achieve, increased value for share holders.

##

Subject: Re: A visit to Impulse
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 92 04:35:40 EST
From: [e-mail] (Alex Deburie)

On Mon, 21 Sep 92 16:22:05 CDT, [e-mail] (Dave Wickard)
said:

> Taking a plane, making it into ocean waves with "whitecap"
> points, taking another plane, making a flag "wave", just
> general manipulation of the objects. Taking a plane, rolling
> it up and twisting it into a torus. (Try THAT!) Most cool.

Vertex has been able to do these "tricks" for months. The multiply
command gives excellent waves, and with the tips of the waves selected,
you can easily fractalize them to get froth.

The wrap to ring function will handle twisting a grid into a torus.

One question, when you wave the flag, can it be securely mounted on a
flagpole?

Here's the Arexx scripts to handle these very effects:
(You could do this stuff by hand, but Arexx makes it much easier)

------------------------------ CUT -------------------------------

/* Arexx */
/*   This is an Arexx script which will create a series of
 *   waves progressing through a grid, utilizing Vertex and it's
 *   built in Arexx port.
 *   There are 2 equations in this script to ensure that the flag is
 *   mounted to a non-moving point. With only one equation, the flag
 *   would tend to "flap" off the flag pole, due to the cos() function.
 *   Change the amplitude for larger/smaller waves.
 *   Change the degrees for more/less frames.
 */
address 'VERTEX1'
amplitude=25
degrees=15
do a=0 to 360-degrees by degrees
    'grid 200 120 24 1'
    'multiply z=cos(x*1.3-'||a||')*'||amplitude
    'multiply z=z-cos(xmin*1.3-'||a||')*'||amplitude
    'draw'                      /* Uncomment this line for testing */
    parse var a t
    tt=copies("0",4-length(t))||t
/*  'save dh1:objetcs/frame.'a  Uncomment this line for finish copy */
    'delete vert'
    end
'draw'

------------------------------ CUT -------------------------------

/*                           Arexx                               */
/*  This Arexx script will make a torus out of a flat grid.
 *  The values 40, in the first 'move' command, and 100, in
 *  the second 'move' command, are the smaller and larger radii
 *  of the torus
 */
address 'VERTEX1'
'grid 200 200 10 10 donut'
'rotate 90 0 0'
'move 0 40 0'
'wrap ring 360'
'move 0 100 0'
'rotate 0 90 0'
'wrap ring 360'
'draw'

------------------------------ CUT -------------------------------

I am the author of Vertex, just to let you know. If your interested in
trying this stuff for yourself then get ahold of the demo of version
1.62 on Fred Fish #727. It won't let you save in Imagine format, but it
will give you access to the Arexx port.

     -- Alex Deburie
        [e-mail]

##

Subject: Re: Lots o stuff
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 92 09:50:34 MDT
From: [e-mail] (Ben Scott)

>Well it looks like the decked out card will have a 34020, two 34080's,
>an NTSC/PAL encoder chip, some more chips, and great gobs of high
>speed memory.  I think 16 meg of video memory and 4 meg of program
>memeory for the TIGA chips.  The base card will be around $2000 and
>the full system around $3000.  The card will only run in 3000's and

The card comes with a 40 Mhz 34020.  It can be equipped with up to
four 34882s (there ain't no "34080"...), the NTSC/PAL encoder isn't a
chip, but rather a board that takes a slot, and the 16 megs of VRAM
and 8 megs of program memory is separate from the high speed SRAM which
can also be added on little sub-cards.  The base price is $3000 and
the full system is over $6000.

(I wasn't going to bother posting this, as I'm posting the full literature
to comp.sys.amiga.announce, but I don't want people getting the wrong idea
from the previous post)

.                          <<<<Infinite K>>>>

--
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
|Ben Scott, professional goof-off and consultant at The Raster Image, Denver|
|Internet [e-mail], or call the Arvada 68K BBS at [phone].|
>------------------------------------------..-------------------------------<
|"Doesn't know when he's beaten, this chap,/\The Raster Image IS responsible|
|doesn't know when he's winning, either..."| \for everything I say!  *Amiga*|
`------------------------------------------' `------------------------------'

##

Subject: background
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 92 12:30:14 PDT
From: [e-mail] (Jonathan Trachtenberg)

Hi there.  I'm trying to make the background of an animation look just a bit more
interesting.  I want to have a flat (bright) mountainscape in the background, for
a full 360 degrees.  I've tried a few methods without success, and so now turn
to the mailing list for ideas.

  ___________________________________________________________________________
 /  [e-mail]                                          |     //         \
|"There may be a correlation between humor and sex" -Data   |    //Only Amiga |
|You're just gettin' wierd, and that results in creativity. |\\ //  makes it  |
 \__________________________________________________________|_\X/___possible_/

p.s. on un un-imagine note, how do I add errors-to to the header, as I know I'm
going to get a lot of bounces from this letter.

##

Subject: POUR THE FIRE OUT
Date: Wed, 23 Sep 1992 00:16:52 +0300
From: "Alex. Paterakis-UN. LA VERNE" <[e-mail]>

I don't know if emulating FIRE or PURING WATER can be covincing but my attempts are certainly not. I've tried the wierdest attempts but nothing seems to please me.
I've seen FIRE before on candles..but REAL MOTION FIRE..never !
If anyone has the faintest idea..ANYTHING !..please help

OVER & OUT...ALEX

##

Subject: Imagine 3.0 & Electricity
Date:     Tue, 22 Sep 1992 17:59:33 -0400
From: Jason B Koszarsky <[e-mail]>

Part 1:
Does anyone know if Imagine 3.0 supports AGA?  I would assume it did but you
never know for sure.

Part 2:
I asked about making electricity crawl over objects before but I didn't get any
responses here.  Does anyone have techniques for simulating this in Imagine 2.0?

Jason K

##

Subject: Re: Imagine 3.0 & Electricity
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 92 18:58:17 CDT
From: Wayne Haufler 283-4160 <[e-mail]>

Jason B Koszarsky <[e-mail]> writes:
> Part 2:
> I asked about making electricity crawl over objects before but I didn't get
> any responses here.  Does anyone have techniques for simulating this in
> Imagine 2.0?

It seems to me that electrical sparks are somewhat fractal in nature.
I've tried to use one of Essence textures to make growing cracks on an object.
But not with much success yet.  If that can be done,
perhaps crawling electricity could be done similarly, but with a very
bright color instead of a dark color.

Essence has a variety of fractal and turbulent textures which might work,
like bandfractal, radialfractal, fractalcolor, veinedmarble (nah),
(not sure about the names)
Generally, though, these fractals define the bounds between two color regions,

It may help to think of it in another way.
Crawling electricity, if memory serves, looks like many small blue glowing
worms marching sideways chaotically (fractally) but in a rough connected line.
8^)

A traveling vein of marble might work, with the distance between veins
set very big, and the colors and sharpness set appropriately.

Or a bandfractal with a narrow width, but that might be too straight.

Essence, in case you don't know, is a library of algorithmic textures for
Imagine by Steve Worley and Glen Lewis.

Ah, wait!  Let me quote from page 88 of the Essence manual (ok, Steve?)
For bandfract, bandturb, ringfract, rightturb, shellgract, shellturb:

"One application of these textures are good at representing a traveling
wave, like a firestorm or a shock impact.  The fractal perturbation
will give a ragged, natural appearance.

For example, you might be making a space battle, where a bolt of energy
hits the side of a ship.  You could use the texture "Shellturb" to
apply a bright blue ring centered at the impact point.  If you expand
the starting radius of the shell over time, you can make the blue color
expand away from the impact.  You might also morph the Fade value to
slowly decay the strength of the blue band, so when it is farther from
the impact point, it has become less powerful like it has spent
itself."

That sounds a lot like crawling electricity to me, from a distance anyway.
Happy rendering!


         __      Wayne A. Haufler   [Christian/SW Engineer/XWindows/Amigan]
\\ /\\ /\\ //_    [e-mail]    McDonnell Douglas-Houston
 \/--\// \//__    Hobby:"Exploring the Use of Computer Graphics and
     //                  Animations To Support Christian Endeavors"

##

Subject: Smoke
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 92 22:56:54 -0600
From: [e-mail] (Charles Cazabon (186-003-526))

Fellow Imagineers:

I have been for some time trying to create the illusion of a rising
plume of smoke (like from the tip of a cigarette).  This doesn't even
have to be animated; it's for a still image.  I have Essence, although
I just got it recently and haven't fully explored it yet.  It appears
that I could have it for fifty years without being able to fully explore
it...

I have a tried a number of different things in creating this smoke.  My
first attempt was by using a long inverted cone as a fog object, and
applying a turbulent fractal colour to it.  This worked VERY well, with
one problem.  The portions of the cone that did NOT become smoke still
coloured the light passing through it and the smoke therefore appeared
to be in a darker cone of some other material.  I cannot see any way
around this problem in using a fog object.

I suspect that the solution might be using a flat plane of whitish
colour, applying a turbulent fractal transparency to it, and maybe
setting the fade value to 0.5 or something...however, as we all know,
you have to do a full trace for this to be effective.  Using the
transparency option in a scanline render to me would not work well.
Using a full trace is a little out of the question right now, as a full
trace is approaching a twelve hour job at the moment (it's a complex
scene; this is on a 25 mHz A3000).  I'd like to do this previewing in
scanline, but with a realistic smoke.

Anyone have any ideas?


--Chuck Cazabon, [e-mail]
* alternate address:  [e-mail]
* In the immortal words of JFK..."I am a jelly donut!"
I went to Israel on holiday, and all I got was this lousy gunshot wound.

##

Subject: Re: A visit to impulse
Date: Wed, 23 Sep 92 01:07:37 EST
From: [e-mail] (Alex Deburie)

On: Tue, 22 Sep 92 08:04:57 EST, [e-mail] writes:
> I don't quite understand how Morphus or Vertex are used in Imagine
> (or any animation software for that matter)
> So you take a plane and wrap it up into a torus, How do you get that
> into your animation??  Save lots of individual objects as it is
> morphing and then keep switching them in the action editor of
> Imagine?  (NOT)
> Please shed some light on this,
> Thanks
> ************************************************************
> * Adam Benjamin                    [e-mail] *
> * Christian Animator           [e-mail] *
> * Disclaimer:  Nothing I say means anything to anyone that *
> *               might take it to mean something I didn't!  *

Well, there are 2 ways to do it. If the object will accept morphing,
then you can set up a morph to do it for you. This does cause problems,
however, expecially with wave type objects, which tend to undulate,
rather than roll like a wave should. Creating a torus out of a grid
would work perfect for a morph. I've done some pretty complex morphing
of exploding sphere's in just this manner, and it works great.

The other way is to go the way of the tank, as you suggested. It would
be nice if Imagine handled multiple objects like it handles animated
brush maps. Although, now thinking about it, a small utility to build a
stage file, or hook into one, would probably not be a bad idea.

     -- Alex Deburie
        [e-mail]

##

Subject: Smoke
Date: Wed, 23 Sep 92 08:11:46 EST
From: Adam Benjamin <[e-mail]>

[e-mail] writes:

>I suspect that the solution might be using a flat plane of whitish
>colour, applying a turbulent fractal transparency to it, and maybe
>setting the fade value to 0.5 or something...however, as we all know,
>you have to do a full trace for this to be effective.  Using the
>transparency option in a scanline render to me would not work well.

Why not use scanline?  I modeled a pretty good looking smoke column
using what you suggested above for a animation I'm making.
Unfortunatly I had to remove it because it was in front of a
backdrop IFF and Imagine doesn't like that 8(
I used a trapazoid shape to put the smoke on and turbFilter for the
essence "effect".

--Chuck Cazabon, [e-mail]
* alternate address:  [e-mail]
* In the immortal words of JFK..."I am a jelly donut!"
I went to Israel on holiday, and all I got was this lousy gunshot wound.

************************************************************
* Adam Benjamin                    [e-mail] *
* Christian Animator           [e-mail] *
* Disclaimer:  Nothing I say means anything to anyone that *
*               might take it to mean something I didn't!  *

##

Subject: background
Date: Wed, 23 Sep 92 08:39:06 EST
From: Adam Benjamin <[e-mail]>

In a previous post [e-mail] writes:
> I want to have a flat (bright) mountainscape in the background, for
> a full 360 degrees.  I've tried a few methods without success,
> and so now turn to the mailing list for ideas.

by "full 360 degrees" I assume you mean so the background pans with
the camera?
This isn't too difficult with Scenery Animator (S.A.) or Vista.  Just
render up the frames (swing the camera around) in S.A. and put them in
as backdrop IFF's in the global section of the Action editor. There
is a bug in there! I can't recall for sure, but it has to do with
making a sequence of backdrops load in automatically in the action
editor. (I just entered each brushmap into the editor by hand, even
though they went in sequence).
A few tips:
The backdrops HAVE to be the same size as the rendered image size.
NO transparent objects in front of your backdrop! (Imagine "feature")
For Pans move the backdrop WITH your foreground (keep them even)
For Trucking (Moving west, pointing north for example) move the
background "slower" than the forground (ala "Shadow of the Beast")

>p.s. on un un-imagine note, how do I add errors-to to the header, as
>I know I'm going to get a lot of bounces from this letter.

yea, I can't seem to get this to work either.
************************************************************
* Adam Benjamin                    [e-mail] *
* Christian Animator                                       *
* Disclaimer:  Nothing I say means anything to anyone that *
*               might take it to mean something I didn't!  *

##

Subject: Re: A visit to impulse
Date: Wed, 23 Sep 92 08:23:01 EST
From: Adam Benjamin <[e-mail]>

Thanks for your reply, I still don't quite understand what you meant
here:
>Well, there are 2 ways to do it. If the object will accept
>morphing, then you can set up a morph to do it for you. This does
>cause problems, however, expecially with wave type objects, which
>tend to undulate, rather than roll like a wave should. Creating a
>torus out of a grid would work perfect for a morph. I've done some
>pretty complex morphing of exploding sphere's in just this manner,
>and it works great.
??  If the object will accept morphing??  I think you mean that with
Vertex, (or whatever) you can try to make two objects that follow the
rules of morphing in Imagine (same number of points/faces), thus
allowing Imagine to perform the morph?  What tools are there in Vertex
that helps in this repect?
Sorry if this is incorrect, I am smart really! I just learn by
seeing/doing more than reading.  I appreciate your answers.

I saw the very first Vertex version, but haven't seen anything lately.

     -- Alex Deburie
        [e-mail]
               ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Where is this?  I'm from Kalamazoo myself.
************************************************************
* Adam Benjamin                    [e-mail] *
* Christian Animator                                       *
* Disclaimer:  Nothing I say means anything to anyone that *
*               might take it to mean something I didn't!  *

##

Date: Wed, 23 Sep 92 18:02:29 PDT
From: [e-mail] (Kevin W. Hobbs)

I found this file lying around the other day and can't remember where
I got it from.  Does this look familiar to anyone?  Anyone know where
these files are?  Anyone know Carmen Rizzolo?  I'm only interested
in the animations.

Thanks,
Kevin Hobbs
[e-mail]


This is the file:

              Other Stuff by Carmen Rizzolo for 3-D people:
                     (Flat, 2-D people disreguard)


-- DCTV DEMOS ------------------------------------------------------------

Pointles.LZH  Pointless! My premiere DCTV animation. And what a premiere
              it is!  This is still my favorite of all of them, but I
              vow to out-do it!  Done in FULL TRACE mode.
Yummies.LZH   You'll LOVE Yummies!  Yummies is a flirtation with Imagine's
              SLICE feature that deals with something other than 3-D text.
              Done in Scanline mode.
Magnify.LZH   Magnify is a simple but slick animation using magnifying
              glass-type refraction.  Done in FULL TRACE mode.
Point2.LZH    Pointless 2 shows Pointless at a slightly different point
              (no pun intended) of view.  Done in FULL TRACE mode.
Dizzy3D.LZH   Don't stand on this checkered floor!  Nothing too original,
              but done in good taste.  Done in FULL TRACE mode.
HISPEED.LZH   Interesting animation that emulates motion blurring effects.
              Fly down a trench at 30 frames a second (if you dare).  Done
              in Scanline mode
POOL2DCT.LHA  Vivid example of the new Waves texture in Imagine v2.0. Comes
              with an in-depth tutorial on how to master this effect. Done
              in Ray Trace mode. DCTV required

POINT3.LHA    Coming one of these days...

NEON.LHA      Stylish animation of a rotating street sign with a blinking
              neon logo on it.  Comes with 3 extensive tutorials!!

-- NORMAL DEMOS -----------------------------------------------------------

POOL2HAM.LHA  Vivid example of the new Waves texture in Imagine v2.0. Comes
              with an in-depth tutorial on how to master this effect. Done
              in Ray Trace mode. No special hardware req'd. HAM version
              (Ew!)

Veins-32.LHA  Simplistic animation in 32 colours. Demonstrates how to morph
              Altitude maps. Comes with matching tutorial.


-- Imagine Tutorials ------------------------------------------------------

3D-FONT.LZH   An in-depth tutorial with illustrations on creating
              professional quality 3-D logos in Imagine v1.1.
              This tutorial is out-of-date for Imagine 2.0 users.

3D-FONT2.LHA  Coming soon!


-- Imagine Objects --------------------------------------------------------

OUTLET.LZH    Imagine (1.1) object of a wall outlet and matching plug.

A3000-IM.LZH  An object of an Amiga 3000 CPU.

A3002-IM.LHA  Update to A3000 CPU *AND* a matching keyboard! Yow!

CRUISER.LHA   Nearly 500k in size space cruiser object.  Complete with
              windows and other details.  Warning: This thing may require
              5 megs or more to render!  It was not built to conserve
              memory, it was built to look good!  Imagine 2.0 only.
              Comes with tutorial on a new spline based rotations
              technique.

NCC-80E.LHA   Star Trek-like Shuttle craft.  For Imagine 2.0 only.  Comes
              with nifty tutorial that can help you speed up your
              animation creation.

##

Date: Thu, 24 Sep 92 18:31:39 -0600
From: [e-mail] (Charles Cazabon (186-003-526))

I asked for help with smoke...I got two replies along this line, and
this fellow asked me to post it to the list...so here goes.  Seems
like a good way to do it, although I haven't tried this quite yet.

---begin quoted text---

You may consider this: Make some jagged planes in the front view, seperate
them by a few dozen units so they are like odd islands just apart from each
other, a triangle pattern works well.  Now place an axis in the center of
the planes, and join all the objects with the axis at the parent. (join,
not group)   Okay, now extrude it a couple of hundred units with a rotation
along Y of 720 or so.  If you make it taper, it will look more realistic
too.  make it a fog object with some grey or brown as the color and adjust th
the fog length appropriately.  There you go.  I made some steaming food
this way once, no Essence required.
    Paul J. Furio
    [e-mail]
    [e-mail]
PS:please post this for me, I didn't have a chance to.

---end quoted text---

Hope this helps anyone interested.


--Chuck Cazabon, [e-mail]
* alternate address:  [e-mail]
* In the immortal words of JFK..."I am a jelly donut!"
I went to Israel on holiday, and all I got was this lousy gunshot wound.

##

Subject: FTP sites
Date: Sat, 26 Sep 92 16:03:49 PDT
From: [e-mail] (don hirschfeld)

When I get back from vacation, I'll have access to FTP sites ( I
currently am on a mail only site). I would like a list of sites where I
can download other peoples raytrace images, high res textures like
marble, granite, etc, and anything else useful in 3D rendering. If there
isn't one already, maybe someone should make up a list of Amiga file and
3D file sites. Thanks.

--
[e-mail] (don hirschfeld)

##

Subject: Setting Priority
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 92 05:28:13 CDT
From: [e-mail] (Daniel Jr Murrell)

Hi,
  Is it safe to raise the priority of Imagine (or other rendering programs)
so that I can render at maximum CPU usage while I'm asleep.  I've been
using XOper to lower the priority so that I can do other things, and I was
just wondering how effective it would be to go the other way.  What is the
best setting for maximum power, how much boost will I get, and finally, how
can I return my machine to normal without having to reboot when it's finished?
Thanks a lot!

Dan Murrell Jr.
[e-mail]

##

Subject: Double morphing?
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 92 18:00:45 +0100
From: [e-mail]

Double Morphing?
----------------

Some time ago I played around with the morphing-function of Imagine 2.0. I
designed a rotating vase which morphs to different shapes. The morph-effect
looks very nice, but I wanted to not only morph the shape of the vase but
the mapped brushes.

The idea is simple: How about using DPaint IV (from Electronic Arts) and
its brush-morphing-function? Yeah, I loaded two brushes, morphed them with
18 in-between-frames and stored all the frames as "Morph1.0001" to "Morph1.0020".
Then I entered Imagine again and changed the brush-attributes for one vase
in "Max. Sequence" to 20 and it works fine. Of course, you can use any
software, which is able to morph, but DPaint IV was the first one (as far
as I know) and it's quite easy to use. BTW: In the latest version
(DPaint 4.01) there is no limit in morph-brush-size anymore.

You can use this procedure for every brush type. I used it for
morphing altitude maps, which looks rather exiting (imagine the nice
morphing shadows all over the surface of the rotating vase).

There is one drawback, however: You can't do this brush-morphing and the
normal shape-morphing at the same time. I tried it, I failed :-(

Is anybody out there who has a (more or less tricky) solution for this?


__________________________________________________________________________
     /// Oliver Eichhorn, CS student at FH Darmstadt
    ///     Fraunhofer Institute Of Computer Graphics, Darmstadt (FhG/IGD)
\\\///   eMail:[e-mail],  voice:(06151) 48200 or (06022) 7752
 \XX/    "Things are more like they are now than they ever were before"
----------

##

Subject: Re: Double morphing?
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 92 15:18:55 PDT
From: [e-mail] (Aaron Tucker)

> Double Morphing?
> ----------------
>
> There is one drawback, however: You can't do this brush-morphing and the
> normal shape-morphing at the same time. I tried it, I failed :-(
>
> Is anybody out there who has a (more or less tricky) solution for this?
>
>
Use the Snapshot command on the object for each frame it is in. Delete the
object out of the animation. Reload all of the seperate stages of the object
one frame at a time. Manually place each brushmap frame to the corresponding
object. Wala. It works, but it is tedious.

You might try just adding the brushmap sequence to the target object, minus
the first frame. The first frame will go on the source object.

Get Morphus. It might do it. Call Impulse and find out.

I have never tried any of the above. I only do 2D morphing. :-)

>      /// Oliver Eichhorn, CS student at FH Darmstadt
>     ///     Fraunhofer Institute Of Computer Graphics, Darmstadt (FhG/IGD)
> \\\///   eMail:[e-mail],  voice:(06151) 48200 or (06022) 7752
>  \XX/    "Things are more like they are now than they ever were before"

Juan Trevino
[e-mail]

##

Subject: Re: Setting Priority
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 92 15:08:09 PDT
From: [e-mail] (Aaron Tucker)

>
> Hi,
>   Is it safe to raise the priority of Imagine (or other rendering programs)
> so that I can render at maximum CPU usage while I'm asleep.  I've been
> using XOper to lower the priority so that I can do other things, and I was
> just wondering how effective it would be to go the other way.  What is the
> best setting for maximum power, how much boost will I get, and finally, how
> can I return my machine to normal without having to reboot when it's finished?
> Thanks a lot!
>
I have found that it doesn't make much of a difference raising the priority.
Lowering the priority does because it is now of second importance to whatever
else it is you are doing. But raising the priority is only going to take
away from any WB functions you might WANT to do, not what it is currently
doing automatically. (Unless you raise it really high, which I DON'T recommend
whatsoever!)

Just keep it at 0. I use SETPRI. How does Xoper fair under 2.0?

> Dan Murrell Jr.
> [e-mail]
>
Juan Trevino
[e-mail]

##

Subject: Re: Setting Priority
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 92 16:05:27 CDT
From: [e-mail] (Michael Linton)

[e-mail] (Daniel Jr Murrell) writes:

> Hi,
>   Is it safe to raise the priority of Imagine (or other rendering programs)
> so that I can render at maximum CPU usage while I'm asleep.  I've been
> using XOper to lower the priority so that I can do other things, and I was
> just wondering how effective it would be to go the other way.  What is the
> best setting for maximum power, how much boost will I get, and finally, how
> can I return my machine to normal without having to reboot when it's finished


Hello there, well I run a BBS and use Imagine at the same time, and find
that the BBS slows to a crawl when I'm rendering, so I usually lower
Imagine's priority to -1.  I've found that at a -1 priority, Imagine will
only loose a few seconds off each frame when rendering, which to me is a
worth while speed decrese, for the speed increase the other programs get.
On the flip side, I've tried raising Imagine's priority to 126 (or is it
129?), and found that it doesn't hack all that much off the rendering
times.  I believe it only decreased about a minute, or so, at that
priority.  Which is quite a bit if you're rendering a 60 frame anim, you
hack 1 hour off the rendering time.  I use ARTM, I find it better than
XOper for setting priorities (but it's just personal preference).  With
ARTM to set the priority back to 0, you just click on the program, then
click on priority, and then enter 0.  But, if Imagine is still rendering
at 129 priority, it WILL LOCK YOUR MOUSE UP, and the only time it'll move
is when Imagine writes to the HD.  I spent like half an hour juse moving
hte mouse from the corner of the screen, to change it's priority back to
0 so I could work on other things. :)  Hope that long winded message
helps some.  TTYL

[e-mail]
The Inquiring Mind BBS, Winnipeg, Manitoba  204 488-1607

##

Subject: Modeling... Where should I begin?
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 92 0:16:09 EDT
From: Paul Miller <[e-mail]>

Hello, world. I'm relatively new to imagine, and for a project I'm working
on I need to model a modification to a Miata design, and I have no idea
where to start. So, what would be the best starting point for something
like a car with lots of curves (no wheel-wells, though)? Should I start
with the Forms Editor? Or should I build up cross-sections and skin them
in Detail?

Thanks in advance...

--
****************************************************************************
* Paul Miller                         |Nobody cares about my opinion anyway*
* Certified Amiga Developer           |                                    *
* INTERNET: [e-mail] |    - Have a JOLT and a smile! -    *
* ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *
* "What IS it, man?"                                "Happy Happy, Joy Joy" *
****************************************************************************

##

Subject: Laser Recorder for Sale
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1992 14:53:54 -0500
From: [e-mail] (Eric Fleischer)

    For those of you that have been churning out those wonderful 24bit frames,
but have no way of recording them, I have just the thing for you. A Panasonic
TQ-3031F worm Laser recorder. This unit can easily be controlled from the Amiga
with a null-modem cable and simple ASCII text commands. It can record a frame in
1/30th of a second, no preroll needed. You can record frames as quickly as you
can load them into your display device.
   The TQ-3031F has composite, S-video (Y/c), and RGB inputs. It can play back
in any speed in forward or reverse.     The list for the unit is $18,000. Asking
a firm $10,000. If you are interested in it, call Dave Paige at Virtual Image
Labs, 301-431-7735.

                                               __   _  _
<ELF> aka Eric J Fleischer MD aka Dr Gandalf   \ \ | () | VIRTUAL  Mind
                                                \ \| || |__ IMAGE  Blowing
[e-mail]          \___||____| LABS  Graphics

##

Subject: FIRE
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 11:59:39 +0200
From: Alex. Paterakis-UN. LA VERNE <[e-mail]>

Hello Imagine Fans..I know I've bothered you with how to
do MOTION FIRE. And to your reply of getting Essence I
still have difficulty in making FIRE. Essence has so many
parameters that make me get lost easily..
Does anyone Know how to Make FIRE with Essence ?
Please HELP

 *******************************                                                  [e-mail]                                                             AMIGA POWER                                                           **************

##

Subject: Strange problems
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 92 04:58:26 PDT
From: [e-mail] (don hirschfeld)

I'm trying to make a brass lamp object appear very reflective and gold by
using a full screen IFF of gold color in the global setting and setting
reflection to 200,200,200. I get a reflection of what appears to be a
black line with a loop at its end! I tried to make the IFF in overscan,
but still get that line. What's happening? I would also like any
suggestions on ho wto get the maximum brillance out of the metal like a
real high gloss metal lamp.
Next, I just got Vertex v1.62. If I run Imagine 2.0 and it at the same
time, I can not quit Vertex if I am rendering or have finished rendering.
I hit quit, it asks confirmation, then nothing happens. If load both
without rendering, it quits OK.

--
[e-mail] (don hirschfeld)

##

Subject: FIRE
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 92 08:22:57 EST
From: Adam Benjamin <[e-mail]>

>Hello Imagine Fans..I know I've bothered you with how to
>do MOTION FIRE. And to your reply of getting Essence I
>still have difficulty in making FIRE. Essence has so many
>parameters that make me get lost easily..
>Does anyone Know how to Make FIRE with Essence ?
>Please HELP
>  [e-mail]

I have modeled fire with essence, but I'm not real happy with the
results so far.  Here is what I did, maybe it will give you a place to
start from.
I first made a teardrop shaped object in forms, then in detail move
the axis to the bottom, make it yellow and make it light and bright.
I applied the turbfilter texture with shade of red and different shade
of yellow than the flame objects color.  save it off, and then change
the time value of the texture and save it again.
In the stage editor, morph the objects and it looks ok. not great
though.  I suggested moving the axis down because I think if you
rotate the object alittle from frame to frame, it looks like the flame
is "waving" around and should help. (I haven't tried this latest part
yet myself).
I am trying to model a candelabrum with 7 flames and it is really
taxing my system!
************************************************************
* Adam Benjamin                    [e-mail] *
* Christian Animator           [e-mail] *
* Disclaimer:  Nothing I say means anything to anyone that *
*               might take it to mean something I didn't!  *


happy with the results

##

Subject: Essence???
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 92 15:08:00 +0100
From: [e-mail]

Hi!

I was just reading several problems about motion fire. You mentioned ESSENCE.

WHAT THE HECK IS ESSENCE?? Is it a software package, or what? Where is it
available?

Thanks...

__________________________________________________________________________
     /// Oliver Eichhorn, CS student at FH Darmstadt
    ///     Fraunhofer Institute Of Computer Graphics, Darmstadt (FhG/IGD)
\\\///   eMail:[e-mail],  voice:(06151) 48200 or (06022) 7752
 \XX/    "Things are more like they are now than they ever were before"

##

Subject: Polyhedra
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 92 12:48:42 EDT
From: Steven Bloomfield <[e-mail]>

Hello!

I recently ftp'd a file called "polyhedra" from hubcap.clemson.edu.
It was located in the objects directory for imagine, but the files that came
out of the archive aren't imagine format.  How can I convert them?

Also, where can I find "writetddd"?

Thanx in advance!

-Steven Bloomfield
[e-mail]

##

Subject: Forms editos hints,tips needed
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 92 13:51:16 CDT
From: [e-mail] (Toaster Man)

Well

I have been messing around with the forms editos alot latley.
However i would like some hints and tips on how to build big objs?
Like for instance would should u build in the forms ed and what should
you build in the detail editor.  I have been thought steve's forms editor
tutorial and its great but it doenst explain on how to do a complex obj.
does any have any other texts on this?

Steve
VisioNary Graphics

##

Subject:      taping animations
Date:         30 Sep 92 14:31:43 CST6
From: [e-mail]

Hi everybody,

       I'm new to this mail thing, and I've had a question that I've
been wondering about for a long time now.
       My friend has a S-VHS singleframe recorder that he uses with
his toaster.  He says that I can use it anytime, and he also has
Imagine and a DCB(I think thats what the name is) single frame
controler card.  How do you automaticaly record frames from a rendered
Imagine animation to tape unattended with out doing it one at a time?
The Toaster can control a single frame controler card and
lay frames to tape automaticaly.  Is there some sort of utility that
will do this for Imagine?


                                        Thanks,

                                        Mike Jiang

                                        email ==> [e-mail]

##

Subject: Water Waves
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 92 13:26:51 MED
From: [e-mail] (Leon Woestenberg)

Hello fellow Imagineers!

I'm new on Internet and new on the Imagine Mailing List. However, I'm a oldy
with Imagine.

However, the problem is to make some great looking waterwaves, using the
altitude map (OK, look-alike alt map...) function of Imagine 2.0. I know 2.0
does some interpolation on these brushmaps, so waterwaves should be really
smooth looking. I've tried different brushmaps (made with DPaint IV) but
they don't give me the realworld impression of waterwaves.

- Can someone give me a hint on how what brushmap should look like?
- How large should the brush be in relation with the object (a flat plane)?
- How large should the axis be set?

Any hints (maybe ftp sites with example brushmaps!) are welcome.

Greetings from totally ~~waved~~ Imagine User,

                             Leon Woestenberg
                             Internet Address: [e-mail]