Mechanisto is a shareware 3D modeling, rendering, and animation package for PowerMacs. This program may be freely distributed as long as the original contents of the archive are kept together and un-modified. Individuals or companies distributing shareware CD-ROMs must get permission from me before including Mechanisto in any software collection.
Mechanisto is not a free program. If you keep and use this program, please send $20.00 US (or whatever you think it's worth or can afford) to:
Mike Clifton
1013 Thistle Ct.
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
Send me your email address too, so I can keep you up to date on new releases.
By sending in the registration fee, you're supporting the continued development of this program. So if you like what it does now, the only way to get me to add new features is to show your support.
This version of Mechanisto is a complete overhaul of the program. Those of you who have used Mechanisto before will be pleasantly surprised and I hope newcomers will like what they find. One of the biggest changes is a totally new user interface that I hope will be easier for people to use. Just the same, there are many features that aren't self-explanatory, so please read the manual.
Although many of the features look the same, this version involved a total re-write of the scene database, rendering engine, and geometry pipeline. The point is, if you have scene files from older versions of Mechanisto, they won't work with version 2.0, the changes were just too major. On the other hand, the new database architecture will allow for easy expansion and addition of new features in the future (look in the Future Features folder for something to look forward to soon).
System Requirements:
1. A PowerMac. (Sorry 68k people, but there are no plans for a 68k Mac version of Mechanisto.)
2. QuickTime. Although QuickTime isn't absolutely required, you will need it installed to save animations as QuickTime movies. Also, the supplied shaders make use of QuickTime compressed textures, so to use them QuickTime is required. Plus, you should have QuickTime installed anyhow.
What's in this package:
1. This READ ME file.
2. Mechanisto 2.0, the program itself.
3. A folder of sample shaders that you can load into your scene files and apply to objects. Be sure to keep this folder in the same place as the main program (more on this in the manual).
4. A folder with a few sample objects.
5. A folder with the manual.
6. A utility program called Depth To Gray. This program takes a depth map generated by Mechanisto and converts it to a grayscale image. This image can be used for special effects in Photoshop or for creating those annoying whatchamacallits - autostereograms.
7. A folder with some samples of features that will appear in future versions of Mechanisto.
What's new in version 2.0:
• Not a crippled demo version - this is the real thing. Just because you can use all the features, though, don't forget to send me some cash. Please.
• Totally re-done user interface. Prettier and easier to use.
• Faster rendering - both wireframe drawings in the editing window and the final, high-quality output.
• Built-in QuickTime support. Output animations directly to QuickTime instead of numbered PICT files. (Watch out for the lossy compression in QuickTime. It sucks to render for hours only to find that QuickTime made your animation banded or blurry. You can still output numbered PICT files if you prefer.)
• New geometric object types: lathe, swept curve, rounded cube, and rounded cylinder.
• Cameras and lights can be animated just like objects.
• Curve support: draw a curve and have an object, a light, or the camera fly along it.
• Heirarchical grouping. Forget the crappy parent-child menu item from version 1.0. Now groups look like folders and you can drag objects into or out of them easily.
• Multiple shadows. You're no longer limited to one shadow-casting light source. Now you can use as many as memory allows. Also, you don't have to manually position shadows anymore - just check the "Casts Shadows" checkbox.
• Higher quality texture mapping.
• Antialiased rendering.
• Two rendering modes: background and greedy. Background mode renders without locking up the computer, so you can go back to writing your thesis while Mechanisto does its stuff. Greedy mode uses up all the machine's resources for less friendly, but faster rendering.
• Time curve editing. See how a transformation parameter changes over time and edit the curve itself.
I would like to hear any comments or suggestions you might have, so feel free to send them to:
