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1997-01-18
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LATE BREAKING NEWS
==================
Thank you for test driving the demo version of Extreme
3D. Extreme 3D is the most powerful 3D solution for
design and multimedia. This demo version of Extreme 3D
includes all the major features of the full product.
You can use this demo version to get the feel of
Extreme 3D, but you cannot save or export your work.
This file contains important information about using
Extreme 3D. Information in this file supplements and
supersedes information in the Extreme 3D documentation.
WINDOWS INSTALLATION NOTES
==========================
Installing Extra Components
If you would like to install Win32s this component is
available from the UTILS directory of the Extreme 3D
directory. The component has a separate SETUP program.
If you are a user of Windows 3.1, Extreme 3D requires
the Win32s component to be present on your system. When
installing onto a Windows 3.1 system, the Extreme 3D
installation program automatically detects if Win32s is
not present or if a previous version is installed,
prompts you to install Win32s, and launches the Win32s
installer during the Extreme 3D installation.
Viewing Correct Icons
---------------------
If you are using a Windows 3.1 system and did not
install Win32s before installing Extreme 3D, icons for
Extreme 3D are not properly displayed. You can choose
the correct icons using the Windows Properties dialog
box. From the Program Manager, select each item in the
program group and choose Properties from the File menu.
MEMORY AND PERFORMANCE
======================
If you encounter problems while loading a scene or
during rendering, you may need to increase the amount
of memory available to Extreme 3D. On a Macintosh,
increase the minimum and preferred memory size using
the Get Info dialog box for the Extreme 3D application.
If you need to exceed the amount of RAM in your system,
turn on virtual memory. On Windows systems, increase
the amount of virtual memory. Refer to your operating
system documentation for information on how to do this.
USING MACROMODEL MODELS
=======================
MacroModel files open in Extreme 3D with windows set to
8-bit color depth. To take advantage of Extreme 3D's
32-bit rendering capabilities, set any open windows to
32-bit color depth by choosing Window Setup from the
Window menu after opening the MacroModel file and
before you begin working.
Lights brought in from MacroModel files lose their
names and are named Default Light. Their position and
orientation information is reset to default values. You
might want to make note of your lights' position and
orientation values in MacroModel in advance and then
reset your lights using those values once you have
brought the file into Extreme 3D.
EXTREME 3D ON NON-US SYSTEMS
============================
When using Extreme 3D with a French keyboard, numeric
menu shortcut keys are unavailable.
When working in Windows, it is recommended that you
avoid using extended characters (upper-ASCII characters
including accented characters) in directory or file
names, or during installation.
When using a non-US version of Windows, it is strongly
advised that you do not install any of the optional
components located in the UTILS directory. Installation
of these components, particularly the Win32s component,
might result in damage to your system.
COMPATIBILITY WITH OTHER PRODUCTS
=================================
If you are a user of Control Strip on the Macintosh,
you might notice that Control Strip partially obscures
the Extreme 3D tool space and status bar. If this
occurs, you should use the Control Strip control panel
to hide Control Strip.
In order to use Type 1 fonts in Extreme 3D, you must
have ATM installed. We suggest using the latest
version. On Windows 95 it is best to use version 3.01
or later. ATM is not supported by Extreme 3D on Windows
3.1.
RENDERING INFORMATION
=====================
If objects in the foreground of a rendered scene have
missing polygons, you can adjust the view scale and
camera distance to correctly display them. Decrease the
scale value for the view using the Views browser. This
will increase the apparent size of the objects. Then
move the camera farther away from the scene until you
achieve the view you want and can successfully render
your scene.
Using the Hidden Wireframe render style on objects that
are placed against a dark background causes the objects
to render as flat white. If this is an undesired
effect, lighten the background color until you get the
effect you want.
Final Render Settings
---------------------
When you render an image, Extreme 3D multiplies the
largest side of the Final Render Size field (for
example, 4090 for an image that will be output to 4090
x 2731) by the Quality setting (for example, 4 for a 4
x 4 setting). The result of this multiplication cannot
exceed 16,384. If it does exceed this number, Extreme
3D reduces the Quality setting automatically, without
displaying a message.
The maximum Final Render Size value for a PICT file on
a Macintosh is 4090 x 4090 pixels. A file of this size
has a maximum Quality setting of 4 x 4. The maximum
Final Render Size value in Windows is 8192 x 8192
pixels. A file of this size has a maximum Quality
setting of 2 x 2.
ANIMATION INFORMATION
---------------------
When using the Repeat Track command to perform cyclic
animations, make sure the beginning and end frames are
equivalent. This will prevent drift. When cycling
multiple tracks per object, make sure the tracks are of
equal length so the actions are synchronous. Since
Repeat Track is performed from the first keyframe, also
make sure that the keyframe is at time 0. You may have
to cut the first key, set time to 0, and paste. Each
track is limited to 10,000 keyframes, so use repeat
track accordingly.
When using the Repeat Track dialog box, do not enter a
negative number in the Number of Times to Repeat field.
The minimum number of times to repeat a track is 0.
When you animate objects with large polygons that have
texture maps, you might see the texture map shift
during the animation. To avoid this, subdivide the
object into smaller polygons by increasing uniform
smoothing or adding control points.
GENERAL INFORMATION
===================
On a Macintosh, the extension Open Transport Library
version 1.07b1 might cause Extreme 3D to fail on
launch. If you update this extension to the minimum
level Apple suggests (Version 1.08) or to the most
recent (Version 1.1b9c2 at this writing) the potential
problem is eliminated.
All objects, including profiles, construction objects,
the working plane, light objects, and the camera
object, appear to have all the attributes listed on the
Info page in the Objects browser. Because these objects
can't have mapping attributes, they show random and
sometimes blank mapping types.
If shadows display jagged edges, you can adjust your
spotlight to a more direct angle, add more spotlights
closer to where you want the shadows, or use the Final
Render Setup dialog box to change your Quality setting
to Best (8x8).
If you attempt to create a watch link relationship in
which a parent watches a child, Extreme 3D displays a
"Watch Link cycle detected" message. Because the watch
link would require the parent to reorient if the child
moved, the child would then move again (since it is a
child of a rotating object). This would cause the watch
link to update again, in a cycle. A parent object
cannot watch its own child.
In the Adaptive Smoothing dialog box, you can hold
Option (Macintosh) or F3 (Windows) while choosing OK.
This causes Extreme 3D to cascade the change you make
to a parent object to its children objects.
Extreme 3D does not support the use of alternate
decimal separators in numeric fields. For example, you
cannot use a comma instead of a period as a decimal
separator. If you attempt to use an alternate decimal
separator, Extreme 3D might generate unexpected
results.
Using .DXF Files
----------------
When importing DXF files, the source DXF file must
contain the appropriate end of line characters to be
interpreted correctly by Extreme 3D. On a Macintosh,
each line of the DXF file must end in the carriage
return character (ASCII 13). In Windows, each line of
the DXF file must end in the carriage return line feed
characters (ASCII 13 ASCII 10).
When you import a DXF file, Extreme 3D assumes that all
polygons on a given layer of the source DXF file should
be combined to create a single object. If you know this
is not the case, you can hold Option (Macintosh) or F3
(Windows) while choosing File/Import/DXF. This causes
Extreme 3D to separate objects based on polygon
location. Extreme 3D assumes that each group of
contiguous polygons should be combined to create a
separate object.
Using .TEX Files
----------------
When using preexisting texture maps (.TEX) files in
Extreme 3D, copy or move them into the
Scripts/Materials folder or directory. Then restart
Extreme 3D and the texture maps will appear in the list
of loaded textures.
Although .TEX files can exist in any directory, Select
Catalog will not load them unless there is a material
saved in the same directory or in the active document
which calls for the texture. In this way, Select
Catalog can be used to repair a model that has missing
.TEX files.
The name that appears in the loaded textures lists does
not always correspond to the name of the file. The name
that appears in Extreme 3D is contained in the .TEX
file and is not derived from the filename.