NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #20

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Path: sparky!uunet!portal!cup.portal.com!Sam_-_Malone From: Sam_-_Malone@cup.portal.com Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.graphics Subject: IMAGINE CONTEST Message-ID: <65288@cup.portal.com> Date: Fri, 4 Sep 92 19:06:57 PDT Organization: The Portal System (TM) Lines: 957 August 19,1992 Greetings Amiga users around the world! :-) Now, for the first time ever, the IMAGINE Mailing List is proud to announce... The IMAGINE Mailing List contest! This text will be distributed across networks, BBS systems, and every available means until it reaches around the globe. To name just a few, over 300 sites on the Imagine Mailing List, the AmigaZone on Portal, Compuserve, GEnie, USENET, Company wide email lists, local user groups...and pretty much everywhere that electronic data is exchanged, viewed and shared. It's a call to arms for all users of the 3D rendering package IMAGINE, and YOU are invited to join in the fun and competition and are eligible to win some great prizes! There is NO COST to enter this contest (except of course postage). Spread this large text file in it's ORIGINAL form as far as you can. Do not delete or change any of it's content. Enclosed you will find several important sections. They are: 1. Reasons for the contest. 2. Contest categories. 3. Dates and methods of entry. 4. The Rules of the IMAGINE Mailing List contest. 5. Contest criteria. 6. Prize lists. 7. Vendor and prize descriptions. 8. Questions and answers about the contest. 9. Information about how *you* can receive the IMAGINE Mailing List. 10. Final Notes. 11. Entry form for the contest. ========================================================= I. REASONS FOR THE CONTEST. The way this contest came about is fairly simple. After becoming administrator of the IMAGINE Mailing List, I started thinking about IMAGINE and 3D rendering in a different light than I had previously. What were the biggest frustrations in it? What would get users involved with creating more of the beautiful images that 3D rendering can produce? Well, the biggest frustration that I myself had, was that there was a lack of 3D objects that I could download, and place into scenes that I created, and give them my own personal spin. I wanted to create, but without a lot of objects, I could expect a much steeper learning curve than would be otherwise needed. I NEEDED MORE OBJECTS! The way to prompt IMAGINE users to begin producing these objects was simple...offer *them* something in return...prizes! Seems simple. NO! I needed to GET the prizes. So then I began calling on different vendors whos products in some way related to either Imagine, or to image production. Happily, a majority of the vendors were glad to contribute a prize or two (or three!). Now, the contest can begin! ============================================================ II. CONTEST CATEGORIES 1. Original Imagine Objects (any format- includes textures/wraps) 2. Original Imagine Scenes (ILBM-24format) 3. Original Imagine Scenes (ILBM-12format) 4. Original Imagine Animation (ANIM format) Note: While ILBM-12 format leaves a bad taste in the mouth of most higher end users, for the purposes of this first contest, I am leaving HAM as an option for those of us not yet decided on their platform of entry into the inevitable world of 24bit display. Besides, it will give hardware lacking newer users a better chance to compete against entries more in their expertise league. Naturally, everyone is encouraged to enter 24 bit entries when possible for highest quality image.As far as the Animation category, make it viewable for an Amiga with 8 Meg of RAM. If a 5 Meg machine can view it, great, but 8 should be all that is _required_ to see it. This should keep us in the ballpark of filesizes that are easy enough to transport. ============================================================ III. DATES AND METHODS OF CONTEST ENTRY 1. Contest begins on Sept 1, 1992. 2. All entries must be received on or before December 31, 1992. 3. Entries MUST be mailed via standard postal mail to the following address.... VISUS P.O. Box 191 Cottage Grove, Minnesota 55016-0191 USA 4. Entries via standard postal mail must be in one of two formats: a. 3 1/2 " DS/DD diskettes b. QIC-24 Data Cartridge (must be in standard TAR format) Sorry, but due to prohibitive costs, entry media will not be returned unless accompanied by self-addressed and sufficiently postaged package. Responsibility for delayed / lost / or damaged submissions via any method of delivery is soley up to the contestant. Be certain to allow time in case of bounced mail or postal delay. ============================================================ IV. RULES OF THE IMAGINE MAILING LIST CONTEST 1. All entries must be generated using Imagine. Manipulation with other packages or image processing is acceptable. However, Imagine is the focus here, and must be the basis for all entries. 2. All entries must be *original*. They may not be a derivative of an existing object or scene. Modeling of known objects (spaceships, robots, basketballs and Soda cans ;-) is acceptable. 3. Entries must not be available via any source either public or commercial. Do *not* distribute any entry you make in this contest. With sufficient interest, there may be disk set available containing contest entries. (See Questions and Answers section about this) Publically available entries will NOT be included in the distribution. 4. Contest dates will be strictly enforced. If you wish to be included in the contest, please make sure you fall within the window of entry. There will be no exceptions allowed. 5. Entries must follow the format guidelines. (e.g. 24 bit, or ANIM). 6. Participants *must* *must* *must* be registered users of Imagine. Entries that are submitted by non-registered users are NOT eligible for prizes. Your registration status is subject to verification by Impulse Inc. If your status is in question, please be certain clear discrepancies with Impulse before your entry. 7. Contestants are allowed 3 entries per category. If more than 3 are received in a specific category, the first 3 will be considered your official entry. All subsequent entries are not eligible. Also, only one prize is permitted per contestant. 8. A completed copy of the Entry form (below) must accompany all entries. 9. In that all entries will be submitted "blind" to the judges (that is,with only an identifying number assigned by me) do not include any identifying signatures or symbols on your submission. If you wish to include a second copy of the submission with your identification on it, please do. 10. All submissions remain the sole property of the artist and will not be distributed in any format or method without permission granted on the entry form accompanying each entry. 11. Entries may be disqualified or exempted at the discretion of either the contest administrator, or the judges. 12. Winner will be announced no later than Feb. 1, 1993. (Twelve rules. Not *too* overbearing I hope. Read them carefully.) ============================================================ V. CONTEST CRITERIA The judging criteria is the same as for any artwork. You are judged on your ability to invoke an emotion in the viewer. 1. THE "WOW" EFFECT Show us a twisted mind, or make us laugh, or make us cry. Wow us with your use of color. Blast us with your vision of how things "could" look. Excite us with your perception of reality. Make us envy your rendering skills. Take us to an alternate reality. 2. THE "SHOWOFF" EFFECT Make us say, "How did they do THAT?" Make something that will leave other home computer users awestruck and envious. Display your mastery of object design. 3. THE "GOTTA HAVE IT" EFFECT Create an image or object that is so compelling, that every Imagine user wants it in their library. Design something so blindingly amazing that others who would try to duplicate it, can't even begin to figure out where to start. There are lots of criteria that may come into play, but they all have some common ground. Originality, Creativity, and design skills. Use those as your springboard. ======================================================== VI. PRIZE LISTS Hey! HERE'S what we've been waiting for. The PRIZES! ;-) Prizes will be distributed as follows: 1. Imagine Original Objects Category. 1ST PRIZE- IMAGEMASTER from BLACKBELT SYSTEMS 2nd PRIZE- MORPHUS from IMPULSE INC. 3rd PRIZE- THE IMAGINE BUDDY SYSTEM from HELP DISK INC. 4th PRIZE- INTERCHANGE PLUS from SYNDESIS CORP. HONORABLE MENTION - IMAGINE 2.0 UPGRADE from IMPULSE INC. 2. Imagine Original Scene Category (ILBM-24 format) 1ST PRIZE- ESSENCE from APEX 2nd PRIZE- MORPHUS from IMPULSE INC. 3rd PRIZE- IMAGINE 2.0 UPGRADE from IMPULSE INC. 4th PRIZE- PIXEL 3D PROFESSIONAL from AXIOM INC. 5th PRIZE- 1 YR. SUBSCRIPTION TO VIDEO TOASTER MAG. from AVID HONORABLE MENTION- IMAGINE BUDDY SYSTEM from HELP DISK INC. 3. Imagine Original Scene Category (ILBM-12 format) 1ST PRIZE- ADPRO 2.0 from ASDG 2nd PRIZE- UNDERSTANDING IMAGINE 2.0 from APEX 3rd PRIZE- IMAGINE 2.0 UPGRADE from IMPULSE INC. 4th PRIZE- 1 YR. SUBSCRIPTION TO AVID MAGAZINE from AVID HONORABLE MENTION- VERTEX (fully operational) from ART MACHINE 4. Imagine Original Animation Category (ANIM format) 1ST PRIZE- IMAGEMASTER from BLACKBELT SYSTEMS 2nd PRIZE- MORPHUS from IMPULSE INC. 3rd PRIZE- PIXEL 3D PROFESSIONAL from AXIOM INC. 4th PRIZE- UNDERSTANDING IMAGINE 2.0 from APEX HONORABLE MENTION- STILL-STORE (fully operational) from GRAPHIC IMAGINATION Other vendors may be contributing to this contest. If more prizes are received, they will be distributed by random selection. This will give all contestants an equal chance at them. ========================================================== VII. PRIZE DESCRIPTIONS This section is done in alphabetical order of the supporting vendor. For further information regarding any of the products listed here, please contact the vendor in question. They are more than willing to answer any questions you may have. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PRIZE NAME: Understanding Imagine 2.0 by Steve Worley Retail- $ 29.95 Vendor - Apex Publishing 405 El Camino Real Suite 121 Menlo Park, California 94025 USA (415) 322-7532 Description: This book has become the bible of Imagine users around the world. It lays out in clear, understandable text, the different aspects of using Imagine 2.0 including the Detail, Project, Forms , Cycle and Stage Editors. It is 221 pages crammed with all the information that Imagine users have been asking about. Also included is the diskette "Disk-O-Stuff". Written by noted Amiga artist Stephen Worley, it is mandatory reading for users of Imagine. It covers frequently asked questions, textures and F/X. Two lucky winners will walk away with copies of this book! PRIZE NAME: ESSENCE Retail- $79.95 Vendor - Apex Publishing 405 El Camino Real Suite 121 Menlo Park, California 94025 USA (415) 322-7532 Description: Essence is a library of algorithmic textures for users of Imagine. All the included textures operate identically to the textures from Impulse. They are all new and exciting and can give your renderings a whole different look. Some of the included textures are: SphereShade, DiamondBump, HexMesh, Counter, VeinedMarble, FractalColor, Bozo, BandFract, Swirl, as well as others. Essence is for use on accelerated machines only. There is a 108 page manual included and further volumes of Essence textures promise to expand your texture horizons even further! Get in on the ground floor with this wonderful new product from Apex co-authored by the Imagine Mailing List's own Steve Worley and Glenn Lewis. PRIZE NAME: ART DEPARTMENT PROFESSIONAL 2.0 Retail- $299.00 Vendor: ASDG Incorporated 925 Stewart Street Madison Wisconsin 53713 (608) 273- 6585 Description: Art Department Pro 2.0 is a standard in the Amiga image processing area. It offers image processing with total input, processing and output flexibility with full ARexx compatibility. You can read and write many image formats. Art Dept pro 2.0 also allows you to perform thousands of image processing functions, use JPEG compression, print 24-bit data to Preferences printers and many other features that are simply too numerous to be listed in the alloted space! Art Dept Pro 2.0 now includes animation features as well! With the addition of the available Pro Conversion Pack module, you also add the capability for input and output of... Sun Raster, X Windows, Targa, TIFF and Rendition formats making you able to deal effectively in formats used extensively by Macintosh and IBM image professionals. There are also additional modules that will act as Film Recorder Drivers for the Polaroid CI-3000/5000, the Kodak SC6510, as well as Scanner Drivers to integrate the Epson ES-300C, and the Sharp JX-100/300/320/450/600 scanners into your total professional image enviroment. PRIZE NAME: VERTEX Retail- $40.00 Vendor: The Art Machine 4189 Nickolas Sterling Heights, MI 48310 USA (313) 939-2513 Description: Vertex is an advanced, feature-packed design package which no 3D artist should be without. It works equally well as a stand-alone object editor or as an object converter. Vertex offers- Transparent support for most 3D file formats including Imagine, Lightwave,Geo, Turbo Silver, Sculpt 3D, and Wavefront. Intuitive 3D interface lets you view and transform your objects with quick and easy mouse control. Unique distortion tools such as Multiply, Scale Map, Twist, Randomize and Gravity. Other Tools included- bevel fonts, create fractal objects, (even in 3 dimensions!), seperate and combine objects, window cutting tool, face and edge divisions. Fast solid models and "real time" rotating wire frames. All standard editing tools (move,rotate,position,scale,size). Single Point editing. Global tools to delete duplicate faces and edges. Complete AREXX port. Fully multitasks and works equally well under 1.3 and 2.0. PRIZE NAME: AVID / VIDEO TOASTER MAGAZINES Retail - $36.00 each (subscription) $43.45 each (single copy price) Vendor: AVID Publications 21611 Stevens Creek Blvd. Cupertino, California 95014 USA (408) 252-0508 Fax: (408) 725-8035 Description: AVID and VIDEO TOASTER magazines have one thing in common; they are *must* reads for Amiga users. AVID is the Journal of Amiga Video. It spans the realm of anything video related to Amiga Video from NewTek's Video Toaster to anything you can IMAGINE. Any Amiga videographer should have AVID on the top of his monthly "Gotta have it" list when they march down to the local magazine counter. AVID will teach you everything you need to know about becoming a better Amiga video artist than you already are. Don't miss the great classified section in the back either! VIDEO TOASTER USER is AVID's sister publication and as the name implies, it caters to the ever-growing legion of Video Toaster fanatics. It's called the "Desktop Video Magazine". Articles range from commercial production techniques to professional use of the Toaster in major film and television studios. There are help articles for sharpening your understanding of ToasterPaint as well as Lightwave Mania. Every Toaster owner and Toaster owner wanna-be *needs* this magazine! AVID Publications has offered up a one year subscriptions to both the AVID Journal and VIDEO TOASTER USER to a couple lucky winners in the Imagine Mailing List contest. The contest will be mentioned in the pages of AVID as well as a possible exposure of the winners in the contest, in the magazine itself! PRIZE NAME: PIXEL 3D PROFESSIONAL Retail $194.95 (estimated) Vendor: Axiom Software 1221 E. Center Street Rochester, Minnesota 55904 USA (612) 322-4720 Description: Pixel 3D Professional has not been officially released as of this writing, but by the time the contest is well underway...P3DPro should be racking up sales at your local Amiga software dealer. Scott Thede, author of Pixel 3D Pro says that users will be impressed with the new and cleaner/fresher user interface. There will be colored text on the users screen to brighten up the appearance. The Imagine user will be happy to hear that Pixel 3D Pro will now properly load and display grouped Imagine objects. Scott says "Pixel 3D Pro is easily more than twice the product that Pixel 3D was." Some of the "Golly Gee" features include support of structured drawing, simple point editing, loading and saving in 10+ formats (may be as high as 15), bitmap conversions, 6 values for spline fitting for nice sharp bitmap conversion, as well as the ability to deal with fonts in an easy keyboard manner. AXIOM has offered us 2 copies of Pixel 3D Pro upon it's official release sometime this summer. Get your entries ready, one of them is waiting for you. PRIZE NAME: IMAGEMASTER Retail- $ 199.95 Vendor- BlackBelt Systems 398 Johnson Road RR-1 Box 4272 Glasgow, MT. 59230 USA Info: (406) 367-5509 Sales: (800) 852-6442 Intl Sales: (406) 367-5513 BBS (406) 367-2227 Description: ImageMaster is best described as KILLER image processing. It's a complete system for manipulating high-color images. ImageMaster is seperated into the following broad categories: Image Processing.- Change an image using methods chosen out of HUNDREDS of available. Imagine Composition- Bring an image into another. Modify transparencies. There are over 60 composition operations. Image Analysis- A wide range of operations to examine an image region's density, histogram, average color, etc. Painting- Classic Paintbox techniques. Brushes fonts, palettes, fills. Buffer Control- Save/Copy/Rename/Load/Render to various formats, export and import from external applications, you have every tool needed to handle your working environment, the image buffer. ImageMaster has the flexibility to deal with JPEG,NASA,GIF, IFF,DCTV,TARGA, HAME, and many more formats. BlackBelt Systems has donated 2 copies of ImageMaster to the Imagine Mailing List Contest. You have the opportunity to win one of them. PRIZE NAME: INTERCHANGE PLUS Retail- $99.95 Vendor: Syndesis Corporation N9353 Benson Road Brooklyn, Wisconsin 53521 USA Phone (608) 455-1422 Fax: (608) 455-1317 Description: Interchange Plus is the product of choice to translate objects between different 3D modeling programs. You can easily move objects between Imagine and Lightwave. Convert multi-object hierarchical Imagine objects into Lightwave for Toasting. Lightwave objects becomes a sub-object in Imagine. Interchange Plus includes the InterFont Converter, a program that uses outline fonts and turns them into 3D objects quickly and easily! You have scaling, GridSnap, and Point Reduce Tools at your disposal. Interchange uses less memory to convert an object than to render it. You can purchase Converters and Tools for other formats and everything works together. AutoCAD DXF, Wavefront.obj, Digital Arts.AOB and more formats to come. NewTek Inc chose Syndesis Corps products to be part of the Toaster 2.0 system. With Interchange Plus, you can now import AND export objects in other formats from clients, friends, or add-on 3D object collections. PRIZE NAME: STILL-STORE Retail- $59.95 Vendor: Graphic Imagination Inc. PO Box 661 Marion. Ia. 52302 Phone (319) 337-8156 Description: If you work with 24 bit images, you might find managing them a little tedious. Still-Store was created to lighten the load of image management. Still-Store is an image browser for 24bit IFF files. It serves two very useful purposes: to save valuable hard drive space, and to save valuable time. Space is saved by utilizing JPEG compression. Compression and decompression of multiple files is completely automated for your convenience. Time is saved by allowing you to browse through your images quickly to locate the ones you need for a given project. Still-Store lets you preview your images without having to waste time decompressing ones you don't want. Previews can be compared side by side to ease the selection process. In addition, Still-Store maintains a database of information on your images so you can keep track of useful information and perform searches. Still-Store can import any IFF image as well as images already compressed with JPEG. Image sets from other vendors can also be imported into Still-Store to provide a complete management solution. The Still-Store package includes 20 -768 by 482, 24 bit images suitable for use as backgrounds or as texture maps in all popular 3D programs. Graphic Imagination Inc. announces a new low price on Still-Store. Still-store now retails for $59.95, but members of the Imagine Mailing list can obtain Still-Store for $39.95! PRIZE NAME: THE BUDDY SYSTEM FOR IMAGINE Retail- $49.95 Vendor: Help Disk Inc. 13860-12 Wellington Trace Box 200 Wellington Florida 33414 USA Phone (407) 798- 8865 Description: Have you ever wished for an Imagine expert to be sitting within arms reach when you just can't quite figure out a specific problem? Wish no more! Help Disk Inc. presents The Buddy System for Imagine- an interactive hypermedia tutorial. Now you can imagine, create, model, preview, render and animate! The Buddy System for Imagine teaches you all the fundamentals of Impulse's Imagine 3D rendering and animation program through an easy-to-use point and click hypermedia interface! Speech narration, concise text description, and visually guided demonstrations give you a functional and enjoyable learning system in a truly hands-on format. Over 50 real time, visual demos using Imagine itself. Demos of all functions in all Editor modules are included. How to wrap textures and IFF images. Use the action script editor: F/X, staging, and time line explained. Learn to build objects from scratch; use of all tools in step-by-step demonstrations will get you animating immediately! Visual captioning during demonstrations as well as speech narration. Hypertext reference of all Imagine functions. Preset settings that you can load into the Attributes Requester for: Wood, Glass, Bone, Bronze, Copper, Crystal, and more! Immediately use these settings for the look you need. In-depth explanations and table of attribute and texture settings. Help is always available, interface sleeps until you press HELP key. Learn by using Imagine today! It's the Buddy system because: Seeing something once is better than reading about it 100 times. Also available DeluxePaint IV (v4.1), PageStream (v2.2), and AmigaDos (supports both v2.04 and 1.3) Help Disk Inc. has donated 2 copies of the Buddy System for Imagine to the contest. If your entry is judged to be amoung the winners, you just might have a new buddy soon. PRIZE NAME: IMAGINE 2.0 UPGRADE Retail-$ 99.00 for Imagine owners Retail-$450.00 for new buyers Vendor: Impulse Inc. 8416 Xerxes Avenue No. Brooklyn Park, Minnesota 55444 USA (612) 425-0557 Fax: (612) 425 0701 Hours: Tech Support- 10am - 3:30pm Central Office 10am - 4:00pm Central Description: Imagineers hardly need a description to Imagine, do they now? Sure! Here is the latest revision to the 3D rendering package that gives your Amiga high powered rendering in a low cost environment. Impulse has donated 3 Imagine 2.0 upgrades to winners of the contest. If you are currently working with a 1.1 version (or heaven forbid the 1.0 version) or Turbo Silver, this prize will step you into the upper reaches of Imaginedom. The list of features, options, and conveniences and just how they can make your rendering easier, quicker and more productive would amaze you. Call Impulse or a local Amiga dealer today and ask them to tell you about Imagine 2.0. Accept no substitutes or cheap clones. (there AIN'T no clones.) Get into gear with Imagine 2.0 from Impulse and visit your own 3D reality, dudes. PRIZE NAME: MORPHUS Retail- $99.95 Vendor: Impulse Inc. 8416 Xerxes Avenue No. Brooklyn Park, Minnesota 55444 USA (612) 425-0557 Fax: (612) 425 0701 Hours: Tech Support- 10am - 3:30pm Central Office 10am - 4:00pm Central Description: Impulse now takes it's amazing Imagine program one step further. Morphus is the Imagine Object manipulation tool that allows you to experiment with Morphing to the nth degree. Morphus is the latest product out of that amazing little company in Minnesota...Impulse. It allows you morph objects of different sizes, different points and so on. But morphing is only the start. You can twist, shear, and distort your objects also! Impulse has donated 3 copies of Morphus to lucky winners of the contest. At the time of this posting, Morphus hasn't been released yet, but by the time the winners receive their copies, it's sure to be on every Imagineer's Most Wanted List. Mike Halvorson of Impulse says, " Morphus will allow Imagine users to monkey around with objects in ways they have never been able to before!" Find out what the buzz is all about by nabbing your own copy of Morphus free in the contest. ================================================================ VIII. CONTEST QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Q. I would like to enter the Object category but do not want my object released into the public domain. As a working artist, I need my work and time to pay for itself. Will you protect against this? A. Certainly I will. All entries must be accompanied by a completed entry form to be valid. On the form, you are asked if you would object to your work becoming part of a collection from this contest. The collection may take several forms. It may be released as an inexpensive disk set sold to recoup prize shipping costs associated with the contest. Any additional money would then be distributed to all contributing artists who's work is included in the collection. If there is insufficient interest in this collection, they may not be released at all, or they may be released as smaller public domain volumes. However, no work will be released or distributed that is not authorized by the artist on the entry form. Be warned however, that if contest winners are highlighted in any public forum such as the possible AVID article on the contest/winners or any similar venture, that artists who do not authorize distribution of their work will not be included. This includes all categories...scenes, objects and anims. Q. What about the Object category? Should I include everything with it? A. Yes, for the Object category, be sure to include all necessary parts for judging. Also be sure to include at least one *rendering* - NOT just the object. This includes wraps. Best bet would be to include a rendering of your object sitting in an uncluttered setting. This will show the judges what you have in mind. Be sure your object heirarchy is such that it would be easy for the judges to render a copy of your object just like in your included rendering(s) for verification that the object is one and the same. Q. I am new to Imagine and 3D rendering in general. What are my chances against all these professionals? A. Pretty good actually. According to everyone who should be "in the know", I have accumulated far too many prizes. I say they are wrong. I say Imagine users are brave enough to give it a good shot and participate heavily in the contest. I think with thousands of users worldwide, we should have PLENTY of work. Let's BURY the judges with our art! ;-) Q. Why is this file so large? A. Because I wanted to be sure that people wouldn't miss parts of it. I wanted it in one large chunk to make sure if you HEARD about the contest through this posting, that you would get ALL the info you need. Q. Does that mean there will be updates to the rules and such? A. Well, to be honest, I have tried to include everything I could think of. However, as we all know, when this hits the world outside of my head, there will be hundreds of people thinking of loop holes and situations that never occured to me. If you really want to keep up on any new developments, they will always be posted on the Imagine Mailing List. Join us, and watch for them there or where ever you access the List. Q. While I am watching the 3 Stooges, and they hit Curly in the head, why do they use the sound of pipes clanging together? A. How did THAT get in here? :-) Q. What formats are acceptable for the ANIMS? DCTV for instance? A. Sorry. The only acceptable ANIM in the contest this time is one that can be viewed on your basic Amiga using SHOWANIM or a like viewer. There are several reasons. Most importantly, it will allow your work to be seen by a larger audience. Next contest will probably lean more heavily into higher end work using optional hardware or single framed animation entries on tape. This time however, I want everyone to be able to participate. This will buy us the exposure and participation we need to solicit more prizes and the possibility of making it an annual contest. The future of Amiga 3D rendering involvement is UP TO YOU and the contest is one way to show your commitment to your machine. Q. I would like to be involved with contributing another prize to the contest. Is it too late? A. No! In fact, I would happily accept any and all prizes. They will be announced as additions on the Imagine Mailing List and even though the Prize distributions have been set already, your contribution will be given to a randomly selected contestant. This means that the vendor will still receive the exposure, and every contestant has an equal chance of winning all additional prizes! Q. I don't own any 24 bit display enhancing equipment. Can I still enter 3 times in the 24bit scene category? A. Naturally. If your scene looks great in HAM, it will most likely look superb in 24bit. Just re-render it in 24bit mode, and take it someplace to make sure it looks acceptable to you in 24 bit. If so, by all means..enter it! Q. I want to stick my head into a laser scanner and have it immortalized in it's full 3D glory and enter it. Is that alright? A. Certainly. However, recent studies have indicated that sticking any body parts into laser scanners leaves the scanee impotent. Might be worth one of the prizes though. ;-) heh heh Q. I have some scenes currently entered in another contest. Can I enter them in the Imagine Mailing List contest as well? A. That is no problem provided that your entry in the other contest doesn't win and that you have not signed away rights for it to be published by the other contest sponsor. If it appears anywhere but in this contest, it is not exclusive. By the definitions of THIS contest, it is no longer original and is thus not eligible for a prize. Q. The entry form asks alot of questions. How come? A. It may be used for promotional purposes or be used just to identify the demographics of users entering. Q. What format for scenes is acceptable? JPEG? A. Sure. JPEG or IFF is fine. Q. I notice you want the entries done without signatures or identifying symbols. How come? A. As it states, the judging will be done blindly, that is, no one will know who the artist is at the time of the judging. If you would like your work signed or stamped in it's distributed form, please include a second copy and indicate on your entry form which you'd prefer distributed , if any. Q. Really? A shot being published in an Amiga Magazine???? A. Always a chance. This shot at fame could happen to you! If you authorize your work to be distributed, either you, or your artwork could wind up in the pages or cover of AVID or other Amiga related magazines being contacted. Q. Can we quit this now and move on to the next section? A. By all means. ============================================================ IX. WHAT'S THE IMAGINE MAILING LIST, HOW TO GET IT The Imagine Mailing List is a wide variety of Amiga computer artists sharing friendship and knowledge. The main thrust of the List is the Imagine renderer. Subjects discussed though have varied widely. There are discussions of Imagine and it's competitors, Imagine wish lists for future versions, 3D rendering principles in general, single frame recording techniques and many many more. With first day users thru battled scarred veterans :-) there is someone at your level of knowledge on the List. We are always glad to see questions from every level of user. So often a simple and seemingly embarrassingly easy question will lead to an interesting comment on a related topic. New products, both hardware AND software, are discussed as to their relationship with Imagine and Amiga 3D rendering. Names of Amiga luminaries dot the list, and often join in to lend their insights without the usual "noise" of a USENET newsgroup. There are over 300 individual sites receiving the Imagine Mailing List, and they include many networks, BBS systems, user groups, and individual computer artists from literally around the globe. We share one thing. Interest in each other's work with Imagine. YOU can get the Imagine Mailing List. All you need is access to Internet mail. Simply mail to the following address: imagine-request@email.sp.unisys.com and in your subject line, enter the word "subscribe". If you are reading this from a Commercial System, ask the Amiga Coordinator to set up an Imagine Mailing List area that everyone can read. ============================================================= X. FINAL NOTES Well, congrats. You have reached the end of the blithering. I hope that everyone reading this enters the contest and does their very best to win a prize. I sincerely wish there was some way every entry could win something, but alas...that just doesn't happen. If you are not a regular reader of the Imagine Mailing List, become one. You won't regret it. It's a very special group. The contest only runs for 16 weeks or so, don't dawdle. Enter! In closing, I would like to thank our very kind and generous supporting vendors. It is their generosity that has allowed me to begin this contest. And of course I would like to thank Amiga artists from around the world. Your artwork and vision have thrilled people you will never know. Don't let the flame die. Keep up that rendering and share the joy. Dave Wickard (612) 456-2783 "It's not the SIZE of your image... dave@flip.sp.unisys.com It's how you MANIPULATE it." Sam_Malone@cup.portal.com -proverb from the Amiga Kama Sutra =========================================================== XI. ENTRY FORM. (One copy must be completed and included for each entry) Name ______________________________________________ Address ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ City _____________________________________ State (Prov) _____________________________________ Country ___________________ Zip ____________ Phone _________________________________________ CATEGORY TO ENTER (ENTRY 1) _____ OBJECT _____ SCENE 24BIT _____ SCENE HAM ______ANIM TITLE (IF ANY) OF ENTRY _______________________________ PRODUCTS USED TO CREATE IT? ___________________________ TIME SPENT WORKING ON ENTRY? __________________________ CATEGORY TO ENTER (ENTRY 2) _____ OBJECT _____ SCENE 24BIT _____ SCENE HAM ______ANIM TITLE (IF ANY) OF ENTRY _______________________________ PRODUCTS USED TO CREATE IT? ___________________________ TIME SPENT WORKING ON ENTRY? __________________________ CATEGORY TO ENTER (ENTRY 3) _____ OBJECT _____ SCENE 24BIT _____ SCENE HAM ______ANIM TITLE (IF ANY) OF ENTRY _______________________________ PRODUCTS USED TO CREATE IT? ___________________________ TIME SPENT WORKING ON ENTRY? __________________________ DO YOU AUTHORIZE THE RELEASE OF ENCLOSED ENTRIES FOR USE BY THE IMAGINE MAILING LIST FOR POSSIBLE USES OUTLINED IN THE CONTEST DOCUMENT ABOVE? _______ YES __________NO (YOU MUST CHECK ONE!) (IF YOU WISH TO AUTHORIZE USE OF ONLY SPECIFIC ENTRIES, ENTER THE AUTHORIZED ITEM(S) IN "YES" BLANK AND NON-AUTHORIZED ITEM(S) IN "NO" BLANK.) ARE YOU A SUBSCRIBER TO THE IMAGINE MAILING LIST? __________ ARE YOU A REGISTERED OWNER OF IMAGINE? __________ WHAT VERSION OF IMAGINE DO YOU USE? __________ HOW LONG HAVE YOU USED IMAGINE? __________ (Note: If you would like to include a list of likes/dislikes and wishes for further releases of Imagine, include it on a seperate sheet and I will see that a compilation reaches Impulse Inc.) Please print or copy this Entry Form section and enclose it with your entry. Mail to: VISUS Box 191 Cottage Grove, Minnesota 55016-0191 USA ===============================================================