🚀 go-pugleaf

Only the materials editor is limited to 320 X 200 resolution in 3DS. There have been (and probably
still are) 3rd party device drivers to run the materials editor at 640 X 480 256 color mode.
I render to a Targa + 16/32 all the time in its 512 X 480 X 24 bit mode That is a real nice 
configuration for animating to videotape.

High quality output in 3DS requires you to do single frame recording. That requires a source of
NTSC video, an animation controller, and an editing recorder.

3DS lets you create omni and spot lights. You control the color of the light, the size of the
hotspot/ falloff cones and whether or not it casts shadows. The lights can be animated, too.

Chris

In article <1imlfgINNss3@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> aa794@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Pete Nofel) writes:
>
>	One of the contributors to the "Imagine . . ." string asked for a
>comparison of Autodesk 3D Studio to Imagine. While my experience with
>Imagine is limited (I prefer Video Toaster Lightwave), I'd have to say that
>Amiga 3D packages usually produce better images. But, 3D Studio has some
>advantages.

  One advantage to Imagine is it's more sophisticated motion capabilities,
  although the interface is not designed for artists, but computer people 

>	3D Studio Advantages: A good user interface for object
>construction; I find it more straight-forward than Lightwave Modeler. A
>great interface with AutoCAD. The ability to play animations in real-time
>(but not at 30 fps).

  Good modeler. I don't think the user interface is as nice as others 
  out there, although useable.. I think the best interface on the market
  is a program called Caligari24 for the Amiga.. This guy did it right.
  It does realtime wireframe on even ancient 68000 based machines..


>	3D Studio Disadvantages: Price -- you can get a complete Video
>Toaster for the price of 3D Studio. "Hiddens" on the part of Autodesk -- no
>matter how many pieces of equipment you buy, you always need one more.
>After we invested $5,000 in an existing 486-33 in software and equipment we
>found that we still needed to drop another $2K - $5K to get quality images
>to video tape (broadcast quality, that is). Low resolution -- 3D Studio
>colors are nice, but resolution is limited to 320 x 200 in VGA; circles
>look like stop signs. Lighting control is medium-to-poor.

 That price is coming down and may even now be unrealistic, in terms of
 scan converters, etc. The video equipment is coming down.. I think 
 3D Studio was done by Thom Hudson who started 3D software life on the 
 Atari ST.

=DonB=

>	As much as I prefer MS-DOS machines for DTP, CAD, word processing,
>and structured drawing, they are poor video machines. By the time you have
>invested in a 486, a video i/o card, a frame buffer card, and software, you
>could have purchased an Amiga/Toaster and two quality VTRs and a camera.
>	We now only use 3D Studio as a pass-through in translating AutoCAD
>drawings into Lightwave.
>
>-- 
>Pete Nofel, aa794, primary sysop
>It's a Mystery - The Mystery Literature Group
>Cleveland Freenet, Cleveland Ohio


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