pjk3@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Peter J Kim) (12/31/90)
Remember a DreamGrafix demo which was posted on comp.binaries.apple2 a while
ago? They were selling beta versions of a 3200 color paint program. I sent my
$50 dollar check and I received a 3.5 inch disk with the program and the docs,
and a simple questionnaire.
The program is GS/OS based and it follows Apple's standard desktop interface
guidelines. It also has an interesting additional interface at the bottom
which has one row of scrolling 3-d buttons and another stationary row of
buttons, and these buttons depress and become highlighted when selected. The
buttons can be switched between the two rows quite easily so the user interface
is cutomizable which is quite useful. Almost all of the functions have their
own button with their own icon so the program is pretty easy to use. Also, each
button has an equivalent pull down menu option, but using the buttons is more
intuitive and quicker.
Since displaying a 3200 color picture requires a lot of CPU time, there are
several editing modes in DreamGrafix. One editing mode uses the 256 color mode
to have a grayscale image of the picture with a small color region around the
cursor. Another mode is a full 3200 color picture mode, but it is sluggish.
Considering that displaying a 3200 color picture requires so much CPU time,
it's quite impressive that there is a full 3200 color mode.
The program is a beta version so not all of the tools are functional. However,
the basic tools are functional and there are buttons for other tools such as
the ones found in other paint programs. There are some interesting and useful
tools which are not present in other paint programs. One useful tool is
intensity sort which sorts the palettes of a 3200 color picture by
intensit y so that the image is recognisable in greyscale which is
essential for editing a 3200 color picture using the 256 color editing mode.
Also DreamGrafix has programmable external commands which can be defined by the
user. Using this feature it is possible to write extra commands such as
fractal generators, complex fill routines etc. but there isn't much information
on this in the documentation. If it is fully implemented, it would be a
powerful feature of DreamGrafix since the user could program their own tools.
After playing around with DreamGrafix, I have to say that it's an impressive
program. The program recognises all of the graphics formats available for the
GS including the French 3200 format, and the fact that you can load, save
and edit a 3200 color picture allows the user to exploit the 3200 color picture
mode in ways which was not possible before. Using the 3200 color mode, it is
possible to achieve some amazing results, and with the development of powerful
programs such as DreamGrafix, it shows that the GS can compete with
other computers when it comes to graphics.
The program is a beta version, and it is unusual for companies to sell beta
versions, but I heard that DreamWorld Software was having financial problems.
It's not surprising that DreamWorld is having financial trouble. Nowadays
software publishers are convinced that the GS is a dead computer so they aren't
willing to support the GS market. I think that DreamWorld plans to market
DreamGrafix themselves, so they'll probably need all the support they can get.
It would be great if more people would support the company by purchasing
DreamGrafix. It is $50 for a beta version, and free updates as soon as they
become available. Considering that it is also a working 16 color paint
program, it is worthwhile since it also supports 256 color modes and 3200 color
modes. I am glad that I purchased the program since I can edit those 3200
color pictures and the 3200 color converted gifs which usually have redundant
colors.
If people are interested in purchasing the program, the address is
DreamWorld Software
1956 Broadway Suite 6b
Iowa City, IA 52240
I hope that people support software developers such as DreamWorld Software
since that's the only way of ensuring the survival of the Apple IIGS.