Gord_Wait@mindlink.bc.ca (Gord Wait) (05/28/91)
There is a company out of Toronto Ontario Canada called ALIAS, and they sell various 3D animation/Rendering/CAD software packages. I beleive their software is aimed at UNIX machines like Suns or SGI workstations. Their animation stuff is marketed to the Broadcast Video world (among others), and so is unlikely to be lo-cost enough for the amiga. Another company in this same market is Wavefront (in Santa Barbera Calif.) Perhaps with A3000 Unix machines these guys will port to an amiga... -- Gord Wait Member of Technical Staff ASIC Engineering SMOS Systems Vancouver Design Center Gord_Wait@mindlink.UUCP
rnollman@maxzilla.encore.com (Richard Nollman) (05/29/91)
I have been hearing alot about Alias Animator lately. Can someone provide some information on what it is, what it does, and if it runs on the Amiga or some other platform? Thanks. Rich Nollman
neil@celia.UUCP (Neil Richmond) (05/31/91)
In article <6043@mindlink.bc.ca> Gord_Wait@mindlink.bc.ca (Gord Wait) writes: < deleted but essentially correct info on Alias> >be lo-cost enough for the amiga. Another company in this same market is >Wavefront (in Santa Barbera Calif.) Perhaps with A3000 Unix machines these guys >will port to an amiga... I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for Alias or Wavefront to release anything on the Amiga:-) Just because there is a Unix version of the Amiga does not mean that these software companies software can port to any Unix system. I mean, yes, the code is Unix and it will work, sort of, but these companies depend on the geometry engines in the SGI machines to make their modeling and choreography packages work. These geometry are capable of very high throughput for graphics primitives like 3-D transformations, line drawing, etc. Not even the Sun can do this. However, I know these programs have a mode where they can run without the graphics on many Unix systems and the rendering packages do not need the graphics engines in the SGI, but I still wouldn't hold my breath:-) neil -- Only 3137 shopping days left till the next millenium! Neil F. Richmond INTERNET: celia!neil@usc.edu Rhythm & Hues Inc. UUCP: ...{ames,hplabs}!lll-tis!celia!neil)
ACPS1072@RYERSON <ACPS1072@Ryerson.CA> (06/03/91)
With regards to ALIAS, they do have software out for the MAC called upfront. Although Upfront is not nearly as nice as the higher end software for those RISC machines, it is a kinda neat package. If enough people call them and ask if they produce any Amiga software perhaps they would. Maybe I could get a job on their Amiga design team. :-> Derek Lang<<<<< | ACPS1072@Ryerson | "Get this clown trained. I want him in the games Toronto, ON | until he dies playing. Acknowledge." Canada | - Master Control Program
Gord_Wait@mindlink.bc.ca (Gord Wait) (06/03/91)
I agree with what Neil is saying. The SGI (and the R6000) both have extremely FAST 3D rendering hardware in them, that allows you to create a model builder and choreographer program that can phong render in real time. These programs would not port down to the olde 34010 graphics chip well. Take a look at Autodesk's 3D studio program. They use partial wire frame drawing (that is a little jerky) to keep the interactive response time up to something useful. Phong rendering on 3D studio is on the order of minutes per frame, as opposed to 30 frames per second on the high end workstations... Keep a close eye on the IRIS Vision boardset from SGI. Puts the same 3D graphics hardware into an IBM clone box for under 5000 bucks.. (don't know the exact price..) The rest of the software from these companies should do just fine on an amiga with unix and the 68040 however... gord wait -- Gord Wait Member of Technical Staff ASIC Engineering SMOS Systems Vancouver Design Center Gord_Wait@mindlink.UUCP
seanc@pro-party.cts.com (Sean Cunningham) (06/03/91)
In-Reply-To: message from neil@celia.UUCP
I think it would be killer if Wavefront liscenced its Personal Visualizer
to Commodore for inclusion with the A3000UX.
It comes with alot of the new workstations, including the Personal Iris,
DECStations, and IBM's RISC System 6000s (I think). And since most of
these only have 8bits of color as standard for their entry level color
systew3ms, the A2410 should be adequate (sp).
Sean
/\
RealWorld: Sean Cunningham / \ "Doing our business is what
INET: seanc@pro-party.cts.com VISION Amigas are for."
Voice: (512) 992-2810 \ /
// \/ "Holy #@*!" - any Psygnosis
KEEP THE COMPETITION UNDER \X/ GRAPHICS game playerneil@celia.UUCP (Neil Richmond) (06/04/91)
In article <1991Jun3.061614.16026@crash.cts.com> seanc@pro-party.cts.com (Sean Cunningham) writes: >It comes with alot of the new workstations, including the Personal Iris, >DECStations, and IBM's RISC System 6000s (I think). And since most of >these only have 8bits of color as standard for their entry level color >systew3ms, the A2410 should be adequate (sp). >Sean I am not trying to rain on anyones parade. But what I was trying to say is for the animation and modeling parts of Wavefront's software to work you need the geometry engines in the SGI, including the Personal Iris. I don't know about IBM or DEC stations. It has nothing to do with 8 bits, 24 bits, etc. Unless the A2410 has these engines, they will make a poor performance of Wavefront's sotware. However, the renderer will work without the A2410. I could be made to work fairly easily in an A3000UX. neil -- Only 3134 shopping days left till the next millenium! Neil F. Richmond INTERNET: celia!neil@usc.edu Rhythm & Hues Inc. UUCP: ...{ames,hplabs}!lll-tis!celia!neil)
andrey@beyond.caltech.edu (Andre Yew) (06/04/91)
seanc@pro-party.cts.com (Sean Cunningham) writes: >In-Reply-To: message from neil@celia.UUCP > >I think it would be killer if Wavefront liscenced its Personal Visualizer >to Commodore for inclusion with the A3000UX. > >It comes with alot of the new workstations, including the Personal Iris, >DECStations, and IBM's RISC System 6000s (I think). And since most of >these only have 8bits of color as standard for their entry level color >systew3ms, the A2410 should be adequate (sp). > Please, no. The Personal Visualizer is slow and clunky enough on SGIs -- it would crawl on an Amiga. What would really be impressive is to have either Alias' modelling module or TDI's modeller or animator on an Amiga. But that's a more improbable thing than a pipeline of i860s for the Amiga -- the Amiga is too slow to do anything really nice like that. That's high-end, Wayne. Speaking of which, if Hash wants to sell their software through direct mail order, I think that's fine. What you might like to do, like another poster suggested is to have salespeople go out and demo the software to potential buyers. When we were looking for software, Wavefront came and demoed their software along with lots of videotapes. We went down to LA to see TDI's stuff although they could also have come to us. TDI also provided a videotape of animations. Alias referred us to a local art school and they were pretty happy to demo the software to us. Alias also had a pretty impressive videotape -- Wayne, if you think rendering isn't an important part of animation, you haven't seen the hummingbirds on the Alias videotape. Perhaps if Hash thinks of itself as a high-end animation company, they should think about doing what the true high-end companies do. >Sean > /\ > RealWorld: Sean Cunningham / \ "Doing our business is what > INET: seanc@pro-party.cts.com VISION Amigas are for." > Voice: (512) 992-2810 \ / > // \/ "Holy #@*!" - any Psygnosis > KEEP THE COMPETITION UNDER \X/ GRAPHICS game player -- Andre Yew andrey@through.cs.caltech.edu (131.215.131.169)
neil@celia.UUCP (Neil Richmond) (06/06/91)
In article <andrey.675986288@beyond> andrey@beyond.caltech.edu (Andre Yew) writes: >seanc@pro-party.cts.com (Sean Cunningham) writes: > Please, no. The Personal Visualizer is slow and clunky enough on >SGIs -- it would crawl on an Amiga. What would really be impressive is to YES!! I mean NO!! I mean yes, no personal visualizer, please!! This was made to impress all those potential users who wanted to do CAD with Wavefront. >have either Alias' modelling module or TDI's modeller or animator on an Amiga. >But that's a more improbable thing than a pipeline of i860s for the Amiga -- >the Amiga is too slow to do anything really nice like that. That's high-end, >Wayne. >Andre Yew andrey@through.cs.caltech.edu (131.215.131.169) Actually, I have been recently told that there is a board(s) that can turn a PC into a GL, by SGI. It probably is leading towards some new lowend system they want to come out with to complete their line that will extend from low to hi end use. Maybe someone could stick it in the PC side of a 3000T(UX). I understand it needs UNIX to work. This is unconfirmed information. neil -- Only 3132 shopping days left till the next millenium! Neil F. Richmond INTERNET: celia!neil@usc.edu Rhythm & Hues Inc. UUCP: ...{ames,hplabs}!lll-tis!celia!neil)
seanc@pro-party.cts.com (Sean Cunningham) (06/08/91)
In-Reply-To: message from neil@celia.UUCP
Unless Autodesk has released 3D Studio for UNIX, the SGI "IRIS VISION"
boardset does NOT need it.
The boardset works with AutoCAD (10 &11), AutoShade 2.0, 3D Studio,
AutoMod, Walkthrough, MicroCADAM 3D, DADS, CADKEY Release 4, Digital
Artist, DynaPerspective, Microstation PC v4, Anvil, Lumena, SoftImage 3D,
and Mathematica. It also supports the IRIS Graphics Library under DOS, SCO
Open Desktop, and of course, Win3.
Price starts at $3,495, with both MicroChannel and ISA versions. Looks
like people who WERE looking at an AT/Vista 4M have a tough decision to
make :)
Hmmm...I wonder if one of these beauties would work with an AT Bridgcard,
or maybe the fabled upcoming i386 bridgcards???
Sean
/\
RealWorld: Sean Cunningham / \ "Doing our business is what
INET: seanc@pro-party.cts.com VISION Amigas are for."
Voice: (512) 992-2810 \ /
// \/ "Holy #@*!" - any Psygnosis
KEEP THE COMPETITION UNDER \X/ GRAPHICS game playerneil@celia.UUCP (Neil Richmond) (06/13/91)
In article <1991Jun8.011612.7146@crash.cts.com> seanc@pro-party.cts.com (Sean Cunningham) writes: >In-Reply-To: message from neil@celia.UUCP > > >Unless Autodesk has released 3D Studio for UNIX, the SGI "IRIS VISION" >boardset does NOT need it. ( text deleted for brevity ) >Hmmm...I wonder if one of these beauties would work with an AT Bridgcard, >or maybe the fabled upcoming i386 bridgcards??? > >Sean The idea makes my mouth water, but I have serious doubts about this fitting into an A3000. I don't think there are enough slots, lets see: A bridgecard Some kind of (AT) cpu,memory,serial,hardcard (in one card) Iris Vision ( how many boards?) I think were over the number of available PC slots already. Phooey!!!:-( Maybe an AT extension bus box?!?! Please!?!? neil neil -- Only 3125 shopping days left till the next millenium! Neil F. Richmond INTERNET: celia!neil@usc.edu Rhythm & Hues Inc. UUCP: ...{ames,hplabs}!lll-tis!celia!neil)