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From: thomas@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Thomas Summerall)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac,comp.sys.amiga
Subject: What is best 24bit 3d Anim system under $12,000
Message-ID: <16988@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU>
Date: 15 Nov 89 18:14:13 GMT
Sender: news@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU
Reply-To: thomas@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Thomas Summerall)
Followup-To: comp.sys.mac
Organization: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
Lines: 59

The film department here is currently considering a major purchase for
computer graphics production.  Uses include genlock special effects,
titling, 24 Bit frame grabbing, and full feature 3d rendering and animation
including tweening, real time previewing, surface mapping, and ray tracing.
Ideally an automated film recorder which takes 16mm reels would be involved.

We will buy whatever computer system is required in order to run the best
3d package.  Speed and rendering quality vs. Price is the key ratio.

Packages we are aware of but need more info/opinions on include:

Macintosh:
  -Renderman in conjunction with Levco's transputer.
     I saw it at Macworld.  Seemed slow still.  But Renderman has quite a
     rep.

  -Spotlight with whatever accelerators.
     I don't know a thing but rumours.  Company doesn't return phone
     messages.  No humans seem to work there.

  -Dimensions Presenter with Yarc accelerator card and various
     Other modeling pragrams.  Seems like a patchwork affair with many
     little programs.  Would rather have a well integrated solution.
     Also I think Dimensions is hard to use.

  -Sculpt/Animate 4D for Mac.
     Rumoured to be coming out soon and more powerful than Amiga vers.

Amiga:
  -Turbosilver
     ?????  Vhat da hell is dis?

  -Caligari  Professional Vers.
     True 3d interface.  Real time wire frame preview.  An important concern.

  -Journey Man
     Like Caligari but supposedly better. ???

  -Digital Animation Productions
     24 bit RISC accelerator with amazing performance specs advertised in Dec.
     Amiga world.  Works with above software.  Seems great.

The department currently owns an Amiga 2000 with a 68030 accelerator and
S/A 4d, but is beginning to outgrow it.  There seem to be many more products
available for the Amiga, but most seem only to work with Amiga's relatively
cheesy graphics modes.  We like the fact that apple's 32 bit quickdraw is
standardized.  Is Amiga's?  Mac products seem to be significantly more
expensive as a rule, but are they any better?  When you start talking 24 bit
and RISC the number of products available for the Amiga (I think) are about
the same as for a Mac.  It almost doesn't matter which system you use
given the fact that with all of these accelerators/transputers you hardly
use the native processors/ROMs anyway.

What have people used/liked?

Thanks in advance...
Thomas Summerall
thomas@eleazar.dartmouth.edu