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From: seanc@pro-party.cts.com (Sean Cunningham)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Renderman
Message-ID: <2893@crash.cts.com>
Date: 29 May 90 18:36:08 GMT
Article-I.D.: crash.2893
Sender: root@crash.cts.com
Lines: 36

I hope that some software developer decides to produce a RenderMan interface
compatible product...not just generating RIB (Renderman Interface Bytestream)
files, but an actual renderer, supporting the shading language, and other
effects that go with it.
 
Alot of the packages we have now support texture mapping of IFFs, but I'd like
to see procedural texture-mapping, which is faster, and user definable. 
Sculpt/Animate 4D supports motion-blur somewhat, but the effect isn't as nice
as I've seen in Pixar animations.  And the one effect that none of the
packages for the Amiga have is depth of field, wher stuff closer, or farther
from the camera goes out of focus.
 
I just got some info from a company making a RenderMan interface for the Mac,
and even have a render accelerator board using the i860 RISC
processor...price, about $3795...with the board.  Not too bad when you
consider the cost of Caligari, and the supporting hardware you'll need to
generate nice images.  
 
This is an area where Marc Bennett's MC88000 RISC board might come in
handy...not as a peripheral that would directly speed up the Amiga, but one
where complex graphics procedures could be off-loaded.
 
Maybe one of these days...
 
Sean

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