Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!hplabs!pyramid!infmx!robertw
From: robertw@informix.com (Rob Weinberg)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: EDITABLE graphics translation posting response
Keywords: PICT graphics import NeXT Macintosh
Message-ID: <1990Dec3.153446.14010@informix.com>
Date: 3 Dec 90 15:34:46 GMT
References: <1042@toaster.SFSU.EDU>
Sender: news@informix.com (Usenet News)
Organization: Informix Software, Inc.
Lines: 41

In article <1042@toaster.SFSU.EDU> hodges@toaster.SFSU.EDU (John Hodges) writes:
>Now that you guys have sifted through some comments, some "realistic" and
>some not, is there some agreement that "editable" graphics importing is
>not supported on the NeXT?

One of my colleagues in publishing here at Informix has a converter for
converting MacDraw into FrameMaker graphics, so she can import them that
way to the NeXT and modify them. (Frame Technology - (408) 433-3311).

OF COURSE, the process is kulgy, and there are serious difficulties in
the conversion process. She ends up with text that is all of the wrong
size and has to modify it once it gets into Frame. Finally, we ended up
just pasting the MacDraw PICTS into PageMaker on the Mac, in a page
size just big enough to hold th PICT. Them, we "printed" the one-page
PageMaker file to disk as an EPS, which we could import over the network
to FrameMaker. (For some reason, the print-to-disk by hitting "f" does
not work on our Mac here, so we go this cumbersome route). Of course,
you cannot modify the graphics once the are in EPS.

All I could think when I saw how munged the PICTs where when we used
the special Frame converter software was, deja vu - just like working with
PICTs on the Mac itself. Similar problems occur moving PICTs around
from program to program on the Mac.

>Personally, I would prefer interested parties to send mail to the vendors
>who are selling these products, and convince them this capability is needed,
>even demanded.

Yes, but first let's try to get vendors to come up with a decent
conversion standard within the Macintosh community itself, then 
transport this to NeXT, x-open, or wherever else. 

Thanks for opening this discussion - it's a non-trivial, frustrating
area for publishers.


-- 
* Rob Weinberg, graphics & publishing ***** Does a falling tree make a sound *
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