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From: baer@qiclab.uucp (Ken Baer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Journeyman V1.1 (was Re: Imagine)
Message-ID: <1990Dec23.065152.10790@qiclab.uucp>
Date: 23 Dec 90 06:51:52 GMT
References: <61542@masscomp.ccur.com> <1990Dec16.072550.3811@qiclab.uucp> <9069@fmeed1.UUCP>
Organization: Animators Anonymous, Portland, OR.
Lines: 70

In article <9069@fmeed1.UUCP> greer@fmeed1.UUCP (Mike Greer) writes:
>
>You state that Journeyman is the only spline based Amiga 3D package. This is
>not true. The new release of Caligari also uses splines.

Caligari is NOT patch based modeling.  The subructure is polygons. I am not
familiar with any spline features in Caligari, but I would assume it's one
of two things.  Either they have some spline path creation (all they had
were text scripts for animation the last time I looked), or they have some
spline curve options in their modeler, which are then converted to polygons
when they save (many CAD programs do this).

> Granted, there is a
>quantum leap in price from Journeyman ($500 ?) to Caligari (>$2500), but we mustbe accurate. Since you are obviously familar with Journeyman, tell me about 
>it's interface, it's ease of object creation, it's ablity to import objects
>created else where, it's rendering scheme(s) (ray tracing, phong shading, etc.)

Journeyman uses an interface designed for an artist to create 3D organic and
mechanical objects and characters for animation.  Building objects out of
3D splines hardly compares to building them out of polygons, it's a different
world.  And since it renders real patches, a curve stays a curve no matter
how close you get the camera to it.  

I started writing the code to import Sculpt4D objects into Journeyman, but
there's a fundamental problem doing that.  Complex objects are best served
using true patches, not polygons (unless that object has NO curves).  You
would end up with an object where 8 out of 10 control points were 
unnecessary, which would slow down all of the interfaces, and especially
the rendering.  As hard as it is for people who spent 3 weeks making one
object out of polygons hate to hear this, it's easier to start over, and
whip out a new patch based object in a couple of hours.

>I basically know nothing about Journeyman. It sounds very interesting. Is the 
>format in which the objects and scenes are saved documented by Hash? In other 
>words, if I have polygonal objects and want to convert them to spline based
>objects, a) will Journeyman do this? b)does Hash provide a utility program 
>that does this? c) does Hash provide the format the data must be stored in if I
>wanted to write my own converter?

You could call and ask Martin about it, but as I stated above, it's not
as useful as it seems.  Polygons and patches are 2 different beasts.

> Lastly, what exactly is the price? And it is
>my understanding that Journeyman can only be ordered directly from Hash. Is
>this correct? 

Animation:Journeyman is $500, and is only available direct from us.  But,
you get a copy with your name and address imbedded in the program, instead
of key disk copy protection.  

Journeyman also requires either an A2500 or an A3000 with 3Meg minimum.
It comes with a full featured patch based modeler, medium featured paint
program, relative motion editor (Action) which supports armature motion,
muscle motion, and spine motion (these last 2 would be REAL hard with 
polygons!), armature modeler (Character) with algorithmic texture interface,
absolute animation editor (Direction) with channel based motion and
lighting attributes (animation can be ptted over time rather than 
key framed), and finally a ray tracer and a z-buffer renderer.

Look for a Usenet review from Sean Cunningham in the near future, I hope
he can give you more detail.
>
>Mike G.
> 


-- 
    //    -Ken Baer.  Programmer/Animator, Hash Enterprises / Earthling
  \X/     Usenet: baer@qiclab.UUCP  or  PLink: KEN BAER
         "What?!? Sore again?" -- Bugs Bunny to Yosemity Sam