Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!uunet!uunet!zephyr.ens.tek.com!tektronix!percy!cryo!billc From: billc@cryo.UUCP (William J. Coldwell) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.graphics Subject: Re: JMan Review: RENDER & Conclusion Message-ID: Date: 23 May 91 10:40:51 GMT References: <1991May18.001642.11147@crash.cts.com> <192b5f2f.ARN0fef@cbmami.UUCP> Organization: Cryogenic Software Lines: 82 In article <192b5f2f.ARN0fef@cbmami.UUCP> jason@cbmami.UUCP (Jason Goldberg) writes: > > One thing that really scares me about Jman is Hash's total refusal >to sell his product via dealers! They aren't the first to take this approach though.. >I work for an upscale dealer in Southern >California which specializes in Video/Animation. Our staff is well versed >in Lightwave, Imagine, and 3D-Pro, as well as many of the older packages. >We demo the products on proffesional systems (A3000's, 33 Mhz and 50 Mhz >A2000's, etc..), all are systems are networked we can even do renderings in >3D-Pro in its paralell processing mode! Finnal output can be viewed in >24-bit via Firecracker, Toaster, DCTV, etc... Put a few 040's on a network and watch polygons plop on whatever display device you have (that is supported). ;-) > Obviously Jman's use of spines makes it a very interesting product >to us, but they won't sell it to us! We called up to order two units and >we were informed that they will not sell to dealers, they offer better >pricing to end users at shows than they offered us. Further they told us >that their users were to upscale to purchase from dealers. Generally, this is a good cover for "we can make a better mark up selling directly to end users than we can selling to distributors and dealers". Remember, I said "generally". Sometimes this method is used when the marketroids feel that the product doesn't compete on a 1:? level with other new/established products. Sometimes it's used to give the "aura" of being more that it is. Sometimes.. ;-) > It seems to me that Martin is doing a diservice to his product and >his end-users (both current and future). Would you rather purchase a $500 >package after getting a hands on demo from someone who really knows the >products and is farmiliar with its strengths and weaknesess relative to the >other products available? Good point. I'll reserve any comments on this subject. ;-) >Perhaps they don't want their ray-tracing engine >compared side-by-side to Imagines... Impulse has been in the ray tracing game longer than Hash, and that makes a difference. Martin (IMHO) appears to be heading down the road of "let's make the Amiga into some high-end animation workstation". At least the features of his program tend to lead me to that conclusion. The only problem with this approach is that you tend to leave the mid-level renderer/animators out of the picture due to price and machine requirements. >If they insist on only selling direct >then they will have a much smaller user base, that means that bug reports >will take longer to get back to them, that means there are fewer people for >owners to share ideas/help/objects with, etc... I would tend to think the opposite.. If you find a bug, wouldn't you just pick up the phone and yell at him personally? ;-) > From what I have seen of Jman it is a product with a lot of >promise, I am probably posting this letter primarily because I am >disappointed that I won't be able to get my hands on it in the near future. If you pay, you play. >However, I truely believe that refusing to sell to dealers hurts Jman >product development as well as its potential sales! I don't agree. If this was the case, then they wouldn't still be around. They have been chuggin' along this far, and I suspect that they will still be around next year still chuggin'.... > If you are a Hash customer, you should let them know how you feel >about this policy. Why? They already have it. >Jason Goldberg UUCP: ucsd!serene!cbmami!jason -- William J. Coldwell PLink: CRYO I'm a 3-DPro, wouldn't you Amiga Attitude Adjuster BIX: wjcoldwell like to be a 3-DPro2 ? Cryogenic Software UUCP:billc@cryo 3-D PROFESSIONAL 2.0 #define STD_DSCLMR "The above opinions are mine. You can't have them."