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From: perry@madnix.UUCP (Perry Kivolowitz)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.graphics
Subject: Re: TAD/ADpro information.
Message-ID: <1855@madnix.UUCP>
Date: 5 Jun 91 22:52:24 GMT
References: <1644@tronsbox.xei.com> <473@regina.uregina.ca>
Reply-To: perry@madnix.UUCP (Perry Kivolowitz)
Organization: ASDG Incorporated
Lines: 52

In article <473@regina.uregina.ca> cazabon@hercules.uregina.ca (Charles Cazabon (186-003-526)) writes:
>In article <1644@tronsbox.xei.com> bleys@tronsbox.xei.com (Bill Cavanaugh) writes:
>>I've been thinking of purchasing the Art Department, having spent a few
>>hours playing with the demo.  I'm VERY impressed with the look of the
>>program, and it's amazingly simple interface.  I've got a few questions
>>for people who've used it...

Thank you. It's been said that TAD's user interface ``hides the complexity
of the program.''  What  higher  complement can  you pay a user interface?
ADPro's UI is very similar to TAD's.

About memory usage, Chuck replies:

>The reason that TAD or ADPro require so much memory is that when they load
>in a picture, they convert it to either 24 bit colour information or 8
>bit greyscale information.  Couple on top of this the fact that GIF pictures
><and so on>

Chuck's response was dead on. Here's how to guess at TAD and ADPro's memory
requirements:

TAD:  WIDTH * HEIGHT * 3.75 (Color)
      WIDTH * HEIGHT * 1.75 (Gray)

ADPRO: WIDTH * HEIGHT * 4 (Color)
       WIDTH * HEIGHT * 2 (Gray)

All images are converted to either 8 bit-plane gray or 24 bit-plane color as
they are read in.  Additionally, we  reserve space  for the rendered data as 
well (for example, this is why you multiply by 4 in ADPro (color) instead of
by 3). 

ADPro uses a hair  more space  than TAD  because ADPro can render in up to 8
bit-planes where TAD  renders only up  to  6  bit-planes. Also, ADPro has an
enhanced palette mode which currently uses gobs of memory also (about 400K).
BUT! The enhanced palette mode can be  disabled so that the memory it would
have used can be used for picture data instead.

All features of the user interface in ADPro can be accessed from ARexx. TAD
does not have an ARexx interface. Yes, there are features which can only be
accessed from ARexx  in ADPro - namely those  features that make sense from
ARexx like putting up a file requester under program control, and the like.

Hope this answers  Bill's original post  and gives Chuck an ``attaboy'' for
his correct and concise explanation.

Perry

-- 
Perry Kivolowitz, ASDG Inc. ``We look for things. Things that make us go.''
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