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From: Isdale.es@XEROX.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.movies
Subject: RE: The Last Starfighter
Message-ID: <2106@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 17-Jul-84 14:36:50 EDT
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.2106
Posted: Tue Jul 17 14:36:50 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 20-Jul-84 03:27:46 EDT
Lines: 22

> ...the effects are good, and some of them, I think, were done in real
time
> (specifically, I believe the video game was actually used for the
sequences
> featuring it, and it will look just that way in the arcades).

None of the computer graphics scenes were done in real time.
Each frame took several seconds to load into the framebuffer and 
then three exposures had to be made (one each Red, Green, Blue). 
At our fastest pace, we shot approx. 1 frame per minute. 

The video game sequences were done using a CRAY 1S (traded in for the
XMP last
november/december). The were 3d images with low detail and without
smooth shading thus giving the ship a faceted look. Such images are VERY
difficult to compute and display in anything close to real time. There
was some talk about using video disks to hold the simulations but the
response of such games is not very good.


Jerry Isdale
Ex-DPeon