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From: ali@rocky.STANFORD.EDU (Ali Ozer)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: Re: Amiga World Ray-tracing article...
Message-ID: <251@rocky.STANFORD.EDU>
Date: Sun, 19-Apr-87 00:42:31 EST
Article-I.D.: rocky.251
Posted: Sun Apr 19 00:42:31 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 21-Apr-87 02:50:08 EST
References: <629@puff.WISC.EDU> <2985@sdcsvax.UCSD.EDU> <647@puff.WISC.EDU> <239@rocky.STANFORD.EDU> <4612@utcsri.UUCP>
Reply-To: ali@rocky.UUCP (Ali Ozer)
Distribution: comp
Organization: Stanford University Computer Science Department
Lines: 31
Keywords: cost

In article <4612@utcsri.UUCP> buchanan@utcsri.UUCP (John Buchanan) writes:
>Hmmm Last starfighter ship = 250000 polygons.  
>     Amiga memory          = 512000 bytes
>     2 bytes per polygon   = 500000 bytes.   ( it seems that under estimating
>					       is the name of the game.)
>			     ===============
>     Memory available for
>     raytracer.            =  12000 bytes.   
>
>     I fail to see where the multitasking system will reside.  I'd also
>     like to see at least 24 bits per pixel.

The multitasking system resides in 256K of "kickstart" RAM (or ROM, in the
Amiga 500 and Amiga 2000) which is seperate from the 512K of "user" RAM.
And, besides, my Amiga has 1M of RAM, and Monday or Tuesday I plan on 
expanding to 2.5M, with future plans for upto 8.5 megabytes. That should be 
enough for one or two last starfighter
ships in addition to Emacs and several other programs...

But I have no plans for remaking the last starfighter on my Amiga anyway! 8-)

In any case, I do agree that you cannot use the Amiga for making full
length ray traced movies. But, as the "juggler" demonstrates, you can use it
to make short ray traced animations. Or, using programs like "deluxe video,"
or the new "videoscape 3d," along with real time digitizers like "live!"
and the Genlock device, you can make pretty impressive (and long)
animations and movies at a small fraction of the cost required for
any other methods.

Ali Ozer, ali@rocky.stanford.edu
          ...!decwrl!rocky.stanford.edu!ali