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From: daveh@cbmvax.UUCP (Dave Haynie)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: There's No Fun At Pixar
Message-ID: <2202@cbmvax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 11-Aug-87 12:02:37 EDT
Article-I.D.: cbmvax.2202
Posted: Tue Aug 11 12:02:37 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 13-Aug-87 04:48:03 EDT
References: <3546@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu>
Distribution: world
Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA
Lines: 40

in article <3546@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu>, tim@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu (Timothy L. Kay) says:
> 
> In article <941@omepd> hah@mipon3.UUCP (Hans Hansen) writes:
>>
>>I think that you have just hit the nail on the head, i.e. a $2K computer
>>and a $200 program displaying a 3D animation that PIXAR created on their
>>$20K-$200K graphics engine and are probably asking 10s of thousands of
>>dollars for their 3D programming package.  Not only that but Leo did it
>>in less than a week!!  Absolutly astounding!!!  And with a 3D package
>>that he wasn't familiar with to boot!!!
> 
> Let's get some perspective on the situation.  While Leo's demo is very
> pretty and a superb effort, the quality of the presentation falls far
> short compared to the Pixar piece.  I hope nobody out there is willing
> to claim that the rendering quality of the "$200 program" is in any way
> comparable to the quality of that produced by Pixar.  Furthermore, the
> actual act of juggling was only a very small part of the Pixar flick.
> Let's see the Amiga just described create the opening scene with the
> rain.  How about the spot lights and the diffuse shadows?

I'm sure that both efforts were quite good.  Obviously the six months the
Pixar folks had, the higher resolutions they work with, and the extra
horsepower they have for rendering is going to produce a better looking
film.  The Amiga's output can approach TV quality, but not movie quality,
at least not yet.  

However, as far as claiming that the $200 program and Leo's three days of
work is comparable to the Pixar piece, it seems that the Pixar people are
the main ones making this claim so far.  Its was because of their request
not to distribute the demo that Leo is not yet releasing it, eh?  Regardless
of how close the two are, the public impression that's going to result from
Pixar's position so far is very likely going to be that they're close enough
to annoy Pixar.  Which is certainly closer than anyone should be able to get
on a $2000 computer with a $200 program and three days of work, right.  
Certainly if Pixar had responded with a "hey-that's-cute" sort of 
indifference, Leo's demo would have attracted so much attention already.
-- 
Dave Haynie     Commodore-Amiga    Usenet: {ihnp4|caip|rutgers}!cbmvax!daveh
"The A2000 Guy"                    PLINK : D-DAVE H             BIX   : hazy
     "Catch a wave and you're sittin' on top of the world" -Beach Boys