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From: katefans@world.std.com (Chris'n'Vickie of Kansas City)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: Re: Topas
Message-ID: <1990Feb6.073625.10415@world.std.com>
Date: 6 Feb 90 07:36:25 GMT
Organization: The World
Lines: 37

> dkelly@npiatl.UUCP (Dwight Kelly)
> >katefans@world.std.com (Chris'n'Vickie of Kansas City) writes:
> >   Topas' principle competitor is Digital Arts' DGS. Approx. $10k. DGS
> > runs 386/387, YARC 68030 (40 mhz) and/or INMOS T800 Transputer (up to 32
> > nodes. DGS' renderer is based on Pixar's RenderMan standard (it has
> > everything but NURBS).

> DA's DGS is not RenderMan compatible yet.  You can not write procedural 
> shaders at your site.  This is very important!  The renderer is very good
> and fast on a 16 node T800.  The builders however are very limited in the
>number of objects it can manipulate (~2000). 

> Dwight Kelly
> Network Publications, Inc.
> Atlanta, GA

   Sorry if I gave anyone the wrong impression. DGS produces a RenderMan
compatible file, (.rip rather than .rib.) It is based on an older definition
of RenderMan (pre Ri- suffixes.) At the RenderMan dog'n'pony show at Siggraph
last year I was told that it had not been decided if user-defined shaders
were to be a required part of the specification. I have definitely exceeded
4k faces on an object. Anyway it can handle larger databases than Topas.
  One other thing I forgot to mention about Topas vs. DGS is the fact that
Topas doesn't produce alpha channel data, and has limited matte'ing facility.

>Anyone know where I can get faster versions of the blur and matte utilities?

Have you tried Ron Scot's QFX utilities? His blur isn't directional but it
is faster. And his matte is much more flexible. I'll be posting a piece 
about using QFX in produce to the Digital Arts BBS soon.

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