> Tim Jones wrote:
> 64Mb+ machine should be Ok, depends how efficient the renderer is,
Think your numbers are right, but you have to realise that's just to hold the
finished 2D image in RAM. The 3D model also has a RAM requirement which
depends not on the size of the final image but on the complexity of the scene
being rendered and is therefore less predictable. 64 MB would probably be
enough, but this sort of thing is the reason professional CGI artists,
regardless of the platform they are
using, have /obscene/ amounts of RAM in their computers.
I just don't want someone to spend a lot of time & effort designing a
completely accurate Kra'Vak battlecruiser, only to find it's not possible to
actually get a completed image on their machine.
On a side note - and with Jon T's agreement - would it not be a good
thing to collect all the 'finalised' ships together on a website, in some
common format like DXF or 3DMF? Obviously Jon T would retain copyright over
the final images actually used within the books but it would be nice if we
could perhaps be able to use each others ships in images. It could even create
an ongoing catalogue of images for use on websites etc..
TTFN
Jon
Sorry to reply to my own post, but I had an idea that may be of benefit to
those wanting to join in with this..
Turns out there is a decent library of stellar images which don't appear to be
under copyright available at
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/
These would be ideal for backdrops to the sort of images people will be
making..
TTFN
Jon
> Sorry to reply to my own post, but I had an idea that may be of benefit
FYI (for any intersted): any Hubble images that are more than a year old are
basically 'public domain' and can pretty much be used as one sees fit (though
it is usually common practice to acknowledge the original team who took the
image(s) if published somewhere). One can ply the Hubble archives for images
to download if one wants to, also (there are a virtual *ton* of fantastic
images that haven't ever been published anywhere and reside in the archives,
unknown to many people;
a co-worker of mine works on a project called The Hubble Heritage in
which he, in his spare time, goes through the archives looking for some of
these awesome images for public publications; see also:
http://heritage.stsci.edu/
the latest image is of Hickson Compact Group 87, a really awesome
collection of galaxies in one field - the current online image is
in B&W, but they will have a nigh-true color image for publication
soon enough (next month?)).
Anyway, just fyi. Since we were on the topic of astro pics:)
Mk
or as wallpaper:)
"Windows 95: 32-bit extensions and a graphical shell for a 16-bit patch
to
an 8-bit operating system originally coded for a 4-bit microprocessor,
written by a 2-bit company that can't stand for 1 bit of competition." -
Unknown Christopher Pratt valen@gatecom.com
[quoted original message omitted]
> On Mon, 16 Aug 1999, Jonathan White wrote:
> On a side note - and with Jon T's agreement - would it not be a good
it would be nice to have them in VRML; i don't think this is much as good
as an interchange format for renderers, but suitably stripped-down
models could be translated into vrml and made available for browsing by j
random
websurfer, provided he has a vrml-equipped browser.
tom
> On a side note - and with Jon T's agreement - would it not be a good
This is a good idea, I have plenty of web space spare. I'll try to set
something up in the next week.
On format models in DXF I can do, but you will lose rendering information. A
collection of meshes would
be great though. Plus a collection of bump/env maps
and textures.
FYI I'm currently working on some ESU ships because they look the 'koolest'
IMO.
FT 3D web page started here
http://www.homestead.com/fullthrust/files/ft_3d.html