From comp.graphics.raytracing Thu Feb 2 19:28:19 1995 Newsgroups: comp.graphics.raytracing Path: dcs.ed.ac.uk!festival!str-ccsun!news.dcs.warwick.ac.uk!warwick!lyra.csx.cam.ac.uk!sunsite.doc.ic.ac.uk!aixssc.uk.ibm.com!ibm.de!Munich.Germany.EU.net!Germany.EU.net!howland.reston.ans.net!torn!blaze.trentu.ca!ivory.trentu.ca!BFEIST From: bfeist@ivory.trentu.ca (Ben Feist) Subject: Truespace FAQ Message-ID: <1995Jan29.174305.25096@blaze.trentu.ca> Sender: news@blaze.trentu.ca (USENET News System) Reply-To: bfeist@ivory.trentu.ca Organization: Trent University, Peterborough Date: Sun, 29 Jan 1995 17:43:05 GMT Lines: 432 The trueSpace Mailing List ========================== For administrative messages such as subscribing, etc., email: truespace-request@cs.uregina.ca with the command in the _BODY_ of the message (eg. help). To send messages to the list, email: truespace@cs.uregina.ca Note: make sure you check your headers because replies may *not* automatically go to the list. The TS-ML is owned and operated by Shane Davison, email: daviso@cs.uregina.ca Frequently Asked Questions -------------------------- Compiled by Shane Davison (daviso@cs.uregina.ca). Last updated: January 19th, 1995. I would like to thank the following people for their help in testing the trueSpace mailing list and for their valuable comments regarding this FAQ: Bjorn-Kare Nilssen, Myles Strous, Tobin Leo Munsat, Scott Snowiss, and Wilson Chow. Note: Please keep this handy for future reference. CONTENTS: General Info. Questions: 1. What is trueSpace ? - description, features, req'd, demos, cost, contact info 2. What is the trueSpace mailing list ? - description, instructions, owner 3. What does the future hold for trueSpace ? - ts 2.0 4. Where can I get 3D objects/models ? - ftp, CDs, books 5. Are there any FTP sites for images, animations, etc. ? - ftp, newsgroups 6. What other utility programs may be of interest/useful ? - shareware 7. Where can I get a list of useful index-of-refraction values ? How about a list of RGB settings for common colours ? - right here ! Specific TS Questions: 1. Why can't I see any reflections/refractions ? - ie. how do I raytrace ? 2. How do I get shadows in scanline mode ? - "use a spotlight" 3. What aren't my lights working properly ? - flat-shaded, ambient glow Final Comments ------------------------------------------------------------ (General Info.) 1. What is trueSpace ? Caligari's trueSpace for Windows is an advanced 3D modeling, rendering, and animation package. It is one of the best (if not _the_ best) Windows raytracing programs available. trueSpace is one of the few 3D applications to fully incorporate real-time manipulation of objects in true 3D-perspective. Other features include an intuitive user interface, fully integrated modeling, and speeds matching those of high-end workstations. Capable of photorealistic images and professional animations, trueSpace is a complete rendering and animation package. trueSpace feature list (unordered): - true raytracing or scanline rendering - advanced AntiAliasing (2-4x) - 'real' multi-tasking (ie. no decrease in speed when iconized/minimized) - fast (given Windoze-overhead) rendering - full spline-based modeling, paths (creation & editing), etc. - controllable acceleration/deceleration of animated objects - spline or linear movement of animated objects (easily edited) - save objects animation paths to be used later and/or on different objects - complete hierarchical animation (sub-motion can be repeated) - easy and powerful organic modeling - free-form deformation (automatically smooths result) (dynamic subdivision of polygons) - many smoothing functions/utilities - sweep, lathe, and bevel (!) functions - easily create complex lattice deformations - modeless editing (everything can be done on the main screen) - contextual editing (depending on whether you select a point, line, or face) - 5 views: perspective, front, side, top, camera (or any object) - multiple view windows - real-time updates of all windows (with enough RAM and fast gfx card) - interactive editing in multiple windows simultaneously (even edit multiple objects simultaneously !) - animation preview in one or all windows - great interface with all needed icons thoughtfully packed onto the bottom (or top) of the screen - multiple-level undo feature - complete 3D-perspective modeling, positioning, animation, etc. - easy animation preview playback using VCR-like controls - powerful Animation Editor (for copying and repeating actions, etc.) (ie. Visual Time Editor) - FREE CD of 100s of objects and 100s of textures (shipping Dec. '94) - relatively inexpensive - includes Video for Windows 1.1 (runtime) - comes with many objects and textures/maps or use your own - material library - as simple as selecting your object, pointing to the desired material, and clicking Paint - complete control of UV projection (plane, cylinder, sphere) - multiple material rectangles (allows many decals per object, etc.) and the ability to paint individual surfaces directly - regular and spline polygons - 2D boolean functions (union, difference, etc.) (3D in v2.0) - import 3D Studio, Imagine, DXF, LightWave, ASCII, DXF, WaveFront, Videoscape, and Caligari objects - 3 light types: infinite (sun), local (lightbulb), spotlight - unlimited number of lights and cameras - shadows in both raytracing AND scanline - easy 3D font rendering and animation (using any Windows font) - real-time wire-frame preview - real-time movement/sizing/rotation of object wireframes (NO bounding boxes unless object is VERY complex) (Note: this depends on RAM and type of video card) - interactive positioning/sizing/rotating with mouse or place/size/rotate exactly using numerical entry - free demo (complete except for saving) to try-before-you-buy - 6 built-in primitives: sphere, cube, cylinder, cone, etc. - 3 smoothing models: faceted, smooth, or auto (combo of other two) - 3 shading models: flat, Phong, metal - texture, bump, and environment maps (with controllable parameters) - object attributes: color, smoothing, shading, mapping, ambience, shininess, roughness, transparency, refraction - rendered sphere of current object attributes (to test before you apply them) - global effects: fog, environment map, background image - draft rendering mode (fast) - makes full use of both mouse buttons - Pentium-optimized - on-line help - 3 coordinate systems: object, screen, world - independent axis manipulation - grid and lock-to-grid function - constraints (lock to object, face path) - supports TGA and BMP formats - outputs TGA/BMP, sequential TGAs/BMPs, AVI - 24 bit + alpha-channel - includes many AVI compressions schemes (Vid4Win) - render up to 8000x8000 pixels - built-in object utilities (for creating transparency maps, etc.) System Requirements: - Windows 3.1 or greater - 386 or higher (with math co.) - 4 Meg or more RAM - 6 Meg free hard disk space A save-disabled version of trueSpace is available so that you can try before you buy. It is available direct from the creators of trueSpace (see below) or on the ftp site avalon.chinalake.navy.mil in the directory /pub/misc with the name ts_demo3.zip. Note: viewSpace, a public-domain object viewer, is also on Avalon in the .../viewers directory. To obtain a free demo disk of trueSpace, you can call 1-800-351-7620. trueSpace has a retail price of $795 US. However, it can be found at various places for $499 or less. One place to purchase trueSpace is through Egghead Software in the U.S. Their number is 1-800-EGGHEAD. As of November 14, 1994, anyone purchasing trueSpace 1.x, the current version, will receive a FREE upgrade to the version 2. Also, all registered users of trueSpace will be sent a FREE CD-ROM disc containing hundreds of objects, textures, and scenes. Note: If you are a student, you can obtain a fully featured and fully functional academic version of trueSpace. Currently, the student version is available for $299 US by faxing your order along with proof of your academic status directly to the creators of trueSpace (see below). For current pricing info or if you have any specific questions about the student version, please contact the company at one of the listed numbers. trueSpace is made by Caligari Corporation. Caligari also receives this list and is one of the few companies that really do listen to their customers. They can be contacted at: 1955 Landings Drive Mountain View, CA USA, 94043 Phone: 415-390-9600 Fax : 415-390-9755 BBS : 415-390-0585 Caligari can also be reached on Compuserve and America-Online. Use keyword Caligari on AOL or GO GUGRPA on Compuserve. ### 2. What is the trueSpace mailing list ? This mailing list was set up to provide loyal trueSpace users with the opportunity to communicate with each other about a subject that's important to them: trueSpace. No one likes paying huge long-distance phone bills to connect to a BBS but most people enjoy discussing their hobby with others who share similar interests. I also understand the need for people under deadlines to get immediate answers to their problems or questions. Caligari only has a limited number of technical support staff but, soon, we will have many trueSpace subscribers at various levels of experience willing to share their expertise and knowledge when necessary. With trueSpace being such a new application, I'm sure many of you are struggling with some aspects of it while others are constantly discovering tricks and work-arounds that may solve your obstacles. I hope this mailing list is of some value to each person that joins. To subscribe to the list, send email to truespace-request@cs.uregina.ca with the word subscribe in the *body* of the message. To unsubscribe, send email to the same address with the word unsubscribe in the body of the message. Please do not send un/subscribe messages to the main list address. After receiving a confirmation message, you can begin sending messages to (and receiving messages from) truespace@cs.uregina.ca. Every message you send to this address will be sent to every other member of the trueSpace mailing list (including you) and you will receive every message that is sent to the list by other members. To receive previous archives or the FAQ for this list, send email to truespace-request@cs.uregina.ca with the words get xxxx in the body of the message (where xxxx is the name of the file you want). Use the word index to return the list of available files. Who am I ? My name is Shane Davison and I'm in my 4th year of computer science here at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada. I've been interested in raytracing for as long as I can remember. A few years ago, I bought a Commodore Amiga 500 and, soon after, Impulse's Turbo Silver raytracer. I used it 25 hours a day for a couple of years but I eventually got caught up in the massive IBM-PC market and my Amiga was moved aside to make room for my new 486. However, recently I came across Caligari's trueSpace and, after a few minutes (which soon turned into many hours) of using it, my interest in raytracing was renewed. I also own Impulse's latest raytracing package called Imagine (just for comparison purposes, of course). Always feel free to e-mail me personally on questions or problems about this mailing list, or any other topic even remotely related to raytracing. My e-mail address is daviso@cs.uregina.ca. ### 3. What does the future hold for trueSpace ? The next version of trueSpace (2.0) will be available in 1st quarter 1995 - most likely March 1995. Here is an early list of 2.0 features: 1. Real-time manipulation of texture-mapped, Gouraud-shaded objects 2. Support for 3D chips on cards such as MATROX Impression Plus 3. Royalty-free solid-mode 3D viewer 4. Direct deformations 5. Vertex painting 6. 3D Booleans 7. Field rendering 8. Auto-dimensioning 9. Animated materials and backgrounds 10. Animation of light color and intensity 11. Motion blur 12. Procedural textures 13. Depth of field 14. Numerical control over point editing 15. Import of AI, PS, EPS, GIF, JPEG, TIF 16. Export FLC, JPEG -- Source: trueSpace Users Group Forum, Compuserve. Posted by: Caligari Corporation (415-390-9600) ### 4. Where can I get 3D objects/models ? On the Internet, the main 3D repository is: ftp avalon.chinalake.navy.mil It contains hundreds of 3D objects in various formats as well as many other programs, utilities, etc. related to 3D art and animation. You'll also want to check out the new trueSpace FTP site graciously provided by Bill Ehrendreich: ftp.netnet.net (/pub/mirrors/truespace). Syndesis Corporation sells a CD named Avalon which is a snapshot of the above mentioned FTP site. They can be contacted by calling 414-674-5200 or 414-674-6363 (FAX). Various other CDs are available which include many objects, images, and animations. Soon, Caligari will be shipping a 3D CD to all its registered customers. Walnut Creek also sells raytracing related CD's. For a good book which includes a few trueSpace tutorials, check out "Becoming A Computer Animator" by Mike Morrison. It is published by SAMS and includes a CD of demo programs, objects, and textures. The ISBN is 0672304635 and the LCCN is 9386965. ### 5. Are there any FTP sites for images, animations, etc. ? As mentioned above, the main 3D site is avalon.chinalake.navy.mil. Other noteworthy sites include: wuarchive.wustl.edu ftp.povray.org ftp.netnet.net (see previous answer) You may also want to check out the following newsgroups: comp.graphics comp.graphics.animation comp.graphics.raytracing ### 6. What other utility programs may be of interest/useful ? A shareware program called DTA (Dave's Targa Animator) is very good for converting and manipulating images, creating palettes, and creating animations from a sequence of pictures. DTA and it's companion viewer called DFV (Dave's Flic Viewer) are available as ZIP files on ftp.povray.org in the /pub/povray/utilities directory. They are definitely worthwhile getting and registering. GIF2DXF is another shareware program. It converts GIF images to DXF objects. Other object generators include LPARSER and PLANT. Check ftp.netnet.net in .../utils for image viewers and more. ### 7. Where can I get a list of useful index-of-refraction values ? How about a list of RGB settings for common colours ? Right here ! Send e-mail to truespace-request@cs.uregina.ca with one or both of the following in the *body* of the message: get iors.txt get rgb-list.txt ### (Specific TS Questions) 1. Why can't I see any reflections/refractions ? - ie. how do I raytrace ? Although transparency can be handled by a 3D rendering method called scanline (ts's default method), true reflections and refractions must use a more advanced mode called raytracing. To enable raytracing, simply right-click on any render icon and select Raytrace from the dialog box. Reflections can also be generated in scanline mode by using trueSpace's ability to generate individual environment maps for objects. Simply set up a scene, select the object on which you want reflections, and then generate the environment map using the 2D environment fuction available on the Image Utilities panel. Then apply this to the object as an environment map in the object's attributes panel. ### 2. How do I get shadows in scanline mode ? Shadows can be generated in scanline mode but, so far, only spotlight light sources can create shadows without raytracing. Add a spotlight, right-click on Toggle Shadows On, set the desired options, and left-click on Shadows to enable it. ### 3. What aren't my lights working properly ? Sometimes your lightsources may appear to be working incorrectly. Examples are changing the light intensity with no apparent affect and shadows not being displayed. These problems are usually the result of objects that have either been set to Flat Shaded or have a high ambient glow value. Both items can be set in the object attributes panel and are quite effective when used properly but can produce unusual lighting effects. Consult the manual or the Help file for more info. ### Final Comments ============== I encourage you to post your trueSpace questions to the list no matter how small because usually there are others who would like to know the answer also. By the same token, please contribute as much as possible to discussions, answers, solutions, etc. so that everyone can benefit. Remember to respect fellow list members. Please note that the standard disclaimer applies to the information contained within this document: use the information at your own risk; no one can be held responsible for any resulting problems. Please send corrections, etc. to Shane Davison (daviso@cs.uregina.ca). Thanks again for your interest in the trueSpace Mailing List. Sincerely, Shane Davison daviso@cs.uregina.ca ------------------------------------------------------------ END TS FAQ *---------------------------------------------------------------------------* Benjamin Feist | To understand recursion, | BFEIST@trentu.ca| Trent University | you must first understand recursion. | | *---------------------------------------------------------------------------*