Hi Guys,
To maybe clear up this Truespace and Microsoft thing a little.
It was a section of Microsoft that bought out Truespace / Caligari -
the Virtual Earth Team. If one looks at the Google thing with Google
Earth - they bought out Sketchup. In both cases part of the aim is to
have a free 3D app as a way of creating 3D content for these
environments. Truespace 7.6 now has a connect to Virtual Earth to add
content ( an icon bottom right in the Workspace area, click / hold
the Workspace HW settings Icon, more Icons pop up, its one of these ).
What Google did with Sketchup as we all know is to provide two
versions - crippled type standard version and a pro version. If we
look at this philosophy perhaps this is what Microsoft will do - a
Truespace standard and pro ( paid for ).
at the moment you get TS 7.6 FREE forever - BUT with the 7 series of
TS Caligari began to add external Renderers as a feature - in this
case VRAY. So when you now try to render from the new Workspace area
in TS it needs / asks for that external renderer. I hear you say -
whats the point - well the new Workspace area is a Live 3D edit
window. All textures and the like shown rendered live as you edit - a
first of its kind, based on Directx technology.
If you move over to the model area - this is basically TS 6.6. It has
the traditional Lightworks renderer BUT now also Virtualight. The
latter has features like GI and Caustics. You can chose either
or. Their is also a 3rd party cheap RENDERMAN plug called DRIBBLE -
it is a current plugin too, about $35.
One of the big things with Roman, Caligari ex Boss, was
collaborative 3D. TS 7.6 includes this also. In the Workspace area is
where you access this ( icon bar bottom right ). Check out chapter 12
in the manual. You need to set up an account at the TRUEPLACES page
from the Caligari site front page to join in. This means you can load
up models and the like and have others over the net join with you
inside TS editing these models / scenes.
The one huge difference between Truespace and Sketchup is that TS is
a full 3D app including everything from Modelling, SDS, NURBS,
Animation, Character Animation ( very good tools here ), physics,
NODE BASED SHADER SYSTEM in Workspace ...... blah blah ... go to the
TS site for a larger feature list.
Re the Interface - yes it is Quirky, but not a huge curve really. The
underlying features are well worth any effort. AND the I/F is FULLY
customizable down to changing the Icons to text if you wish.
The app itself is quirky in comparison to other apps - in that it has
this connection to online worlds and collaborative features. One
thing I have found is TS has a huge list of import / export filters,
way more than alot of other apps out there including COLLADA, .X,
.bvh and all the usuals plus more. To see these open TS, Workspace
area. Over right on the Library section, right click a library and
have a look at Import / Export options from this menu.
BUT AS I HAVE STATED ALREADY - If I use TS it is as part of a
workflow. So I might not use ALL of TS eg - model etc in REALSOFT and
into TS for collaboration OR for its Character Animation tools - only
learn the parts you need.
AND NO - I dont think it will be blended into VISTA - from my
experience installing systems for clients and the like - VISTA is all
but dead, most businesses I know prefer XP PRO, buy machines with
VISTA but "Upgrade" to XP PRO. Microsoft have all but admitted this -
they have hauled forward Windows 7 from 2012 to 2010ish. DELL sell
systems with Vista but an option for XP PRO if you want.
Vista eats your system resource wise. Try an experiment - two same
systems side by side - one with Vista other with XP PRO - no
comparison, XP wins out by a long shot. After all an op sys is a base
for all other APPLICATION Software, the more minimalist it is in
interfering with your system the better. You want the UMMPH for your
applications not the op sys. Vista in my opinion broke that "rule".
Cheers
Aidan
At 05:47 30/07/2008, you wrote:
On Jul 29, 2008, at 4:02 PM, Jean-Sebastien Perron wrote:
Maybe micrososft will incluse truespace in their next vista service
pack to improve it's sales.
Since just about every version of Truespace has basically been
given away free at some stage I don't know if this would have much
of an impact. The software is not more widely used because most
people don't perceive it worth the bother of investing in learning
the interface ( I don'
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