Re: CGI FT starships (was :Re: A small request.... :-))

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

----- Original Message -----
From: Jonathan White <Jonw@nessie.mcc.ac.uk>
To: <gzg-l@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU>
Sent: Monday, August 16, 1999 9:36 AM
Subject: CGI FT starships (was :Re: A small request.... :-))

> Tim Jones wrote:
>
> > 64Mb+ machine should be Ok, depends how efficient the renderer is,
> > but a 1600+ rez image is still going to crawl. For a print cover
> > 300 dpi (11.81 dpmm) should be good enough - that would be a
> > resolution of
> >
> > 3507 x 2480 x 3 (24 bit) = 27 Mb
>
> 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
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> "In a tribe of chimpanzees I was a monkey.."
> Jonathan White, COS group, Manchester University
>