Ambrosia Garden Archive
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    • Help needed with strata3D

       EV Developer's Corner
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      I am having alot of problems trying to make my own ships for my new plug-in. The problem is that i am having problems just generally using the program to make the ships that i have designed.

      If anybody has any tips for me on how to use Strata i will be very grateful.

      Also if anybody can recommend an alternative 3D software package that is easier to use and is ether free or cheap, or a site which offers a cheap ship making service which i can send my designs to so that they can be made how i want them to be that would also be helpful.

      Thanks

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      Hmm, you left us with lots to work with... So, if you can visualize what your going to make, just go ahead and make it. If you have problems visualizing draw it out first, than try and design it.

      Don't complain about a program till you've used it for more than it's worth. Most of the time it is the enduser having the problems. NOTE: Most is bold...

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      "Internet is so big, so powerful and pointless that for some people it is a complete substitute for life."
      -Andrew Brown
      Star Trek Escape Velocity
      (url="http://"http://homepage.mac.com/startrekev/")http://homepage.mac.com/startrekev/(/url)

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      I've found Strata 3D to be quite a capable program - however, I suggest reading the online tutorials/manuals. Some of its features are rather non-obvious in their use. But don't knock it until you know how to use it.

      Hint: Sketch out your drawings first, and try to split it into basic shapes (ie, the main hull could be a cylinder, the rocket cones could be lathe objects, etc.).

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      "Apple does not recommend allowing an elephant to operate a Mac in any environment."

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      Does anyone have any suggestions on editing polygons point-by-point (in Strata)? It seemed to me like a good way to create complex objects, but so far I haven't had consistent results. Is there a way to enter values for moving, scaling, etc? Instead of just "click and drag".

      I know, most of this is probably in the tutorials-manual, but I am in a hurry, and have been just basically dinking around in Strata.

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      Herodotus: The Histories
      "If an important decision is to be made, they discuss the question when they are drunk, and the following day when they are sober reconsider it. If they agree, it is made law. Conversley, any decision they make when they are sober, is reconsidered when they are drunk."
      Sounds like good government.

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      Quote

      Originally posted by rebelswin_85:
      **Does anyone have any suggestions on editing polygons point-by-point (in Strata)? It seemed to me like a good way to create complex objects, but so far I haven't had consistent results. Is there a way to enter values for moving, scaling, etc? Instead of just "click and drag".

      I know, most of this is probably in the tutorials-manual, but I am in a hurry, and have been just basically dinking around in Strata.

      **

      Don't even bother. Strata Ain't That Powerful!!! Lightwave on the other hand...

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      "Internet is so big, so powerful and pointless that for some people it is a complete substitute for life."
      -Andrew Brown
      Star Trek Escape Velocity
      (url="http://"http://homepage.mac.com/startrekev/")http://homepage.mac.com/startrekev/(/url)

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      Quote

      Originally posted by Metzen:
      **Don't even bother. Strata Ain't That Powerful!!! Lightwave on the other hand...

      **

      i love Lightwave... 🙂

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      DeAdBoY-
      (url="http://"http://www.grybs.com/harzius")Harzius Productions(/url)
      (url="http://"http://www.IcedEarth.com")Iced Earth(/url)

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      Hmmm. Some helpful replies here. mayby I'll try them when I have time.

      Do you have to pay for lightwave and where can I get it?

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      (This message has been edited by Coconut_spots (edited 10-31-2000).)

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      Quote

      Originally posted by Coconut_spots:
      **Hmmm. Some helpful replies here. mayby I'll try them when I have time.

      Do you have to pay for lightwave and where can I get it?

      **

      Pay no attention to them. Lightwave is A. difficult (though very good) and B. very expensive. Like, thousands of dollars.

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      Herodotus: The Histories
      "If an important decision is to be made, they discuss the question when they are drunk, and the following day when they are sober reconsider it. If they agree, it is made law. Conversley, any decision they make when they are sober, is reconsidered when they are drunk."
      Sounds like good government.

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      Quote

      Originally posted by rebelswin_85:
      **Pay no attention to them. Lightwave is A. difficult (though very good) and B. very expensive. Like, thousands of dollars.
      **

      Wow! You sure seemed to have answered his question...

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      "Internet is so big, so powerful and pointless that for some people it is a complete substitute for life."
      -Andrew Brown
      Star Trek Escape Velocity
      (url="http://"http://homepage.mac.com/startrekev/")http://homepage.mac.com/startrekev/(/url)

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      Quote

      Originally posted by rebelswin_85:
      **A. difficult

      **

      only to you 🙂

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      DeAdBoY-
      (url="http://"http://www.grybs.com/harzius")Harzius Productions(/url)
      (url="http://"http://www.IcedEarth.com")Iced Earth(/url)

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      Jorinn kicks DeAdBoY for boasting.

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      (url="http://"http://www.CelticStarbase.f2s.com")www.CelticStarbase.f2s.com(/url)
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      Quote

      Originally posted by Metzen:
      **Wow! You sure seemed to have answered his question...
      **

      I was merely pointing out that, while Lightwave may be a very capable platfor for design, it is completely the opposite of what he was asking for.

      I personally have only started using Strata. I have had decent results in Mechanisto, and actually, once I got used to it, enjoyed the control of inputting the positions, etc. mathmatically. However, Strata has much better rendering, so I'll probably be focusing on learning it...

      ps. The one thing in Strata really bugging me is sprite creation. If someone could explain it in a step-by-step format, I would be eternally grateful.

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      UBB Legal Paradox:
      Can you flame a spammer?

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      Quote

      Originally posted by rebelswin_85:
      Does anyone have any suggestions on editing polygons point-by-point (in Strata)? It seemed to me like a good way to create complex objects, but so far I haven't had consistent results. Is there a way to enter values for moving, scaling, etc? Instead of just "click and drag".

      One of the best ways to learn stuff is to experiment, try converting shapes to Bezier shape (I think) it should make them easier to manipulate. I dont' think you can specify numbers though.

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      (url="http://"http://www.CelticStarbase.f2s.com")www.CelticStarbase.f2s.com(/url)
      (url="http://"mailto:webmaster@CelticStarbase.com")mailto:webmaster@CelticStarbase.com(/url)webmaster@CelticStarbase.com

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      StrataVision 3D is quite a bit easier to learn than Strata 3D, in my oppinion anyway.
      They both have limitations though, I wish I could afford a better program.

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      "Last night as I lay in bed looking at the stars I thought,
      Where the hell is the ceiling?"

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      IMHO Mechanisto is good, one of my friends made a great 22 seconds movie.

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      G4, the faster computer.
      E-mail me for a teaser of my upcoming plug.

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      Strata 3d has way more capabilities than you would think.

      I was (I believe) among the first to download it, and I've used it fairly consistently since then, and am still discovering stuff about it: initially I thought it actually had less features than StrataVision -- how wrong I was.

      The big downside is that you have to pay for the manual.

      In terms of editing polygons point by point, you would be much better off editing beziers point by point: in Strata, you can convert beziers to polygons, but not the other way around. However, the most complicated shapes can be better created using stencils and transparency maps, as well as bumps.

      If you find Strata's modelling too weak, try Pixels 3d. A warning, though. Pixels has a kitchen-sink approach to modelling -- you can do almost anything, if you're prepared to wait for it.

      PS, Ignore what people say about Lightwave. If you have it, great. If you don't have it, just forget about it -- nobody should dream of spending that kind of money to produce an EV or EVO plugin. And, BTW, I've yet to see the plugin which benefited from Lightwave when it couldn't have been made with Strata. At the end of the day, the 256 system colour requirement puts a big limit on what you can do.

      Roll on EVN.

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      M A R T I N • T U R N E R

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