Sighh...
Look, I'll bet there's a million topics about this, but I couldn't find any. Could someone please provide a link to a site that has an older version of that cursed program? I'm still running with
OS 9, and want to start making graphics, but every site I check out, it's OS X, blah blah blah!
Anyway, could someone help? <_<
why are you still using OS9?
Asking someone why they're "still using OS 9" is akin to someone asking how they can use scissors to trim the grass, and you asking why they don't just hire someone to do it. Some "help"-your information was completely useless.
As far as answering the question, I'm afraid I can't help any more than this guy did with his question. I've wondered where I could obtain a copy of a Strata application myself.
-Bob
Strata is available for free download. Just Google it.
Of course, it's useless now that Ewan/Jules has decided to halt distribution of his license. Unless, of course, you can find the license files (the code won't cut it, the registration site went under a long time ago).
Hmm... can anyone help?If not, is it possible to make decent EV graphics with non-3d programs, like Illustrator(8.0) and Photoshop(5.0)?
Get Mechanisto.
Mechanisto is free 3d software available for OS9. You can get it on the add-ons for EVO.
Seriously, though, 3d software has improved dramatically in the last five years. Strata do a one month trial of their current offering -- but you will need OS X for it. Even if you were able to locate an earlier copy of Strata, you would find it ran very, very slow.
As an example, all of the original Frozen Heart ships took about 24 hours to render on a Mac 4400 200 Mhz in StrataVision. Using Strata 3d on a Powerbook 500 Mhz OS9, they took about an hour. Using the current version of Strata 3d for OSX on a G4 Powerbook they take a few seconds. Admittedly the machines are faster -- but the G3 was not 24 times faster than the 4400, and the G4 is not 100 times faster than the G3.
Of course, nobody is still making graphics that are as simple as they were. The level of graphical complexity permitted by Nova and demanded by players is much higher. But that makes working with the old versions of a program even worse.
Thanks! I'll use that for now, but am still wondering: How much can you do with Photoshop?
Photoshop should be used only for 2D artwork. And if you want help with Mechanisto, I can help you get started with some tips (So can rmx256, tycho, and the rest of the gang).
Thats great! Post 'em here then, I s'pose.
Hmm... That dosn't seem to work, Hamster2.
On a modernish machine Mech can render a fairly complex sprite to frames for RLE in about five and a half hours- This is me running multiple copies of Mech to get the base sprites, masks, lights, flares and weap glows, on a 333 Mhz G3 upgraded Old World Power Macintosh.
I'm reffering to 72 frames of this 112 K model (not including shaders): This.
Mechanisto can, with time spent learning it, make in-game graphics of nearly equal quality to most commercial programs. It does have limitations, but considering that it is free and reasonably powerful it is more than sufficient for those who don't need to do anything other than make in-game graphics.
This post has been edited by rmx256 : 27 November 2005 - 08:08 PM
Thats exactly what I have! I just downloaded it, ande have yet to try it out. I don't really have experience with this kind of stuff, but I'm sure I can learn.
If you're reffering to Mech, I reccomend Tycho's Tutorial- it's a good primer to using Mechanisto.
Play with an app called "blender" (versiontracker.com it)...
I personally do use strata still (on v3.8.1, can't afford to upgrade, rawr)...
Hamster2's StrataVision Download doesn't work because it is a Windows app. See the .zip/.exe?
Haha, Hamster2 made an error. He sent me a .zipped file to host on my webserver instead of a correctly .sit-ed one. Hold on...
EDIT: On second thought, screw that. Don't learn Strata, learn something useful, like Lightwave, or Blender.
This post has been edited by Hamster : 11 December 2005 - 01:39 AM
If you can start with Blender and not be quickly discouraged by that confusing program, go for it. If not, better to start with something more simple like Strata and ease into Blender.
