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- @BEGIN_FILE_ID.DIZ
- This is AmyNews 3
- A compilation of new hardwares and
- softwares for the Amiga
- ***** PLEASE SPREAD THIS FILE *****
- _
- _ // AMIGA, You Know It Rules!!!
- \X/ Intel Inside! Idiot Outside :-)
-
- @END_FILE_ID.DIZ
-
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-
- This is AmyNews 3.
- New releases always from the start.
- Amiga development continues as never befor.
- These are only a fraction of what developers are developing for the Amiga
- platform.
-
- - A new version of landscape generating software, SceneryAnimator, is
- in it's beta testing period :-)
- More about this wonderfrul new release in a later issue of AmyNews
-
- - Terra Nova Development announces the availability of Magic Lantern
- v2.0, the critically acclaimed 24 bit animation package for the Amiga.
- Magic Lantern version 2.0 allows users to create, edit and display
- delta compressed animations in up to 24 bit color on all the popular
- true color display cards for the Amiga, as well as all the native
- Amiga modes (including AGA). It will also play sound effects in either
- mono or stereo though the Amiga sound chip during animation play back.
- New features include virtual memory support; now animations can be as
- large as your hard disk, and Magic Lantern will still be able to edit
- and display them. Double Time compression technology can double
- animation speed and reduce animation sizes by half.
- Another new compression technology has been added that can speed up
- some animations (especially those in 16 and 24 bit) by up to 25%, and
- reduce animation sizes by up to 20%. Rebuilding animations has been
- optimized, and for large animations can be 75% faster.
- Direct support for the Retina Z3 has been added, resulting in
- animations that are up to 50% faster and 40% smaller for that card.
- Magic Lantern 2.0 still contains all the features of previous
- versions, including sound synchronization, enforcement of frame
- rates, full ARexx support, animation disassembly, palette changes and
- more.
-
- - Sound/Noise tracker compatible module player for the Amiga, the D.A.S.
- ModulePlayer's long awaited version 3.4 will be out soon. The new
- version has, among other improvments, support for 6 more module formats
- including TFMX Pro, TFMX 7V and C64 SID modules.
-
- - Powerful spreadsheet for the Amiga, TurboCalc, will jump directly from
- version 2.1 to 3.0. Lots of improvments are promissed. The goal is to
- make it equal or better than microsoft excel. TurboCalc supports SYLK
- format and in it's current version it's much like Excel. If you are
- familiar with Excel then you are familiar with TurboCalc too.
- More about this superb product in a later issue of AmyNews ;-)
-
- - This is for those of you who use the powerful Blitz Basic II (ASIC SW);
- Blitz User Magazine issues 6-10 (£15) are now available from:
- Guildhall Leisure Services
- Blitz Subscriptions
- Unit 15 Guildhall Industrial Estate
- Kirksandall
- Doncaster
- DN3 1QR
- England
-
- - Pure Logic Software president Jason Freund annonce that they are and
- will be loyal to the Amiga users. Pure Logic Software is developing
- a major upgrade to the "On The Ball" (a personal information manager
- for ther Amiga). The upgrade is to be released Nov 1994.
-
- - Questar Productions announces the availability of World Construction
- Set version v1.0. The World Construction Set is a so called terrain
- renderer or scenery generator/animator with promissing features.
- World Construction Set (WCS) is the next generation of computer
- terrain modeling software. WCS' powerful renderer sets new standards
- in photo-realism, producing images that are often mistaken for actual
- photographs. WCS' ecosystem modeling approach combines familiar 3D
- imaging techniques with Nature's own processes to deliver scenes of
- sublime beauty and lifelike detail to your Amiga.
- World Construction Set is like nothing you have seen befor!
-
- - ADPTools Professional v1.0 is now out. It's a powerful FronEnd for the
- ADPro Professional (ASDG).
-
- - Oxxi Inc reports that development of Oxxis superb multimedia package
- VideoStage Pro continues. Oxxi estimates a release date Fall (1994)
- for VideoStage Pro Plus, VSP+. VideoStage Pro in it's current version
- is a powerful multimedia authoring program desined to compete with
- the industry standard multimedia package SCALA InfoChannel.
- VideoStage's impressive text animation capabilities also make it an
- amazing video titling tool when used with a genlock. There is built-
- in control for ECS chipset genlocks, GVP's G-Lock, and Digital
- Creations' SuperGen.
-
- - Silicon Prairie leading caching program for the Amiga, HyperCache
- Professional version 2.0 is now out.
- HyperCache Professional can speed up data access by as much as 3000%
- on devices such as: SCSI & IDE hard drives, CD-ROM drives and floppy
- drives.
-
- - Electronics Art reports that the paint program DeluxePaint version 5.0
- is under development. Among the new features Electronic Arts mentions:
- - ARexx - Full command set, recordable and saveable macros.
- - 24 Bit Backing Store - 24 Bit data creation, editing, loading,
- saving.
- - Multiple Palette Animation - Every frame can have a separate palette.
- - Variable Rate Animation - Every frame can have a custom frame rate/
- pause.
- - Texturing, Media libraries - Used in conjunction to create
- naturalistic art.
- - Camera Moves - Create scrolling backgrounds, and camera zoom
- animations.
- - Gradient Translucency - Create gradient translucency fades.
- - AnimBoard(tm) - Print animation storyboard in multiple layouts.
- - Soft Edge Airbrush - New editable Airbrush has a natural look and
- feel.
- - Creation and editing of larger than screen animations.
- - Move Requester Enhancements - Key Frame Animation, Animated Fades.
- Electronic Arts estimates a release date Fall (1994) for DPaint 5.0
-
- - A new version of the communication program NComm version 3.05 is now
- released. The new version correct all known bugs and ads several new
- feature.
-
- - UK based company Marpet Developments annons the release of, CD32
- S-Port ($35 US). This hardware/software package Connects the CD32 to
- a 25 pin serial port via the keyboard port.
-
- - "Paint Engine" is the new generation Paint/Processing package for the
- Amiga. It is the fastest image processor for the Amiga and comes with
- tons of feature. "Paint Engine" is in it's beta testing period. Beta
- testers claims that on Amiga 4000, "Paint Engine" does almost real-
- time image manipulation!!! Read more about it's outstanding features
- in a later issue of AmyNews. Cybernetica will distribute
- "Paint Engine".
-
- - Just a quick note; Barfly version 1.09 is the first Assembler/Debugger
- that currently supports the 68060.
-
- - The standard mathematic program Maple V version 3.0 for the Amiga is
- under development. Maple V is expected to be completed this fall.
- A Student Edition of Maple V, release 3, will be distributed by
- Brooks/Cole.
-
- - Dice C devlopment package for the Amiga is available now in a new
- version 3.0. For upgrade information contact:
- Obvious Implementations Corporation
- P.O. Box 4487
- Cary, NC 27519-4487
- USA
-
- - HarmonySoft (Israel) announces the availability of the student's
- version of Rashumon v3.0 for only $60. The student's version doesn't
- include the printed user manual.
- Rashumon is a multi-lingual word-processor for the Amiga. It supports
- multiple fonts (including Agfa Intellifonts), 256 colors for graphic
- objects and 8 colors for text and tables. it has full Postscript and
- IFF support. One of the majour features in release 3.0 is Rashumons
- ability to output Scala Lingua script. Any document can be converted
- into Scala Lingua script format. The conversion includes: text (in any
- language), color, attributes, layout, line spacing, tab stops, IFF
- brushes. Structured drawings (made by Rashumon's Table Generator)
- aren't supported in Scala's current version but will be supported in
- next version.
- HarmonySoft sells fonts for many different languages.
-
- - MainActor v1.55 is out now. It's mainly a bug fixed version.
-
- - XEMrip.library for all XEM-compatible communication programs is due
- to immediate release. XEMrip.library gives your XEM-compatible terminal
- software like Term, XCOMM, Terminus etc to communicate with RIP based
- BBS system.
-
- - The long-awaited book "Connect Your Amiga!" by Dale L. Larson,
- published by IAM, Intangible Assets Manufacturing, ISBN 1-885876-02-5
- is finished. Special discounts are available for early orders.
- "Connect Your Amiga!" is 256 pages packed with information for
- networking and for going online. From background information for the
- novice to networking hints and tips for advanced users, this book has
- something for every Amiga owner.
-
- - Long-awaited raytracing program, LightWave 3D version 4.0 is now under
- development. LightWave 3D v4.0 will be priced at $995.95. Owners of
- the current standalone version, LightWave 3.5 for the Amiga, will be
- able to upgrade to version 4.0 for $149.95.
- LightWave has been used on TV shows like seaQuest DSV, Babylon 5, Star
- Trek : The Next Generation, Robocop, Viper, Unsolved Mysteries, and
- Weird Science to produce the final special effects shown on air.
- Babylon 5 won an Emmy last year for its LightWave produced graphics,
- and the Video Toaster also won an Emmy, due in part to its LightWave
- 3D system.
- LightWave 4.0 includes a number of new features, including inverse
- kinematics for character animation. There will also be a new plug in
- filter system that will allow users to add features like real world
- physics or advanced animation features. LightWave Modeler will also
- feature multiple undo and redo, and Metaform, which allows simple
- creation of organic and aerodynamic objects.
-
- - The long awaited Image processing program for people on low budget,
- ImageStudio v1.0 is now out.
-
- - The new Wacom ArtZ (graphic tablet) is now out. Wacom sells drivers
- for the Amiga. A new minor update to TVPaint will support all features
- of the new Wacom ArtZ.
-
- - Oxxi reports that the long awaited text editor TurboText TT is now
- finaly out in version 2.0! upgrade fee for current owners is 20$
-
- - Just for your information: Lightwave and Amiga has being used to render
- the USS Pasteur in the final episode of STING. ;)
-
- - CrosMAC by the Consultron, the maker of CrosDOS, is released now.
- CrossMAC will enable you to access a 1.44MB drive and any other Mac
- formatted drive. AmigaDOS 2.0 or better is required. For price and
- more information contact: Consultron, 11280 Parkview, Plymouth, MI
- 48170, USA , Phone 313 459 7271
-
- - Creative Focus at 1-(607)-648-4082 does Canon BJC-600 drivers for the
- Amiga.
-
- - The new version of EGS-TV, the video editing software for EGS and VLab
- framegrabbers is out now :)
- EGS-TV is a superior product for all Amiga EGS system and works as a
- front-end for the V-Lab digitizer. Using EGS-TV powerful AREXX port
- you can i.ex. grab sequences with precise control and it sports a
- 'Blue-box' facility for integrating backgrounds behind your foreground
- subjects. For more information contact Helmut Hoffmann at:
- hhoff@pool.informatik.rwth-aachen.de
-
- - Term v4.1 is now out. It's maily a bug fixed version of version 4.0
-
- - Creative Focus Box 580 Chenango Bridge, NY USA, annonce the release of
- a bug fixed version of their Super_DJC3 driver. The upgrade fee is 0$
-
- - Manuel Lemos of Upper Design (Portugal, yes they develop high quality
- Amiga softwares even in Portugal) head programmer of one of the most
- powerful recovery softwares for the Amiga, "Upper Disk Tools" version
- 1.01 is working on objetcs that will improve your DTP/Word Peocesser
- software. Among long awaited objects, he mentions a very powerful
- "Equation Editors" and "Bibliography database". The estimated release
- date in Dec 1994.
- "Upper Disk Tools" is a very powerful Amiga program for recovering bad
- harddrives etc. It is the first Amiga program that uses the WorkBench
- (TM) mecanism for it's GUI. If you know how to use Workbench and icons
- you already know how to use "Upper Disk Tools".
-
- - Apex Software's Forge texture generation program for the Amiga is now
- avaiable to all multimedia creators. Forge is an awesome addition to
- any LightWave animator's digital toolchest.
- Forge is a texture rendering and animation program. Simply plug in
- the textures, change the settings and render previews until you're
- ready to render a final image. That final image is loaded into
- LightWave as an Image Map for use like any other. Simple enough,
- right? But Forge goes far beyond this basic need.
-
- - Pester CeV Design (US) is working on their low cost trapdoor to Zorro
- bus expansion system. Using it, you'd have the equivalent of an Amiga
- 4000 platform to build on for less than a grand invested.
-
- - Jim Drew of Utilities Unlimited International, inventer of the Amiga
- Emplant technology is announcing "The Edge" (Electronic Display
- Graphics Emulator), the next generation graphic board for any Zerro
- III Amigas. "The Edge" features:
- 64 bit wide Cirrus Alpine graphics processor interfaced to a Zorro III
- slot. It supports the Industry standard ARGB. "The Edge" is backwards
- compatible with any Cirrus 54xx series processor, meaning that you can
- use the EGS Spectrum or Picasso II software with it but "The Edge"
- will of course have it's own (fast) WB emulation/mode promotion
- software. It uses 72 pin SIMMs (up to 8 megs via two SIMMs), and will
- retail for ~$299 w/0k RAM. With video speed equal to the PowerMAC's
- PDS video board, it is fast. 640x480x32 bit animations in realtime
- by just moving the data to the board. Up to 80 megapixels per second,
- and the blitter can move entire offscreen bit maps into the viewing
- area without any glitches in the display. It's also very fasstttt.
-
- - DIAVOLO backup software for the Amiga version 1.7 is now out. It's by
- far the most user freindly and system freindly backup software for the
- Amiga. Media Disk is the new distributer of the DIAVOLO in the USA.
-
- - Interworks ethernet-based, Peer-to-peer Networking solution, Enlan-DFS
- now new version 2.0 is now out
-
- - Several new PIMs for Image Master R/t are now availble from Karl
- Bellve at University of Maryland at Baltimore, Dept. Of Physiology
- They are mainly used for scientific image analysis. Email him at
- kbellve@umabnet.ab.umd.edu to obtaine the PIMs. They are free.
-
- - Version 4.2 of the Shuttle Tracking Program, SatTrack is out now. It
- allows you to track the position of the shuttle to see the laser
- flashes that it will be projecting on the earth during the mission.
-
- - I had a fresh FAX from the Blue Ribbons president concerning their
- continuing support of the Amiga products. Most important points in the
- fax are: "We are loyal to the Amiga platform. All our multiplatform
- softwares like our "Bars & Pipes professional" are constructed for the
- Amiga first. Then we port our softwares to other platforms. The
- multitasking nature of the Amiga, makes this computer number 1 source
- for the music and midi. We did a lot of improvments to the Track
- Window Menu, Edit Window, Song Construction Window, Metronome,
- printing, Tool and Accessories sections in the version 2.5 of the
- "Bars & Pipes professional" but the development continues and we are
- designing the next majour update to the "Bars&Pipes". The new version
- will amoung other things support the MacroSystems Toccato"
-
- - Ameristar ethernet cards are available again, through CEI US.
-
- - EGS, Enhanced Graphics System, is now available for all Amiga non-EGS
- graphic boards. GVP German distributor, DTM, Fax #: 06127-66276, Price
- 200DM
-
- - MacroSystem Develpment Inc is working on it's 68060 version of the
- "Warp Engine".
-
- - A student edition of Maple V for the Amiga is under development.
- Source, Bob Evans, the Director of Electronic Publishing at
- Brooks/Cole.
-
- - Awared winner professional CAD package for the Amiga, XCAD - 3000,
- will soon come in a new version (this info directly from one of the
- XCAD programmers). XCAD - 3000 in it's current version is up to 15
- (yes 15) times faster than AutoCad on IBM PC platform. XCAD - 3000
- was the winner of CADEX US 1993.
-
- - Long awaited Aminet CD 4 is now ready for shipping
-
- - A new bug fixed version of the Desktop Magic (Media Disk) is under
- development.
-
- - LHA v3.0 (the release version is probably named v3.1) is under beta
- testing. It features amoung other things, a very user configurable GUI
- and up to 35% better compression ratio.
-
- - Long awaited TurboText TT version 2.0 is under development. This info
- directly from TT's auther. TT v2.0 will be a majour update with lot of
- of new feature.
-
- - Digital Soundtrack (Visual Inspiration) let you add samples sound,
- Midi songs and ST mode to your videos. Features include a preview
- mode, jog and shuttle controlls, and PIP picture-in-picture support
- for majour video boards. Digital Soundtrack supports various single-
- frame controllers like AmiLink and PAR (Personal Animation Recorder).
-
- - Ingenieurbuero Helfrich is making it's brand new Piccolo-SD64plus
- graphic board. It features, 64bit-Blitter, Pixelclock 135 MHz, Zorro
- II/III autosensing.
-
- - PCTask (Chris Hames) v3.0 is under development. The new version is
- reported to be faster and supports all graphic boards available.
-
- - Genie Tools, vol 1 (Shead Data Processing) collection for Aladdin 4-D
- offers a variety of tools including the TriSub and DoBeSphere
- functions which let you create triangle-based spheres and the
- LissaCurve control.
-
- - Kermit Woodall of Nova Design, Inc. annons the development of ImageFX
- version 2.0. Tons of new features are promissed, among them Fractal
- Painter.
-
- - Migraph MS2400 Color Scanner (SCSI connection) + state of the art
- OCR software are now out. The package will turn the Amiga into a 2400
- DPI, 24 bit color scanning workhorse. Info Migraph
-
- - TurboCalc v2.1 is out now.
-
- - The new version 2.1 of the powerfull MultiMedia authering program,
- HELM is in the works.
-
- - Check & Balance from AmiSoft is a new software that let you balans
- your books and print out your checks.
-
- - Awared winner Amiga dissassembler RESOURCE v6.0 is out now.
-
- - A new improved version of ADPRO 24bit printer driver for the Primera
- color printers can be obtained directly from your Primera dealer or
- any dealer supporting ASDG products.
-
- - Blitz Basic II version 1.9 and Bum 7 are out now.
-
- - A wave of new softwares for the awared winner Amiga 3D software
- LightWave is here. Amoung others are "Newton's Law" - Cybernetica,
- PowerMacros - Cine Graphics and version 2.1 of Sparks - MetroGrafx.
-
- - Long awaited upgrade to ProDraw (GoldDisk) is now here. Version 3.03
- fixes all known and unknown bugs under later OS version
-
- - PageStream 3.0 is shipping now ;) Japp! Best DTP program ever
-
- - SOFT-LOGIK gives now 3 kind of user support for it's products,
- more about them later in another message.
-
- - SOFT-LOGIK is working on a rewrite of ArtExpression
-
- - ProVector 3.0, from Stylus, Inc. in Colorado, in under beta testing.
- Among tons of new feature, it will export Adobe Illustrator (all
- versions). Stylus has worked close with SOFT-LOGIK to make the all
- new ProVector a good completation for PageStream 3.0
-
- - Final Writer 3.0 is under Alfa testing. Woody Williams, SoftWoods
- President says it's a majour release and I see no reason to not
- belive him ;-)
-
- - Pegger 2.0, Image Compression software, is now out ;) Much Faster
-
- - CanDo 3.0 with a lot of new stuff is ready for release soon
-
- - MaxDOS v2.0 from Media 4 Production is now out. It allows you to read
- warite Mac data using your Amiga.
-
- - SAS C release 6.55 is due to be released very soon, among other news
- is the new optimizer for 68060. JAPP!
-
- - Brilliance 2.1 is under development
-
- - SoftWood is working on a new powerful Database program for the
- Amgia. They call it "Final Data".
-
- - Utilities Unlimited is working on it's 68060 50 MHZ board.
- They are working on a multiCPU board for Zorro Amigas. The board
- can hold multiple numbers of CPU (up to 4 * 68060, now beat that!)
- RAM access is done in a 64 bit interleaved. This may change to 128.
- Burst is permanently on.
-
- - Advanced Systems (Maker of Fastlane SCSI II board) are working on
- their new 68060 board that can hold multiple numbers of 68060. The
- board in modular and is ready for an ultrafast SCSI II fast&wide
- controller, and ethernet board. It can hold up to 128 MB memory.
-
- - Real 3D v3.0 is under development.
-
- - TYPESMITH v2.5 is out now. Powerful font designer from SOFT-LOGIK.
- Among imptovments: It will convert MacBinary or PC TrueType fonts to
- any other format (PostScript Type 1 and Type 3, Intellifont, IFF RFF,
- DMF). Also, it can export any font as a high quality TrueType font
- with instructions (hints). Another nice new feature is the automatic
- point reduction algorithm which allows you to clean up badly designed
- fonts. The new overview printing feature prints complete character set
- tables to any printer.
-
-
-
- There are more news but this was all for this time.
- Have fun with your wonderful Amiga
-
- _
- _ // AMIGA, You Know It Rules!!!
- \X/ Intel Inside! Idiot Outside :-)
-
-