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|==================================| | | | AUTODESK 3D STUDIO RELEASE 2 | | (2.01a) | | README.DOC | | | |==================================| This file contains information about 3D Studio Release 2 that became available after the documentation was printed. We recommend that you look over this information now, and then print this file and keep a copy with your Reference Manual. Later, when you're more familiar with 3D Studio, reread this document. Also, if you run into a problem with the program and can't find the solution in the Reference Manual, look again at the README.DOC. In brief, this document covers the following: - A few changes have been made to the 3DS.SET file contained in version 2.01. - A new command line rendering option has been added to allow unit notation and unit scale settings. - .VUE files have changed in this version of 3D Studio. The contents of the .VUE file now represent the absolute transformation matrix of an object. - We recommend using a memory manager for optimal rendering speed on certain 486 computer. - There is an incompatibility between certain Compaq 486/33 systems and the Weitek 4167 coprocessor. - There is an inaccuracy in the Tutorials on page 10-21 and 22. - The Vision 16 set statements must be reversed for proper operation. - It is possible to render a range backwards to a VTR while rendering to fields, if you reverse the fields order. - This version of 3D Studio allows for faster transfer of geometry between 3D Studio and IPAS routines. - A new method for color palette "cutting" from 24-bit down to 8-bit has been added to version 2.01. - We recommend using the Medium palette mode setting instead of High while creating a flic. The new color palette "cutting" method in this version makes it unnecessary to use the High palette mode and may even produce adverse results. - If you are using Corel Draw version 2.01 to export nested polygons for import into the 2D Shaper, you must use a special process when exporting the geometry. - Third-party display/rendering drivers designed to work with Autodesk 3D Studio release 1.0x may not work properly with Release 2. - Using "inpoint" with an external VTPADI driver and a drop-frame time-coded tape will cause a problem when using a dropped frame as an inpoint. - If you are using a network with 3D Studio, you must disable any parallel port redirection or 3D Studio won't be able to locate the hardware lock. - To use file transfer programs that use the parallel port (such as Flying Dutchman), you must first remove the hardware lock. - There is an undocumented 3DS.SET parameter called MIRROR- CLIP-ANY that affects the reflection properties of flat- mirror reflections. - Objects which are closer than the Z-CLIP-NEAR setting will be clipped in the reflected image of automatic reflection maps. - Improper installation of external ADI drivers can cause unpredictable results. - When rendering to fields, double your segment time before creating a preview to properly analyze precise placement on field-specific keyframes. - If you have problems with memory management in 3D Studio, we recommend you obtain automated memory managers such as Quarterdeck QEMM and Qualitas 386-to-the-Max. On some systems, increased performance can be enjoyed using these memory managers. - Render to fields for best results when rendering to video. If you can't, then use the VBLUR.IXP program from Video Post to smooth the image. Never use VBLUR.IXP when rendering to fields. - The Videomedia VTR-ADI driver has been updated. - 3D Studio cannot be run as a DOS application under Windows. - Compuserve has a Forum dedicated to 3D Studio questions and issues. CHANGES TO 3DS.SET A few changes have been made in the 3DS.SET file for this version. These parameter changes are mentioned below. The 3D Studio installation program for version 2.01 is designed to search the directory you have specified for installation to determine if there is an existing version of the 3DS.SET file. If a 3DS.SET file is found to exist in the specified directory, the new 3DS.SET file will be installed as 3DS201.SET. Your existing 3DS.SET will not be overwritten. In this case, if you wish to use the new .SET file, you must rename the file 3DS201.SET to 3DS.SET. If an older version of 3DS.SET did not exist in the directory prior to installation, the new .SET file will be installed as 3DS.SET. AAP-TIFFLOAD = NO This option reconfigures the TIFF file loading code to make it possible to load Animator Pro version 1.0 8-bit .TIF files. Change this setting to YES to load Animator Pro 1.0 .TIF files. The default setting is NO. Note that if this option is set to YES, any other .TIF files will not load. During normal usage leave it set to NO. MAP-LOAD-ALPHA = NO This parameter is specifically for 32-bit decal texture maps that need to take their alpha information from the decal map for smooth blending into the background material. When MAP-LOAD-ALPHA is set to YES, the renderer will use the texture map's 8-bits of alpha for blending the edge of the decal into the material. Note that when this is set to YES, texture maps will not render correctly from Video Post, so keep it set to NO under normal rendering conditions. Only set it to YES for specific sequences which have a 32-bit decal map and you require alpha blending around its edges. The default setting is NO. SHADOW-BIAS CHANGE The SHADOW-BIAS default is still 3.0, but the normal use setting this parameter is normally set to has been changed from 2.0 to 1.0. TEXTURE-BLUR DEFAULT CHANGE The TEXTURE-BLUR default has been changed from 0.6 to 0.8. Note that for video animation, it should be increased to at least 1.0-1.2. NEW COMMAND LINE RENDERING OPTION A new command line rendering option has been added to allow you to specify a type of unit notation and to define the unit scale. This option is a near equivalent to the Measurement Unit Selection dialog box which is accessible by selecting Unit Setup from the Views menu. The format is: /U<TYPE><SCALE> TYPE = I, F, C or M (for Inches, Feet, Centimeters or Meters) SCALE = Number of I/F/C/Ms in one unit within 3D Studio This option allows you to maintain the correct unit notation and scale from the command line renderer. The use of this option is important when relative scales need to be maintained, such as when .SXP routines are being used. .VUE FILES HAVE CHANGED .VUE files have changed in version 2.01 so that the contents of the file will represent the absolute transformation matrix of an object. This should make the object representation in the file less confusing than it was in the old .VUE file. .VUE files created in 3D Studio R2 (2.0) are compatible with version 2.01, though .VUE files created in 2.01 are not compatible with version 2.0. OPTIMAL RENDERING PERFORMANCE FOR 486 COMPUTERS For optimal rendering speed on a 486, we recommend the use of an extended memory manager. We have found that some 486 computers will render at almost twice the speed when an extended memory manager is being used. The need for a memory manager for faster rendering speed is only required for some 486 computers. Some 486 computers have an extended memory manager built into the hardware. WEITEK / COMPAQ INCOMPATIBILITY There is an incompatibility between certain COMPAQ 486/33 systems and the WEITEK 4167 coprocessor. This is reportedly due to a bug in the PAL chip on the COMPAQ computer. If you encounter a problem running 3D Studio on a 486/33 with a WEITEK, you will need to use the OLDDX utility which is installed from the release diskettes. OLDDXARC.EXE is a self-extracting executable (meaning you just type in OLDDXARC and it will be converted automatically into its constituent files, OLDDX.EXE and OLDDX.DOC). OLDDXARC.EXE is installed to the same directory as 3DS.EXE. The OLDDX utility (OLDDX.EXE) will convert the Phar Lap DOS extender included in 3D Studio into Version 2.2. Autodesk 3D Studio Release 2 uses Phar Lap DOS Extender version 2.6 as its default DOS extender. Version 2.6 fully supports the XMS memory specification, and to the best of our knowledge is an upwardly compatible replacement for the previous Phar Lap DOS Extender in Release 1 (Version 2.2d). If 2.6 causes problems on your machine, use the utility called OLDDX.EXE which will remove version 2.6 of the DOS extender, and install version 2.2d. Note that if you DO use OLDDX.EXE to convert to 2.2d, you'll need to disable the HIMEM.SYS memory manager that comes with DOS 5 and either use no memory manager or QEMM386.SYS. The following steps will backdate your copy of 3D Studio Release 2 to DOS Extender version 2.2d. This procedure should be done on the installed copy of 3D Studio Release 2, and not on the original floppies. 1. Change directories to your Autodesk 3D Studio executable directory. cd \3ds2 2. Back up your copy of 3DS.EXE, i.e. copy 3DS.EXE to 3DS26.EXE. copy 3DS.EXE 3DS26.EXE. 3. Execute the program "OLDDX.EXE" by typing, OLDDX 3DS.EXE OLDDX.EXE is a copyrighted program of Phar Lap Software, Inc. TUTORIAL INACCURACY In the 3D Studio Release 2 Tutorials, on page 10-21 and 22, the tutorial mentions a lamp or housing that surrounds the spotlight. The tutorial goes on to say that the faces of the lamp can block all of the light and cause the light to not cast shadows. Actually shadows are not blocked by non-normal faces. The spotlight will cast shadows while inside the housing. VISION 16 The 3D Studio Release 2 Installation and Performance Guide contains a section about the Everex/Vision Technologies Vision 16 board on page 48. On this page the environment variable settings are described, but the order of the SET statements are incorrectly reversed. In order for the Vision 16 board to function properly with 3D Studio, the set statements must be in the following order: SET EV680=Pxxx,Ayyy SET EV680MAP=6 RENDERING BACKWARDS TO TAPE It is possible to render a range of frames in an animation backwards to a VTR. If you intend to do this while recording fields instead of frames, you will need to reverse the field rendering order. This can be done by changing the FIELD- ORDER parameter to 0 in the 3DS.SET file. The default setting for FIELD-ORDER is 1. Be sure to change the setting back to 1 for normal field rendering. FASTER IPAS Version 2.01 of 3D Studio allows for faster transfer of geometry back and forth between 3D Studio and certain IPAS routines. Only .PXP and .AXP routines are potential beneficiaries of this faster transfer mode. The IPAS routines have to be specially constructed in order to take advantage of this faster transfer mechanism (an existing .PXP function will not necessarily be faster). The sample IPAS routines supplied with this version of 3D Studio (e.g. RIPPLE.PXP) have been modified to allow for faster processing. NEW METHOD FOR PALETTE "CUTTING" A new method for color palette quantizing or "cutting" from 24-bits down to 8-bits has been added to 2.01. The result is faster and more accurate color quantizing to 8-bit gifs and flics. MAKING FLICS USING HIGH PALETTE MODE The new color compression routines in 3DS version 2.01 are so much better than the routines in version 2.0, that High palette mode has become unnecessary. In fact, under certain cases, High palette mode can actually produce unwanted color artifacts. Therefore, we recommend that Medium palette mode is used for making flics instead of High. There are still times when Low and Custom modes may be necessary, and those should be used accordingly. MODIFYING THE EXECUTABLE FILES Customers are reminded not to modify in any way the supplied executable files (3DS.EXE) or unpredictable results may occur. If an executable file is inadvertently modified or damaged, the 3D Studio INSTALL procedure should be repeated. COREL DRAW VERSION 2.01 When nested polygons are exported from release 2.01 of Corel Draw as Adobe Illustrator (.ai) files, the program converts the curves into hundreds of closely spaced vertices with linear segments. Follow these steps when exporting text or nested objects to .ai format in Corel Draw 2.01: 1. Convert all text to curves. (Convert to Curves in the Arrange menu, or [Ctrl]-[V].) 2. Break apart any objects with nested holes. (Break Apart in the Arrange menu, or [Ctrl]-[K].) 3. Export the graphics normally, using the .ai filter. (Ignore the Convert Text to Curves option.) RELEASE 1.0X DRIVERS Third-party drivers designed for 3D Studio Release 1.0x (such as those made by Vibrant Graphics or Panacea) might not work properly with Release 2. Please contact the manufacturer of your driver for an upgrade. VTPADI DRIVERS AND DROP FRAME When using the external VTPADI driver and an NTSC tape using "Drop Frame" SMPTE time code, if you specify an "inpoint" at a time code that does not exist on a "Drop Frame" tape, the results will be unpredictable. Set the inpoint to any valid time code to avoid any problems (and we recommend using the standard SMPTE "Non-Drop Frame" time code method). HARDWARE LOCK If you are using 3D Studio on a network system, you must disable any parallel-port redirection, otherwise 3D Studio probably won't be able to locate the hardware lock. Consult your network documentation for information on how to disable parallel-port redirection. In order to use file transfer programs that use the parallel port (such as Flying Dutchman and LapLink), you must first remove the hardware lock. MIRROR-CLIP-ANY = NO This 3DS.SET parameter affects the reflection of objects which intersect or surround flat-mirror reflection objects. It has no effect on other automatic reflections. When MIRROR-CLIP- ANY is set to NO (the default) only those faces in an object that completely fall below the surface of a flat-mirror surface are clipped (not reflected). When this parameter is set to YES, all faces in an object that even partially fall below the surface of the flat-mirror surface are clipped. In almost all cases, leave this parameter set to NO. Here is one of the rare conditions in which you should set it to YES: You might have a flat-mirror object that is surrounded on its non-mirror sides by a "shroud" (such as the prism head on a 35mm camera that surrounds the primary mirror inside of it). The mirrored side of the object is facing AWAY from the shroud, but under default conditions, at certain angles, the shroud appears reflected in the flat mirror even though it's behind the mirror. In this case, you want to turn off the reflection of the shroud, so set MIRROR-CLIP-ANY to YES. Now, only those faces that are TOTALLY in front of the mirror will be reflected. The general rule here is: Leave this parameter set to NO, unless you see a reflection that should not appear, then try YES. AUTOMATIC REFLECTION MAPS AND CLOSE OBJECTS If an object with an automatic, non-flat reflection map is placed closer than the Z-CLIP-NEAR distance from another object, that object will appear clipped in the reflection map. If you see pieces of an object missing in the reflection of a very close object, either lower your Z-CLIP-NEAR value, or increase the overall scale of your scene so that the objects are greater than the Z-CLIP-NEAR distance (in units). CONFIGURING ADI DRIVERS CAUTION: Improper installation of ADI drivers can cause unpredictable results in the operation of 3D Studio. Please read carefully the section, beginning on page 42 of your Installation and Performance Guide, that describes proper configuration of ADI drivers. It's important that you use the DOS set command to set the environment variables that 3D Studio checks. 3D Studio uses these environment variables to find the ADI driver when the driver is needed by the program. If you do not set an environment variable before starting 3D Studio and attempt to use an ADI device from within the program, the function of the program might be limited and unpredictable results might occur. If, while running 3D Studio, you plan to use an ADI device but realize that you have not set your environment variables, save your work, exit the program, and then set the variables as instructed in the Installation and Performance Guide before returning to the program. PREVIEWING FIELD RENDERINGS If you are going to render an animation to fields instead of to frames, and you need to examine certain fields using the Preview/Make function in the Keyframer, you must temporarily scale the animation to double its size before making the preview flic. In this way, each frame of the preview flic represents a field instead of a frame. Use the following procedure to create a "field-accurate" preview flic: 1. After loading your animation, select Time/Scale Segment in the Keyframer and set the number of frames to twice that displayed in the "Scale to:" field. 2. Use Preview/Make to create the preview flic. Although the flic will not accurately play back the speed of the animation, each frame will correctly display the position of the objects for each field of the animation. 3. IMPORTANT: Reload the original .3ds file to restore the correct frame count before rendering your animation. For best results, do not use Time/Scale Segment to halve the number of frames back to their original total. This technique is only necessary when examining an animation which might have abrupt changes on a field. For example, if you are moving an object out of camera view with a linear Position key to make it "disappear." AUTOMATED MEMORY MANAGERS If you feel you're having memory problems while using 3D Studio, or can't properly shell out to external programs, reread the sections entitled "EMS and 3D Studio" and "Using CFIG386.EXE" in the Installation and Performance Guide. Your memory manager might require manual configuration to use various memory management schemes for different application programs. As noted in the Installation and Performance Guide, automated memory managers such as Quarterdeck QEMM and Qualitas 386- to-the-Max automatically reconfigure memory as needed by different applications. We highly recommend that you try these memory managers if you have any questions about your memory configuration. See the note earlier in this document regarding optimal rendering performance for some 486 computers. VIDEO RENDERING TIPS (FIELD RENDERING AND VBLUR.IXP) When rendering to NTSC or PAL videotape, you should render to fields 99 percent of the time. Field rendering increases the smoothness of motion and provides an extra level of antialiasing that you can't achieve by rendering to frames. Rendering by fields to videotape only appreciably increases rendering time when you're using automatic mirror reflection maps and shadows. (Note: Shadows are only calculated for the first frame of an animation if only the camera and non- shadow-casting lights are moving. Also, you can turn on the [First Frame Only] button in the Automatic Reflection Map dialogue box in the Materials Editor so that only the first frame of an automatic (cubic) reflection map is calculated.) If, for some reason, you decide to render to NTSC or PAL video with Render-Fields turned off, you can use the VBLUR.IXP program within Video Post (with a recommended value between 0.6-0.8) to slightly blur the image on the vertical axis. VBLUR.IXP also reduces some of the "ropiness" on edges and mitigates finely detailed moire patterns that wouldn't otherwise be smoothed when Render-Fields is off. You should also consider reducing your TEXTURE-BLUR value in your 3DS.SET from 1.4-2.0 to 0.7-1.2 so your textures don't appear too blurry. In summary, if you are rendering to NTSC or PAL video and want the highest quality of antialiasing with the most speed, and you are NOT using many automatic reflective objects or shadow-casting lights, you'd use: Phong shading High Anti-aliasing (4x4 sample) Anti-alias Threshold: 0 Texture Blur: 1.2-2.0 range Filter Maps: On Turbo: On (unless you're using very detailed bump maps) Render-Fields: Yes Video Post: No image filtering from VBLUR.IXP. If you are using automatic reflection maps and shadow-casting lights (with moving lights and/or objects in the scene), you should compare your rendering speed using the above settings with the following settings: Texture Blur: 0.7-1.3 range Render-Fields: No Video Post: 0.6-0.8 image filtering from VBLUR.IXP. CAUTION: Never use VBLUR.IXP with Render-Fields turned on. This causes flashing in the image because the two fields are filtered together. NEW VIDEOMEDIA VTR-ADI DRIVER A new version of the Videomedia VTR-ADI driver can be found in the \DRIVERS subdirectory. Two files have been updated, VTPVLAN.EXP and VLAN.SET. 3D STUDIO IS NOT WINDOWS COMPATIBLE There is no change in this area; 3D Studio will not run successfully as a DOS application under the Microsoft Windows environment. The DOS Extender utilized in this version of 3D Studio is incompatible with Windows. There are various 'players' to display FLIC files from 3D Studio under Windows, but the main application itself will not run. COMPUSERVE FORUM ON 3D STUDIO Compuserve has a Forum dedicated to 3D Studio questions and issues. Use GO ASOFT to access the Forum. [End of Document]