Subject: Re: lightwave rendering speed confusion...
From: Joe Angell <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Cc: [email-masked]
Date: Sat, 14 Oct 1995 02:28:17 -0400 (EDT)

> I'm currently rendering a logo animation on our 4000 Flyer with a Warp
> Engine, lightwave version 3.5.  The animation has about 2000 polygons, three
> different surfaces, and a simple enter and spin motion.  The background is a
> framestore.  Sounds simple enough.
> 
> So why is rendering time almost 40 minutes per frame?!  Maybe I'm wrong, but
> for one object with one motion path, it seems awfully slow.  I'm rendering
> with Field Rendering, Aliasing on Low, with Trace Shadows.  Is it the Field
> Rendering?  I know Trace Shadows adds loads of time, but still... 40 minutes?
>  Am I just a rookie waking up to reality? (This is my third anim).  What
> would a typical rendering time be?

I'll bet money it's the trace shadows.  Try using some spot lights and 
shadow mapping instead.  In my Pest Control animation, I was originally 
going to raytrace shadows, but it was 2 hrs. per frame for a hallway, a 
robot an florecent-ish lighting on my 040 33MHz A2000/Flyer system.  I 
turned it off and was down to 15-20 mins/frame (maybe up to 30).

Also, since you're using LW 3.5, you either:
  1)  have an old Flyer version, in which case you should get 4.07 off 
      the NewTek BBS or FTP site.  That includes a LW 4.0 beta.  It also 
      fixes a lot of Flyer bugs.  Catch about LW 4.0 beta is that there 
      is a memory leak after clearing a scene (including loading a 
      scene), which can bevome rather annoying...

  2)  have decied the beta is a bit too slow, or you don't like the 
      memory leak, and want to use 3.5

Also, how much RAM is in your system?  I'd advice you set the shadow map 
as high as you can.

> 2)  Since the anim is a flying logo over a Framestore, would it be better(ie
> faster) - or even possible - to render the logo as an overlay and just play
> it over a Flyerclip made from a framestore?  Should I take this question to
> the Toaster List?

Good question.   I have an A2000, so I have to use a Flyer Clip.  Also, a 
Flyer clip will allow for more movement per frame, but you may not need 
that.  I think that's more of a personal choice question.  You'll also 
want to take into account the amount of time it will take to load the 
framestore (you might want to use a VTASC still), and then load the 
Overlay animation over it.  Could be a while, and you also wouldn't be 
able to dissolve/wip in/out of the flying logo.  Just a thought...
 
> These are probably less than intersting questions to most of you "lightwave
> wiz-kids" out there, but I'm sure glad to have yous as  a reference!  

Sure thing.

Hope this helps...

-- Joe
--
Joe Angell <[email-masked]> sent this message.
To Post a Message           : [email-masked]
Un/Subscription Requests To : [email-masked]
(DIGEST)                 or : [email-masked]
Administrative Items To     : [email-masked]