Subject: Re: Lightwave 2D -Reply
From: Alan Lloyd <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 20 Feb 1996 11:45:49 -0800

>>> Craig Simmons <[email-masked]> 02/18/96
09:11pm >>>

>(snip)

>-       A good paint program (with pallette management features
>for all  those 256 colour files I still deal with!  aka.  Animator Pro,
>Deluxe paint,  etc...

Sounds good...pressure sensitive tablet support a must!

>-      All the features of a 3D program without the Z depth.  Each
>actor /  object would be stacked one over the other. 

>-       Object based!  Just like our 3D systems already are.  The
>ability to  draw /    paint on an object (with multiple frame) and
>then move that object  around         and give it a motion path.

>-       How bout thoze nice bezier curves we see in all those draw
>programs?  (illustrator, Corel, freehand).  The ability to use
>bezier curves with those  nice handles to control animation
>paths.  Then the ability to slide the  keyframes (slow in and slow
>out) between two points?

>(more snip)

>-       Soft shadows?  Transparency, etc... Specialized lighting
>effects.

You've just described a Quantel Hal.  "Stripey-string" motion
paths, painting on a series of frames, keyframe motion effects,
and all that.  Problem is, it'd be that expensive, too.  That type of
capacity requires horsepower, and _that_ kind of horsepower
costs BIG.  Love to have it, but that kind of real-time
painting/drawing/motion processing will still run you into six
figures to get going.

>I have tons more suggestions for a great 2D compositing /
>animation package,  but I'll leave it alone for now (I've been
>thinking getting a team to write  a program like this for a couple of
>years, but the sheer fun of animating  always distracts me!)
>  The magic solution?  A combination of a draw, paint and Non -
>linear system. 
 Here it is:

>The power of lightwave to map sequences onto objects and to
>control motion  paths.
>The power of a draw program to define motion paths, layer
>objects and build  graphics.  (Anti-aliased of course!)
>The power of a Non-linear compositor (such as Razor Pro) to
>combine track  after track and edit on a timeline.
>The power of a great Paint program for finishing work (but over
>time) ala  Fractal Design Painter...

Again, you're describing things that exist, but at very high prices. 
If the technology improves (and I DO believe that is giong to
happen soon) this might be affordable for those of us with budgets
less than high-end post houses.

>I guess, it's too much to ask?

No.

>(Corel stuff snipped)

My $0.02 here.