> DEVELOPING ON THE ATARI STR Spotlight LEXICOR SPEAKS UP!! ===================================== DEVELOPING THE ATARI ==================== An Interview with LEXICOR'S Lee Seiler by Pattie Rayl, Atari Interface AIM: Lee, we've all seen your artwork (on the back of the Jan. 91 and front of Mar. 91 issues of Atari Interface). What got you started in art and drawing? Lee: When I was a kid I did not do well at all. At some point, the teacher put me in the back of the room, with paper and crayons, and left me to do whatever I wanted. This was at a time in California when there was experimental education...phonetic speling(sic) and the notion that the child should be left to do as he or she pleased. Needless to say, I failed everything for the next two years and thereafter was always behind. AIM: What do you enjoy drawing the most? What have you done professionally? Lee: I like to create animalistic machines best. The relationships between the way humans have copied nature are wonderful. I am always drawn to this kind of creation when left to my own devices. As far as professional work, my work spans from mechanical illustrations in the Army in the mid 50s to current material on the Atari Computer. Along the way, I have done book and magazine covers, technical manuals, story treatments for a number of motion pictures. In 1983, I won an EMMY for best technical achievement in a locally produced show...which happened to have a science fiction theme. AIM: On these book and magazine covers...are these the type of thing we could go into our local bookstore, pick up a book, and say "Hey, Lee Seiler drew this!"? Lee: Yes, if you can find one. Most are no longer in print, but every now and then I will come across my own work. Unfortunately, most book covers are sold outright and don't carry an artist credit or copyright. Try finding these credits in current paperback publications. You will find that there is little recognition rewards for the artist. And, in most cases, the artists are contract artists who sign all copyrights away in order to get the work. AIM: Are there any titles you can tell us for the books you did cover art on? Are the motion picture movies we'd recognize? Lee: Yes. Let me see if I can remember some..."Time Riders"... "Orbit"... "Subterrainians"... "The Travelers"... Windsurf magazine, July 1988... Airbrush magazine, Volume 4, No 4. AIM: We have a photo of you drawing a black and white picture of a woman...what is that? Lee: That is a private commission to do an interpreted female version of Cap- tain America. I used several reference books for ideas, colors.... In many cases, a client may have a favorite subject or existing piece of artwork they want to have. Because copying the original is a big no no -- just like computer software -- clients ask for interpreted works which look very much like a selected subject but are handmade individual works of art. I am sure you have seen many such similar works on both CompuServe and GEnie. What is in your photo is the final pencil sketch just before airbrush painting begins. AIM: Neat! Now that you've told us about your love of drawing...how did you get involved with computers, and specifically art on computers? Lee: That's a very funny (strange) story. It is a bit long, so you may want to drag me back to reality from time to time. I had picked up an Atari 400 in fall of 1979 thinking I would be able to do art on the computer. Well, that soon fell flat on its face when I had to try using the ATARI BASIC language cartridge. I found that I often spelled the assorted commands wrong and got lost in the editor and compil- er. But, I had gotten the hacker's manual and lots of developer materials so I could read about it. I should mention that I had spent 12 years working in the engineering department of the University of California and had a research-level working knowledge of Cobol and Pascal, but only as it applied to our research programming needs. I soon realized I would not be able to do on my 400 what was then beginning to appear on television as computer art in motion. I was able to do a nice little walking machine game using the alternate graphics symbols for the keyboard as object primitives. Time passed, and in the fall of 1987 I passed a local Atari shop and thought I would just stop in and see what was going on with the Atari. There I saw Jim Kent's CyberPaint running on a Mega4. That was all I needed to see. I got the computer and all the Antic software, thinking again that I could start using the computer to do on the monitor what I was currently doing on paper, wood and glass. AIM: And could you -- do on the monitor what you were doing on paper and glass? Lee: NO! In fact, once I had mastered CyberPaint and the more traditional animation on the Mega4, I dove into CAD3D2 and ran smack dab into CyberControl, et. al....and was very disappointed with the whole idea I had in being able to use my skills and this wonderful computer to make things of impossible creative interest real...I was very disappointed. AIM: Is that what got you started with your own company? Lee: Eventually it was, but not at first... AIM: What got you started with Antic? Lee: A wrong number, actually, was the turning point. I called Antic for sup- port when I was unable to get the tutorial examples to run in the CyberStudio editor. Instead of the support person, I got Charles Cherry. Charles was later to move on to Atari in Sunnyvale as head of the developer's division. When I explained my problems to Charles and what I wanted to do, he invited me to become an Antic developer! So, I went from being a total CyberControl code failure to Developer in 20 minutes!!!! For the next three months I learned the realities of the Atari World, computer graphics and how programs are created. I also met Dave Ramsden, Paul Dana and others who were developers for Antic. AIM: This arrangement sounded like fun...what made you and Antic part ways? Lee: It was fun and I learned a lot from Charles and the other developers. What happened was that Charles left Antic to join Atari one Friday...and through the ensuing weeks, it became clear that the assorted projects we were working on would not receive further support by Antic. Eventually, some of us got together and agreed that, if I could put the financing together, we would form our own corporation in which the developer came first instead of the usual way in which the developer was really just an employee, or nearly so, and got a minimum return for a lot of work. So, I set Lexicor Software up in such a way that the developer got paid in two ways. First, they get a percentage of the "front door gross" and then stock in the corporation, which meant the developer would share just as the other investors did. Our percentages are, give or take a percent, twice what Antic ever paid and possibly three times what might be expected for off-the-street sale of a program. We also set up a flexible support system to provide hardware and cash to the developers so they could spend as much time as possible developing instead of worrying about 9-to-5 and developing evenings and weekends. In this way, I have been able to get all my developers the latest Atari hardware and software tools. I can market their areas and get full and appropriate support from Atari. We all have each other's best interest at heart, so the usual workplace petty bickering does not interfere with our creative efforts. And, best of all, the developers don't have to worry about getting ripped off by the owners because, in a large measure, they are the owners. AIM: Who makes up Lexicor Software? You speak of "my developers." Are you the main owner/figurehead? Lee: First, right now the developers are Dave Ramsden, Robert Birmingham Paul Dana and myself. We have several subcontractors who supplement these main developers. Next, I am Vice President and a major stock holder, but I do not own the majority of the stock. The exact make-up of the Board of Directors and the specific role each developer stockholder functions is confidential. Needless to say, we have offered to ourselves the best of all possible situations and actually are open to supporting more developers. Our pro- blem is that there really are not many Developers left in the Atari arena to join us. I should comment that such well known Atari developers such as Jim Kent are involved at several levels with Lexicor, partly because we are approaching the Atari from a professional point of view and partly because, at least in Jim's case, he is my near neighbor here in Marin county. AIM: Now that we've laid the groundwork for what Lexicor is, can you tell us about what Lexicor makes? I mean, can you finally do on the monitor what you were doing on paper? Lee: Last first. Yes, I can finally do on the Atari what I wanted to do back in 1979. Just look at our advertisements...they speak for themselves. This brings us to the first part of your question. What we are doing is making it possible for the average Atari owner to have and use a "Real Off Line Graphics Workstation." This is happening right now...our first major applications are going to printers, being groomed and polished. In the coming months, given the user has the talent, patience and determination, he or she will be able to do the self-same work I now do in promoting our software. There is no doubt that many new and exciting things are coming to the current and future Atari user. Like all good tools, our first releases are just the beginning...by way of example I had a late evening meeting with Leonard Tramiel at Atari in which we discussed some new things we both want to bring to the Atari community. Obviously, I can't be specific for lots of reasons...the most fun reason is that it keeps everyone reading this interview guessing what's NEXT! AIM: Can you tell us if all of your packages depend on each other, or can an Atari owner just pick up one program and work with it alone? How sophis- ticated is the software, and how sophisticated does the user have to be? Lee: Good question. There is no required program package as such. The user can get any of our software and use it right away. We have planned it to function in the same way as other High End systems. You have access to objects, object motion control, post production tools and several levels of finishing tools. As far as how sophisticated the software is, my developers think it is very powerful and well thought out in design and execution. As far as being hard or easy to use, the user can create anything we have advertised and or uploaded as sample demos without any programming at all. There is a minimal amount of keyboard use, which is mostly keystroke equivalents and basic file handling...like load and save. The whole idea was to create an environment which did not require elaborate control codes, so there aren't any. AIM: On the ST, there are several animation programs, each with a different format...will people who've created pictures and animations in other pack- ages have to start from scratch with Lexicor products? Lee: No. We have used the Cyber series as a foundation as far as format goes. We also support GIF, IFF, Neochrome, Degas/Degas Elite pictures in high, medium and low resolution, and will support PC1 to PC6 files. In addition, for those who are code-oriented, we save Image files, C c- ode, and source code for some graphics formats. This allows the user to create screen images which can be saved and programmed right into software. We have made every attempt to support other platform formats, such as PC P.I.X.A.R RIB files, Amiga Sculpt 3D object files, Mac Sculpt files and several others when we can get them working as we would like. An example is Turbosilver. We have full support on this, but this may be a format that will be supported as an additional object file by mid-summer or as the demand requires. AIM: This sounds really exciting! I look forward to the release of your products. I understand part of the delay was due to a hardware dongle produced by Practical Solutions. They're no longer in business -- will this hold you back on releasing your products? Lee: Had to mention that, eh? Well, it was a big problem and to set the record straight, the delays from Practical Solutions cost us a lot in lost time and effort. Part of their fear may have been that we were not really going to be worth the effort. As it turned out, everything I assured PS came true. Our first commercial orders were far above anything we thought they would be, and now I am stranded with a pocket full of cash and orders and no dongle source. We wish we could find whoever walked off with the goods...we were in the process of reordering when PS vanished. We have made other arrangements so that the US market won't be effected by a hardware snafu this time. We are hoping to fill all CeBIT orders in 15 days with our manufacturers shipping all orders in about the same time frame. Of course, I have to add that once we release to the market, we have no direct control of shipping priorities or speed. AIM: Do you have a date set for release in the US? Lee: Yes and NO...I discovered that if we were doing direct sales I could give you a date. I did this last fall when I thought we were ready...we were not, and I take the blame for that one. Now that we are having our products made and sold by a distributor, the best I can do is say we have shipped the masters, manuals and whatever hardware is included (i.e., safekey, graphics tablet color card (board), Genlock etc.) Then, it is up to them to get their work done in a timely fashion. How's that for duck and dodge? We think that the end of March is a safe date to shoot for today. AIM: We wish the best of luck to ya! As a closing question, could you comment on the Atari market and its future? Many developers are considering leaving, if they haven't already...what can you say to those who are still with us? Lee: That's a complex question, so this may be a bit tenuous for a closing com- ment. First, from Atari Corporation's point of view the market is just terrific. They are selling every computer they make. Their problem is forecasting what and how many to ship where. Right now, TTs are back or- dered in the US to the VAR customers. From my point of view (i.e., Lexicor), the fewer developers, the better, little or no competition gives me better than two million potential sales. Of course, this is not a healthy situation and is not how it actually is... The current developer who takes software development seriously, follows all the rules and listens to the guidance from Atari, there is and will be a very satisfactory market in the US and the world. From the point of view of the user, it has been a hard few years for very good reason. There are, and will continue to be, new and more and more powerful tools from Atari...those who leave now will wish they had waited. In just the next few months, the Atari will go from a limited (color and res) computer to being fully equal to and better than any VGA and SuperVGA system, price not withstanding. No one can guarantee that Atari or those who run it will not fall flat on their faces, but I don't believe from my associations that anyone in authority at Atari wants to fail or is running blind. As to the future (here is where I get in trouble), I believe -- and so do "my" developers -- that there is a bright and profitable future for us in the Atari world. We will do everything we can to make it so...if the users and other developers do the same, then how can Atari fail if they just keep making their fine computers? AIM: On that upbeat note, we'd like to thank you for your time and sharing your insights with our readers! [Editor's Note: Three of Lexicor's products; Rosetta-3D Prism-Paint Chronos-3D are shipping now and are available from RIO Computers.] <<<<*>>>><<<<*>>>><<<<*>>>>