Greetings from the Wonderful World of Dragon Slaying! You’ll be seeing this on quite a few of the Vue boards, just to make sure that the most people get an idea as to how things are going in Vue Land. The C3D mods and admins are currently hammering merrily away on build number 278184. This is the 3rd build sent to us since the triple 5.08 trainwreck was pulled. Things are proceeding on - both- the PC and the Mac front; not only are the new issues being stomped on, but any old bugs that show their heads as well. In the process, we’re also finding that some of the ‘bugs’ that users have complained about, particularly with imported content, have little to nothing to do with Vue and everything to do with -how- the content was created in the first place. We are doing our best to break things, so that when the update is ready for prime time, we will be certain it will be stable (knowing software, no way am I gonna even hint that everything will be fixed :P ). The auto-registration system is being completely reworked, and is one of the major reasons that the store remains closed. To get the old system out, they are going to have to modify, and in some cases completely redo, the content. Everyone’s download counter will be reset. Make sure you know exactly what you have purchased, however; there’s always the chance of a database corruption. The website is being tweaked from suggestions, and glitches are being found and de-glitched regularly. Plans are underway to use the downtime to ready a contest or three, put together some tutorials, and investigate adding content suitable for the owners of Vue 4 to the store, since it was discovered that lots more people than anticipated haven’t upgraded. So the inventory will most likely be growing either before, of just after, the store finally reopens. Any questions, hop over the Cornucopia3d site and ask away. Both the forums and gallery are up and running, so you know where to find us all huddled behind our covered wagons... :P

Now this is what I call an update on the update :) LOL Thank You :) Could you further explain this: "were also finding that some of the bugs that users have complained about, particularly with imported content, have little to nothing to do with Vue and everything to do with -how- the content was created in the first place" What do you mean how it was created? Confused. Any anticipated release date yet? IE 1 week/2 weeks etc. TIA

Hi Deb! Mainly, it has to do with the fact that things like .obj, .3ds, and so on, while considered 'standards', have actually changed over time, and the importers that Vue (name your flavor) uses work best with the formats as they were when the importer was liscenced. A .3ds file from 3years ago apparently can be enough different from one created 3 weeks ago that you get problems. About the only thing I can say so far as a release date is 'when it's fixed as good as we can get it'. Nobody was happy with things the way they went, and all concerned are determined to make sure the relaunch and update release goes smoothly.

Gotcha..that would explain why some 3ds items "blow up". LOL. Re. release date, no biggie, so busy & will be for awhile, haven't even had time to open Vue or do much of anything else. Thanks again :)

The format of this update lacks something. It is as if it was rushed. Dale do you like reading updates that look like this? Now, I think I undertand why this update is taking so long.

Message edited on: 09/08/2005 14:47

Hi Dale, Thanks for the update. Good to know how things are coming on. I also appreciate the informal approach you've taken. It would be very easy for e-on and everyone associated with it, even volunteers, to pull up the draw bridge and site behind a wall of silence or very officious press releases until the problems are resolved. Cheers Mark

Two thumbs way up on your post Mr. B.

Thanks for the update Dale,

In my MSIE 6, i have to click on the "Forums" link twice before the link works - just wanted to assure anyone with the same problem that the forums ARE open - just click twice. I assume the gallery link is the same, don't know.

I've found that many companies will not discuss what they are doing in public, not because they are perverse, but because their legal department won't let them. Seems that in our litigious U.S. culture, people sue companies if they don't end up doing exactly what they say they are going to do in emails and public forums - so stupid.

Really glad e-on is forthcoming with informal update news.

jc; Be sure you tell them over at C3D about that. We want as many 'WTF?''s regarding differing browsers solved as possible before things get frisky over there.

Hi Dale, thanks for keeping us posted. Glad to hear that all bugs are soon to be eradicated from our favorite software. ( though somehow, I doubt it, as you said, there's always something new showing up!) As for the object import problems, why is it that Vue importers are not updated when the file format is updated? Lack of communication between the big companies? Pricey rights? I find it odd, because E-on is so keen on doing its best importing correctly Poser stuff.

Will do Dale...

Make that -4- updates for Infinite. Just got build 278257 from the =nice= e-on software engineer. For the first time since the first 5.08 was released, I have a functional rendergarden. No more that sad, 14" gray-green screen staring lifelessly over the point of my right shoulder. It's........Alive... Renders nicely, too. They also fixed a couple of the antialiasing issues people reported elsewhere.

bruno021; Those issues are being poked at right now (thank wabe for this, that little beta demon). All I know at the moment is that there are apparently changes in some file formats that aren't compatible with the importers that e-on has liscence for. It may even come down to being related to a specific version of a modelling app. But -at the moment-, all that is certain is the problem is outside the actual Vue app, and it is one of the cross platform issues, so it has a high solution priority.

Dale, Just did some testing on the issue of having to click twice on forum link at C3D: The problem is only with an old "Favorite" i saved during the original store opening. Neither a new favorite nor entering the www.cornucopia3d.com URL by hand have the problem. I just mentioned all that in a post at C3d.

Thanks Dale for clearing things up. While they're at it: how about a c4d file importer? And I don't mean c4d version 5!!! Guess it's not in your hands!

What, no "MAKE ART" button??? Cheers Diolma (Will be updating my (recently bought) Vue 5i as soon as all this gets sorted. And then going and blowing my $50 coupon..)

my need in terms of an update is being able to handle more content. the old vue 4 could take 7 or 8 fully textured posers before giving up on my 2 gig system. The vue infinite that first came out and the one I am running now after the reverse updates can only handle 3. While using the updates that were recinded I could get in about 6. Any indication that the tollerance for more imported content in a single scene is going up again? Other than that, for me, a mere amateur, this program is simply fantastic, and thank you for the information. I always look forward to Vue updates.

Dale B What is that J Whitman thing that you show in your image. :) Little explanation please.

tlaloc321; From the two tests I've run, yes, Infinite's memory handling seems better. They haven't got the matching update out for Vue5 yet, so I can't say there. iloco; -That- is the proof that they got Python mostly fixed regarding the tkinter issue. Python apps that either use or need a GUI can be written for Infinite, now (can't say it is fully functional until some python guru writes a test applet that proves it, natcherly).

@Bruno021 Regarding the file formats. I see the problem mostly in the fact that over time file formats evolve away from the original standards. Especially some companies use their own "dialects". This makes it incredible hard for othere that need to read those files. What is specific "slang" and what is not? DXF is a good example. Originally limited to 32000 vertices and no subparts in it, now some companies use it totally different. Or tif. A very standartised image format. Suddenly there were layers in tifs - and transparency. Has nothing to do with the original definition. Again, hard to decide what is slang and what is in common use. Oh, another example that we users have to deal with every day - nothing to do with file formats. OpenGL. A clear definition of a standard originally. The idea was to have something that is platform independant and functioning on each computer with the frivers installed. What do we have now? Each producer of graphic cards creates their own slang to "optimise" their cards or to make specific games faster. The result? Confusion. Endless discussions what is working and what not. What driver version is functioning and what not etc etc. And more sellings too of course.

Wabe, I thought that OpenGL was standard and under review of the OpenGL Architecture Review Board and all that graphics card manufacturers do is build and add features based on an OpenGL foundation...and lets face it, there are only two major players anyway - nVidia and ATI. I like the way OpenGL is implimented...it allows graphic card manufacturers to move forward with technology....anybody who remembers when all we had was DirectX driven displays, will know what I mean. Cheers

That is why Microsoft plans to not support native OpenGL in their upcoming new operating system Vista? But only DirectX! Yeah, we will love that! I totally agree with you about the use of OpenGL. But look simply to all the discussions about driver versions, graphic cards and all the problems with those. Does not look like a good implememnted standard really. Maybe Microsoft Windows quality level (saying that as Mac user).

I second dburdick on TKinter. Tcl/Tk hasn't been updated in a decade or so, Tkinter is unreliable when it comes to event handlng, please, please PLEASE go for wxPython! I've learned to hate Tkinter using Poser 5. Oh, and about DirectX vs OpenGL: OpenGL has been developed as an industry standard for the 3D professional. Not for games. OpenGL evolution has been agonizingly slow, due to the fact that a zillion parties had to have their say on the development. Hardware development has been much faster. DirectX on the other hand has developed fast enough to keep up with hardware developments - no slowdown due to partners - and has always been developed with the consumer market/gamer in mind. Totally different ballgame. Games use DirectX, 3D apps use OpenGL.