ArtPearl

OS 10.5.6 - Vue Complete - Ver 7.20-04 build 38774
Mouse - Logitech laser mouse, also tried microsoft and kensington mice

My results were the same as Gini's

Drop test
Left Click = reg drop (remains tilted)
Right Click = smart drop (cylinder rotated to land flat)

Load Test
with the already in the scene cylinder selected: Left =load obj , right =save obj.
with absolutely nothing already selected  left=load obj, right = no choice offered

All worked fine.

Thanks Steve, for sharing this really neat trick. I always enjoy reading your tutorials. Have a terrific and prolific New Year!

Burrrr! It was 85F down here today. How can you surf in that stuff?! LOL. That pic does bring back some fun childhood memories when we lived up near Lake of the Woods Minn. Thats a really nice pic so far! I'm looking forward to seeing how you'll put the snow on the trees. I've never been able to get that to look right. Watch out for that yellow snow!

Thanks Peggy!! This is an overdue task for me!!

Sorry Ttops, but ET still phones home.

Gog CA1 - That was a very interesting link. Thanks! It was interesting to read the actual patents which are very broad and cover new technologies for a long time to come. Network person computers sounded quite intriguing, and the parts covering my appliances was rich! Billy G wants to make sure that my freezer checks to see if I have paid the grocer or I can't have any pudding! What is his cut in all of this. Yes, that was a spoof but if you read closely it is not that far out.
My concerns about these patents are not about piracy. I, as an artist feel strongly that not paying for intellectual property is theft. A crime, pure and simple. But, MS has a very poor record of securing access to its OSs and third party access to these routines is not a risk I want to take.
http://cryptome.org/ms-drm-os2.htm for quick reference of several patents.

Controlling access to data is an issue that goes beyond platform. Currently the Fritz Chip is the Flavor of the day, but it is just another incarnation of the Clipper Chip from the 90's. The names may have changed but the issues remain the same.

Those who seek to control your information have Tyranny in their hearts.

Computer Lore - Bill Gates was one of the very first victims of software piracy. He wrote one of the first OS's for the Altair called Tiny Basic. Tiny Basic was a gem that only occupied 2k of the 4k of Ram that the Altair had. It came out at the same time as a device to record software on ticker tape (8 possible hole across for each Byte). Well, people had no concept of paying for software at that time and this was one of the first ones for sale. Bill wrote a very interesting letter in one of the early Dr. Dobb's Journals about this. He has good reasons to dislike pirates from way back.

Wow! No tips, just Wow! This has always been one of my favorite buildings. A true and very beautiful milestone of modern architecture. I'll be looking for the final of this one for sure.

There it is!! Yes, since you pointed it out I can indeed see the rope. I'm glad, since I was concerned that the poor man might suffer from further disaster. It will certainly be much clearer in a larger render, As far as the boat...I thought the texture makes the sides look all one piece, but that is pretty much how a simple roughhewn rowboat is I guess. I would give this picture my vote as it is without hesitation.

Yep! ... You're hooked!
Have fun with your new machine!
Apple is well know for the Reality Distortion Field Effect that is emitted from its products and loyal fans. Within the radius of it's effect visions of great things occur for those who dare to think different. It is something that you just have to experience for yourself.
Wait until you see what the effect that having All of your major apps up and running smoothly together has on your workflow. The difference is amazing, when the OS is not a distraction. I will look forward to hearing from you in the future.

Best Regards,
Bill (macmondo)

For all of you windows folk who have been following this thread you should really take a close look at just what .Net is and what it does. It was first introduced with Office 2000 and then added to every OS release from ME on. It has been called by several names over it's history. It can be added to Win-98 just by updating Internet Explorer. It is very hard to remove without causing major instabilities in the OS. It cannot be removed or disabled in XP as it is integral.
Microsoft's next OS called Longhorn, will take this .Net concept/technology of information and data sharing even further. If this matches your vision of what your computing experience and data security/control should be, then all is well and good. You should however make an informed choice. Microsoft is getting away with this simply because it's users have not objected. Remember that you as a customer are making their payroll.

Best Wishes to all!

Killer models and textures!

Wow !! What a change. I know that doing the grass had to be a real chore but the result is certainly worth it! All of the vegetation is exceptional. The only thing I would change is a little more detail on the boat and maybe a rope to keep it from drifting off. It does not really detract the way it is though. I really love to see work that engages the viewer emotionaly. This is most excellent !!

Real cool! It has definite possiblities. I like the atmosphere..Who says it is a human city? A really great start!

Attached Link: http://www.arstechnica.com

That is indeed a very sweet machine Thomas! I wouldn't mind owning it myself!! The main reason I do not like to run my PCs on the net is I do not like my machine reporting my business to Redmond everytime I go online. The .net stuff is just way too invasive for my blood. Upgrading Int Explorer even adds .net to Win98 ( I had a time with that) I do not trust Billy G with my data. Microsoft's next OS, Longhorn(eta 2006) looks to be even more invasive. I can see the PCs try to connect to Microsoft constantly from my Mac as I monitor my network traffic. You cannot tell they are doing it from the PC though. That is the sneaky type of stuff that turns me off on MS. Linux is great if only there were more apps available. BTW - The G5 running Panther(OSX 10.3) is 64bit clean hardware on a 64bit OS. The Athalon64 is much more comparable to the G5 in both price and performance. The cheapest I could find an Athalon64 is $700 for the CPU alone, and the mobo is also more expensive. Is XP64 out yet other than beta? BTW #2 - Apple uses AMD's hypertransport on the G5s for the frontside bus. 6.4GBS bandwith across the mobo per CPU is nice indeed. I also prefer to support AMD vs Intel. Much better bang for the buck! One last BTW - I attached a link to my favorite PC site. Very balanced info with no punches pulled for Win/Mac/Linux. Be sure to check out their God Box receipe(specs). That is one awesome PC windows or not!

Amethyss
Your Mx500 will work just fine. Just plug it in... it will work. Most Mac artists get a multibutton mouse any way.
Check out the store at www.apple.com. They also have a link to factory refurbished machine that still carry the full warranty(lower left of Store page). You can also pick up a copy of MacWorld or MacAddict. Many of the vendors in the back will deal if you call them. Most Mac people buy their new toys and apps from mail order houses or online stores. You have to wait a couple of days but you save tax and they are usually fast and will discount if you bug them. For $3000 you can get a G5 1.8ghz (See MadMaxBR5's Post # 9 above for features) and still have enough to get a LOT of ram and a new LCD panel. Or use one(or two) of your present monitors and you can get some new apps to play with also. Get a bunch of Ram...with Macs, more Ram = more speed and more open large apps. You can get very good prices on Ram from www.datamem.com(for PCs also). Much better prices than from Apple(or Dell). For Factory warranty service you can take Macs to any CompUSA if you have one nearby.
I suggested the 1.8ghz G5 because neither Poser or Bryce are multiprocessor aware and that machine has 8 dimm slots(8 GB Ram Max). You can also upgrade the processor down the road if you want to. If you have any portable drives (USB1or2.0/Firewire IE1394) if you format them for PC's you can use them on all of your machines. Macs will mount all PC media just fine. I use one to transfer large files between my Macs and PCs because it is faster than 100b/T ethernet. The G5 has gigabit ethernet btw. It also has the hardware and software to edit movies and create custom DVDs included. Along with speech control and handwritting recognition(this is great with a Wacom tablet). OSX will also allow file and printer sharing with your PCs so you won't need to move your printer around unless you want to.
You can expect to get SEVERAL years of strong service from a machine like this. My brother is still using one of my 8 years old machines (a UMAX clone) and it still runs ALL current apps. He did upgrade the CPU and put a gig of Ram in it. He won't part with it because it has 6 PCI slots (with most filled.) My old Mac Plus from 1985 still works just fine also.

If you need more info you can IM me if you like.

Welcome
Bill

HooRah Bryster!! That was VERY well deserved!

I prefer models in obj format as most apps can use them. But I'll scarf any good mesh in almost any format.