Hi:

Happy to read your reply.  I was beginning  to think that I had ventured into the twilight zone since no one seemed to be either using the Mac with Vue or willing to commment.

Over the years, we purchased each newly released version of the program with the hope that the Mac issues had been resolved but, on each occassion, we have been sorely disappointed.

 I am sorry to hear about your difficulties with the software but it appears that you have noticed at least one of the issues that we have come across with 7.5 xstream ... editing.  I will say, however, that the stand-alone version of 7.5 is somewhat more stable on the Intel/Mac than the xstream plugin but still not worth the bother since our only potential use for the software is from within C4d.

We were beginning to wonder if anyone had actually tested this software before it was released?  A beta tester could not have possibly missed the issues with Mac xstream and C4d given their frequency and the fact that they are right on the surface and require no in depth use of the program's specifics.

Anyway, we have retired the software to the dusty archives.  If and when the developer decides to,or is able to, resolve the Mac issues, we will re-address the introduction of the software into our commercial production endeavors but for now it remains more of a pain than an asset.

 Since there have been very visits to this post, I will assume that there are very few people using Vue, C4d and the Mac and for that reason the following will most likely go unnoticed by the user community, nevertheless, I feel obligated to say the following about said software/hardware combination:

I have been testing the PLE edition of Vue 7.5 xstream for the Mac (8core, 3.2ghz, 4gig ram, 3tb raid) and C4d and have met with nothing less than persistent frustration.  Vue has been responsible for a myriad of crashes under a variety of circumstances but most frequently when working with materials, either assigning or editing same or when rendering either small distributions, not large, of ecosystems or even simple scenes.  In addition, there have been hangups that occasionally and miraculously seem to self-resolve while others do not.  In all, I would have to say that, at least from my experience and in my opinion, the aforementioned hardware/software combination, regardless of its tremendous potential, is currently not workable for my purposes and I have removed it from my computer.

 Well, a few more hours and a few more crashes with 7.5 xstream but I suspect that some of the crashes may possibly be the fault of the PLE edition as opposed to the purchased edition.

It is working within C4d R11.  The 3D Connexion Space Pilot is working as well and IPP seems to experience no conflict with the xtream plug.  Using C4d's renderer is relatively quick (I haven't tried VRay as of yet, although it is next on my list of tests for the Vue C4d combo), even with a complex scene containing a mixture of Vue, Poser and C4d elements.  Animation works as it should.

If I can somehow wrap my head around the fact that crashes will be inevitable until, or perhaps if and when, Mac stability issues have been addressed and resolved, I may decide to purchase the software but for the time being I will continue to test the program.
 

Quote - > Quote -  No sooner had I pressed the "post" button, I received an e-mail from E-on advising of a Vue 7.5 xstream PLE download.  I will give it a try and report back ... fingers crossed that it does not nefariously interract with any other software on my 8core, up to and including C4d.

I got that same notice today too about the 7.5 PLE. Hopefully that will help you and I would be interested in knowing myself. Right now, I use Modo and Poser Pro on my Mac Pro and soon plan to add "Mudbox" from Autodesk Mac version as well. I can say that it works fine with those programs but I do not own C4D yet.

Let me know what you find out and best of luck.

Well, here's what I've encountered within just a few hours of use (Vue 7.5 xstream PLE and C4d R11 latest build and Mac OSX 10.4. ... latest version, 8core 3.2 Ghz Mac with 4gig ram.):
There were no less than 5 crashes and these were system crashes ... no way to force closure. I must say that they ocurred most frequently with the assignment of materials and or use of the material editor.  In addition, I noticed that some of the Vue materials do not render properly in that they look entirely different when rendered than what is seen in the material manager, or for that matter, when the same materials are used and  rendered via Vue 6i on the same machine.
Loading a scene should bring up the sky or atmosphere window but it does not.
That's all I've noticed so far but I plan to put more time into it tomorrow.

BTW, I have been using PoserPro to create characters which are then imported into C4d via Interposerpro for animation.   C4d offers so many more possibilities than Poser for animation, scene creation, rendering, etc., but there is a learning curve and, of course, it is relatively costly but all things being equal, it's a bargain ... it works and works well on the Mac and I have zero issues with it.

 No sooner had I pressed the "post" button, I received an e-mail from E-on advising of a Vue 7.5 xstream PLE download.  I will give it a try and report back ... fingers crossed that it does not nefariously interract with any other software on my 8core, up to and including C4d.

Quote - Check out my system specs in my sig below. I have Vue 7i 7.4 right now because I can live until 8.0 comes out. I can say mine works fine for my Vue 7i but not about 7.5x or C4D, sorry.

Thank you for your input, however, my question relates specifically to xtream and C4d.  

Over the years, I have been using various iterations of Vue for Mac, currently Vue 6 Infinite but at this point, aside from my video editing software (Final Cut, etc.) my most heavily used software is C4d and it is for this reason that I am interested in 7.5 xstream.  My experience with Vue 6 and earlier versions has taught me that what the developer promises and what you actually get are often two entirely different things and before I invest another +/- $1000. to upgrade, I would like to determine, to within a reasonable degree of certainty, that the plugin (xstream) will work in C4d R11 for Mac as advertised.  Unfortunately, either there are no users on this forum with that particular setup or there are none whom are willing to comment.  The E-on forum is even less informative in this regard than Renderosity leaving me with no possible source for an answer.  One poster had suggested downloading the demo version but there does not appear to be a demo for 7.5 xstream.

Anyway, thank you again for your thoughtful comments.

 By the lack of response I can only assume that no one is using the Intel/Mac version of Vue 7.5 xstream along with C4d R11?  

Quote - Hmmm. . . worked ok for me.  Nearly bought it too :biggrin:

That's odd, but you are correct.  There is a link that allows one to add a purchase to their cart but there is also a buy now link that brings you to a message that says, Unavilable. Strange!  However, if they can't figure out how to get their software to work properly on the Mac then there is no reason for us to expect their web site to work properly either.

 Unless there is a problem with their web site, it appears that E-on has temporarily discontinued sale of its Ver. 7.5 ... clicking on the "buy now" link results in the display of a message that simply says: "product unavailable."  If this is the case, then perhaps they have been listening?

Quote -  I would expect nothing less in terms of bold assertions and implicit threats from one who calls himself  "bishop666." As usual, nothing in his gallery. Good luck with your lawsuit.

Interesting leap.  How in the world did you conjure legal action from a purely explanatory post?
Furthermore, on a forum of this nature there is hardly any place, nay, there is no place for personal affrontation and your sophmoric criticizm of my screen name is clearly inflammatory and deserving of an apology.

By the way, in regards to your comment about my gallery being empty, be advised that my creative endeavors are purely commercial and I have no need to seek the adulation of beings with your brand of snobbishness.  

Quote:
"... I'm pretty sure they covered their behind against any law suits for not complying with 'truth in advertisment' laws (Not that I personally would pursue this avenue). I think they claim they are charging for the liscence, not the program. So even if it doesnt work at all they are still 'OK' - they gave me the liscence what else do I want?

But morally, this is as close to fraud as you can get- describing a product and its features, the platforms it runs on, the price they charge...but the product does not do what they said it will do, and they are not in a rush to fix i t..."

I was about to make the transition from Vue 6 to Vue7 xstream when I read your post.  Given that the upgrade charge is hardly insignificant, one would assume that the software should work.  That said, the fact that they are selling a "License" should not absolve them of their fudiciary responsibility, to wit, I offer the Uniform Commercial Code, better known as the UCC.

See below:

The Uniform Commercial Code Article 2B

The Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) governs most contracts for the sale of goods in the United States. Courts treat sales of packaged software as a sale of goods and apply Article 2 of the UCC (the Law of Sales) to disputes involving packaged software. The courts treat the development and sale of custom software as a sale of services, that is not covered by the UCC ...

What this means, in simple terms, is that the seller attests to the mercantibility of the product or "affirms or promises that," in this case the software, should live up to their functional claims!

Now, it is possible that they have covered themselves via some other loophole but the mere fact that there have been ongoing issues with the Mac version even prior to the current release speaks volumes about the developer's concern for their user base ... they just lost a $935.00 sale!

Quote - To be honest, I can't see an easy way of doing this - I'm no expert though so maybe someone else will have some ideas for you but I'm out of options I'm afraid - sorry

Hello Frank:

I thought that you might like to know that C4d R11 accepts Lightwave scene files (info obtained from C4d Cafe).  I saved a Vue 6 created scene as an .lws and easily imported into C4d.  It isn't perfect, for example, the grass did not map out as seen in Vue but for the most part it is quite usable and includes most of the texture and .bmp maps.  The only part of the scene that did not come through was the sky but C4d has its own sky/atmosphere presets that work extremely well.

Thanks again for your input.

Thank you all for your responses but I have one more question:

Are you using the above described software for terrain creation as well?

 Hello Frank:

I appreciate your thoughts,
There is a program called Teragen 2 but the final version is not available and there does not seem to be a way to bring the files created by the "preview"  version into either Poser or C4d.  The initial version of that program did have a C4d plugin but, alas, it was for C4d R6 (Read: ancient).  

InterPoserPro does an excellent job of importing Poser scenes into C4d which is why I began my quest looking for terrain or environment software that could create 3D files for Poser.  DAZ productions has a considerable amount of material available for Poser import ... wonder what the creators are using to develop their scenes.

In any event, for purposes of expediency, I will begin searching for "scenes for sale." 

 C4D can import a 3ds scene file but it does not import the texture and bit maps.  Creating an environment in C4d, although entirely possible, is a very time consuming process and one that I lack the expertise for and it is for that reason that I am searching for a means of creating an environment with the ease that one acquires with the use of Vue, Bryce or something along those lines.

I agree that animating in C4d is much more accurate and easier than Poser, particularly the new R11, however, I am still faced with the environment issue.  Of course, I can probably purchase an environment created for either program but I would like to maintain some level of control over the final result since alterations are a constant necessity; then there is the economic factor.