Amiga Computing - Commodore Is Awesome
Amiga Computing - Commodore Is Awesome
Amiga Computing - Commodore Is Awesome
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Na<br />
heavy-handed standfirst for this<br />
review, but the<br />
O truth of the matter<br />
t<br />
is that, notwithstanding its<br />
m<br />
shortcomings (more on<br />
iwhich<br />
later), MacroForm is<br />
gone<br />
of those tools that<br />
hturns<br />
your stumbling<br />
t attempts with the mod-<br />
seller<br />
into stone in an<br />
eexpert<br />
sculptors'<br />
ehands.<br />
But unlike a<br />
m sculptor's stone,<br />
l MacroForm gives you<br />
ithe<br />
chance to rectify<br />
kand<br />
refine your<br />
e mistakes until you get<br />
a the result you were<br />
plooking<br />
for.<br />
r<br />
It does this through a<br />
method called 'apply<br />
emodes'.<br />
These use control<br />
t<br />
curves in one layer to affect<br />
t<br />
your polygons (in another layer),<br />
ybut<br />
the great thing is that if that<br />
curve is just too tight for your polygons,<br />
or if it doesn't fit your requirements properly,<br />
all you have to do is reform the curve<br />
into the shape you want and then hit apply<br />
once more. This will reform your polygons<br />
around the new curve's shape ad infinitum,<br />
and if you decide that you didn't want to<br />
deform your polygons after all, you always<br />
have the reset command to bring<br />
everything back to its starting point<br />
The best thing about this constant mutation<br />
of your curve is the fact that you can<br />
save off its results and carry on going. The<br />
hair on the model I have created for this<br />
review is an example of this. I started with<br />
a triangular polygon which I extruded.<br />
Then, using the RailBend tool I bent the<br />
control curve until I was happy with the<br />
OMETHING<br />
F<br />
IN THE STATE OF<br />
DENMARK...<br />
S<br />
ROTT<br />
EN<br />
While I have painted a very rosy picture of MacroForm, all is not<br />
well if you try to use it under the following conditions:<br />
Firstly, MacroForm is really designed for LightWave 3.5. It works<br />
partially with version 3,1 for any of you with an un-upgraded<br />
Tooster4000, but any functions which require the hiding of<br />
polygons will fail owing to the fact that this version of LightWave<br />
cannot hide polygons. Users of the new Light Wave 4.0a will also be<br />
disappointed in varying amounts depending on whether they can<br />
get MacroForm to work. I had no joy, but OAO Media tell me they<br />
hove users successfully using MacroForm with 4.<br />
However, owing to a bug in Modeler, ARexx macros run anywhere<br />
between five and twenty times slower than they do in 3.5, a<br />
problem NewTek have been informed of and are trying to do something<br />
about. OA° Media are themselves working on a plug-in<br />
version of Macro form which will circumvent these problems and<br />
will be available as an upgrade for registered users of MacroForm.<br />
Secondly, those of you with a need for speed are going to be<br />
very disappointed because the ARexx compiler that has been used<br />
for MacroForm chokes on '060s. This problem should also be<br />
resolved once MacroForm becomes a plug-in. I still believe<br />
MacroForm to be worth the money, even if you have to switch back<br />
to 030 mode to use it.<br />
AMIGA COMPUTING<br />
Ben Vint examines<br />
r MacroForm and changes his<br />
status from amateur to<br />
professional LightWave modeller<br />
m<br />
shape of it and then applied it to the<br />
extruded triangles. The first few attempts at<br />
this resulted in curves that were too sharp<br />
for the extrusion to cope with, resulting in<br />
doubled back polygons, but with the Apply<br />
mode set, this was no problem - simply<br />
shift the curve and try again.<br />
Once I had a bendy set iof polygons I was<br />
happy with, I saved off the resulting object<br />
as 'Hairl', continued to reform the control<br />
curve and applied it to the polygons resulting<br />
in different bends to the hair. The more<br />
[MOSE<br />
) This le the ma in inte rfa ce fa r the e a illa olt<br />
environment silting by de fa ult a n F7<br />
fo<br />
RAILTOOLZ IN FIJI.<br />
n<br />
g<br />
astute of you will already be thinking that<br />
this tool is ideal for making morph targets<br />
and you wouldn't be wrong. Best of all is<br />
the fact that RailBend is only one of .2<br />
similar tools, all of which use a curve as a<br />
control surface.<br />
It will take time to learn to use<br />
MacroForm to its full advantage, but what a<br />
tool. Even with the shortcomings mentioned,<br />
this piece of software drags<br />
lightWave's Modeler kicking and screaming<br />
into the late '90s.<br />
RailBend this tool allows you to use a<br />
curve to bend your polygons to fit it. You can<br />
bend your polygons in two dimensions or<br />
three, giving the maximum possible flexibility.<br />
With Align mode turned on, you don't<br />
even have to worry about lining up your<br />
polygon correctly for the curves, as Raillbolt<br />
will do that too.<br />
SmartRail - this is the first of the extrude<br />
functions that RailToolz provides. Like<br />
RailBend it can automatically match you<br />
polygon to the curve. You can spedi<br />
whether you want to centre the polygon<br />
the curve or let it extrude with an offset<br />
Either way, you won't end up with the dr<br />
ded squished box syndrome. SmartRail<br />
even create a circular or rectangular pa<br />
gon to extrude for those modellers too to<br />
to even do this.<br />
4.<br />
RailForm - this bungs a curve around yo<br />
model which you can deform. Depending<br />
what settings you choose, your mckfiel<br />
then made to fit this curve. This tool is gr
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