Amiga Computing - Commodore Is Awesome

FEATURE
Super Uldeo Amiga
If there's one area in which the Amiga excels more than in graph.
les, it is in video pruduction. We have genlocks coming out of our
ears and video tilling packages to match. Whether they are the
high-end like Montage 24 or cheap and cheerful like Big Alternative
ScroBer 2, the overriding message is that it you want a machine for
video use, then gel an Amiga.
Our low-end Amiga is tilf a powerful production tool in its own
right, so what are we goirig to pile onto it? Both our machines are
going to need genlocks, although the Al200 does have a pretty
good composite out. On the genlock front, the choice for many a
user has long been the Rendale 8E102 and variants, so that's the
kiddie I'll pick for the Al200.
As for my other piece of hardware. I think it would have to be
either a frame grabber or a scanner, to incorporate logo's and
images, etc. into video work. So I'm going to go for the ProGrab
again because it really is groovy.
On the software stakes, I think that you'd have to go a long way
to beat the feature list in Deluxe Paint V which is particularly suited
to creating flying logo animations but not necessarily scrolling text,
For that I think we II need Big Altematrve Scroller 2 which is very
simple but scrolls splendidly.
For the A4000T we're going to seriously beef up the spec
Because our machine comes with a fairly good SCSI hard drive.
were really going to test it to the limits by chucking a VLab Motion
card into the mix. The VLab Motion is probably one of the best bits
of hardware released for the Amiga this year. It can grab live video
in reallime and play it back. With the optional Toccata card you can
add synchronised sound to your animations, but that isn't all.
VLab Motion also comes with a whole series of special effects
and DVEs that can be applied to a Vlab Motion sequence. The
only problem is that they can take quite a while to generate. so the
other piece of hardware I am going to choose is the CyberStorm
060 accelerator card which should ensure that even the most
complex of effects gets a kick up the backside speed-wise.
This 58060-based accelerator makes sure you have the fastest
possible Amiga. and even takes the SIMMs from your motherboard
so you won't need to buy new memory. This board should also
guarantee that the two programs I choose for the software side of
the deal will run as last as possible.
For one of those programs I am going to choose LightWave,
possibly the best video production tool the Amiga has in its arsenal
The other is going to have to be Scala Multimedia 400. This program
is suitable for video titling, multimedia presentations, and all
manner of other things. At the price you have to pay for it, offers
one of the best deals for software available.
Al 200
Software
Deluxe Paint V. l.59.95 from Emerald Creative —
0181-715 8866
Big Alternative Scroller 2. E49.95 from Emerald Creative —
0181-715 8866
Hardware
Rendale gentocks from E149-E299 from Rendale
01604 790466
ProGrab 24R7 C129 95 from Gordon Harwood —
01773 83678
A4OCK1
Software
Lightwave 4, Elbe from Cybersystems 01843 292150
Scala MM400 E299 from Silica Systems — 0181-309 1111
Hardware
CyberStorm 060 E995 from White Knight Technology —
01 920 822321
VLab Motion. E999 from Cybersystems — 01843 292150
Amiga Computing
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Super GraphiG Amiga
Graphics is a bit of a toughie. There are so many excellent programs for creating a
editing graphics on the Amiga that it's hard to know how to pick Iwo. Right, roll up
sleeves and start on the Al200. Graphics hardware is definitely going to have to inco
rate a frame grabber ol some description and the ProGrab 24RT has been very
received by everyone
Following on the heels of the Vidi range of products, the ProGrab can be used thr
either the parallel port pr PCMCIA slot, It works with all AGA screenmodes for the high
possible quality grabs and has many built-in image processing features. It now comes
a Plus version including S-VHS Input for the same low pnce. I think the other piece
hardware should probably be a CD-ROM dnve again, particularly one with Phot
access, for all those graphics CDs.
As far as software is concerned, no super graphics Amiga would be complete with
a paint package, so my nomination would be for Personal Paint. And because this Al
has a CD-ROM dnve. I'm going to plump for the Personal Suite CD-ROM which not
contains Personal Paint, but also Personal Write and the two Personal Font Makers,
each for mono and colour fonts, along with a whole host of art and fonts.
Since Personal Paint includes some image processing functions, I'm not going
choose an image processor as my second choice. Instead I'm going to go for a s
art package, this time Photogenics. Phologenics is probably the software tide of the
for most Amiga users.
In case you've been
ing on Mars this ye
Photogenics is a 24
paint package which
can even use on
machine without a 2
Cybsrilislon 6 4 gra phics boa rd
Light Wave. LightWave, LightWave. We've
even had letters of complaint from people
saying we give it far too much coverage
but when all's said and done, there's
nothing better for general 3D
modelling and animation
on the Amiga.
Imagine has much
nicer textures and Real
3D is extremely powerful,
but only LightWave
gives the user a modicum
of power for very little effort.
Its ideally suited to commercial
work and with all the addons
that are available for it, there
is a flow of new ways to use it.
However. I hesitate to recommend it
for use with an Al200 owing to the
fact that it has pretty high memory
requirements and we haven't include.:
any memory in with our stock Al200.
I am going to choose an accelerator for
the Al200, but I don't think if would be in
the style of this article lo furnish it with
more than the fairly standard four megs of
memory. So what am I going to choose
as my rendering package for the Al200
think it has to be the latest version of
7 I
Imagine which, while overshadowed by its
more famous rival, is still capable of some
stunning renders.
My other piece of software would have
to either be a paint package for creating
graphics card by wor
in HAM-8. It supports
wide range of file to
and is ideal for retoec
digitised images.
CyborSiorm 0 6 0
texture maps or a 3D object trans'
But seeing that Imagine comes with
many exquisite algorithmic textur
ethink we can safely go for the otj
translator instead. I'll go with Pixel
Professional v2 which offers the
facilities, including the ability to 'p
polygons and import text as objects.
On the hardware side of things I th
CD-ROM ir would come in handy again,
all those CDs filled with objects
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