Re-found this in a cryptically-named folder of an ancient shareware CD I casually came across to when cleaning up the storeroom 8)
Posting here just to know if you can figure out anything about the format besides what's briefly explained in the readme.
ConsistentCallsign at
Re: Interesting Voxel technology from 1996
Awesome, photorealistic model (take that polygonists! >:( >:()! Downloading now! ;D
Edited by apegomp at
Dany at
DEATH POLY!!! :D Good googling, really. P.S.:An excelent program! I thinks it's one of the last hard work programs:(
Dany at
OMG, read wwhat I found in the ReadMe!!!(Scroll down)
AnimaTek's voxel technology is a technology that was create for the express purpose of minimizing character animation problems.
AnimaTek's voxel technology requires Autodesks 3D Studio Version 4. We are working on the Plug-In to 3DS MAX. ___________________________________________________ _______________
Price List (The price is subject to change)
Non-Commercial License * Demo Disk Package: Free
* Evaluation License Package (1 month): $1,000
Commercial License * Single Product License Royalty Package: License Fee (advance against royalty) $10,000 Royalty 50 cents/copy
* Single Product License Flat Fee Package: $20,000
- The Evaluation Package contains the tool (IPAS), the software in API form and full documentation. No commercial use is allowed with the Evaluation Package. - The Evaluation License fee can be applied to the Commercial License fee as a credit under certain conditions. - Each Commercial License package comes with the software in API and source code forms, and full documentation.
From what I could make out, it's not really different from Ken's animated voxels. What's the big deal here?
0xC0DE at
Zweiwürfel Schraubendreher said at
From what I could make out, it's not really different from Ken's animated voxels. What's the big deal here?
That it’s from 1996 perhaps ? It quite an impressive piece of technology. I mean, voxel engines are rare even on this day in age. I would love to know the FPS on a 1996 computer.
bitshit at
Yes I remember this tool, their voxel engine was called "Caviar". As far as I know this technology has been used only in a couple of games, for example Bladerunner from westwood... Shame it never really got used in an fps like game :s
I guess there must have been a downside to the capabilities of this engine, or else it probably had beaten all polygon based engines back then...
0xC0DE at
bitshit said at
Yes I remember this tool, their voxel engine was called "Caviar". As far as I know this technology has been used only in a couple of games, for example Bladerunner from westwood... Shame it never really got used in an fps like game :s
I guess there must have been a downside to the capabilities of this engine, or else it probably had beaten all polygon based engines back then...
I also recall Westwood used voxel technology until quite recently, up to command and conquer tiberium sun or something...
Awesoken at
The downside of the Caviar's 1996 tech was that it could only render sprites with orthographic/parallel perspective. This means things would look ok at a distance, but like a cardboard cutout when up close.
cualquiercosa327 at
The idea was uses it on browsers:
Animatek, Inc. also showed Caviar, a 3D pixel renderer (similar to Voxel technology), which provides real-time rendering of 3D animation in their browser on a PC. Their demonstration consisted of a hi-res ice skater (120,000 polygons with hi-res texture mapping) animated in 3D Studio MAX.
I also recall Westwood used voxel technology until quite recently, up to command and conquer tiberium sun or something...
up to ra2 yuri's revenge really
Maren at
Zweiwürfel Schraubendreher said at
From what I could make out, it's not really different from Ken's animated voxels
What are the similitudes from a technical standpoint?
Schraubendreher at
A notable similarity is the way animation is done: they also appear to be splitting the object up into limbs, then animating each limb individually. Look at the bottom of the bird (birdshow.vox), and you can see the leg intersecting the body when it moves. It appears they are using parallel projection or something, since I didn't notice the effects one normally associates with perspective.
I can't really give anything technical, I don't know much about it other than what I could observe.