TrueSpace7.6 at no charge (Free)

[gmd3d]

TrueSpace7.6 at no charge (Free)

I got a notification about this today via Email .. not only is it for current users but first timers ... If true,.. its too good not to pass on.
To you all who currently make use of Truespace .. Hi EG180 .... were looking at you..

Also to those who would like to make a start in CGI but don't or cannot
hand over the cash.. well here is a possible answer.

(If your wondering how I as a Lightwave user got the message .. well I started with truespace.. so there :):tongue:
Dear Caligari community member,

Today is an important day in the 23 year history of trueSpace. We are releasing a major upgrade to our flagship product with trueSpace7.6, bringing significant improvements in modeling, animation, rendering and workflows, plus new direct export to Virtual Earth.Most of these you might already expect if you've been following my regular Captain's Blog posts at http://forums1.caligari.com/truespace/showthread.php?t=893.

What you may not expect is that we are making trueSpace7.6 available to everyone at no charge, in a giant step forward to bring high-end 3D authoring tools to all who want them!

To download trueSpace7.6, visit the link below:
http://cart1.caligari.com/web/Truespacemainreg.aspx

Also, to aid in your learning process we have made all of our video courses, previously $79 each, available at no charge, and you can download those courses here.
http://forums.caligari.com/track/link.asp?name=tS76ts7a&code=5

[Lee]

boy this is making the rounds isn't it...:p

[gmd3d]

sure is :)

[evil_genius_180]

I've actually been expecting this exact move since Microsoft bought Caligari. In case anybody is wondering what this move means, it means this is very likely the final version of trueSpace. Microsoft is probably releasing it to get people hooked and then planning to have the (former) Caligari people make something newer and better under the Microsoft name.

Hi EG180 .... were looking at you..

Dude, it's a nice thought but if I start downloading it now using the resumable downloads add-on in Firefox and log back on every time my dialup ISP dumps me off during the download, I might have it downloaded by Tuesday. (In case anybody is wondering, it's a 130 MB download) That's taking into account times when I'm gone or sleeping and can't log back on when I get dumped off and if I need to use my phone at all during the download.

Of course, even if I do all that, I can't use the damn thing until I get my new PC and I still have a bit of saving to do before that happens. (but I might still download it ahead of time, since it will take a long time to download)

[gmd3d]

Darn .. I remember that .. dial up crap ... and it hogs the phone ...

[evil_genius_180]

Yeah, but do a lot of downloading over night, so I don't have to worry about that. The largest file I've ever downloaded, though, was almost 50 MB. This should be interesting. ;)

[Skelch]

I remember one time Warrior sent me a 20 gig file over dialup took us days. That was a long time ago, in a place far far... no no that's right it was here in this house, but it was a long time ago. :D

This is an awesome find thanks for providing the link!

[evil_genius_180]

Good lord, 20 gigs over dialup?! That's pretty outrageous. This trueSpace file is by far the biggest I've ever downloaded. Thank goodness for the download manager for Firefox, I can pause and resume my download whenever I want (need) to. :)

[shrox]

The icons rather than text turns me off to TrueSpace, and Max too.

[steven3]

I agree somewhat with shrox. Icons instead of text make the program harder to learn, but once you get to know the program it shouldn't be too hard.

[gmd3d]

I have had a look see at it ,, and I agree .. but I never been able to use it well ..
but free is a great price for some one starting out in 3d

[evil_genius_180]

I'm the opposite way. I learned 3D in trueSpace 2, so I get lost in programs like Blender and Wings (I've tried modeling in both) where they have all those text menus instead of trueSpace's buttons. I love the buttons. :D

[gmd3d]

well your TS work is stunning mate .. details and all

[Kai]

"it means this is very likely the final version of trueSpace."

erm no. . they are working on 8.... they've already said they are re-writing the Booleans for 8.... it's all on the Caligari forums ya know?

[gmd3d]

its been a few years since I even looked at TS fourms .. since making the switch to Lightwave .. but still its a great way to get into cgi

[evil_genius_180]

"it means this is very likely the final version of trueSpace."

erm no. . they are working on 8.... they've already said they are re-writing the Booleans for 8.... it's all on the Caligari forums ya know?

OK, I stand corrected. But a lot of times when a large corporation like Microsoft acquires a smaller one like Caligari, that can mean the end of the smaller corporation (because they're absorbed into the larger one) and their product. It's cool that they're working on trueSpace 8, though. I don't go to the Caligari forums at all, so I didn't know that.

[Kai]

well... trueSpace is now M$'s answer to Sketchup you see...

[evil_genius_180]

Ah, gotcha. I guess we can look forward to Microsoft trueSpace from now on. ;)

It's OK by me, because one day even that relatively new trueSpace 7.6 is going to be antiquated and I'd like to stick to the program in which I learned 3D modeling.

[Raymar3d]

"it means this is very likely the final version of trueSpace."

erm no. . they are working on 8.... they've already said they are re-writing the Booleans for 8.... it's all on the Caligari forums ya know?


Usually a free release heralds a 'paid-for' upgrade to get the latest and greatest features.

Still, it's an incredible deal on a package that started for over $3000 on the Amiga platform! :)

I got my copy a few days ago. Pretty sweet.

Ken :)

[gmd3d]

Hey welcome aboard Ken .. :)

Great seen the Demonslayer over here too

[emi_100]

I've have it... but really I preferd the LG

[gmd3d]

I had problems with it too . I'll stick with Lightwave :)

[evil_genius_180]

There's a really comprehensive .pdf user manual that you can download. It includes a quick guide.

[KenWood]

Wow - here we go again. I recall when they put TS 1.0 out for free when they released version 3! Off to grab this. Thanks for posting the info!

[Fretslayer]

I'm also one to use 'icons' more than text. For some reason they work in a more intuitive way with my brain. If I have to 'read' while I'm creating something it seems to pull me from my zone and becomes a distraction. Being somebody who is self taught (plus help from a few good people online) it's important for me to have tools what work around my set of 'art skills' so that I don't have to change my 'art skills' to work within the software.

I don't know of I'm explaining myself very well but I think that if any of you work like I do you probably understand.

I'm going to snag this program just to see what it's like.
Considering what I've read (on this site) so far I expect I'll like the program.

[TurboPascal]

Thanks for the information. Almost missed that.

[KlingonGeneral]

Since I have never really used anything this elaborate before I am totally at a loss in using this program. For a beginner I do not recommend this program. For the Novice and expert level user, it looks like you'll drool but I get frustrated since I do not know how to use it.

I followed the PDF and some of the things in it do not explain where the feature or function it asks you to do next is located. I tried the first lesson and got lost since nothing is clearly labeled as to what it is or where to look...you just have to be familiar with these types of programs to just "know" where things are.

My only true issue is time, it is very time consuming for the beginner so if you have the time then you'll get through it. Now don't misunderstand I am not giving up on this but I am a bit frustrated. :fume:

[gmd3d]

Thanks for this updated post of your experience..


But as I found it difficult to use too been more familiar with Lightwave I gave up on it ..

there is a learning curve with these things .. took me a year to use the modelling feature from lightwave..... and my first model in her in the download area "the Brittania" That took a few months ... and its a easy model now that I look at it ..

so don't give up ..

try rendering a few simple scenes .. Trek or what ever . over a planet .. model making for me came later ..

[evil_genius_180]

Man, I've got to build my new computer so I can run this program. (I love a challenge :D) But I should be ordering components next week and then I'll be able to play. :evil:

One thing I'll say about trueSpace in general is that it took me many years to do much of anything in the program. Part of that was time, I didn't have much when I was in the Army, some of it was due to the somewhat confusing nature of the program. But then I met some people online who know tS and got me going. Plus, it helps that I have more time now to devote to modeling.

For anyone who has the time, I'd suggest trying the Caligari forums more so than the user manual and tutorials. I bet there are some people over there who have mastered tS 7 and can help you. In fact, there are probably people over there who have asked some of the same questions you have about the program. As far as the sci-fi forums, you might be able to find some people who have already made the switch but I'd say you'd have better luck at Caligari.

[UrbanArmitage]

Since I have never really used anything this elaborate before I am totally at a loss in using this program. For a beginner I do not recommend this program. For the Novice and expert level user, it looks like you'll drool but I get frustrated since I do not know how to use it.

I followed the PDF and some of the things in it do not explain where the feature or function it asks you to do next is located. I tried the first lesson and got lost since nothing is clearly labeled as to what it is or where to look...you just have to be familiar with these types of programs to just "know" where things are.

My only true issue is time, it is very time consuming for the beginner so if you have the time then you'll get through it. Now don't misunderstand I am not giving up on this but I am a bit frustrated. :fume:

I started trying trueSpace 7.6 out the other day too and I agree that it can be quite difficult to grasp and frustrating. I must say though that once I figure out the process to do something it actually comes quite naturally. I'm not even close to being any good with it yet but i'm persevering. ;)

I found with the really basic tutorial where you create a rudamentory sci-fi runabout I was battling like crazy to find the tool icons they were referring to and I became very frustrated. Then I realised that I was using Model space instead of Workspace. When I switched over to Workspace I found the tools in no time. To change between the two look at the top left of the screen for 2 tabs labelled Workspace and Model. I hope this helps a bit.

UA

[gmd3d]

perhaps what's called for it a Help Thread for Truespace .. ??

[the3dgm]

Well, I'm a guy who owned tS versions 1.0 through 5.1, before giving up on it.

I downloaded and installed 7.6, to find out it is actually two programs now, and uses a bridge to get between them. Then I found out it lacks the abilities of older versions to import anything but .obj, and the only reason it can do that is because of a plug-in.

After speaking to a bunch of old friends who still use tS, mostly for modeling, I think they should have waited and gave away 8. Too many problems with this version to be much of a selling point.

Just my 2 cents

[evil_genius_180]

I'm not too thrilled with it either. I bought a new(ish) PC and it runs 7.6 but it keeps freezing up on me. Plus, I think someone was on something when they designed the interface. The default layout is complete BS. I switched it to the tS 6 layout just so it would look somewhat normal. I have a new RAM upgrade on the way and, if that doesn't help the freezing, I'll probably dump it and stick with trueSpace 4. (or switch to Blender)

I haven't tried Blender on my new PC but tS 4 flies and isn't completely FUBAR, like tS 7 appears to be.

[the3dgm]

I've got 4 gigs of ram 3.5 usable and it does not stop the freezing. People have told me the freezing has to do with the ram on the video card and the video card being used.

I've already taken it off my machine. Version 8 is suppose to be the old interface replaced with the new one so you don't have to deal with two programs linked together. I'm still trying to find a copy of Lightwave I can afford. :^)

[evil_genius_180]

Well, I have 256MB of dedicated system RAM running to my video card, twice the "recommended" RAM in the system requirements but they don't tell you which kinds of video cards work best with the stupid thing. Given the choice of a buggy program much newer with a FUBAR interface and the 10-year-old program that runs very smoothly on my new PC, I'm sure I'll wind up sticking with the 10-year-old version. I'm still gonna try tS 7.6 after I get my RAM upgrade (should be delivered tomorrow) just to see what it does.

[the3dgm]

The few people who have told me the cards they have are using Nvidia 8600 and 8800 gt's with 512 to 1gig of ram. Also, some of the later or bigger ATI cards again most have at least 512 meg of g-ram.

You sound like me, use what works!

[evil_genius_180]

Yeah, I'm one of those people who doesn't replace something until it doesn't work anymore or an unbeatable deal comes along (and free software is pretty unbeatable.) But not all free software is something better, even newer software. A lot of trueSpace users I've met online feel that tS 4 is the best of the series and, from what I've seen, that's true.

My reconditioned Acer PC I bought has a Nvidia GeForce 6100 n405 built in with 256MB RAM, which is an older chipset. So, thanks for the info. Now I know that the program is just FUBAR, even on a much better graphics adapter than mine, I certainly won't run out to buy a new PCI Express GFX card just to run that stupid program.

[UrbanArmitage]

Does tS rely on the OpenGL capabilities on the graphics sub-system? I know it renders in real-time using DirectX.

I can't say for sure but maybe an update to your video drivers or an OpenGL bug fix would help. Out of the mainstream video card manufacturers nVidia does a pretty decent job with OpenGL so you shouldn't have too many issues with their hardware unless it's one of the cards they no longer develop the drivers for.

One possible problem is that you are using a 'shared memory' graphics device EG. Some software has major issues talking to the graphics subsystem when it shares main system memory. There are some settings in your BIOS that affect the way that main memory is used and addressed. You may have some luck looking at those too.

I have 2 heavily CPU and graphics intensive games that simply refuse to run without random hanging when used with onboard 'shared memory' graphics cards.

Hope this helps. :)

UA

[the3dgm]

I agree, a low level graphics card is better than an onboard chip that takes memory away from your main memory. tS has an icon that allows you to switch between OpenGL and DirectX.

[evil_genius_180]

Yeah, but that only is supposed to affect solid display mode. It still freezes up in wireframe mode. I still say there's something seriously wrong with this program.

[evil_genius_180]

I've come to a startling revelation about tS 7.6 that makes it pretty friggin' useless to anyone who used other versions of the program for years: I don't think it likes Caliagari .cob objects at all. Every time I try to load my tS 4 objects that load very quickly on my new PC in tS 4, tS 7.6 either takes forever to load the object or freezes during the load. Then, if I get the model to load, it freezes while I'm moving around the model in the 3D space. I looked at the folder containing all the freebie objects that came with 7.6 and they're in another format. For some reason, the powers-that-be at Caligari decided to use another format which would be fine, if the old format was 100% supported, which it doesn't seem to be. So, I'm not so sure it has anything to do with video cards or RAM, it just doesn't like all my tS 4 meshes, which makes it pretty useless to me, since I made a lot of meshes with tS4.

[gmd3d]

I'd bin it mate .. ..

what does this mean for the future for TS in general .. ??

[Kai]

I've come to a startling revelation about tS 7.6 that makes it pretty friggin' useless to anyone who used other versions of the program for years: I don't think it likes Caliagari .cob objects at all. Every time I try to load my tS 4 objects that load very quickly on my new PC in tS 4, tS 7.6 either takes forever to load the object or freezes during the load. Then, if I get the model to load, it freezes while I'm moving around the model in the 3D space. I looked at the folder containing all the freebie objects that came with 7.6 and they're in another format. For some reason, the powers-that-be at Caligari decided to use another format which would be fine, if the old format was 100% supported, which it doesn't seem to be. So, I'm not so sure it has anything to do with video cards or RAM, it just doesn't like all my tS 4 meshes, which makes it pretty useless to me, since I made a lot of meshes with tS4.

ok thats strange cos all my 4.3 meshes are loading into 7.6 here with no problems at all....

have you checked for shaders? I did have some issues before I copied my shader folder from 4 to 7...

[evil_genius_180]

Thanks for the idea. I hadn't thought of that. I guess I just assumed that everything would be there, since it's a newer version of the program but I could be wrong. I might have to re-install tS 7.6 and check it out.

[KlingonGeneral]

I started trying trueSpace 7.6 out the other day too and I agree that it can be quite difficult to grasp and frustrating. I must say though that once I figure out the process to do something it actually comes quite naturally. I'm not even close to being any good with it yet but i'm persevering. ;)

I found with the really basic tutorial where you create a rudamentory sci-fi runabout I was battling like crazy to find the tool icons they were referring to and I became very frustrated. Then I realised that I was using Model space instead of Workspace. When I switched over to Workspace I found the tools in no time. To change between the two look at the top left of the screen for 2 tabs labelled Workspace and Model. I hope this helps a bit.

UA

I'll give it a try...thanks!

[Raymar3d]

Even if this version is buggy/confusing, it's good to have the free registered copy, because if they're not closing down development, there's always a chance that patches will come along to fix some items.

I installed it, and opened it up to make sure it works, but haven't had time to play with it much yet. I was hoping to open up some of the fantastic Truespace models found here, then I realized that our Evil_Genius was having troubles with the program, and since he made those models... it does not bode well.

Still, I'll give it a try!

Ken

[evil_genius_180]

An extra gigabyte of RAM really fixed most of the problems I was having. I still like the tools in tS 4 better for modeling but I've been modeling in 4 and then importing everything into 7 and painting and rendering with it because it has better material settings, lights and some better rendering options (though not much has changed there.) So, despite what it says at Caligari, the program will run with only 1GB of RAM but if you want it to run well (especially in Vista) you really need 2GB.

[mcmiller]

All it takes is an extra gig to fix the problems? <sigh> The only new feature that I'm really keen on is the HDRI rendering. But I can't get a handle on those nodes and the program seems so damn bloated and confusing. I can get TS6.6 started on a few frames of an animation before I can get TS7 fully loaded or switch between workspaces.

[evil_genius_180]

Yeah, only an extra gig. ;)

I got lucky, the RAM my PC takes was only about $20 with shipping for 1GB from NewEgg, but I know some people have more expensive RAM than that. I haven't really played around with the HDRI setting at all and I can't take that tS 7 interface, I use the included tS 6 interface (with a few modifications) because it's more like the older versions.

All said and done, I'm not completely warm and fuzzy about the program but you can't beat the price tag. Plus, it has some nice features if you don't mind the fact that it doesn't respond as quickly as the older versions, most of which were designed for Pentium and Pentium II computers running 64 and 128 MB of RAM. (except tS 6, I think it at least requires a Pentium III and 256 RAM)

[Kai]

ah... lets put it this way..

to run ANYTHING well in Vista you need a base of 2GB..... (always take the 'recommended' and double it when it comes to windows...trust me.. this has been true since windows 1)

[evil_genius_180]

trueSpace 4 ran beautifully in Vista with only 1GB of RAM. :lol:

[Kai]

and on the machine I have here running vista, nothing ran on 1GB... it took 5 minutes to boot for example (I timed it!) and thats a 2ghz 64bit AMD turion laptop!

slapped another gig in, and everything started working fine...

[UrbanArmitage]

The thing to bear in mind is that there are various ways in which the performance of any Windows operating system can be enhanced, or for that matter negatively affected. I'm not just talking about processor, memory and hard drive space.

Some examples are disk access speed (Parallel ATA, SATA, SATA II, etc, and seek times on the drive), swap file space available and allocated, swap file set to dynamic or static, optional and unnecessary services enabled or disabled, anti-virus (BIG influence with some anti-virus apps like Symantec), device drivers loading, optimization of operating system performance towards background services or foreground apps, applications running in the background like printer managers etc which appear on the applet bar, and so on. These are just the mor obvious ones. There are many more ways to enhance performance under Windows but they usually require in-depth knowledge of the operating system and fiddling deep under the bonnet.

UA

[Kai]

well to get vista running on the laptop with 1gb I had to : disable aero. disable UAC. Turn off about a dozen services. switch the appearence to basic windows... then we could use it a little..

put in the extra Gig and it's flying now... but hang on.. I lobo'd it back to XP!!!

[evil_genius_180]

and on the machine I have here running vista, nothing ran on 1GB... it took 5 minutes to boot for example (I timed it!) and thats a 2ghz 64bit AMD turion laptop!

slapped another gig in, and everything started working fine...

It also depends on the amount of RAM your display adapter draws. Mine only draws 256 MB dedicated RAM (though it can draw more.) Yours might have 512 MB or higher dedicated. That's something that the company that built your PC should have recognized and added more RAM because Microsoft sent warnings to all the PC manufacturers about the RAM that Vista itself uses.

[Kai]

set to 128. I checked that first... I have been setting up computers for a while.... (started on a BBC Model A in '83 at school, got my own Spectrum 48k+ in 84.... )

[gmd3d]

I have under 1 Gig ..:(

[evil_genius_180]

set to 128. I checked that first... I have been setting up computers for a while.... (started on a BBC Model A in '83 at school, got my own Spectrum 48k+ in 84.... )

OK, then I'm stumped. I have no idea why you couldn't run more stuff in Vista with 1 GB of RAM. It sounds like you'd have a better idea of why it did that than I do anyway. ;) I've only been working with computers since the '90s myself and it's all done on my own, no real training other than some classes in Works and Visual Basic in high school. Learning how to swap out components and completely rebuild computers and how to get the right components for your system is something I learned out of necessity when stuff broke. :blink:

I have under 1 Gig ..:(

Yeah, but you're running XP, right? If you're running XP, 1GB of RAM is plenty. I had XP set up on a computer with 128 MB RAM and it ran just fine.

[gmd3d]

XP quickly starting to falter .. Vista .. I have only heard bad news from it

[evil_genius_180]

With all the patches and updates that are out there (especially SP1) Vista is doing a lot better, IMO. I haven't had the problems that a lot of people had at first with it. The main issue with XP is that it is 7 years old and was never designed for things like multi-core systems. Sure, there are patches for that (which you get with SP3) but, from what I hear, there are still issues. Besides, more and more software and hardware is being designed for Vista. I'm certainly not saying you should switch but, if you need to buy a new PC (and can actually afford one ;)) don't let Vista be the non-selling point. It's a lot better than it used to be, from what I hear.

[gmd3d]

I'll have to wait until finances improve .. bit dicey lately

[evil_genius_180]

I hear that one. I worked extra odd jobs and saved the extra money for a while to have the money for a refurbished computer. Times are tight all over the world right now.

[Kai]

actually XP has been multicore enabled from the start. it just reads each core as a CPU... thats been around since NT 3.51. (NT3.51 > NT 4 > XP) just your software has to be able to use it.....

(XP Pro reads 2 CPU/Cores right out the box. you then need to add licenses for each additional CPU/Core)

[evil_genius_180]

actually XP has been multicore enabled from the start. it just reads each core as a CPU... thats been around since NT 3.51. (NT3.51 > NT 4 > XP) just your software has to be able to use it.....

(XP Pro reads 2 CPU/Cores right out the box. you then need to add licenses for each additional CPU/Core)

Sorry, I misspoke. I didn't mean that you couldn't use a DC in XP, but there are issues with it. They were supposed to be solved and those upgrades are available in SP3 but I never heard if everything all got fixed. 'Cause I was going to build a PC until I realized that you could get a refurb for cheaper and one thing I was researching was the compatibility of XP and DC processors, to decided if I wanted to buy one or stick with SC.

[Kai]

what issues? ... seriously..I've not heard of any.... I'm running a dual core here and it's sweet as a nut with XP Pro... got any links on what the issues are?

[Kai]

oh! you mean the hotfix that M$ released around then SP2 was released? aah now I getcha... never bothered with it.. loaded the AMD Dual core driver and forgot all about it... I think there's an Intel one but never needed it, so never looked...

[evil_genius_180]

That's because the big difference between XP Home and XP Pro is that XP Pro has multi-core processor support, so there were less issues with it than with XP Home (which is what I have on CD.)

It was all on the Microsoft website before they released the SP3 upgrade (it might still be there.) XP (especially XP Home,) had issues with not reading a processor as a DC. It was especially bad with AMD processors, I don't know if there were issues with Intel at all. Apparently, on AMD processors, it wouldn't read both cores, it would only read 1, or it would read the processor as a single core processor running at the speed of the two cores added together, so you didn't get the full benefit of a DC. Microsoft had a patch for this and there was also an optimizer thing you could download from AMD, which I think you needed even if you had the patch. Also, there were issues like some DC computers freezing when they came off of stand-by mode in XP. I'm pretty sure that one was an issue in both versions of XP.

Edit: Yeah, the problem they had the hotfix for. I think that was mostly for XP Home users to fix the problem with it not reading the two cores correctly. You probably didn't need it with Pro.

[UrbanArmitage]

There were known issues with XP Home and multi-core CPU's some time back when multi-cores were still relatively new on the mass market scene. XP Pro didn't have any real issues that I can remember encountering.

XP was built on server core code instead of legacy workstation OS code, which already had multi-core/multi-CPU code built into it. That's why so many games had problems and DirectX was a nightmare around when XP came out. The server code simply never needed to do what was being asked of the workstation OS. They fixed all of that (obviously) but XP Home is a newtered vesion of XP Pro so I think that's where the problems with multi-=core CPU's stemmed from.

I'm running XP Pro 32-bit and 64-bit on a dual boot with 4Gig on a dual-core AMD 6400+ black edition, and even though the current machines wipe the floor with it, it rocks for my purposes. Besides, I got the CPU for a song because Intel are beating AMD hands-down at the moment! ;)

UA

[Kai]

been thinking on this and I think the main problem many have with Vista is the hit and miss factor to it.... when it works, it's great. but there's no guarantees it will work. I've seen ppl with machines that are far better than the minimum have major problems with it, yet someone with a similar machine in all respects have it work perfectly. it's basically a gamble if it will work perfectly for you...

tis one of the reasons (the other is why change when I don't really have a pressing need) I'm still on XP Pro for my workstations.. I know it will work and reliably. (I have Vista Business Upgrade on the shelf - came with my machine as update)

[evil_genius_180]

In that case, I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. I've had a few minor hiccups but, other than that, my copy of Vista Basic seems to be working fine so far. I wonder if the different versions of Vista make a difference, Basic, Premium & Ultimate. I figure it might at least make a difference on the RAM issue, even though they all list the same minimum RAM (which we know is BS anyway.)

[the3dgm]

OK, now here's the real story, sorry I'm kind of a techie and have spent a lot of time working on and fixing machines. Vista Basic is for all intent a pretty version of XP, yeah that's right! Vista Home Premium is the really Vista operating system that includes Aero and the media center functions. Vista Business removes the things like the Media center functions and adds business features like Heavy Encryption, Communications and Networking features. Vista Ultimate is a combining of Vista Home Premium and Vista Business.

Yes, in order to run Vista Home Premium, Business or Ultimate you really need a base of 2 gigs of ram, MicroShaft has admitted this and that they lied in order for manufactures to sell Vista machines.

Fun stuff these computers and operating systems!!!

[evil_genius_180]

That certainly explains a lot. Hmmmm.... now I'm really glad I got Vista Basic on my PC. 'Cause that Aero and media center don't sound that exciting to me (I already have software that pretty much has the same functions as the media center) and I like having an OS that runs on less RAM, even though the RAM for my PC is really cheap. Plus, I like the pretty version of XP. I like being able to change the colors of my 3D objects to any color I want instead of blue, silver and olive. I also like some of the other stuff they've changed.

Thanks for the info. :D

[RedEyes]

Late to the party, but just a note for anyone looking at TS 7.6 as a 'portable app' to take with them. (I love LW, but 64 bit and a dongle pretty much locks it to my desktop) TS7.6 runs great on mojopac and a XP laptop. I'm using it with a WD 320 drive on a Dell M70 2.0ghz single core notebook, very nice.

[gmd3d]

welcome aboard redeyes good to know

[Ryuu]

One more bloody learning curve to go through...:nerv:

...but it's free--I'll go for it :D

[gmd3d]

let us know how you get on with it .. i hope to compile these into an aid for new and old member who want to try other programs

[Ryuu]

Unfortunately, I'm not that familiar with TrueSpace.

What I really need is an app that can manipulate the .obj format better than Carrara does.

When I first got started, I had Poser4 and used Ray Dream Studio 5.5 and early versions of Carrara to help me build my special characters. Carrara's UI wasn't nearly as easy to uses as Poser, but it worked out since I sometimes had problems in RDS with verticies at certain angles to the available cameras.

However, computer crashes forced me to lose RDS completely--XP simply will not let you run it!:mad: I've since learned how to work Carrara's UI, but it can still be frustrating as all hell.

[Fretslayer]

Have you tried Hexagon?

http://www.daz3d.com/i/software/hexagon?_m=d

[the3dgm]

or, maybe Silo?

http://nevercenter.com/

[PeterRama]

Sorry I'm so late in joining...

For free I'm willing to learn something beyond what I've been doing...

I'm running XP on my desktop & Vista on my laptop... No real issues either way...

[the3dgm]

. . .and you will be, umm, yes!