Suggestions for learning

[pmc]

Originally Posted by Lonewolf10

Finally got around to compiling your Livewires demo.

I second StingRay's tsk tsk!

Originally Posted by Lonewolf10

It's pretty cool. Could do with some copper tricks though... plain rotating 3D objects have been done many a time

You say nothing I don't agree with

It's actually quite boring - 3d objects spin around - yawn

It comes down to a couple of things for me really:

1. I'm only a very average coder and it took almost all my effort to get that far with it

2. I'm a very bad designer (see this and other prods )

3. The only thing I'd say in my defense is that I'm never trying to do anything groundbreaking with anything I make. Ever. Why? Well, cos it's not just 3d objects that have been done, it's *all* been done before and better than I could do it. Besides, I like old style OCS / ECS cracktro / intro type stuff the best and that's what I enjoy making.

Originally Posted by Lonewolf10

although even that is still way out of my league at the moment.

See point 1 above. If I can do it, you can too. This isn't false modesty or angling for compliments - I truly believe that if I can make something like this anyone can. It's only the stuff StingRay and Kalms and others I could mention can do that not everyone can or ever could.

[pmc]

Returning to the original subject of this thread, a thought did occur regarding the vector routines as discussed and as coded for the demo:

It would seem to me that the routines I used are sloooow in that they require multiplies and divides on 68000. The way around this would seem to be to go the C64 route and make vector routines that work solely with lookup tables and addition, subtraction and shifting.

Is that what the coders did for the super fast 3d routines used in classic old skool Amiga demos...?

Anyone got any practical advice on approaches to restructuting 3d routines to use no multiplication or division...?

As usual, no code or routines for me please - just ideas and suggestions so I can do the thinking.

[Lonewolf10]

Originally Posted by pmc

It would seem to me that the routines I used are sloooow in that they require multiplies and divides on 68000. The way around this would seem to be to go the C64 route and make vector routines that work solely with lookup tables and addition, subtraction and shifting.

Is that what the coders did for the super fast 3d routines used in classic old skool Amiga demos...?

From what I have seen and heard, alot of 3D routines have 2D images displayed onscreen beforehand. As you may know (or have guessed), these are often to disguise the setting up of the next part of the demo, which may indicate the use of tables... or may simply detract from long waiting times whilst decompression routines run.


Regards,
Lonewolf10

[pmc]

I posted an insert sort routine previously as part of this thread. Through some messing around I've been doing recently I found that it was bugged.

So, if you ever downloaded it you might want to delete that one.

I recoded it today and this one seems to work OK (well, so far I've not found a problem... ) so in case it ever was (or ever will be) any use to anyone...

[Lonewolf10]

Originally Posted by pmc

3. The only thing I'd say in my defense is that I'm never trying to do anything groundbreaking with anything I make. Ever. Why? Well, cos it's not just 3d objects that have been done, it's *all* been done before and better than I could do it. Besides, I like old style OCS / ECS cracktro / intro type stuff the best and that's what I enjoy making.

I agreed with you on this, until now. I have just seen Grind by Dekadence & Accession (from this years Assembly party). Some pretty neat stuff, especially the zooming trick - start with one picture, zoom in and eventually see another picture, zoom in again to get another.

I think we need to think "outside the box" to get new ideas into the demoscene. Probably a hard thing for us to do as we (well, atleast I) have seen well over a hundred demo's.


Regards,
Lonewolf10

[pmc]

Originally Posted by Lonewolf10

start with one picture, zoom in and eventually see another picture, zoom in again to get another.

This isn't a new idea - I've definitely seen it done before in demos. I watch so many that my memory of what effects are in which is all a massive jumble so I can't give a specific example off the top of my head but maybe someone with a better memory can.

Nice demo though - I'm not sure prolific is a big enough word for the sheer volume of quality output that britelite manages to code.

[Lonewolf10]

Originally Posted by pmc

This isn't a new idea - I've definitely seen it done before in demos. I watch so many that my memory of what effects are in which is all a massive jumble so I can't give a specific example off the top of my head but maybe someone with a better memory can.

Nice demo though - I'm not sure prolific is a big enough word for the sheer volume of quality output that britelite manages to code.

I have seen it in TV adverts, and maybe a film or two, but never in a demo. I'll take your word for it, I have probably only seen 1% of all the demo's ever produced.


Regards,
Lonewolf10

[britelite]

Originally Posted by Lonewolf10

I have seen it in TV adverts, and maybe a film or two, but never in a demo. I'll take your word for it, I have probably only seen 1% of all the demo's ever produced.

Well, I can confirm that I got the idea from another demo. Atleast FIT had a similar effect in one of their Atari Falcon demos.

[Lonewolf10]

Originally Posted by britelite

Well, I can confirm that I got the idea from another demo. Atleast FIT had a similar effect in one of their Atari Falcon demos.

Ok, so pmc was right.


Regards,
Lonewolf10