RE: Re: Introducing: Conix 3D Explorer!
- To: mathgroup@smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg11577] RE: [mg11540] Re: Introducing: Conix 3D Explorer!
- From: "Barthelet, Luc" <lucb@ea.com>
- Date: Tue, 17 Mar 1998 10:42:58 -0500
I am fine with requiring supplemental $ for extra features. So I would pay more to get Conix Explorer integrated in the front end. But here is a performance issue: Currently formatting and transferring information from the kernel to Conix Explorer or any other mathlink program for that matter is fundamentally slow. If WRI integrates well Conix explorer in Mathematica in the future we will get a tremendous performance improvement in rendering 3D graphics and manipulating them. Also, the Graphics features in Mathematica are fine for the way they are being rendered in the front end, but do not have the consistency of the rest of the product. They were never challenged before, now they need an overall. FullOptions for example is really deficient for 3D objects compared to 2D objects. Graphics3D primitive do not support texture mapping, smoothing, anti-aliasing.... As Mathematica is used as more than a math tool, but as a "fully integrated technical computing system" it is time to catch up on 3D graphics and animations. So congratulation to WRI for enabling tools like Conix Explorer. Now let's get to the next level and provide the power we can get from a well integrated tool. Thanks, Luc Barthelet General Manager Maxis "Where SimCity is built." -----Original Message----- From: weber@math.uni-bonn.de [SMTP:weber@math.uni-bonn.de] To: mathgroup@smc.vnet.net Sent: Saturday, March 14, 1998 10:56 AM To: mathgroup@smc.vnet.net Subject: [mg11540] Re: Introducing: Conix 3D Explorer! In article <6eacvd$o2e$9@dragonfly.wolfram.com>, SChandler <SChandler@uh.edu> wrote: > I have been using this product for about a week and agree completely. > This is > a terrific add on for Mathematica. It has so far proved quite reliable > on my NT platform and the documentation is excellent. The program has a > Mathematica flavor -- it is not just some port from existing graphics code. Conix > has answered my tech support questions promptly and fully. I agree with > Mr. Barthelet that Wolfram should investigate integrating the > capabilities of this program into its front end, although there may > be some virtue in having pluralist graphics models that suit differing needs. > > I can only agree concerning the quality of the GLExplorer. I have $DisplayFunction=GLShow in my init file which allows me to run a much smaller front end now, because the explorer renders with less memory (and faster). The graphics are more flexible, and interactive. Enough of praise. However, I do not agree that Wolfram should integrate the explorer into Mathematica. This would make Mathematica (3.5? 4.0?) way more expensive again (at least if Conix charges them the right price). There are certainly many people who would say 'who cares?', but there are also other people. Our department had not enough money to buy all the nice math software available, so we decided to buy only a small number of Mathematica licenses -- not enough to use it in classes. Selling a product and counting on that there are enough people who just have to buy it is very similar to the pricing philosophy of scientific journals. But (not only) Wolfram should be aware of the fact that a lot of input for mathmatical improvements comes from academia (which has a relatively low budget). It would be very helpful for us if Mathematica came as a robust kernel & front end with many 'enhancements' which one could buy when needed. It is certainly true that one of Mathematica's advantages lies in the fact that it combines all it abilities into one huge environment. But, for instance, I am not using the statistical functions or the sound capabilities. So there could be a very small (cheap) version of which one could buy lots of licenses, and smaller number of licenses for the add-ons. It would also help to develop Mathematica more safely. The current version has so many bugs that I sometimes have to switch back to Mathematica 2.2 to get the correct result. I would really like to have the old Integrate funtion somewhere in Mathematica 3.0 as "Integrate2", just to be on the save side. So please, keep Mathematica small and reliable and don't charge the user for too fancy and buggy features. Matthias Weber