I understand, thank you very much for the explanation. I've read InsideRhino3 - so I've been exposed to the definitions - but of course it only sinks in bit by bit:) Practically, in my work and teaching, the only reason I EVER use 'handlebars' or draw bezier curves in Rhino is because that is the drawing methodology in Illustrator - which I think it a really important tool for artists to know something about. So it's really just so they can relate from one app to another. But I can explain the difference when we get there...

PS - I found a way to run MOI in Parallels, see attached.

http://www.transgaming.com/index.php?module=ContentExpress&file=index&func=display&ceid=8

So it looks like Parallels needs to either license this tech, allow users to buy it (instead of only allowing the demo with their dumb logo), or build one of their own.

Anyway, thanks!

PS - it runs, but not super well. There are screen redraw and picking differences and weird artifacts. But it does work, so I guess we know it's possible:)

_PHIL

> PS - I found a way to run MOI in Parallels, see attached.

That's cool! But also kind of frustrating since they don't appear to offer it for individual sale. It looks like it is intended to be licensed for distribution with an existing product only?

Re: Bezier handles - yeah certainly it is the standard way for 2D illustration programs so definitely your students will benefit from knowing it, no doubt about that.

I guess that there are probably a lot of circumstances where the problems I mention above are not very pronounced - if you don't intend to make super-shiny things it is less of an issue. So it's not exactly that it has to be avoided at all costs...

But basically NURBS was invented precisely to solve this problem - so that you could have a longer curve made out of multiple points that didn't have this type of "curvature seam" at juncture points.

- Michael

> PS - it runs, but not super well. There are screen redraw and picking
> differences and weird artifacts. But it does work, so I guess we know
> it's possible:)

Sounds like Boot Camp is still the way to go for now at least.

Someday I would like to have a Mac version of MoI... But it will take quite a huge amount of work to do a proper Mac version. The amount of work kind of boggles the mind a bit, so that is quite a long ways off.

I was just thinking right now that a more practical solution would be to target running well under Parallels instead of fully Mac native. This would involve porting just the graphics portion to run with OpenGL instead of DirectX. Still quite a bit of work, but quite significantly less than a full port.

Although it looks like this may come with the next version of Parallels automatically - this blog post here:
http://parallelsvirtualization.blogspot.com/2006/08/wwdc-wrap-up-part-2-vmware-is-in.html mentions that they are working on DirectX 3D graphics hardware support for Parallels for the next release...

- Michael

>Re: Bezier handles - yeah certainly it is the standard way for 2D illustration programs so definitely your students will benefit from knowing it, no doubt about that.

>I guess that there are probably a lot of circumstances where the problems I mention above are not very pronounced - if you don't intend to make super-shiny things it is less of an >issue. So it's not exactly that it has to be avoided at all costs...

>But basically NURBS was invented precisely to solve this problem - so that you could have a longer curve made out of multiple points that didn't have this type of "curvature seam" at >juncture points.

Or, I suppose, if a rendering is not the ultimate destination. Though I personally would want my 3D prints, for instance, to be as smooth as is possible, so...

It is interesting that there is such a difference though - I naively always think about vector drawing as vector drawing - mainly as it compares to raster drawing. But I suppose that there are different qualities/types of mathematically based lines (in addition to the corresponding tools and techniques to make them) is something I should be appreciating more than I have been.

Thanks!

_PHIL

re: Mac version of MOI

I am really hoping that the Mac is soon coming to a point that it will be able to fairly simply run anything. It's certainly pretty close right now compared to a year ago.

We (the school where I teach) are moving to ALL Mac laptops in the Fall, getting rid of all of our lab computers. Even the programs (like Metals/Jewelry Design) that are currently Win-based. All the Faculty just got new MacBooks and MacBookPros. So this is a burning issue to all of us right now. But one that I am really confident will work itself out. I think there is a chance that some of us will just change to Mac based software, but it will take at least a year or two of working in BootCamp while everyone adjusts. And it really depends on where Mac virtualization goes.

Excellent. I finally booted into BootCamp for the first time in over a month I think (I am almost all Parallels at this point) to work in MOI last night, of course it runs great. So that'll do for us, esp since we will not be giving up Rhino until things like TechGems and Flamingo exist for MOI:) But we will certainly use it in any way we can as long as we can afford to when you release it!

_PHIL

Look this thread about the french Pierre Bezier :)
http://moi3d.com/forum/messages.php?webtag=MOI&msg=227.4&search_string=pierre%20bezier

> But we will certainly use it in any way we can as long
> as we can afford to when you release it!

I think that I'll be doing a special program for schools, so I don't think that this will be a problem for you.

- Michael

I assumed so, thanks!

_PHIL