Hi silba - I'd advise you to wait until v3 is finished. When it is finished then I will be making a trial version for it and that trial version will be available for anybody to download without any purchase to test with.

Beta versions are different than trials - my policy for beta versions so far has been that it is available for previous owners to download during the beta period. That's because otherwise if every single beta release was just totally open for anyone to download that would mean that there would always be a free version available to use.

That there happens to be an OSX version that you are unable to try out without already owning a license is just a temporary situation - once the final v3 is released then there will be a trial version available for people to test with before purchasing.

So if you don't want to purchase any license you will still be able to try it, you'll just need to wait until it is out of beta. That will probably be sometime late next year.

- Michael

Hi silba, also re:

> I have been testing out Rhino on the mac for the last two
> years without buying the windows version of it.

The Rhino mac version is a pretty different situation than the MoI one.

Basically the Rhino Windows version generally follows 1990s era standard Windows-PC interface conventions. Or in some areas like with the command-line handling maybe even more like 1980s era. That would end up being pretty weird if it was just brought over directly to the Mac. So instead they basically started over and have been trying different UI concepts for their Mac version and also started out at a much more primitive level initially. They still have quite a ways to go I guess even now.

When doing something from scratch like that it does make a lot of sense to have a wide and totally open beta test since you will need to get a whole lot of feedback to guide something that is in the process of growing and not really close to fully formed.

The MoI Mac beta is totally unlike that - instead of being in a "start from zero" state, it has the full functionality and interface of the regular Win MoI.

Having the same UI on both Win and Mac is much more feasible for MoI than it would have been for Rhino because the Win MoI version did not particularly follow many standard Windows conventions and even had a semi-mac-like more modern design feel to it. So that exact same UI with possibly a few small tweaks here and there but largely intact is not so weird on the Mac, or possibly you might say it's equally as weird on both Windows and the Mac I suppose.

At any rate, it's a much different situation and the MoI OSX version basically pops into existence much more fully formed and equal in functionality to the PC version and not needing such a long incubation period as a "start from scratch" type approach requires.

- Michael

Hi Michael!

As the OSX-version is generating quite a buzz in the 3D domain, couldn't you provide a non-save-beta for "unilluminated" Apple-ians to sneak a peek on MOIs toolkit?

Best of wishes,
Marco

Just to chime in here. As a long time C4D users who have battled with Solidthinking for most nurbs modeling we've been looking for a way to dump this overpriced and unstable beast of a program. We have not upgraded from Solidthinking Vantage due to sky high prices and the fact the modeler component is all we need. So we are still on the look out for a dedicated nurbs modeler.

That was going to be Rhino OSX, but now....

We've heard a great number of people recommend MoI and would very much like to try it out. Going by the current $295 price point (should testing prove as satisfactory) we would have no reservation in making an immediate purchase of the OSX version of this app.

It would be very much appreciated if we could test with a view to purchase.

Hi Marco,

> As the OSX-version is generating quite a buzz in the 3D domain,
> couldn't you provide a non-save-beta for "unilluminated"
> Apple-ians to sneak a peek on MOIs toolkit?

That's a good idea - the only problem is that will probably be viewed by many as more of a trial version than as a beta release and so I'd really want to finish up a few more things first before releasing a totally public version like that. So maybe in another month or so.

- Michael

Hi deepshade - please keep in mind that I've only just released the very first prototype version of the OSX version of MoI v3.

It's not ready to purchase yet - it will be going through a beta release process first.

I won't actually have a finished OSX version that's actually ready to be purchased as a regular release until sometime probably late next year.

So you're jumping the gun a bit - MoI v3 is not yet for sale.

But from what you are describing about wanting a dedicated NURBS modeler that can work well with Cinema4D - MoI is a really good fit with that goal and actually has particularly good export into Cinema4D as well.

So I think it's a good idea to have it on your radar for when the OSX version is completed and ready for purchase.


But you know what, maybe I will re-evaluate my plans and instead of waiting until the full v3 release is complete maybe I can do something like release a version 2.5 just for OSX within the next couple of months rather than waiting until the full v3 release to have an OSX version. That could work, I'll think about that some.

- Michael

No issues so far. My MoI.app behaves, is a joy to use and runs stable.

I've setup my shortcut keys now and without functioning copy and paste it was quite some typing, especially all the script commands*. Therefore I don't want to do that again when the next beta comes out. I figured out how to access the moi.ini file using a right-click on the app icon and copied it to be able to put it back into any new versions. Is this the correct way to save shortcuts or is there a simpler way?


*Today I learned that editing the moi.ini file and adding shortcuts there would have been easier.

Hi Michael

Thanks for the feedback.

Appreciate its all early days. If there is any opportunity to be involved in a public beta - please let us know.

The same applies if you decide on a 2.5 OSX release.

At some point the machine running Solidthinking (G5 PPC) will be retired and we will need a Nurbs modeler to run on SnowLeopard and Lion - MoI will be our first port of call for a purchase.

And yes, in the mean time, I'll try to keep an eye on developments.

Best wishes

Paul

WOW WOW thank you and for now after some test is work very nice. i love moi ;)

Hi Martin,

"""""""" access the moi.ini file using a right-click on the app icon and copied it to be able to put it back into any new versions. """""""""""

I follow the betas with a customized setup... For me, I wouldnt do a direct copy of the moi.ini from one to the other, because the moi.ini can change also.. I use a diff program to add my old ini changes to the new one... If you dont have access to a good diff program, I would suggest having a text file with all your shortcuts only, then just copying those into the shortcuts area of the ini.. It's pretty quick. FYI

Why not just buy V2? Then you can use the beta V3 for OSX. Michael's betas are pretty sound anyway. I've not used V2 since the V3 beta came out. When V3 does come out, just upgrade.

>I would suggest having a text file with all your shortcuts only

Thanks for the warning, I'll do it your way.

Hi Martin,

> No issues so far. My MoI.app behaves, is a joy to use and
> runs stable.

That's really great news!

I don't think it should really take very much work to get some of the remaining rough edges smoothed out.

re: moi.ini - yes for the next beta you will want to copy over your moi.ini to where the new beta will be able to see it so you won't have to re-enter all that stuff.

I will probably be changing where the OSX version gets its moi.ini file from to have it in one central location so that it can be used by every new beta that comes out without having to copy it into each one separately, but you will have to do that just this one next time.

It looks like I will probably put it here:
~/Library/Application Support/Moi/moi.ini

So what will happen is that when the next beta is initially launched it will create a default moi.ini file in ~/Library/Application Support/Moi/moi.ini if there is not one there already and then you can replace it with the one with all your settings in it from this current beta (which is stored in the path you show above there contained inside the .app itself currently) and that should be fine.


I'll also put the license key files there so that you won't have to re-enter your license keys on every new beta installation either, but that will also happen just one more time for the next beta as well.

That's just another one of those rough edges that should only need a minor tweak to fix up.

- Michael

>It looks like I will probably put it here: ~/Library/Application Support/Moi/moi.ini
Great.

>.. (which is stored in the path you show above there contained inside the .app itself currently)
I just discovered that the "open package" procedure I described is not needed to edit the ini file. You provide an easy way to edit the ini file from inside MoIs options which works well. Especially because I'm forced to close MoI before I do this. The ini file opens in Windows Notepad program supplied by Wine.

Hi Paul, so I think a 2.5 OSX-specific release will make sense.

The way that will work is that I will take the current v3 beta and polish it up to get it into a release-ready state (which it's actually not too far off from which is why this new plan is feasible in the first place), and then peel that off as a 2.5 OSX version which will be available for purchase as a regular non-expiring release version, which will be the same price as the current v2 version which is $295 USD.

The 2.5 OSX version will be available for free to existing v2 owners and it will provide an entry point to purchase for new users who have been waiting until there is an OSX version before getting into MoI.

That should make it possible for me to have an OSX version in a much sooner time frame than my original plan of waiting until the full v3 development cycle to be complete.

It's still difficult for me to give an exact timetable but something like end of January as a release target seems like a good guess. Usually my guesses are pretty wrong though...

I will put together some kind of publicly available pre-release trial version at some point before that, maybe something like 1 more month from now for that part.

- Michael

Hi Martin,

> Especially because I'm forced to close MoI before I do this.
> The ini file opens in Windows Notepad program supplied
> by Wine.

Yup, but although that works ok, it's kind of weird and I think it should probably be pretty easy for me to get it to open up with the OSX TextEdit.app instead of Wine Notepad.

I'll see about making that tune up along with the update to have the moi.ini file located in ~/Library/Application Support/Moi .

- Michael

Great move!! Last night i told a friend MoI was making its way into the mac and today he told me he bought it and another friend is really close to buy it too!! I think MoI will be very very popular between mac users cause there is no good solution for Nurbs modeling in this platform. btw I'm very exited for this release too!!

The mood is changing around my house too!!!

You should really get some sleep Burr you look terrible........and that hat doesn't suit you at all ;)

Cheers

Not the first time I've been referred to as "StoneFace!" :o RAPANUI!