CB> On (22 Mar 95) J. Moore wrote to Chris Baugh...
 JM> The Windows NT/Win32 version of Lightwave isn't officially
 JM> released yet (and as usual the release date has been pushed back
 JM> again) but it makes for a powerful incentive for Lightwave users
 JM> to get even a Pentium (much faster than an A4000 040 for
 JM> rendering), and those Dec Alphas really fly.
CB> So were you saying that there has not yet been a release of Lightwave
CB> for x86 based machines, but there has been a release for Alpha?
No, I must have been unclear.  The Windows NT/Win32 stuff is (as I
understand it) for anything running those OSes, including x86 stuff and
Alphas and the like.  (There's also an SGI version coming, but that's
apparently running even later.)
CB> Manuel's original comment said he currently owned a Toaster and was
CB> "considering switching to a Dec Alpha system."  I thought by "switch"
CB> he meant completely getting rid of his current system, and replacing
CB> it entirely with an Alpha based system.  I meant to point out that
CB> as far as I knew, Newtek's only current products that don't require an
CB> Amiga are the standalone version of Lightwave and the Screamernet
CB> rendering package for Lightwave -- that if he were to sell or trade in
CB> his Toaster, he'd lose its other features (switcher, CG, paint, frame
CB> buffers, etc.).
Those are fine, but if your concern is Lightwave, it's gonna be pretty
much a neccessity to go with at least a fast Pentium, as the speed
increase is considerable.  And the Alphas are something like 20x the
speed of an A4000 (at present), and getting faster of course.  Speed
like that is a lot more important to a Lightwave artist (or just plain
LW user;-) than the niceties of the Amiga and its OS.  (And there are a
lot of people for whom the Toaster [for all its good features] was 
essentially a $1000 dongle.)
CB> But you're right that I haven't kept up to date in the past few
CB> months.  I haven't had an opportunity lately to browse the relevant
CB> publications, so I appreciate your update.
All this was "due" out last December, and it's continually slipping, but
many (if not most) folks (like the folks at the TV shows using LW) have 
made the switch already, using the beta Windows LW.  (ScreamerNet then
becomes, I would suppose, more something for service bureaus, or maybe
just fades away.  I don't know if they would use it in conjunction with
the faster machines.)
Jim Moore (j#d#.moore@canrem.com)
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