From: tytgat@rilke.esat.kuleuven.ac.be (John Tytgat)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: CC
Date: 5 Nov 92 12:55:26 GMT
Organization: K.U.Leuven, Belgium

Subject: Re: CC
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Distribution: 

kortink@cs.utwente.nl (John Kortink) writes on behalf of Leslie Currell :

> [ShowPage fix for RISC OS 3 deleted] 
> 
> Finally, a couple of further gripes concerning Computer Concepts. Despite
> what the realease notes for RiscOS 3.1 imply, you *can't* use some of the
> 'special' features such as rotated text/sprites with Laser Direct (driver
> version 2.05). Nor are the Resource fonts usable even with the 'text only'
> option toggled off. Even more strange how Impression (2.17) complains that
> the driver is for RiscOS 2

Impression is just right when he complains that the driver is for RISC OS 2.
In fact, this complain is just been given to inform you that you can't use,
as you already mentioned, the 'special' features like rotated text & sprites.
 
> The second gripe concerns Artworks. At Cebit this year, CC's Gordon Taylor
> demonstrated an "almost ready" version of said program placing particular
> emphasis on its' ability to edit text within moulds or text on a path. In
> fact I saw him do it! Now I have the program I find these, and other
> features missing. So what's happened I ask? Do we have a cut down 'junior'
> version with the prospect of a professional version appearing later, or have
> they rushed it out onto an unsuspecting public just to capitalise on glowing
> test reports of 'early' versions in the Acorn press.

I know that the text edit facilities in ArtWorks have been changed several
times during its development.  Don't ask me why, I do not know it either.
But it *is* possible to edit text within moulds and certainly text on a
path :

The tric is to temporary store the mould and reset it to plain text.  Then
you can edit it (the text does not to be horizontal.  You can edit text
which is placed under an angle).  Afterwards you just imply the mould form
and that's it.  I know it's not that straight forward (I would love to edit
text directly in its mould form...) but did you RTFM ???
 
> I remember seeing a
> preview at last years BAU show which indicates an extremely long gestation
> period, so why haven't they got it right yet? Btw, don't throw away
> !EPS>Draw as many of the larger EPS files (eg. Locomotive from Corel Draw)
> will not save from Artworks to Draw format, issuing instead the wonderfully
> helpful error message "!".

Were you using *original* EPS files in your experiment ??? The 'EPS' files
supplied with the !EPS>Draw application are in fact *not* real EPS files
(header missing etc.)... Also, in the case you were using real EPS Corel
Draw files, are you sure they came from a version which is understood by
ArtWorks ???

> The new Graphics card from CC also has some problems. These were denied at
> the BAU show, but a collegue who recently had one to test found that it
> wouldn't work at all in his A540 (totally blank screen effect). Subsequent
> testing in a A5000 showed the card to be fundamentally in order albeit slow
> in comparison with the other candidate from State Machine (also tested). I
> should in fairness state that the latter also has a few shortcomings,
> especially with respect to some non-M/S modes, not all of which are fully
> emulated yet.

This surprises me a bit.  I *thought* I saw CC's graphics card in an A540
at the BAU show... And about the speed : I presume you compared the 2 cards
in the same modes (vertical & horizontal resolutions) and in the same machine.
Normally CC's graphics cart has to be *faster* because they allow a lower
update frequency (12 Hz) of their VRAM than SM does, resulting in less DMA.
Don't confuse the 'update frequency' with the 'speed of the graphics card'
which is actually the speed of your machine.  The lower update frequency has
the disadvantage that their card is unusable for animations.

John
tytgat@esat.kuleuven.ac.be (do not thrust my e-mail address in the header)
BASS