Version 2.1 of the Zortech C++ Development System for MS-DOS and OS/2 should be available this month from Zortech. Version 2.1 includes improvements in compilation speed, optimization, and generated code quality.
Zortech claims that with this version they have overcome the DOS memory limitations by combining their Virtual Code Management (VCM) technology with the DOS extender technology of Rational Systems. VCM allows MS-DOS applications to contain up to 4 Mbytes of code and still run in real mode. The VCM system requires changes only to assembly language code.
Applications with large and complex class hierarchies can now be compiled on PCs with 80286/386 or 486 processors. You can also use the compiler to develop applications using the Rational Systems DOS extender. They've used the same technology in the debugger -- it relocates itself into extended memory, allowing large programs to be debugged. A virtual 8086 debugger for 386-based systems is provided, and requires little conventional memory.
Zortech is also developing versions of the C++ Developers Edition for Xenix and Unix 386. The 32-bit compiler will be compatible with the Phar Lap 386/ DOS Extender.
Contact Zortech for pricing information on C++ 2.1. Reader service no. 34.
Zortech Inc. 4C Gill St. Woburn, MA 01801 617-646-6703 800-848-8408
Graphics programmers who manage megabyte-hungry images can turn to the ECOMP software module from EFI (Electronics for Imaging) for help. With ECOMP, details and colors in different image areas undergo different levels of compression by using algorithms that analyze spatial frequencies; the compression algorithm selectively preserves coefficients and approximates or drops others. Images are then reconstructed from these coefficients, but changes from the originals are those the eye is least likely to detect. The level of filtering is controlled by user-specified quality factors.
In high-quality electronic publishing, typical images can undergo a compression ratio of 20:1 without noticeable difference in image quality. The software is supplied in C source code and is operational on Mac IIs with Symantec's Think C, on IBM PC/ATs and compatibles with Borland's Turbo C, and on Sun Microsystems Sun/4 with the Sun C compiler. Compression speed averages 5 to 20 Kbytes of image data per second, depending on computer architecture. The package includes programs in TIFF file format, which are portable to other file formats such as TARGA and PICT2. EFI provides the product as C source code, so you can integrate it with other programs and as part of a developed system. Contact EFI for licensing information. Reader service no. 20.
EFI 950 Elm Ave. San Bruno, CA 94066 415-742-3400
New from Borland comes Turbo C++, a full implementation of AT&T's C++ 2.0. Turbo C++ includes a standalone compiler and a compiler within Borland's new user interface, Programmer's Platform. Turbo C++ includes mouse support, multiple overlapping windows, a multifile editor, an intelligent project manager, an integrated debugger, and transfer capability for accessing other programs.
Also included is VROOMM, the virtual run-time object-oriented memory manager that lets you overlay your code without complexity; acommand-line compiler, linker, and tools; online hypertext help with copy and paste examples; and libraries such as heap-checking functions and a set of complex and BCD math functions. All this comes in the Turbo C++ package for $199. If you order Turbo C++ Professional you also get Turbo Debugger 2.0, Turbo Assembler 2.0, and Turbo Profiler 1.0 for $299. Reader service no. 22.
Borland International 1800 Green Hills Rd. P.O. Box 660001 Scotts Valley, CA 95066 408-439-1619
If you want 8514/A compatibility, you can save lots of money by purchasing the RIXAI video driver from RIX Softworks. The RIXAI video driver is a software-based 8514/A emulator that is compatible with any extended VGA board. This product accounts not only for the 8514/A video board and compatible display, but also for the 8514/A driver, the HDILOAD Adapter Interface (AI).
Because hardware specs were unavailable from IBM, RIX had to program through the HDILOAD driver and create an AI for extended VGA boards that would appear as a hardware implementation of the 8514/A Adapter Interface.
RIXAI will benefit application developers and board manufacturers by reducing the software development efforts required for extended VGA boards. If the user's display is 8514/A-compatible, all software that supports the 8514/A adapter interface will get immediate access to all of the VGA boards supported by RIXAI. RIXAI does not support scissors or plane-enable functions due to the high memory and performance overhead associated with these functions. In 16-color mode, the emulator does not support color mixing.
The RIXAI video driver has been successfully tested with all the major "non-Windows" applications that offer 8514/ A support. All standard 8514/A display resolutions (640 x 480 and 1024 x 768 with 256 colors, and 1024 x 768 in 16 colors) are provided by RIXAI. The RIXAI video driver is available free to ClubRIX extended support members (714-476-0728). Otherwise the cost is $100. Doc Livingston told DDJ that "this is more than $1,000 less than the cost of an 8514/A video board." Reader service no. 40.
RIX Softworks 18552 MacArthur Blvd., Ste. 200 Irvine, CA 927715 714-476-8266
Other Mac news: Pixar has announced MacRenderMan, the Mac version of PhotoRealistic RenderMan. Pixar intends for RenderMan to be the standard for 3-D scene description. MacRenderMan accepts data in the RIB (RenderMan interface byte stream) file format from Mac-based 3-D design applications. Applications spool RIB files into a MacRenderMan folder and MultiFinder processes them in the background, similar to the printing process. Rendered images are then output to a color display or a file. MacRenderMan can output images in PICT, EPS, and TIFF file formats; these images can then be used by Mac-based 3-D design and multimedia applications.
DDJ spoke with Sean McKenna of Paracomp, which produces 3-D modeling packages for presentations, product design, and graphic arts. About MacRenderMan, he said "our company is real excited. This is a completely new category for the Mac -- nothing like this was available before. It lets our objects and models look more realistic than ever. Whereas before we needed a large machine to produce images of this quality, we can now do them on the desktop, though they still take a long time."
Mac application developers can either embed MacRenderMan in their software or offer a shrink-wrapped version with the product. MacRenderMan includes a RenderMonitor for managing jobs in a background queue, an application for viewing images on a color Mac and for managing the display and conversion of TIFF or PICT files, picture-making software for generating rendered 3-D images, ShaderApp for compiling and managing shaders written in the RenderMan shading language, and a sample library of RIB files, shaders, and texture maps. You'll need a Mac SE 30. II, IIx, or IIci running System 6.0.3 or later with MultiFinder and 32-bit QuickDraw, 8- or 24-bit color display, 4 Mbytes of disk storage, and at least 4 Mbytes of memory. Reader service no. 28.
Pixar 3240 Kerner Blvd. San Rafael, CA 94901 415-258-8100
Grasp, the animation language and paint program for IBM PCs and compatibles, is now multimedia. Paul Mace Software's new version offers CD sound control and special animation effects. Other enhancements include direct memory management, file handling capabilities, math and string operators, and differential animation techniques.
Steve Grumette, of Artificial Intelligence Research Group, is a big Grasp fan. He does computer effects for the film industry, and told DDJ that he uses Grasp to generate effects for the television show Alien Nation. A programmer who is also a graphics artist, Grumette likes the "easy-to-code animation techniques and the ability to do real-time animation. You can create a picture with a paint program and manipulate it with the Grasp language. One of the improvements in this new package is the addition of variables in the program." These give Grasp the computational power of languages such as C and Pascal.
Grasp supports the following systems: IBM compatible XT/AT/PS2 with hard drive (640K RAM suggested); CGA, EGA, VGA, Hercules, and other display cards up to 1024 x 768; PC Paintbrush, Gem IMG, CompuServe GIF, Basic BSAVE image formats, Video capture/ overlay boards, printers, CD-ROM drives, and more. It retails for $199. Reader service no. 29.
Paul Mace Software 400 Williamson Way Ashland, OR 97520 503-488-2322
Version 5 of the TIFF Development Library for PCs is now available from Image Software. This new version includes full support for reading and writing images in the TIFF Level 5 format and also reads images stored in Level 4 format. Level 5 support includes several compression schemes, such as LZW, Packbits, CCITT Group 3, bilevel, and gray scale, and supports all TIFF classes. The Library is compatible with Microsoft Windows or DOS applications, and was developed in Microsoft C.
The Development Library contains a dump utility for analyzing TIFF files and for debugging applications that import images from other programs. Version 5 comes with two sample programs for demonstration. It sells for $95. Reader service no. 31.
Image Software P.O. Box 1634 Danville, CA 94526 415-838-4244