- Is there a tutorial on how to reduce a 3d object with Action3D Reducer ?
- What are the other polygon reduction tools we can find out there ?
- Where can I find more information on the polygon reduction method used ?
- On which operating systems can I use Action3D Reducer ?
- What version of Microsoft DirectX must I have ?
- Where can I get the latest version of DirectX ?
- What file format can Action Reducer read and write ?
- Why do I need an activation key ?
- How can I activate my installation ?
- How did you make the pictures of the reduced models on this web site ?
- When I start Action3D Reducer a dialog is telling me that it is unable to locate the DLL d3d8.dll ?
- When I start Action3D Reducer I have a message telling me that the Crypto API test failed ?
- When I start Action3D Reducer a dialog box tells me that a null reference device is selected ?
Is there a tutorial on how to reduce a 3d object with Action3D Reducer ?
Yes there is a polygon reduction tutorial on this web site. To follow this tutorial, it is better to have the complete or demo version of Action3D Reducer installed on your machine. You can download either version. If this is the first time you are using Action3D Reducer, you should follow this tutorial. Action3D Reducer is pretty straightforward to use, but there are some powerful features explained in this tutorial you should be aware of.
What are the other polygon reduction tools we can find out there ?
There are not many good and affordable polygon reduction tools, and this is the reason why we decided to create Action3D Reducer. Our two main competitors are Vizup technology with their Vizup product, and Systems in motion with their Rational Reducer product. You can find other polygon reducer listed in the products page of the resources supporting the book Level of Detail for 3D Graphics by D. Luebke, M. Reddy, J. Cohen, A. Varshney, B. Watson, and R. Huebner; published by Morgan Kaufmann as part of their series in Computer Graphics and Geometric Modeling.
Where can I find more information on the polygon reduction method used ?
The progressive meshes used in Action3D Reducer are based on the work of Hugues Hoppe. You can find interesting papers on his site at Microsoft Research.
On which operating systems can I use Action3D Reducer ?
Under Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows 2000, and Windows XP.
What version of Microsoft DirectX must I have ?
Action3D Reducer version 1.1 was developed using Microsoft DirectX 8.1b SDK. Therefore you must have DirectX8.1b runtime or a later version installed on your computer.
Where can I get the latest version of DirectX ?
Click here to go on the Microsoft DirectX download site. Although Action3D Reducer 1.1 was developped using DirectX 8.1b SDK, you should install the latest version of the DirectX runtime.
What file format can Action Reducer read and write ?
Action Reducer can read and write both .3ds and .x files. In fact, although it is not its intended use, you can convert a .x file into a .3ds file and the other way around.
Why do I need an activation key ?
This is the approach we have adopted to protect ourselves against piracy. You can freely download the full version of our product but you need a key to activate an installation of Action3D Reducer in a specific folder on a specific hard disk . When you buy a license, you can install Action3D Reducer as many time as you want in three different folders. The folders can be on the same or different machines. Therefore, you can install it at home, in your office, and you can even give a copy of the software to a friend. If you want to activate additional installations, you must buy a new license.
How can I activate my installation ?
The first time you start a new installation of Action3D Reducer, you will be requested to enter your license key we sent you by e-mail, and then you can click on a button to send an activation request. You will receive promptly an activation file that you must store in the license folder of the Action3D Installation you want to activate.
How did you make the pictures of the reduced models on this web site ?
We have used Paintshop Pro to take snapshot of the reduced models in Action3D Reducer. Then we have reduced the number of colors on the snapshots down to 256 colors before publishing them on this web site.
When I start Action3D Reducer a dialog is telling me that it is unable to locate the DLL d3d8.dll ?
This is because you have not installed DirectX on your machine. Action3D Reducer is using Microsoft DirectX 8 technology. DirectX 8 is already installed on Windows XP. If you have Windows 98, Me, or 2000, you must install DirectX 8.1b runtime or later. You can download the latest version of the DirectX runtime from the Microsoft's web site.
When I start Action3D Reducer I have a message telling me that the Crypto API test failed ?
This message is displayed to warn you that you will not be able to use the complete version of Action3D Reducer on your machine. Action3D Reducer is using the Crypto API for activating your installation. If you want to use Action3D Reducer on your machine, you must install the latest Service Pack for your operating systems. Click on Start / Windows Update then follow the instructions to donwload and install the latest updates for your operating system.
When I start Action3D Reducer a dialog box tells me that a null reference device is selected ?
A null reference device was selected because your video card does not support DirectX 8. Although you can use Action3D Reducer, it will not be able to display the 3D objects you import and reduce. Action3D Reducer will be able to display your 3D objects once you have installed a video card which supports DirectX 8.
