VistaPro
Encyclopedia
Vista and Vista Pro are 3D landscape generation programs
originally for the Amiga
, Apple Macintosh and Microsoft Windows (PC) range of home computers. It was written by John Hinkley and its own About box
describes it as "a 3-D landscape generator and projector capable of accurately displaying real-world and fractal landscapes."
landscape files for real-world views, the software having come with a number of maps of Mars
and Earth
.
Vista can load and save output images in PCX
, BMP, JPG
and Targa
formats. PCX files can also be imported as elevations and ground colors to allow third-party creation of landscapes in other image editors
.
Trees can be placed on landscapes as either 2D or 3D objects. In 2D, the trees always face the camera and are fast to generate. 3D trees are created using fractals and can be given a variable bending of the branches to make them look more complicated.
The PC version runs in MS-DOS
for the earlier versions and from 4.00 onwards it runs on all versions of 32-bit Microsoft Windows
.
. This sequence involved a silver spaceship flying through a series of valleys that had been generated using VistaPro (Vista didn't support generating animations until the Pro version was released). Vista was also used (both PC and Amiga versions) for the book by Arthur C. Clarke called "The Snows of Olympus", a picture book about terraforming Mars .
Scenery generator
A scenery generator refers to software used to create landscape images, 3D models, and animations. These programs use procedural generation to generate the landscapes.- Software :*Bryce is most famous for landscapes....
originally for the Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
, Apple Macintosh and Microsoft Windows (PC) range of home computers. It was written by John Hinkley and its own About box
About box
An about box or about dialog is a dialog box that displays the credits and revision information of a computer software.Generally, most programs' about boxes include information about product name and installed version, company name, and copyright information...
describes it as "a 3-D landscape generator and projector capable of accurately displaying real-world and fractal landscapes."
Graphics Generation
Vista operates similarly to a ray tracer in that light paths are generated. The user specifies light sources, and camera angles. The ground may be colored to create different ground styles. Vista has water, tree and cloud effects, making some images almost photorealistic. The ground itself may either be generated from a random (or user inputted) number, or it may use DEMUSGS DEM
The USGS DEM standard is a geospatial file format developed by the United States Geological Survey for storing a raster-based digital elevation model. It is an open standard, and is used throughout the world...
landscape files for real-world views, the software having come with a number of maps of Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
and Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
.
Vista can load and save output images in PCX
PCX
PCX is an image file format developed by the now-defunct ZSoft Corporation of Marietta, Georgia. It was the native file format for PC Paintbrush and became one of the first widely accepted DOS imaging standards, although it has since been succeeded by more sophisticated image formats, such as GIF,...
, BMP, JPG
JPEG
In computing, JPEG . The degree of compression can be adjusted, allowing a selectable tradeoff between storage size and image quality. JPEG typically achieves 10:1 compression with little perceptible loss in image quality....
and Targa
Truevision TGA
Truevision TGA, often referred to as TARGA, is a raster graphics file format created by Truevision Inc. . It was the native format of TARGA and VISTA boards, which were the first graphic cards for IBM-compatible PCs to support Highcolor/truecolor display...
formats. PCX files can also be imported as elevations and ground colors to allow third-party creation of landscapes in other image editors
Graphics software
In computer graphics, graphics software or image editing software is a program or collection of programs that enable a person to manipulate visual images on a computer....
.
Trees can be placed on landscapes as either 2D or 3D objects. In 2D, the trees always face the camera and are fast to generate. 3D trees are created using fractals and can be given a variable bending of the branches to make them look more complicated.
Compatibility
The Amiga version of Vista works on all models of Amiga, however due to the low processor speeds generation of landscapes take a long time to complete. It was not unusual for a landscape generation to take several hours.The PC version runs in MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
for the earlier versions and from 4.00 onwards it runs on all versions of 32-bit Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
.
Popular Culture
Its most famous use was for the landscape used in the opening credits of The Chart ShowThe Chart Show
The Chart Show is a music video programme which ran in the UK on Channel 4 between 1986 and 1988, then on ITV between 1989 and 1998. The production company was Video Visuals, and was credited as "A Yorkshire Television Presentation" from 1993 and 1998...
. This sequence involved a silver spaceship flying through a series of valleys that had been generated using VistaPro (Vista didn't support generating animations until the Pro version was released). Vista was also used (both PC and Amiga versions) for the book by Arthur C. Clarke called "The Snows of Olympus", a picture book about terraforming Mars .