Q -run Windows on a Mac

Q is based on the CPU emulator QEMU. Q allows Mac-users to run Windows and Linux on a Mac. Unlike VMWare and Parallels, Q supports PowerPC Macs (G4, G5) in addition to Intel Macs. For anyone building 3-D models, this is a useful program to have. Many 3-D modeling utilities and programs (Morph Manager, CR2Editor, and ZBrush to name a few) only run on Windows. Q is FREE and is available under the GPL (GNU Public License).

Setting up Q is very straightforward but a bit tedius:

1. Download Q from the website http://www.kju-app.org/kju/
2. Create a disk image using Disk Utility (available under “/Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility.app”). Your disk image should be large enough to fit whichever Operating System you wish to install (4 GB minimum for Windows XP).
3. Eject your Disk Image after creating it. DO NOT format it in DOS (contrary to the instructions on Q’s website). I found I had nothing but headaches after I attempted to install windows on a pre-formated drive.
4. Set-up a new Guest PC with Q. Set your new Disk Image as the Hard Disk and set CD-ROM as the medium to Boot From.
5. Install Windows from your CD (assuming you own a copy). Follow the on-screen instructions.

SECURITY NOTE:

DISABLE NETWORKING FOR Q. You cannot secure your Windows install at this time. XP cannot be updated using Q. I suspect similar problems for 98 and Vista. To be on the safe-side, don’t put your Windows share online. This avoids potential problems with viruses.

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What is Art?

…Or more precisely, what is Visual Art? My definition has changed considerably since high school. I once thought that only realistic painting was “true art”. Having studied graphic design, I now realize that the same principles of design that make paintings memorable are also what graphic designers, photographers, cinematographers, and digital sculptors use to make their work memorable. I have since expanded my definition of art to include many mediums and many forms (e.g. Abstract Expressionist paintings). This definition may be too broad for some critics but I will attempt to justify it.

“Modern Art” has had a profound effect on the development of modern graphic design; for example the treatment of shape and color in much of graphic design can be traced to the work of Abstract artists such as László Moholy-Nagy, El Lissitzky, Piet Mondrian, and Wassily Kandinsky. Moholy-Nahy and Lissitzky were particularly influential in the development of typography. Graphic design/Commercial Art has also influenced “Modern Art”. Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein copied the work of comic book artists and graphic designers; they were praised for their “originality”. Graphic Design IS Art. Just as Roman statues inspired the artists of the Renaissance to create art, “Modern artists” have been inspired by commercial art to create their own art. Unfortunately, some critics still assert that graphic art is not “real art”. These critics equate profitability with inauthenticity; artists who profit from their work are “Selling out”.

This view of “true art” as a non-profitable venture is completely wrong and goes against much of the history of art. Da Vinci worked for some of the wealthiest families in Italy. He was not a poor man. Michelangelo didn’t paint the Sistine Chapel just because “he felt like it”; the Pope paid him large sums of money for his work. Prior to the 20th Century, Art was a profit making venture for artists.

The notion that “True artists” suffer and live in poverty while creating masterpieces is an invention of the Impressionists. Because so few of them were able to find patrons (customers), the Impressionists made a virtue out of not selling their work. Many of the great artists of the past (Titian, Peter Paul Rubens, and Rembrandt van Rijn to name a few) were well-paid during their lifetimes for their work. Art critics still point to the work of these wealthy successful artists as examples of what great art can be.

I began by saying my definition of art was very limited in high school. Now I would consider 3-D animation, photography, comic book illustration, and abstract expressionist painting as forms of art. Anytime the human mind considers where to put a mark on page, a canvas, a computer screen or a home, I would consider that art. That is not to say all art is great art. But then for me, Art is Everywhere.

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The Sticking Point

Communication requires retention. When presenting new ideas to students, how much information is retained can often influence the success or failure of the idea. In Malcolm Gladwell’s book The Tipping Point - How Little Things Can make a Big Difference, he points to 3 things that make for effective communications: the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor (Retention), and the Power of Context. In both visual communication and education, the Stickiness Factor (making a message memorable) is probably the most important. Advertisers want their messages to be remembered (buy my product!) and Educators want their lessons to be remembered (pass my test!). The book details the level of research that went into giving Sesame Street the Stickiness Factor. In the new field of computer-based learning or E-Learning, there is convergence between visual communication and education. Gladwell’s ground-breaking ideas can help guide the artists who develop E-learning modules.

According to Gladwell, Critics of Television argue that:

…what’s dangerous about TV is that it is addictive, that children and even adults watch it like zombies… [It is the] violence, bright lights, loud, and funny noises, quick editing cuts, zooming in and out, [and] exaggerated action… that hold our attention.

Gladwell p100

Some of the same criticism has been leveled at E-learning. People do not absorb the information displayed by technology; they only watch mindlessly and uncritically because of its flashiness. Contradicting this view, the primary finding which guided the development of Sesame Street is that children tune out when a TV program is confusing and tune in when it makes sense. “Flash and dash” is not the only reason they watch. Extrapolating from this finding it is not just the flashiness of a presentation that engages learners, it is whether learners can make sense of the presentation. Fancy graphics are not sufficient for teaching; the fancy parts must be combined with a narrative that makes sense.

Unlike TV, computer based-learning has the potential to be more interactive; imagine if Big Bird or Oscar stopped what they were doing when they saw a little girl or boy could not understand. This would be impossible to do with TV but quite possible to do with an interactive computer program. The potential for innovation is great. The tipping point for effective learning involves skillful use of both graphics and narrative, a blend which shows once again that Art is everywhere.

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PC-Only

“Why support the mac anyway? There are so few mac users and the platform is dying… in a few years there won’t be any mac users at all.”

Question: When did I first hear the statement above?

The answer is 1991.

That’s right, 16 years ago.

As someone who prefers using a mac I tire of hearing this argument over and over again. When I purchase a product that can be used on multiple platforms (Windows and Mac or even better Windows, Mac, and Linux), I have greater confidence in that product because I know the manufacturer has spent the time to test it thoroughly! I can’t say that about Windows-only or even Mac-only products.

I think PC-users benefit from cross-platform products. Windows is unfairly branded as an insecure platform when really its the software running on Windows that is the source of insecurity. If a program is designed to work on multiple platforms, it tends to be designed better (i.e. fewer security flaws). Developers don’t want to repeat the building of the wheel (time is money) so they tend to develop more robust software. When they encounter a problem on a Mac they might investigate whether the same problem occurs on a PC thus benefiting Windows users. The same can happen in reverse. This results in better software all around for everyone.

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Mighty Morphin’ Mac

When I first started creating my own 3-D Models, I found the most popular online resources — Morph Manager, UV Mapper Pro, and Cr2Editor — are all PC-Only. With patience and perseverance I discovered some alternatives to these programs that work on the Mac!

Shade is an excellent tool for building 3-D Models from scratch that is produced by E-Frontier and is available for both the Mac and the PC. 3-D objects are designed in Shade using splines, curves that can be re-shaped by moving a small set of control points; this is the same method used to create shapes in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. In building my own models, I learned that Shade has UV Mapping capabilities equivalent to UV Mapper Pro. Although Shade has a steep learning curve, it is well worth the time and monetary investment.

DAZStudio created by DAZ Productions is quickly becoming a powerful alternative to Poser. The cost of entry is much less than Poser (DAZStudio is free) although it lacks some of the capabilities of Poser. There are many plug-ins available, some free and some for sale, that increase its functionality to the level of Poser. One very useful free plug-in to get for DAZStudio is Inj / Rem Export, a tool for creating Morph Injection files.

Xcode, Apple’s Development Program, is available on the OS X installer disc. This is the closest thing to a CR2 Editor available for the Mac. XCode won’t add extra-formating to a file unlike TextEdit. It is a powerful tool but it seems like a waste to use it for something as trivial as editing a text file.

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