Plug-ins on IntelMacs

[tcobb]

Without any comprehensive knowledge at all, and having never used an intel mac ...
I'm gonna say no.

doh! I guessed wrong.

[rsquires]

I would say that a PPC version of Cinema 4D which can use the old plugins would work but be hobbled by the fact it is working under emulation. Rosetta kicks in when you have apps that aren't UB, like Photoshop. And we all know how slow PS is under emulation by Rosetta. It can be used but performance takes a huge hit.

However not having an Intel Mac and not having tried it then I can't say for sure

regards

rich

[GruvDOne]

You can use PPC Applications on INtel Macs, but they do so with PPC emulation known as Rosetta. However, since it is emulation, there will be a performance hit.

edit- rich beat me to it

[marcom]

the ppc runs without a problem on my intel imac and uses all of the existing plugs. when i updated from 9.5 to 9.6 i even misstook the ppc version for the UB... :)

i think there must be some kind of speed hit, but honestly can't tell you how much. coming from a dual g4 everything feels fast anyway...

[Srek]

This is not a matter of Power PC or Intel, but Codewarrior Compile (Classic PPC only) or Xcode (Universal Binary for PPC and x86).
If a plugin programmer compiles an UB plugin he gets PPC and x86 versions at no extra costs.
A plugin that is compiled with Codewarrior will not run on the XCode compiled UB version, regardless the processor used and vice versa, a XCode compiled UB plugin will not run on a CW compiled classic CINEMA version.
This is a fundamental limitation and there is no option beside using COFFEE for plugins to overcome this.
You can use Rosetta to run the old CW compiled CINEMA version and plugins on an intel Mac, but the speed hit is rather large. Rosetta can not be used to run CW plugins in a UB version of CINEMA.

Due to the advantages of the UB approach chances are that future CINEMA versions will only be available as UB versions on Mac. In this case the switch to UB for plugin devleopers is a must.

Cheers
Björn

[UK3D]

From my small experience I've not been able to get Riptide plugin working on the UB version which is a shame now that I depend on it for importing and exporting to ZBrush.

[Kuroyume0161]

From my small experience I've not been able to get Riptide plugin working on the UB version which is a shame now that I depend on it for importing and exporting to ZBrush.

Has Keith compiled a UB version that doesn't work or is it that there is only the PPC version still? I'd do the UB compile in XCode for him, but I know that he doesn't want to give out the source code - understandably.

I'd love to get my interPoser plugs compiled for UB, but the issue isn't Cinema 4D, instead the use of specific MacOS features - namely archaic resource forks and zlib (libz.dylib). To anyone who could provide assistance in solving these issues I would be indebted (read - automatic registration for both plugs).

Robert

[maikukai]

I guess we'll really be saying goodbye to Jenna now...
Well, it was fun while it lasted. Good thing MoGraph just arrived.

[mikeh64]

does anyone know if Paul Everett will update any of his plugs for UB?

he seems to have stopped develpment for a while, but I think I remember someone saying recently that he was really busy doing something - anyone know Paul's status?

mike

[Keith Young]

Has Keith compiled a UB version that doesn't work or is it that there is only the PPC version still? I'd do the UB compile in XCode for him, but I know that he doesn't want to give out the source code - understandably.



Hey Robert. No, currently only PPC version. I appreciate the offer though and might take you up on that when I get the time to sort things out.

Thanks,

- Keith

[Arrakis]

This is a real problem! I really thought that the plugins would work in any version of Cinema 4D. I just bought Solid Spline Pro and can't use it on my Intel Mac.
I can always launch the PPC version but it really is slower. :-(
Damn!

[Kuroyume0161]

This is a real problem! I really thought that the plugins would work in any version of Cinema 4D. I just bought Solid Spline Pro and can't use it on my Intel Mac.
I can always launch the PPC version but it really is slower. :-(
Damn!

That's something of a misnomer. COFFEE plugins will work with any platform-version of Cinema 4D because they are platform independent scripts.

C++ plugins, which are really static libraries, require compilation to a target platform. Visual C++ 6.0 knows nothing about Windows 64-bit targets and the 64-bit system differs from Windows 32-bit, so it requires a new compilation for plugins. For MacOS, CodeWarrior does not (and will never ever) support a UB target (for all basic concerns, CodeWarrior is dead for MacOS except for legacy PPC targets). So one must compile the UB version using XCode. This is a fact of life with platform-specific, compiled code - whether executable applications or libraries (dll, lib, or whatnot).

Porting from VC++ 6.0 to VS.net 2005 from Win32 to Win64 is not such a big deal in most cases as you are moving along with the same basic OS and same development package.

Porting from CodeWarrior Classic (OS 9 targret) to XCode MacOSX UB, on the other hand, is quite a difference. We're not even talking about moving from PPC MacOSX to Intel MacOSX. We're talking moving from PPC MacOS 9 to UB MacOSX through a different compiler. I'd be amazed if 50% of the current MacOS plugins support UB within the next year - I certainly don't think that I will be at the ready to solve my porting issues within the next six to twelve months - both time and capital (read: sustainance and ability to get an IntelMac testbed) are required and I currently have neither. ;)

Robert

[Srek]

both time and capital (read: sustainance and ability to get an IntelMac testbed) are required and I currently have neither.
To the best of my knowledge any Mac that runs 10.4 with Xcode will suffice. You don't need to have an Intel Mac to compile a UB version of your plugin for both plattforms.
Of course it's nice to test on both, but thats what betatesters are there for ;)
Cheers
Björn

[Kuroyume0161]

To the best of my knowledge any Mac that runs 10.4 with Xcode will suffice. You don't need to have an Intel Mac to compile a UB version of your plugin for both plattforms.
Of course it's nice to test on both, but thats what betatesters are there for ;)
Cheers
Björn

LOL - betatesters are great, but if problems arise that appear only on the betatester's Intel but not your PPC, tracking down the bugger is more a hunt for a black flashlight in the pitch of darkness. ;)

[Srek]

Agreed, but i yet have to come over a bug that only happens on Intel Macs. If there is one chances are that it is deep down in the CINEMA OS abstraction layer and not in your plugin.
Cheers
Björn

[Pragmatic]

I quickly installed the UB version when it became available, and couldn't even get the Material Exchanger plugin to load. I went back to the previous version of 9.5 and I haven't tried since, but I've ordered a MacBook, so I have an interest in getting Material Exchanger back. I had assumed Material Exchanger was a Maxon plugin? You would assume if that was the case it would have been ported over too?

[alkali]

Dear Robert,
I urge you to make a UB version if at all possible.
I know several people who are on Intel macs now and the numbers are growing fast.
Please don't leave us mac users out in the cold.

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