Carrara
Philip Staiger presented Carrara, published by Eovia. Eovia was founded about two years ago when it took over production of MetaCreation's products: Painter, Bryce, Poser, RayDream, and others. These products were all gathered together under a new product called Carrara. This 3D modeling and rendering animation tool and its sister application, Amapi, provide a well-rounded set of graphics tool published by Eovia's parent company, TGS. Bryce has since gone to Corel and Poser to Curious Labs.

These products are used typically to create objects for inclusion in other architectural design and illustration applications such as PhotoShop or LightWave. A typical project may be a Web page, a banner, a flyer or brochure that requires something 3D-ish. Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro may already have plug-ins for a 3D effect, but the results are perhaps quite limited.

Carrara also includes the ability for third-party plug-ins— an example is Anything Grooves, which apply textures to objects, giving them an appearance of tread plating or industrial corrugation. The range of images Carrara can create include cartoonish, industrial design and styling, rendering for automotive design, ship hull design, parts layout, etc.

The user interface is very similar to other products that came from MetaCreations. Users of Poser and Bryce should be very comfortable with Carrara. All interfaces were derived from designs by Kai Krause of Kai's Power Tools. These designs have won numerous awards from respected industry organizations, as attested by the fact that high school students, even 4th and 5th graders, have created outstanding works of art.

It is a fairly easy-to-use program because it includes quite a number of tutorials, so somebody who has experience with 2D applications can jump in quite easily. In a matter of three or four hours after looking at the introductory tutorials (which are videos), you can create your own 3D logos. You can import your existing 2D images and apply a 3D relief to give them some robustness, then perhaps add some background atmospheric effects.

Carrara comes with a number of sample models, illustrations and exploded views. Capabilities match certain features of photo-editing software, such as halo effects, lens flares and light streaks, that users can apply after the main rendering has finished. Other models are available from third-party retailers, or as free files from repositories and discussion groups on the Internet.

Carrara also generates animated images. Individual layers can be separately animated to include cloud formations, ground fog, and trees moving in the wind, as well as the main objects in the foreground. A 2D image can be mapped onto a 3D shape and behaviors can be applied. For example, one object can be made to "point" to another moving object so that, say, eyeballs track a falling leaf. Constraints can be applied. Such features give enormous power to animators in creating and "staging" their creations.

Ask Dr. Tech
William Lam introduced his company, Ask Dr. Tech, a subscription-based technical support organization. Before he began his presentation, William brought up some of the questions that had been asked earlier offering solutions to answers already discussed. [Ed. Note: See Business Report elsewhere in this isse.]

He prefaced his discussions by claiming that, based on his customer base, 70-80% of all computer problems are software-related. Earlier, a problem was mentioned with Gator and its pop-ups. Not only is there this type of invasive applications, sometimes excellent software can be corrupted or conflict with other applications and you find that you need to remove it.

This is a great tip: use the Microsoft System Configuration (MSCONFIG) tool. To use it, click Start, then click Run. In the little box that pops up, enter "msconfig". The configuration utility allows one to select which items to allow to rn when Windows starts. The window lists the programs that you may need but also lists things you might not have been aware of, like Gator. Sometimes it is hard to determine which list item belongs to what program.

What he recommends is to uncheck everything as a first step, then restart the computer. Odds are the problem has disappeared. Return to MSCONFIG and re-check one item. Reboot. Keep doing this until the problem returns. The last item re-checked is the likely candidate for further investigation. It is time-consuming but probably the best way for typical users to troubleshoot their own system.

About 100 years ago, three guys started an organization that many in the audience belong to— AAA. What they started doing was to provide a suite of services for automobile owners. If you run out of gas, lock your key in your car, or need a tow, they'll meet you roadside and assist you. About three years ago, William Lam started a company based on a similar concept for computer users.

The company's mission is to become the leading provider of subscription-based computer support services by being faster, friendlier, and more affordable. When you join and become a member, you have access to support by phone or by e-mail, including Web-based interactive support tools. The Ask Dr. Tech Web site can install certain ActiveX components (with your permission) that will perform basic diagnostics on your memory, motherboard, video card, and other components.

Ask Dr Tech's technicians are available around the clock, whether it's New Year's Eve or Christmas Day. If you need help, you can get it. The average wait time is less than seven minutes. About 40 different benefits are provided, including a suite of tools that help solve computer problems and help maintain the health of your system.

In the year 2000, according to IDC, $78 billion was paid to IT technical support. By next year, it is expected to grow to $115 billion. Some of the reasons for this growth include:

• Decreasing prices and margins on computers. Systems are becoming cheaper.
• Increased dependence on technology. A computer is not only a business tool, we also use it to communicate with friends and family, do online banking, manage images, edit videos. It has become an essential part of our lifestyle.
• The growing number of mobile workers. No longer will a pencil and a pad of paper suffice at business meetings. Cell phones, pagers, PDA's are essential tools of the corporate environment.
• Adoption of new technology. Things that were once a luxury— flat-bed scanner, digital cameras— are now accessible by the average consumer.

Who will guide this new technology into the day-to-day operations and lifestyles?

When Ask Dr. Tech was started, an infrastructure was developed to deploy this kind of service. Their mission was to re-invent the way this type and quality of service was delivered. Their goal was to create a "doctor-patient" relationship with their members.

When you run into a problem, you pick up the phone, you call for help, and you are on hold for a half-hour or more. They don't know who you are, they have to look up the product information, and then they point fingers— it's a printer problem, not the computer. So you call the printer people and they say it's the computer. You call the computer people back and they don't know who you are anymore and you have to start all over.

At Ask Dr. Tech, everything is tracked, every problem annotated. Your equipment setup and entire history is logged. This helps the company help you better. This improves your experience while actually saving time because it reduces support time.

Ask Dr. Tech's service is placed at numerous locations— Office Depot sells Ask Dr. Tech service plans to their business clients. They have over ten thousand subscribers and solve over 2,500 problems per month. On average, the incident rate is slightly higher for the home user than the business user. A brief interview (the subscriber "intake") is conducted when you sign up or during your first call. The average time to problem resolution is 17 minutes. Some problems are solved in two to three minutes, some may take longer— 45 minutes to an hour.

Basically, it is an $89 yearly subscription unlimited service plan. SPCUG members who signed up at the October meeting received an additional two months service. The plan covers one desktop computer— $49 for each additional desktop computer in your household. The plan allows one computer upgrade/replacement in a one-year period.

William Lam differentiated the type of service Ask Dr. Tech provides: troubleshooting only. For example, a client cannot connect to an ISP. Ask Dr. Tech will run though several potential trouble spots looking for incorrect setups or conflicting devices/software. Ask Dr. Tech will not tutor or assist in the original configuration of dial-up settings, e-mail program setup, or LAN and cable/DSL router setup. Under no circumstances will Ask Dr. Tech engage in a troubleshooting session that would require the user to crack open the computer case.

Ask Dr. Tech services are tailored to the private individual, the direct system user. Consultants or IT Department technicians with a particular stumper may call and ask for a second opinion or simply need someone to review ideas. Direct support and troubleshooting of systems not belonging to the consultant are discouraged.

The firm's "Fair Usage" policy prohibits using their services in lieu of a consultant's own skills and knowledge for commercial gain. Ask Dr Tech has an affiliate program, whereby consultants and businesses in computer sales and service can refer their clients and customers to Ask Dr. Tech. (A referral fee is assessed.)

The Ask Dr. Tech Web site has the details of three other plans that are available: Home Plus, Home Premier, and a Business Plan. The Plus and Premier plans add features such as Online Backup Storage, Laptop and PDA support, Depot Repair, and On-site Repair Service (next business day).

Ask Dr. Tech currently enjoys a staff of 80 employees, most support agents. Ask Dr. Tech is based in San Francisco. Phone-based tech support is accessed via a toll-free 800 number. Subscribers come from throughout the US, with a significant portion in Canada, and a number of customers in Australia and Europe.

Like most tech support departments, there is a Level 2 support team that will research complex problems and deliver their findings back to you in a timely manner.

Their essential coverage includes Windows 3.1, 95, 98, Me, XP, and all current versions of MacOS. Windows 2000, NT, and XP Pro are considered "client/server systems" and support may be restricted. Exchange Server, SQL Server, Windows 2000 Server, etc. are not supported. William Lam was asked what he thought the worst operating system is to troubleshoot. He answered, "Windows Millenium." He joked that the company is considering an "up-charge" for WinMe.