10 JUNE 2008
Marine Aquarium 3 is nearing the Beta-Test stage. The first release will contain the same fish as MA2.6, but with an all-new super-wide 3D background. Because the new tank is so much bigger, the program will no longer need the 8-fish limit. In fact, all 28 species can be swimming in the tank at once.
25 FEBRUARY 2008
This Fish-Byte.com site was down for the past couple of days due to a dispute with IPower, but I found another web host, and everything is back to normal.
The work on Marine Aquarium 3 is going well, and the 3D background is nearly done. My plan is to allow registered users of MA2.6 to download the Beta versions of MA3 as I bring it to life. But first I have to create a user interface, and write collision-avoidance routines to keep the fish from running into each other. After the Beta-test period, there will be a small charge to upgrade from MA2.6 to the release version of MA3, but that's why I lowered the price of v2.6 several months ago.
There's more news about MA3 over at the Forum.
7 NOVEMBER 2007
Yet another use of the Aquarium on a TV show. This time it's 'Reaper'.
26 AUGUST 2007
The Marine Aquarium continues to be featured on television and in the movies.Tonight, the Teen Choice Awards used it as a background.
30 MAY 2007
Prolific Publishing has just reduced the price of Marine Aquarium 2.6 to $14.95.
21 MAY 2007
Progess continues on Marine Aquarium 3. The bubble column is in and working. Like all the objects, it's greatly improved over the MA 2.6 version. Progress has been so rapid lately, that I feel confident in stating that it will be released before the end of the year. My plan is to allow anyone with a current legal 2.6 Key Code to download and test the Beta Version when it is ready. Visit the Forum for a discussion of 3.0.
27 APRIL 2007
I'm happy to announce that finally, after months of trying, I have a Shader working in the Aquarium program. At the moment it's producing a primitive version of the lightplay on the gravel floor (no other objects, yet). This turned out to be incredibly hard for me because I not only had to grasp a rudimentary understanding of Shaders, but mix them in with normally rendered objects. Through literally thousands of experiments, there was simply no effect at all on the screen. Today I finally tracked the problem down to a seemingly unrelated issue, and BANG - there was lightplay on the gravel. I almost missed it, I was so used to the routine of Try Code>Compile>Run>Fail>Repeat that my finger was already on the ESC key. This is a major milestone which has been holding up progress for a very long time.
4 MARCH 2007
I've been making some progress with Marine Aquarium v3.0 over the last few months. The tank will be much wider than the current version - about two widescreens wide. The camera will be able to pan back and forth within this much wider environment. The hard part is creating all the 3D background objects to fill all this extra space. Very time-consuming. Still having a lot of trouble understanding and implementing Shaders, which will be used for several different effects in the new version.
20 DECEMBER 2006
The Aquarium was used a couple of scenes in the Harrison Ford movie "Firewall". Also in "Bridget Jones 2".
12 MAY 2006
The Aquarium was shown prominently on the season finale of the NBC show "Las Vegas". It was shown several times this season, but this was probably the longest and clearest shot.
3 MARCH 2004
The Marine Aquarium will be part of EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION! Watch this Sunday, March 7th, on ABC when the EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME CREW remodels the 'Mendoza' House. One of the rooms, for the daughter, will be done in… you guessed it, an underwater theme. Since real salt-water aquariums can be expensive and demanding on a young girls time, the design team decided on not just one flat panel screen, but three! And to add that finishing realistic touch…Watch and see if your favorite Marine Aquarium fish is featured!
11 DECEMBER 2003
To everyone who expressed concern about us and our home during the recent fires -- Thank You. We were evacuated for over two weeks, along with 90,000 other mountain residents. Our neighborhood was saved by the valiant efforts of the firefighters, who made a stand at the end of our street, about 800 feet from our house. Another tract nearby was not so lucky, and 350 homes were lost. Things here are getting back to normal, and I am again working on the Freshwater Aquarium.
If you like Koi fish, 3D programs, or both -- try out the Koi Toy screensaver at Screengardens.com. The program was created by Camberley Crick and her partner Raefer Gabriel, a couple of Harvard grads. Camberley is the daughter of my friend Mike Crick (creator of WordZap).
16 SEPTEMBER 2003
I decided to switch the Freshwater program from a base of DirectX6 to DirectX8. This has been a difficult task, but will gain some advantages in the long run. Among these are the fact that the Preview window in the Display Properties sheet will now show a fully-animated image of the Aquarium. Also, dual-montor support may be possible.
9 JULY 2003
The Marine Aquarium is being featured on the TV show "Big Brother 4" on CBS. It is on a large vertically-oriented flat panel display.
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There are now 4 fish done for the Freshwater Aquarium -- In addition to the Cardinal Tetra and Angelfish, there are now a Tiger Barb and a Red-Tailed Shark. I'm currently working on the gravel for the floor of the tank.
10 MAY 2003
My work on the Freshwater Aquarium has been progressing nicely for the last couple of weeks. The treasure chest is done, and happily bubbling away. The Cardinal Tetra is done, with a fairly convincing "neon" stripe. Today I'm working on an Angelfish.T
21 MARCH 2003
The 2.0 version of the Aquarium has been posted on the SereneScreen website. This program requires a new Key Code, and ordinarily costs $5.95 to upgrade. But to reward the on-line purchasers of the program, free 2.0 Key Codes will be sent to registered users. This mailing will take several days to complete. If the user purchased on-line, but is not on the mailing list, they will still be able to obtain a free Key Code for the next 90 days.
Naturally, the web servers will be severely taxed for the next few days. There were over 40,000 downloads today alone, so just continue to use v1.1 until your new Key Code arrives.
16 MARCH 2003
Prolific Publishing has entered into a co-publishing partnership with Encore Software to manufacture and distribute the CD version of my programs. This will result in much wider distribution to all major store chains. The packages manufactured by Encore will bear the logo SereneScene, instead of SereneScreen. Hard to tell the difference, isn't it? Both SereneScreen.com and SereneScene.com lead to the same place. The SereneScreen name will be slowly phased out.
The programmers at Prolific have just completed the 2.0 version of the Aquarium, and it will be available shortly. They have added a nice new user interface which makes it much easier to pick the fish you want in the tank. Anyone who purchased the Aquarium online will be able to upgrade to 2.0 free of charge for 90 days.
Prolific has also created another version of the Aquarium, Marine Aquarium Time. This version features a clock/calendar imbedded in a quartz crystal within the tank. The clock automatically updates from your Windows system.
30 DECEMBER 2002
What's new at SereneScreen? Well, for one thing, the Mac version of the Aquarium turned out very nicely. This conversion was done by Order N Development of Texas, under the direction of Jim O'Connor. Jim regularly stops by the Forum to answer questions about the Mac version. Both OSX and OS9 are supported, though the programming is totally different for each. Mac owners can download the OS9 version from http://www.serenescreen.com/product/index.php?pltid=3, and the OSX version from http://www.serenescreen.com/product/index.php?pltid=2.
I've been working on a Freshwater Aquarium, which will be the next SereneScreen product. Progress has been very slow, since I'm attempting to add things which the Marine Aquarium does not have. For example, the background items will seem more "alive" -- there will be many plants, and they will sway with the current. There will be a treasure chest with a top that opens and bubbles which rise to the surface.
I have set up a real freshwater aquarium here in my computer room to use for research and photography. I'm still working on the background, so there are no fish yet. Here is a picture of it (click the image for a larger view):
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This is the basic layout I have planned for the new program, though some things will be changed. The photo is of the left side of the tank -- the widescreen version would show more. Of course, the filter intake tube will not show, and there will also be some mossy-looking ground cover on the right side of the tank.
More news from SereneScreen at http://www.serenescreen.com/news/index.php