You needed some hilighting mainly, and the all black surroundings doesn't
help reflective objects at all.  So if you want to still see them well when
nothing else is around there should be other objects to reflect.
Here's what I did to it:

#include "colors.inc"
  #include "textures.inc"
  #include "finish.inc"
  #include "metals.inc"

  camera {
    location <0,0,-3>
    look_at 0
  }

light_source { <0,0,-1000> White
        cylinder
        radius 20
        falloff 20
        tightness 0
        point_at 0 // <0,.2,0>
         }

text { ttf "times.ttf" "Z A B " .3, 0
     texture { Aluminum }
     finish {
        ambient .1
        diffuse .8
        reflection .75
        metallic
        brilliance 2
        specular .9
        roughness .009
        phong .1
        phong_size 10
     }
      translate <-1.375,-.3,0>
      rotate y*90
      rotate -y*90*clock
       }

// environment
sphere {0,1111
         pigment {rgb 1}
          finish {ambient .5}
  clipped_by {plane {z,0}}
      }


Bob

zab <zab### [at] mailvtedu> wrote in message news:383F1D8A.29FB0F14@mail.vt.edu...
> Bob,
>
> The opening starts with a side view of the text, from the rightmost
( Y/L )
> end.  The text rotates and as it gets to 90 degrees from its original
(well ok,
> -90) position it flashes and shimmers becasuse it is really shiny, like
polished
> metal.  I've played around and gotten the text to rotate and look kinda
shiny,
> but I know it can look much better, its just beyond my patience.  If you
run the
> file below, it looks best at 45 frames, clock values 0 to 1.
>
> #include "colors.inc"
>   #include "textures.inc"
>   #include "finish.inc"
>   #include "metals.inc"
>   camera {
>     location <0,0,-3>
>     look_at 0
>   }
>
> light_source { <0,0,-1000> White
>         cylinder
>         radius 20
>         falloff 20
>         tightness 0
>         point_at <0,.2,0> }
>
> text { ttf "papyrus.ttf" "Z A B " .3, 0
>      texture { Aluminum }
>      finish {
>         ambient .1
>         diffuse .8
>         reflection .75
>         metallic
>      }
>       translate -1.375*x
>       rotate y*90
>       rotate -y*90*clock
>        }
>
>
>
> omniVERSE wrote:
>
> > Guess you'll only get some help from others that have seen the movie and
> > also remember the title sequence.
> > I found this: http://www.spe.sony.com/movies/heavymetal/
> > Probably not the same graphic you're looking to do though.
> > How about a description of the effect?  Unless someone answers here
sooner
> > or later and can help already.
> >
> > Bob
>

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