In the absence of being able to engage in the code-debug-render cycle for other
ongoing projects, I've been opportunistically exploring other ideas.

One of these is something that I expressed an interest in years ago - the
ability to open different parts of a project in different tabs.

Apparently this would be possible with vs-code, and using special format
comments to demarcate various parts of the code to be opened in separate tabs
for editing.

An extension of this , for the AI enthusiasts, would be Cursor.

Has anyone ever used any of the IDEs?
Anyone interested in installing and exploring this idea?

- BW

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hi,

"Bald Eagle" <cre### [at] netscapenet> wrote:
[editor]
> One of these is something that I expressed an interest in years ago - the
> ability to open different parts of a project in different tabs.
> ...
> Has anyone ever used any of the IDEs?
> Anyone interested in installing and exploring this idea?

personally have not even seen (or used) POV-Ray "official".  the IDE thing I had
an interest in, in particular small "custom apps", like perhaps a spline editor,
using POV-Ray to render "real-time" in a given (X) window id.

fwiw, being "old-fashioned" (or simply "old" :-)) I would not be keen "using
special format comments", think that comments should be just that.


regards, jr.

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"jr" <cre### [at] gmailcom> wrote:

> the IDE thing I had
> an interest in, in particular small "custom apps", like perhaps a spline editor,
> using POV-Ray to render "real-time" in a given (X) window id.

Without an extant development team capable of implementing such a thing, the
best that we have now is either the existing code - edit control points - render
cycle, or a third party software.
Even excel or open office would suffice for most spline types.
Ed Hynan wrote EPSpline.

Presumably Sergei, Ilya, or Leroy could code something up to display splines in
an "app" or online in Threejs.

One would imagine there are existing tools online to display simple splines.

Desmos actually is amazing.
https://www.desmos.com/calculator/norf40wc76

It would be easy enough to write some scenes in SDL to display whatever spline
you'd like.

What would be really cool is if we had something like a graphical GUI where you
could just add points with a mouse click and move them around with the mouse.
Some kind of software where the user could model the spline before raytracing
it...   We could call it a "modeler".  Then we could quickly get on with the
serious business of tracing more rays.  More. Rays.
Hey, I like the sound of that   - maybe we could name the modeler.....
.... nevermind.


> fwiw, being "old-fashioned" (or simply "old" :-)) I would not be keen "using
> special format comments", think that comments should be just that.

The evil spirits inhabiting the AI whispered to me that it would be as simple
as:

// @tab BEGIN Camera
camera { /* ... */ }
// @tab END

// @tab BEGIN Objects
object { /* ... */ }
// @tab END

As much as I am enamored of using tools for their proper, intended purpose, when
it comes right down to it, I'm not opposed to using a screwdriver as a prybar to
open a paint can, rather than purchasing or taking the time to hunt down a
single-purpose paint-can opener. (So long as the scredriver is not abused in the
process, or it's a cheap chai nesium throwaway)

If I can make efficient use of a dual purpose comment format, that makes
organizing my thoughts and debugging code quicker and more efficient, then I
would submit that we afford such a thing serious consideration.
I mean, just look at how you abuse code flow directives such as #if (1) ... #end
   instead of properly commenting with /* ... */   ;)

People older than you were fine with paper and pencil, a charred stick and
papyrus, or a mammoth bone in the sand.
Then those smarmy innovators came along with drums and smoke signals.
New-fangled fancy you choose to use a high-tech computer connected to a
world-wide high speed network.

:P

-bw

<thumps chest.  points.  ugh ugh.>

:D

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"Bald Eagle" <cre### [at] netscapenet> wrote:

> One of these is something that I expressed an interest in years ago - the
> ability to open different parts of a project in different tabs.


Not sure what you mean here, you can chop up any scene file in multiple include
files and use a "render file" that unites them.

ingo

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"ingo" <nomail@nomail> wrote:

> Not sure what you mean here, you can chop up any scene file in multiple include
> files and use a "render file" that unites them.

I can.  But I have a very military mindset when it comes to separability.
One is none.

If you CAN lose it, you WILL.

If a part can be "captive" rather than fully removable, do so.

I want a tar, zip, something file that is easily navigated for clean editing
without the clutter of constants and macros and functions, but is still all
right there in the SAME file.

I have many threads where I expand on all of this, but if I could svae an entire
directory structure with all of those includes, that would work for me too.

You yourself commented on the utility of an SQlite structure, which I applauded.

I have downloaded many scenes where I was missing the necessary variables or
include files.  Wrap them all up and keep them all together as a (still
immediately useable) package.  Even better if I can package that code into the
render image itself as metadata or a zip or pdf inside of a jpg/png.

You store ONE file - and either you have it or you don't.  You don't have to
worry about if you have missing pieces that you have to track down, or may be
gone forever.

- BW

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