POV-Ray : Newsgroups : povray.general : SuperPatch: Is it for me? : Re: SuperPatch: Is it for me? Server Time
11 Aug 2024 15:21:40 EDT (-0400)
  Re: SuperPatch: Is it for me?  
From: Margus Ramst
Date: 20 Jun 1999 17:52:19
Message: <376D61F5.A77B8FB3@peak.edu.ee>
Bill DeWitt wrote:
> 
>     I am wondering since after 5 years of playing with POV I still feel like
> I haven't gotten 1/10 of what is already in POV standard. Although I am a
> person of phenomenal intellectual ability, I am not quite as smart as the
> average POV Bear, and the worst of my failings are in Math.
> 
>     Is there some subjective but overwhelming reason for using this? Because
> if it's more to learn, just for a few more features, I already have some
> features I could use if I had the time to learn them.

I firmly believe anything more complex than trigonometry should hurt the
healthy human brain. If you can go beyond integral calculus, there is
reason for alarm :)
But while math is a big part of the Superpatch, it's not exclusive.
There is much for the mathematically impaired. My favourite features are
the "interactive" keywords - trace, min_extent and max_extent. These are
unique because they allow you to retrieve information from the scene -
the size of an object, the coordinates of a point at the object's
surface etc. These functions are very easy to learn and have endless
possibilities.
Many other features are equally easy to learn. Some are not. Isosurfaces
still give me uncontrollable fits of anger.

Anyway, I suggest you try it out. You lose nothing in the process.

Margus


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