For the past - say 14 years - I have been using one program
or another for graphics. Some were ones I did in basic on
an Amiga 500, or a Sinclare QL, or what ever I could get my
hands on. Most of that work was math oriented. And just for
myself, as there was no-one around to share with.
Some time around  1990 I found rayshade for one of my machines
and that started my modeling. I also found fractint and didn't have to
write any more basic code for graphics. I still didn't have anyone
to share with. The only time that I had a chance to see other peoples
comments was when I introduced Benny Wilkie to POV Ray. He would
give a few pointers.
Then, these past few months I have looked at what all of you have
shared and I have posted a few of my own.

In all the years that I have been at this, has my focus changed? Well,
I like to think that I am just gathering enough info and talent to really
do a good job on a planitary simulation for a game called Traveller.
I have always wanted to make a "realistic" solar system, complete
with gravity influenced orbits. I even want planitary weather.
I want to be able to look at a planet and see what it looks like.
That is where POV comes in. And code for clouds, trees
mountains, and such. I have always wanted to say "You are here."
and show a good picture. I have worked spaceships, space stations,
and all that stuff. All for a good simulation. I chased the isosurface idea
for a while. Thank God someone got that one working. Now I can make
deformed spheres now that look planetary. The clouds I have seen here
look fantastic. The trace function in superpatch helps with all those
wonderful trees that keep showing up around here. All I need now is a
head large enough to put it all together. Oh  , a large super computer
to run it on would be nice too.

 So, does this group, these artistes, change what I do? Not that much.
But they do inspire me to do better than I have in the past. And if I
ever seem too picky about one thing or another, just remember, it
comes from someone that thinks he is playing god to his homemade
universe. Lets see...
Let there be light_source{ 0, White fade_distance 1.68e11 fade_power 2}

Bill DeWitt wrote:

> I was just wondering about how folk like to use POV-Ray. I can see from the
> various works posted that there are several camps, the realism camp, the
> humaniform camp, the abstract and the fractal camps, but I wonder if these
> are more a response to what is seen as acceptable than a native tendency in
> the people who inhabit those camps.
>
> Well, that was obtuse. Let me try again. Personally, I am really more
> interested in what a formula can do (I just wish I had the math) than in
> what composition techniques are used to make a scene. But when I post a
> scene, I tend to make sure that it follows some of the more widely known
> compositional elements so that people will like it.
> <snip>
> In other words, and in closing, is the Art of POV-Ray being molded by
> technology, competitions, the artists or something else?
>
> Looking for a conversation, not a style war...

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