David Parrott <Xam### [at] quayles1demoncouk> wrote:
> I personally do not like to use the master POV .ini file.  I create an
> .ini file for each animation that I create and have things in it like
> The input and output file names, the first and last frame, first and
> last clock value, and the height and width of the image.  However I
was
> set on finding out how to do animations so I used the docs (well it
> shows some of us newbies read them!) the look up the settings.
>
> However that is about as far as my animations go, I have no idea how
> people do the complex animations, the complexity of mine stand at a
> spinning cube.  If you have any for using straight POV (i.e. not
> ClockMod) for complex animations I would be very grateful.

Something of a loaded question, I'd say!  Given the handful of INI file
animation options, and the two animation variables (clock and
clock_delta) you could be forgiven for thinking that POV-Ray isn't
really suitable for animations.  A quick wander around this news server,
however, should give you some idea of what's possible, and I've actually
been fortunate enough to recently receive a 4:15 minute video clip
(around 8000 frames) rendered entirely in POV-Ray by a certain Tobias
'Swift' Wiersch which shows just how powerful POV-Ray can be.

You mention the Clock Modifier, and I actually created the original
include file in response to people asking how to use the POV clock for
more than basic, linear actions.  The include file works just like slope
maps do on pigments/normals, allowing different 'shapes' than straight
line interpolations.  But it, and the Automatic Clock Modifier macros,
are only tools to help you to make use of the POV clock.

Putting them aside, then, I think POV-Ray animation can be broken down
into three types:

1) Timeline animation, where every action is defined as a direct
function of the clock;
2) Keyframe animation, where actions are defined as interpolations
between clock values;
3) Rules animations, where certain parameters and behaviours are
programmed and then the animation is run frame by frame, each frame
building on the previous one.

Of course, these three types can be combined and used together in
different ways.  For the first, I find it helps to visualise how certain
mathematical functions affect the clock (in two dimensions), before
using them to change aspects of the three-dimensional scene.  For
example, using multiplication to 'scale' the clock, addition/subtraction
to translate it, raising by powers to create accelerated/decelerated
motions, sine/cosines to create smooth oscillations and waves, modulo's
to clip and repeat functions, etc.  Combining these with conditionals
allows you to reshape the clock to perform just about any action you
like - but long, nested functions can get pretty unwieldy!

This is where keyframing helps, because you can break the clock down
into separate little actions much more easily, and modifying the order,
lengths, etc. of each interpolated segment becomes much simpler.  Apart
from the Automatic Clock Modifier, I believe there is a program
available that will keyframe Moray scenes, and no doubt there is other
software you can use as well.

The final type of animation is quite feasible thanks to POV-Ray's file
I/O features, and can be a lot of fun because once you've programmed,
parameterised, and randomised the actions you can sit back and enjoy
different results whenever you want!

Of course, the best way to learn is by doing, and that requires having
something to animate... throwing an whole other discussion open!  Camera
flythroughs are a start, as are object studies (like a spinning cube).
More complicated are mechanical animations (robots, engines, etc.) and
most complicated of all are animations that aim to mimic nature: people,
plants, thunderstorms, water, the birth of the solar-system....

Post a reply to this message