Well, I'll admit I've not looked at the source, so I don't know how hard it
would be. But it couldn't be *that* hard I don't think. It would just be
very useful to create surfaces with varying amounts of reflection,
specularity, diffuse, etc ... If this feature ever was implemented, it
should also support using an image (gif, png, etc) as a finish modifier
(similar to a normal{bump_map} or pigment{image_map} it could also have a
finish{surface_map} or something to that effect. Like so:

#declare F_Shiny1=
finish
{
    phong 1
    reflection 0.25
    diffuse 0.85
}

#declare F_Shiny2=
finish
{
    phong 1
    reflection 0.75
    diffuse 0.65
}

finish
{    
    surface_map
    {
        gif "reflectmap.gif"
        map_type 1
        [0.0 F_Shiny1]
        [1.0 F_Shiny2]
    }   
}

That way, an image can be used as a combination reflection map, diffuse map, etc ... 

-- 
Paul Vanukoff
van### [at] primenetcom

"Bob Hughes" <omn### [at] hotmailcom?subject=PoV-News:> wrote in message
news:38a27e38@news.povray.org...
> A lot more to a finish than either pigments or normals.  And since there used to
> be refraction in finishes as well it was probably even less likely to be
> considered before.  Finish still has ambience, diffusion, highlighting,
> reflection, crand, metallic, brilliance, and I'm not sure what else but maybe
> that's it.  All of those would need to be patterned together.  Probably a lot of
> extra work in the programming of the source which no one had yet even begun to
> do yet.  Those are my thoughts on it anyway.
> 
> Bob
> 
> "Paul Vanukoff" <van### [at] primenetcom> wrote in message
> news:38a182c6@news.povray.org...
> | So we have pigment_maps and normal_maps, why no finish_maps? Is there a
> | patch available for that? It is definitely something I'd like to see.
> | Perhaps in 3.5? Yeah, I know I could use a texture_map and do it that way,
> | but purely for consistency and ease, I don't see why a finish_map feature
> | can't be added. BTW, is ther
e an official suggestion box, or is this it?
> |
> | --
> | Paul Vanukoff
> | van### [at] primenetcom
> |
> |
>
>

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