POV-Ray : Newsgroups : povray.unofficial.patches : (simple?) Isosurface patch request : (simple?) Isosurface patch request Server Time
26 Jun 2024 01:01:08 EDT (-0400)
  (simple?) Isosurface patch request  
From: Samuel Benge
Date: 13 Aug 2004 16:25:11
Message: <411D2304.50603@hotmail.com>
Hello, all who frequent this group, and greetings to Wolfgang Weiser. 
I'm sorry if this request has been made by someone else; I made a real 
effort to avoid asking an already-answered question. It doesn't appear 
this is available for Windows.

My request is simple. It involves having somebody compile the POV-Ray 
3.6 for Windows executable, and for a certain piece of the code to be 
altered.

The patchwork is already done. On his webpage,
http://www.cip.physik.uni-muenchen.de/~wwieser/render/povray/patches/isoacc-patch/ 

Wolfgang describes what seems to be a perfect fix for a common problem 
with rendered isosurfaces: black spots and 'chopped up' surfaces. He 
shows which piece of POV source must be altered to allow "linear 
interpolation after the final bisection step." The results are astounding.

Normally, we are forced to lower the accuracy to make such artifacts 
disappear. This leads to longer render times and sharper edges. 
Sometimes we don't want sharp edges at all. This new patch presents us 
with a two-in-one improvement for isosurface rendering. I believe his 
code will allow us to turn an ordinary isosurface cube into a bevelled 
isosurface cube.... simply by raising the accuracy. A bevelled cube 
which renders (theoretically) faster than a sharp-edged cube!

Now, if somebody were to compile this patch, I have a kind of 
compensation planned. I will test techniques (using the patch) and 
create an HTML documenting my efforts. It will be conclusive no matter 
what: either we have another technique for bevelling iso objects, or it 
didn't work, because artifacts still appear. I doubt the artifacts will 
be too noticable, though. The page will be published either by me, or 
somebody with a more stable webspace.

I don't want to tear anybody away from 'POVComp time', but if the 
isosurface improvement is as good as I think it is, it will make POV 
look a LOT better when all the entries come streaming in. Faster 
isosurfaces :)

-Sam


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