"Zeger Knaepen" <zeg### [at] povplacecom> wrote in message 
news:43b9b0a7@news.povray.org...
> "Chris B" <c_b### [at] btconnectcomnospam> wrote in message
> news:43b9a06f@news.povray.org...
>
> I'm interested in the source, but if it's too much work, then it's ok :)
>

I've been meaning to publish it for a while, I just got sidetracked adding a 
Santa model that I failed to complete by Christmas anyway.
Also the documentation isn't complete yet.
I've put a copy on the povray.binaries.scene-files newsgroup as 'POV-Person 
V2 Alpha'.

> I'm trying to make my blobman fully customizable: you can choose the
> size of the head, the proportions of the body, and I would even like to 
> make it
> so that you can make other creatures with it, don't know if that'll work 
> though
>

My thinking is much the same. I've layered the macros so that the core 
functions will work with any anatomical construct (although a human form is 
the only one I've included so far).
I've kept the major body parts separate and extensively parameter 
controlled, so that they can be shared between different characters (I also 
have a separate 'scale' include file to for each character to enable each 
body part to be scaled appropriately. For example, for the moment I've used 
the same body parts for the male and female characters, but for the chest 
I've used different parameters to control the anatomical construction and 
for legs and arms I've just scaled the parts (all fairly crude still).

> Don't know why, I just don't like GUI's with a big G I'm afraid :(
>

I know the feeling. I used a modeller for the first few heads, but I'm 
gradually replacing that with SDL so that it can be modified dynamically.
On the more recent models I've got mesh eyelids that open and close and lips 
that are dynamically generated.

David's suggestion could be good. I think he's suggesting using an 
isosurface where you can use functions to define shapes and use the methods 
described in Mike Williams' isosurface tutorial to 'blob' them together.
I've used that for the top of the head of my Santa model (see pps2face.inc 
in the xip file). It gets quite mathematical quite quickly though and he's 
right when he says that isosurfaces increase the render time. On my to-do 
list is to scan the isosurface I get for the head shape and build a mesh to 
render, for two reasons. Firstly it'll render quicker. Second, the straight 
edges of the meshes I plan to use for the eyelids and mouth will join more 
easily with a mesh than with the totally smooth isosurface.

Regards,
Chris B.

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