Paul Senzee <pse### [at] yahoocom> wrote:
> You're right of course.  The fundamental differences between raytraced
> scenes and mesh based models are such that any conversion is in the end an
> approximation.

  I think you didn't understand my point.

  I was not in any way questioning the rationale in approximating surfaces
with triangle meshes. That's just ok.

  What I was wondering is how you will be solving the problem of figuring
out *where* the objects are located in the first place. If an object is
placed using the trace() function on the surface of, for example, a 4D julia
object which has been differenced from a poly object, figuring that out
(without using anything from POV-Ray's source code) will be a big feat
indeed.

> As far as evaluation of textures goes, it will be quite some time (if ever)
> before I get to that.

  The problem I see with that is that it will be basically impossible to
replicate all of POV-Ray's patterns, wave functions etc without actually
looking at POV-Ray's source code and doing it exactly like it is doing it.

  Looking at a source code and replicating its exact functionality
"in your own words" (so to speak) could be in a rather shaky ground
with regard to copyright... For example if you simply change the names
of the variables and functions, I don't think that's enough...

>  Infinite surfaces are clipped at the edges of a
> bounding 'universe' box.

  Have you thought how many triangles in total that makes?

  Don't get me wrong, I think a pov2mesh converter would be quite great.
I'm just pointing out that it will be an almost impossible job.

  By the way, it would be much, much easier if you made it as a patch
for POV-Ray instead of an independent program. This way you would have
direct access to everything in POV-Ray with minimal effort, and it would
save you a huge amount of work (eg. you wouldn't need to do *anything*
to parse the input scene, to trace objects, to evaluate pigments, etc).
  Also, making it a patch would make it more probable that it becomes
popular, especially if it gets included in megapov.

  You should seriously consider that.

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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