Matt Giwer wrote:
> 
>         I know it is presumptuous of me to say but Mr. Colfax appears to
> create things for those who can not do for themselves, perhaps
> just showing off.
> 
>         Taking the city for example, that would have made a great city
> around 1920 or even 1940 maybe in some places but it still misses
> the surrounding farmlands. And for today it certainly misses the
> suburbs. If I wanted an Oakie city under a bubble in space I
> would use it or the other. But as is, no. It is not realistic in
> the least today.

Oh, the slander... (and you misspelt my name to boot!).

Well, Mr. Giuer/Giwer, I do believe this is the first time someone has
actually taken offence at my offerings.  With my honour thus slighted,
perhaps I could grant myself the right of reply?  It is indeed true that
many of my projects are the result of other POV users' suggestions,
requests, and/or challenges, although in my defence might I say that my
efforts in documenting and distributing the files show I'm seeking a
little more than "ooh's" and "aah's"?

Case in point, I started the City Generator after suggestions by, and
collaborations with, Scott McDonald well over 18 months ago.  Oddly
enough, the original version I created for POV-Ray 3.0 included a
selection of red-roofed, white-picket fenced suburbs, and Scott designed
a series of high-rise buildings for his own scenes (see
http://www.canuck.com/~jimm/graphicp.htm).

Once POV-Ray 3.1 was released with macros, file I/O, etc., I rewrote the
file and redesigned the technique used to assemble the city.  My
intention by splitting the system into Include, Macro, and Object files
was to allow users to design their own custom cities at various levels. 
The "out of date" building objects you derided were simply created (as
all my sample images/animations are) to illustrate various features of
the system in order to give users some idea of what might be possible. 
They certainly are not meant to indicate the full extent of the files.

If you wished, you could create building object files (as others have
already done) for futuristic, contemporary, or period cities, and if you
really wanted to you could create a modified city macro file that
created buildings at various levels of complexity depending on their
distance from the camera, or to change the type of buildings as you got
further from the city centre.

Oh well, what with this and the current Yahoo-GeoCities furore it's
probably best I pack up my files and retire under a rock somewhere...
(not bloody likely!)  But thanks anyway for keeping me on my toes - now
I'll just have to work on something to really show off!

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