Hi again,
after discussion about my commercial 2D cad program (with additional 3d 
render and a pov-ray output support) I found it to be an interesting 
subject and perhaps it can be analyzed further.


First of all - povray OUTPUT (not povray program itself). License say that 
one can whatever he wants with it (all images are property of scene file 
creator). Is PovRAY team/users/creators - rather heapy that it can be used 
in serious and/or commercial projects? 

For example projects like zazzle is totaly based on PovRAY (and other 
rendereres).


Second - programs that ARE 3d renderers that need povray and that exist 
almost only for PovRay. There are free projects like TomTree / PovTree.
But also - there is Moray, with is a commercial program with PovRay as 
essentional part. 

In fact, Moray also is not distributed along with PovRAY, so I guess they 
had faced same problem as I did, and where forced to same solution (so we 
will just tell them to download it manualy)?

Why not let commercial usage also of PovRAY, for example some payment like 
10% of software price could be donated for PovRay - servers, software 
development, maybe buing professional 3D models or HDRI, etc etc.

Even without such peyment - free (more or less) software grows rapidly.


For example - I was hoping that perhaps I will have chance to make a 3d 
editor my self some day. If my 2d house-planning software would be more 
closely integrated to PovRAY (it will be quite close anyway, in the 3D 
visualization part, but such small problems like not putting Pov on same CD 
can result in more or less decrease of product remunerate and/or my 
position in job with leads to lover budget with this project related in 
some way to povray).

Even with disinclination from PovRAY team to use PovRAY as only 3d 
renderer, I will try to concentrate on it (assuming my client woulndt 
change mind like "stop playing with that and get a real 3d visualization 
C++ library") hoping it will be both more comfortable for me and profitable 
POV project (pov marketing).

But I still dont fully understand philosophy of PovRay software. Other 
projects like Blender create software fundation, get lots of money from UE 
(AFAIK) and therefore can develope much quicker also greate software.

Is blocking usage of PovRay renderer a good thing to do?

AFAIK there are some legal problems, if we would perhaps will someday to 
change pov license to gave it better chances to expand and be known and 
usefull software - like Apache, Linux, GCC - none of them would say "it can 
be used ONLY for fun, we just dont dont let anyone make a serious 
(commercial) project using it". That problem was about parts of old code 
with authors can not be contacted now and asked if they are willing to 
allow such ose of their code.

Why not try to rewrite this sections (improving them by the way, using 
gained experience)?

If my project will succeed I will have a bit more time for PovRAY (despite 
license problems with realy caused me some trouble, but ofcourse that is 
NOT nobody fault, I choose ot use PovRAY in opposite to my client's 
opinion). 

I think I would like to help with rewritting such code - if it would lead 
to cleryfie license problems.

I do have small experience in 3d renderers coding (I did write some small 
part of one renderer recently) and quite big C/C++ experience (I hope to 
present beta version of my 2d CAD application in off-topic group in about 
one month).

I think we have some talented programmers here, connected with 3D software, 
and realy working togeather can bring better profits for everyone :)

   	

-- 
http://www.raf256.com/3d/
Rafal Maj 'Raf256', home page - http://www.raf256.com/me/
Computer Graphics

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