In article <slr### [at] fwicom>, ron### [at] povrayorg 
wrote:

> Which is more readable and conveys my intent better?

Not to mention:
2*pi vs. 6.283185

sqrt(2) vs. 1.414213

pow(A, B) or A^B where either A or B (or both) is a variable.

Then there is anything using sin(), cos(), etc...

sin(45) is much more readable than 0.707106, or even sqrt(2)/2, and so 
on...not to mention the precision you gain from having POV calculate it.

And what if you need something to vary with a loop? Sure, you *could* 
calculate each object manually...but that definitely wouldn't be more 
readable.

Also, expressions like <...>*SomeValue can be very useful for making 
quick adjustments, I often use them when positioning my camera...why 
should I do the math myself if I can just tell POV to do it? If I want 
to keep the same angle to the origin but change the distance, I just 
multiply the location by a scaling value, that way I only have to mess 
with one number instead of doing the multiplication of the three vector 
components.
It would be absurd to say that raw numbers are always easier to read 
than simple expressions.

-- 
Christopher James Huff
Personal: chr### [at] maccom, http://homepage.mac.com/chrishuff/
TAG: chr### [at] tagpovrayorg, http://tag.povray.org/

<><

Post a reply to this message