> 
> * "It's useless" *
>     Let's assume that I want to use Renderman-like shaders and hdri
> output. How do I do that with the current system? Megapov has hdri but
> no shaders, and povman has shaders but no hdri. This is something that
> will crop up every time two people implement some great new features
> independently. If there was a plugin system they could simply each
> write a plugin and the user could then combine the capabilities of
> both plugins without having to wait for someone to (maybe) integrate
> both into a unified patch.

Neither HDR-Image support nor Renderman like shaders could be 
implemented as 'plugins' in current official POV-Ray even if it had 
plugin support and even if POV-Ray was a Windows-only program.

And there are reasons why MegaPOV currently does not include the POVMan 
patch and exactly the same reasons would prevent a POVMan plugin (that 
would not be possible anyway - see above) from being available.

So the idea that a plugin system would allow you to use two arbitrary 
patches that have not yet been combined in an unofficial version 
together without getting your hands dirty is not realistic.

> * "The povray license doesn't allow this" *
>     I thought one of the effects of the complete code rewrite with pov
> 4.0 is supposed to be a possible change of license? I know we're not
> supposed to talk about pov 4.0, but if that is the case, it might
> become possible to write such a plugin system then (as an unofficial
> patch of course) without licensing issues.

Just to avoid wrong conclusions.  The idea that POV-Ray 4.0 will have a 
changed license does not mean it will have a do-whatever-you-want 
license.  And to make it possible for people to distribute platform 
specific binary-only extensions is not exactly a very good reason to 
change the license.

Christoph

-- 
POV-Ray tutorials, include files, Sim-POV,
HCR-Edit and more: http://www.tu-bs.de/~y0013390/
Last updated 23 Sep. 2004 _____./\/^>_*_<^\/\.______

Post a reply to this message