I am wondering how to go about having an object appear instantly in a 
POV animation. Specifically, I am working with moving light sources 
(death rays, as it happens :-) that appear at the snout of a ray gun and 
then fly off. Currently I am using some really inelegant ways of doing 
this, such as putting them really far away then translating them into 

ground, but there must be a better way.





Thanks,

RA

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I would use the clock like this:

#if (clock > .5)
 object(laser)
#endif



--
Mike

wk: mik### [at] pyxiscom  www.pyxis.com
hm: mwe### [at] sciticom  www.geocities.com/mikepweber


"Rick Adams" <ben### [at] xprtnet> wrote in message
news:benboomREMOVE_THIS_PART-C83EF9.09511318042000@news.povray.org...
> I am wondering how to go about having an object appear instantly in a
> POV animation. Specifically, I am working with moving light sources
> (death rays, as it happens :-) that appear at the snout of a ray gun and
> then fly off. Currently I am using some really inelegant ways of doing
> this, such as putting them really far away then translating them into

> ground, but there must be a better way.
>



>
> Thanks,
>
> RA

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In article <38fc9e85$1@news.povray.org>, "Mike Weber" 
<mik### [at] pyxiscom> wrote:

> I would use the clock like this:
> 
> #if (clock > .5)
>  object(laser)
> #endif

Thanks!. Very simple; I like that.

Post a reply to this message

If you want multiple instances the thing to do is use #switch with #range.  These
directives are practically made for
animation.  Example:

#switch (clock)
#range (0.3,0.5) // for a 0 to 1 clock
// do the ray here
#break
#end


Bob

"Rick Adams" <ben### [at] xprtnet> wrote in message
news:benboomREMOVE_THIS_PART-C33E4F.15571918042000@news.povray.org...
| In article <38fc9e85$1@news.povray.org>, "Mike Weber"
| <mik### [at] pyxiscom> wrote:
|
| > I would use the clock like this:
| >
| > #if (clock > .5)
| >  object(laser)
| > #endif
|
| Thanks!. Very simple; I like that.

Post a reply to this message

In article <38fd13e9@news.povray.org>, "Bob Hughes" 
<per### [at] aolcom?subject=PoV-News:> wrote:

> If you want multiple instances the thing to do is use #switch with 
> #range.  These directives are practically made for
> animation.  Example:
> 
> #switch (clock)
> #range (0.3,0.5) // for a 0 to 1 clock
> // do the ray here
> #break
> #end

Does that mean that the other example won't let you do multiples? I used 
it in my currently rendering animation, but just once, and it seemed to 
work fine and I can't see why you couldn't use it for multiple death 
rays, or whatever. What is the advantage this way? (I know there must be 
one, I just don't see it.)

RA

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Rick Adams wrote:
> 
> In article <38fd13e9@news.povray.org>, "Bob Hughes"
> <per### [at] aolcom?subject=PoV-News:> wrote:
> 
> > If you want multiple instances the thing to do is use #switch with
> > #range.  These directives are practically made for
> > animation.  Example:
> >
> > #switch (clock)
> > #range (0.3,0.5) // for a 0 to 1 clock
> > // do the ray here
> > #break
> > #end
> 
> Does that mean that the other example won't let you do multiples? I used
> it in my currently rendering animation, but just once, and it seemed to
> work fine and I can't see why you couldn't use it for multiple death
> rays, or whatever. What is the advantage this way? (I know there must be
> one, I just don't see it.)
> 
> RA

I don't do much animation work but I believe the difference is that the
first example will cause the death ray to appear at clock cycle 0.5 and
persist until it reaches a value of one - until the last frame of the
animation. With the second example you can have the death ray appear at
a clock value of 0.3 and then dissapear at the clock value of 0.5. The
second method offers a little more flexibility than does the first.

-- 
Ken Tyler - 1400+ POV-Ray, Graphics, 3D Rendering, and Raytracing Links:
http://home.pacbell.net/tylereng/index.html http://www.povray.org/links/

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"Ken" <tyl### [at] pacbellnet> wrote in message news:38FD23C3.DF54931C@pacbell.net...
| >
| > Does that mean that the other example won't let you do multiples? I used
| > it in my currently rendering animation, but just once, and it seemed to
| > work fine and I can't see why you couldn't use it for multiple death
| > rays, or whatever. What is the advantage this way? (I know there must be
| > one, I just don't see it.)
|
| I don't do much animation work but I believe the difference is that the
| first example will cause the death ray to appear at clock cycle 0.5 and
| persist until it reaches a value of one - until the last frame of the
| animation. With the second example you can have the death ray appear at
| a clock value of 0.3 and then dissapear at the clock value of 0.5. The
| second method offers a little more flexibility than does the first.

That's pretty much it, and for simplicity really.  You have to start nesting those
"#if" directives to get the same
result.  Can get difficult to follow.

Bob

Post a reply to this message

In article <38fd313b@news.povray.org>, "Bob Hughes" 
<per### [at] aolcom?subject=PoV-News:> wrote:


> | I don't do much animation work but I believe the difference is that the
> | first example will cause the death ray to appear at clock cycle 0.5 and
> | persist until it reaches a value of one - until the last frame of the
> | animation. With the second example you can have the death ray appear at
> | a clock value of 0.3 and then dissapear at the clock value of 0.5. The
> | second method offers a little more flexibility than does the first.
> 
> That's pretty much it, and for simplicity really.  You have to start 
> nesting those "#if" directives to get the same
> result.  Can get difficult to follow.

Okay, I understand. It wasn't an issue in the animation I'm doing now 
since I send the death ray off out of the picture, never to be seen 
again (it's more like the rays they used in Forbidden Planet, it you 
remember that one), but your way makes them able to disappear on cue, 
too. That's probably lots more useful for most apllications.

Thanks, everybody.

Post a reply to this message

A good example would be a flashing light.

--
Mike

wk: mik### [at] pyxiscom  www.pyxis.com
hm: mwe### [at] sciticom  www.geocities.com/mikepweber


"Rick Adams" <ben### [at] xprtnet> wrote in message
news:benboomREMOVE_THIS_PART-1A7DD9.07502819042000@news.povray.org...
> In article <38fd313b@news.povray.org>, "Bob Hughes"
> <per### [at] aolcom?subject=PoV-News:> wrote:
>
>
> > | I don't do much animation work but I believe the difference is that
the
> > | first example will cause the death ray to appear at clock cycle 0.5
and
> > | persist until it reaches a value of one - until the last frame of the
> > | animation. With the second example you can have the death ray appear
at
> > | a clock value of 0.3 and then dissapear at the clock value of 0.5. The
> > | second method offers a little more flexibility than does the first.
> >
> > That's pretty much it, and for simplicity really.  You have to start
> > nesting those "#if" directives to get the same
> > result.  Can get difficult to follow.
>
> Okay, I understand. It wasn't an issue in the animation I'm doing now
> since I send the death ray off out of the picture, never to be seen
> again (it's more like the rays they used in Forbidden Planet, it you
> remember that one), but your way makes them able to disappear on cue,
> too. That's probably lots more useful for most apllications.
>
> Thanks, everybody.

Post a reply to this message