Here the ObjectAsIso.inc technique, but as a code patch to object_pattern. This
image is Bill Pragnell's archimedean_solids.inc from the POVRay object library.
The meshes are treated as isosurfaces.

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>William Pokorny  on date 14/09/2009 13:13 wrote:
> Here the ObjectAsIso.inc technique, but as a code patch to object_pattern. This
> image is Bill Pragnell's archimedean_solids.inc from the POVRay object library.
> The meshes are treated as isosurfaces.
> 
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
Interesting technique: the surface seems like hand made paper.
;-)
Paolo

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Thank you Paolo, though I have to admit I was not aiming at any particular
effect, but rather I was testing the object to isosurface patch. I had time to
run another test last night - no idea what it is, but, dang, isosurfaces are
cool!

The csg objects are on top, and the isosurfaces with some turbulence and a
little noise on the bottom.

Bill

Paolo Gibellini <p.g### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> >William Pokorny  on date 14/09/2009 13:13 wrote:
> > Here the ObjectAsIso.inc technique, but as a code patch to object_pattern. This
> > image is Bill Pragnell's archimedean_solids.inc from the POVRay object library.
> > The meshes are treated as isosurfaces.
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> Interesting technique: the surface seems like hand made paper.
> ;-)
> Paolo

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Even more interesting.
A way to deformate CSG objects.
Paolo

 >William Pokorny  on date 16/09/2009 14:33 wrote:
> Thank you Paolo, though I have to admit I was not aiming at any particular
> effect, but rather I was testing the object to isosurface patch. I had time to
> run another test last night - no idea what it is, but, dang, isosurfaces are
> cool!
> 
> The csg objects are on top, and the isosurfaces with some turbulence and a
> little noise on the bottom.
> 
> Bill
> 
> Paolo Gibellini <p.g### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
>>> William Pokorny  on date 14/09/2009 13:13 wrote:
>>> Here the ObjectAsIso.inc technique, but as a code patch to object_pattern. This
>>> image is Bill Pragnell's archimedean_solids.inc from the POVRay object library.
>>> The meshes are treated as isosurfaces.
>>>
>>>
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>> Interesting technique: the surface seems like hand made paper.
>> ;-)
>> Paolo
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>

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"William Pokorny" <pokorny_epix_net> wrote:
> Thank you Paolo, though I have to admit I was not aiming at any particular
> effect, but rather I was testing the object to isosurface patch. I had time to
> run another test last night - no idea what it is, but, dang, isosurfaces are
> cool!
>
> The csg objects are on top, and the isosurfaces with some turbulence and a
> little noise on the bottom.
>
> Bill

This looks really cool Bill, but I must've missed something - I've never heard
of ObjectToIso.inc - where's that available? I'm assuming it's a set of SDL
macros that you've ported to C++ in a 3.7 beta patch, is that right?

Cheers,
Rob

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Hi Rob,
I posted the ObjectToIso.inc file to the binary scene-files group a few days
ago, along with some example scenes. Perhaps I put it in the wrong place? The
technique in the SDL file is the same as the C++ one except much slower, so I
normally use the C++ patch of it.

By the way, I ran the Lucy mesh2 you provided with this technique - a nice test
- thank you. It ran in around 3 hours or so, no AA, single light source, but
with some gradient issues and I have never gone back to it.

It seems large meshes run as fast as even a relatively small collection of CSG
objects used as a single isosurface collection of equations.

I believe the reason is, throwing all the CSG objects into equations in the
isosurface defeats the very fast search mechanisms for objects that would
normally get used. It seems at least part of the fast searching on meshes is
still available to POVRay. Oddly this effect has me wondering about converting
large CSG count objects into single mesh2 objects on the fly...

It is in large part these new processors and POVRay's SMP implementation that
make the idea of using isosurfaces in this way something now doable. My longest
render thus far was the one of Bill Pragnell's archimedean solids. On an i7 920,
it came in at just under 4 hours using area lights, radiosity and AA. Though
this technique is very expensive, that kind of elapsed render time is workable.
This render would have been 30 hours plus on a single processor thread.

I believe too we have good room for improvements here, perhaps we'll figure
out how to go at this idea in better ways. I am myself still very much getting a
feel for it.

Regards, Bill

"Robert McGregor" <rob### [at] mcgregorfineartcom> wrote:
> "William Pokorny" <pokorny_epix_net> wrote:
> > Thank you Paolo, though I have to admit I was not aiming at any particular
> > effect, but rather I was testing the object to isosurface patch. I had time to
> > run another test last night - no idea what it is, but, dang, isosurfaces are
> > cool!
> >
> > The csg objects are on top, and the isosurfaces with some turbulence and a
> > little noise on the bottom.
> >
> > Bill
>
> This looks really cool Bill, but I must've missed something - I've never heard
> of ObjectToIso.inc - where's that available? I'm assuming it's a set of SDL
> macros that you've ported to C++ in a 3.7 beta patch, is that right?
>
> Cheers,
> Rob

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Robert McGregor schrieb:
> This looks really cool Bill, but I must've missed something - I've never heard
> of ObjectToIso.inc - where's that available? I'm assuming it's a set of SDL
> macros that you've ported to C++ in a 3.7 beta patch, is that right?

Check out p.b.scene-files, it was recently posted there.

Appears to be pure good old SDL code.

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On Thu, 17 Sep 2009 08:50:05 EDT, "William Pokorny" <pokorny_epix_net> wrote:

>Oddly this effect has me wondering about converting
>large CSG count objects into single mesh2 objects on the fly...

If you were going to do that then I imagine that there would be a few people (me
for one) who would like a stand alone utility to convert CSG objects to meshes.
Hint ;)
-- 

Regards
     Stephen

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Hi Stephen,
Not a utility by any stretch, but there might be a path for what you want.

Mike Williams's isosurface tutorial has a mention of a mesh approximation macro.
"Kevin Loney has produced an include file which produces a mesh object that
approximates an isosurface." Unfortunately the link is dead so unsure where to
get a current version of it.

If that exists somewhere, suppose we use ObjectAsIso.inc to turn the CSG into an
isosurface and then this mesh approximation macro to turn that isosurface into a
mesh?

Regards, Bill

Stephen <mcavoysAT@aolDOTcom> wrote:
> On Thu, 17 Sep 2009 08:50:05 EDT, "William Pokorny" <pokorny_epix_net> wrote:
>
> >Oddly this effect has me wondering about converting
> >large CSG count objects into single mesh2 objects on the fly...
>
> If you were going to do that then I imagine that there would be a few people (me
> for one) who would like a stand alone utility to convert CSG objects to meshes.
> Hint ;)
> --
>
> Regards
>      Stephen

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On Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:34:02 EDT, "William Pokorny" <pokorny_epix_net> wrote:

>Hi Stephen,
>Not a utility by any stretch, but there might be a path for what you want.
>
>Mike Williams's isosurface tutorial has a mention of a mesh approximation macro.
>"Kevin Loney has produced an include file which produces a mesh object that
>approximates an isosurface." Unfortunately the link is dead so unsure where to
>get a current version of it.
>
>If that exists somewhere, suppose we use ObjectAsIso.inc to turn the CSG into an
>isosurface and then this mesh approximation macro to turn that isosurface into a
>mesh?
>
>Regards, Bill
>

Thanks Bill
It is some where to start. I'll have a look and maybe a go :)
-- 

Regards
     Stephen

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