GrimDude wrote:

>  Using a global setting of "hf_gray_16" aids in creating a smooth and
> precise field. The larger you render the first step the better the
> final
> image will appear (to a point).
>   This may not create an image as you expect it to appear, but it will
>
> nevertheless have three dimensional characteristics. I came up with
> the
> following two files to create hf's from any image. Even a black&white
> image
> can benefit from this process (and has).
>
> On the first pass, use this file to create your height_field input
> file.
> -----
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> -----------
> // FC_HF.pov
>
> global_settings { max_trace_level 25 assumed_gamma 2.2 hf_gray_16 }
>
> object { box { <-4,-3,1>,<4,3,1.1> } texture {
>    pigment { image_map { tga "FalseColor.tga" once }
>    translate <-.5,-.5,-.5> scale <8,6,1> } } }
>
> camera { location <0,0,-5> direction z look_at 0 }
> light_source { <0,0,-65500> color rgb 1 }
> -----------------------------------------
> ----------------------------------
> -----------
> Then, use this file to finish it up.
> ------------------------------------
> ---------------------------------------
> -----------
> // Final.pov
> height_field { tga "FC_HF.tga" smooth rotate -90*x
> texture { pigment { image_map { tga "FalseColor.tga map_type 0 once }
> } }
> translate <-.5,-.5,-.5> scale <8,1,6> translate 1*z }
>
> camera { location <0,0,-5> direction z look_at 0 }
> light_source { <0,0,-65500> color rgb 1 }
> -----------------------------------------
> ----------------------------------
> -----------
> Additionally, you can rotate the height_field in the final source in
> order
> to see the 3D effects.
> --
> Paul Hinds
> gri### [at] swbellnet

Good files, Grimdude, but, especially for a case where you are trying to
accurately render a dataset, I recommend that you create the height
field with an orthographic camera and ambient 1.0 to avoid false
perspective and shading artifacts.  This also makes it easy to make the
height field exactly fit the false color image.  Also, if you set
assumed_gamma to 1.0 and set display_gamma to 2.2 (or 1.8 or whatever)
in your .ini file, your colors will have better dynamic range, there
will be less need for pumping color values over 1 (and losing some
detail), and people with nonClone machines will be able to run your
POV's and get the same results as you.  I posted a .zip a day or two ago
that illustrates these things if you are interested.  Aside from these
quibbles, it uses the same basic two step approach you describe.

Jerry Anning
cle### [at] dholcom

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Oh, you mean the 345Kb thing? Heh, I was afraid to look :)

--
Paul Hinds
gri### [at] swbellnet

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Bob Ratliff wrote:

>    I am having a similar problem.  I am working on a project to use
> POV-Ray
> in Radio Astronomy.  My problem is that I have a "contour map" in
> false
> color that I want to use as my height field.  That way, I can get a
> good
> estimate of the shape of the radio source.  Do you know of anyway to
> do
> this?  I am basically wanting to turn a 2d map into a 3d contour map.

The first thing is that, if possible, the *brightness* of your false
color should correspond to the parameter that you want to map.  Given
that, the higher the resolution (the larger the size), the smoother your
image will be.  What you do, basically, is first, use the false color
image to make a special format gray scale height field map.  Then, you
use that to render the height field and lay the original false color
image on it.  The accompanying .zip file contains an example of the
process.  Gradmap.tga was randomly splotted together in CorelPaint.
Call that our original false color contour map.  It was fed to
gradhgt.pov, which was rendered with gradhgt.ini.  This produced
gradhgt.tga, a 16 bit grayscale height field map.  Using gradhgt.tga to
form the height field and gradmap.tga to color it, the final image,
gradimg.tga. was produced with gradimg.pov and gradimg.ini.  I used
POVWin to do this, but any version of POV would work.  Email if you need
a hand or more info.  This is easiest if your original map is square, as
this was, but other aspect ratios can be accommodated.  Good luck.

Jerry Anning
cle### [at] dholcom

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Attachments:
Download 'htfields.zip' (345 KB)

Jerry, et al..

   Thanks for the information and the files.  I will see if what I can do
using them and let you know how it goes.  I am also trying to do the
same thing using Hi-Q which my boss thinks might do it easier, but if
it is easier, I have yet to find a way ;)

Thanks,

Bob Ratliff
Systems Administrator
Morehead Astrophysical Observatory
Morehead State University

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Joe Conklin <spa### [at] csrlinknet> wrote in article
<34d5373f.0@news.povray.org>...
| what are they what do they do?
| 
| 
| --
| http://www.geocities.com/siliconvalley/horizon/7128
| visit and sign the book
| remove "spam" to reply
|                                                                     Joe
| 
| 
|

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>>Joe Conklin wrote
>> what are they what do they do?

>Tristan Wibberley wrote :
>RTFM

How nice !!! Especially after there have been numerous responds giving very
detailed explanations.......
-----
- K-
-----

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Sorry to all who I may have insulted.

I got up on the wrong side of the bed that day, and there is a wall there,
so I had a headache ;-)

I also had no sleep the night before (dunno why, I just couldn't)

what I really meant was just RTM, 'cos I found it useful.


-- 
Tristan Wibberley

(Remove the '.NO_LUNCHEON_MEAT' from my
email address to reply.)

Kent Friberg <kef### [at] NoSpamThanxonlineno> wrote in article
<34df82f9.0@news.povray.org>...
| >>Joe Conklin wrote
| >> what are they what do they do?
| 
| >Tristan Wibberley wrote :
| >RTFM
| 
| How nice !!! Especially after there have been numerous responds giving
very
| detailed explanations.......
| -----
| - K-
| -----
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
|

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Tristan Wibberley wrote in message
<01bd36d5$de1cb840$181657a8@W_tristan.gb.tandem.com>...
>Sorry to all who I may have insulted.
>I got up on the wrong side of the bed that day, and there is a wall there,
>so I had a headache ;-)
>I also had no sleep the night before (dunno why, I just couldn't)
>what I really meant was just RTM, 'cos I found it useful.

Well, we all have our bad days I suppose, and yeah, there is a slight
difference between RTM&RTFM :-)

-and btw RTM *IS* really useful, at least in POV's case ;-)

--
-----
- K-
-----

Post a reply to this message

Tristan Wibberley wrote in message
<01bd36d5$de1cb840$181657a8@W_tristan.gb.tandem.com>...
>Sorry to all who I may have insulted.
>I got up on the wrong side of the bed that day, and there is a wall there,
>so I had a headache ;-)
>I also had no sleep the night before (dunno why, I just couldn't)
>what I really meant was just RTM, 'cos I found it useful.

Well, we all have our bad days I suppose, and yeah, there is a slight
difference between RTM&RTFM :-)

-and btw RTM *IS* really useful, at least in POV's case ;-)

--
-----
- K-
-----

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Joe Conklin wrote:
> 
> what are they what 

mostly what.

> do they do?

they definitely do.

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