POV-Ray : Newsgroups : povray.bugreports : Solid meshes aren't really solid Server Time
28 Apr 2024 18:33:36 EDT (-0400)
  Solid meshes aren't really solid (Message 1 to 3 of 3)  
From: SharkD
Subject: Solid meshes aren't really solid
Date: 12 Dec 2008 15:25:01
Message: <web.4942c7752608ff5b3180c5030@news.povray.org>
"Walls" are missing when using solid meshes in CSG. The problem is described in
more detail in this thread:

http://news.povray.org/povray.general/thread/%3Cweb.49407a1e34307b75ef318dca0%40news.povray.org%3E/?mtop=22

Here's a simple example scene:

camera
{
 location  -z * 6
 look_at   0
 right     x*image_width/image_height
 rotate x * 30
 rotate y * -30
}

light_source
{
 <-3, 9, -3>
 color rgb 1
 parallel
}

plane
{
 y, 0
 pigment {color rgbt <0,0,1,1/4,>}
}

difference
{
 box
 {
  -1, 1
  scale 1/2
 }
 mesh
 {
  triangle {<0,1,0,>, <1,1,0,>, <0,1,1,>}
  inside_vector y
  rotate y * 180
 }
 pigment {color rgbt <1,1,1,0,>}
}


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From: clipka
Subject: Re: Solid meshes aren't really solid
Date: 12 Dec 2008 16:40:01
Message: <web.4942d946fab08d2a7c822d860@news.povray.org>
"SharkD" <nomail@nomail> wrote:
> "Walls" are missing when using solid meshes in CSG. The problem is described in
> more detail in this thread:
>
>
http://news.povray.org/povray.general/thread/%3Cweb.49407a1e34307b75ef318dca0%40news.povray.org%3E/?mtop=22
>
> Here's a simple example scene:

The problem with that scene is that the "solid mesh" isn't solid at all.

An "inside_normal" statement is not intended to make a mesh solid - it's just
intended to help reduce artifacts with solid (or at least "almost-solid")
meshes.

A solid mesh is instead any mesh whose surface - as defined by its triangles -
fully encloses some volume (the "inside"). The mesh in your sample scene,
having only a single triangle, obviously does not meet this requirement.


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From: SharkD
Subject: Re: Solid meshes aren't really solid
Date: 12 Dec 2008 18:50:00
Message: <web.4942f79dfab08d2ad678456b0@news.povray.org>
"SharkD" <nomail@nomail> wrote:
> "Walls" are missing when using solid meshes in CSG. The problem is described in
> more detail in this thread:
>
>
http://news.povray.org/povray.general/thread/%3Cweb.49407a1e34307b75ef318dca0%40news.povray.org%3E/?mtop=22

I see now from clipka's explanation how the current behavior could be considered
useful. Without it, in poorly-formed meshes you would see prisms extending
tofrom the gaps to infinity along the vector defined by the inside_vector
statement. However, in some instances this behavior is not desirable.
Therefore, I propose that a flag be added to toggle this behavior on/off. Maybe
"open" or "hollow" could be used, but these terms don't correspond perfectly to
what is actually happening.

-Mike


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