I am Currently using Povray an image rhat changes over real world time.
The problem I am having is in getting the computers clock value into povray
so that I can manipulate objects based on that value.

  I have had no luck getting that value to be updated automatically in a
plain text file
so that i could read it using #READ

any help would be appreciated?

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This looks more like a question for alt.msdos.batch (or whatever OS you
use) than for the POVRay group...Actually, getting time by Batch file is
a very common question and could probably be found on the FAQ for the
group.

Steve


Randy Robnett wrote:
> 
>   I am Currently using Povray an image rhat changes over real world time.
> The problem I am having is in getting the computers clock value into povray
> so that I can manipulate objects based on that value.
> 
>   I have had no luck getting that value to be updated automatically in a
> plain text file
> so that i could read it using #READ
> 
> any help would be appreciated?

Post a reply to this message

Interesting concept. I wish I knew how to do the file in/out but I
haven't learned it yet.
Getting the system time is childs play though. A batch file would simply
be invoked which has Time [enter] and/or Date [enter] in it redirecting
output to a text file but it needs to have the comma format for POV to
read it in. Don't know exactly how you'd go about that.
I'd have to look up the command-line syntax for the enter key, but like
Stephen said you can find out easily enough at such places.
Considering the need for a reformatted text, afraid you're going to have
to do more than batch file it.


Randy Robnett wrote:
> 
>   I am Currently using Povray an image rhat changes over real world time.
> The problem I am having is in getting the computers clock value into povray
> so that I can manipulate objects based on that value.
> 
>   I have had no luck getting that value to be updated automatically in a
> plain text file
> so that i could read it using #READ
> 
> any help would be appreciated?

-- 
 omniVERSE: beyond the universe
  http://members.aol.com/inversez/POVring.htm
=Bob

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Actually, my father hangs out at alt.msdos.batch and is probably the
equivalent of Chris Colefax for the Batch file world (MSDOS/Win95 batch
at least) he does some of the most insane stuff with batch files.  I
know that reformatting text etc isn't out of his range...(Considering I
can't read most of his batch files since every other character is the
percent sign) I'm putting a link to his page here, but mostly so you can
find another more accessable page from his links as his has almost
nothing for the batch initiate.

Steve
http://www.pressroom.com/~tglbatch/
and a section on using data and time in batch files (linked off the
index)
http://www.pressroom.com/~tglbatch/timedate.htm

Bob Hughes wrote:
> 
> Interesting concept. I wish I knew how to do the file in/out but I
> haven't learned it yet.
> Getting the system time is childs play though. A batch file would simply
> be invoked which has Time [enter] and/or Date [enter] in it redirecting
> output to a text file but it needs to have the comma format for POV to
> read it in. Don't know exactly how you'd go about that.
> I'd have to look up the command-line syntax for the enter key, but like
> Stephen said you can find out easily enough at such places.
> Considering the need for a reformatted text, afraid you're going to have
> to do more than batch file it.
> 
> Randy Robnett wrote:
> >
> >   I am Currently using Povray an image rhat changes over real world time.
> > The problem I am having is in getting the computers clock value into povray
> > so that I can manipulate objects based on that value.
> >
> >   I have had no luck getting that value to be updated automatically in a
> > plain text file
> > so that i could read it using #READ
> >
> > any help would be appreciated?
> 
> --
>  omniVERSE: beyond the universe
>   http://members.aol.com/inversez/POVring.htm
> =Bob

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"Randy Robnett" <rro### [at] midwestnet> writes:

>   I am Currently using Povray an image rhat changes over real world time.
> The problem I am having is in getting the computers clock value into povray
> so that I can manipulate objects based on that value.

  You could try what I did for a CGI: write a shell script (or a batch
file, or a Perl script, or whatever) the output of which is a POV-Ray
scene that you pipe into POV-Ray.  The script can print out whatever
you want, including date, time, directory listings, results from
other programs, whatever you like.

Roland.
-- 
Les francophones m'appellent Roland Mas,
English speakers call me Rowlannd' Mass,
Nihongode hanasu hitoha [Lolando Masu] to iimasu.
Choisissez ! Take your pick ! Erande kudasai !

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