I don't know if the POV-admin is accepting "bug reports" in this group but
here goes. I just downloaded and tried out POV 3.1b4 win and besides being
somewhat slower than 3.02 (will probably be optimized at a later stage?)
it's great. I especially love the redesigned GUI but it still needs some
fine-tuning, In Windows 98 the titlebar in the editor windows is not
gradient as it should be. The toolbars follow the win98 "regulations" I
guess but if would be nice to have the option to turn of the texts from the
main toolbar (New, Open, ...). Besides these I can't think of any
improvments at the moments so keep up the good work. POV-Ray is the best
software I have and it keeps getting better all the time.

PS. Adding the slope depentent textures that are being discussed in these
groups would be a major improvment.

Mikael Gustafsson
mik### [at] nettifi

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Mikael Gustafsson wrote:
> 
> I don't know if the POV-admin is accepting "bug reports" in this group but
> here goes. I just downloaded and tried out POV 3.1b4 win and besides being
> somewhat slower than 3.02 (will probably be optimized at a later stage?)
> it's great. I especially love the redesigned GUI but it still needs some
> fine-tuning, In Windows 98 the titlebar in the editor windows is not
> gradient as it should be. The toolbars follow the win98 "regulations" I
> guess but if would be nice to have the option to turn of the texts from the
> main toolbar (New, Open, ...). Besides these I can't think of any
> improvments at the moments so keep up the good work. POV-Ray is the best
> software I have and it keeps getting better all the time.
> 
> PS. Adding the slope depentent textures that are being discussed in these
> groups would be a major improvment.
> 
> Mikael Gustafsson
> mik### [at] nettifi

Personally, I really dislike the new GUI look.  It's far too much like
Internet Explorer.  I really don't like the animated scene in the top
right, again, it's too much like browsers.  I couldn't find a way to
disable this other than disabling the toolbar entirely.  Disabling the
toolbar (by un-checking 'Use Toolbar' in the 'Appearance' menu) works
immediately but if you exit and re-start POV the toolbar returns even
though 'Use Toolbar' is still un-checked!  I also don't like the new
icons and the background pattern behind them. It's just too busy and
distracting.

Some of the test scenes didn't work for me eg:

foglyr2.pov  --- all I got was a large opaque magenta block instead of
fog over the checkered floor.

hollow1.pov --- Couldn't detect any difference between the two spheres
or their shadows.

media3.pov --- Are we supposed to see light beams here?

galaxy.pov --- Where are the density files?

As for speed differences, I haven't run skyvase yet but fish13 runs a
full 1 minute and 8 secs slower than POV 3.02.
The demo runs 5 secs slower than POV 3.02

To end on a more positive note:

I do like the new macro facility - makes for much leaner and more
understandable code.

tim

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tim jordan wrote:
> 
> Mikael Gustafsson wrote:
> >

[snip]

> >from the
> > main toolbar (New, Open, ...). Besides these I can't think of any
> > improvments at the moments so keep up the good work. POV-Ray is the best
> > software I have and it keeps getting better all the time.

Yes.

> >
> > PS. Adding the slope depentent textures that are being discussed in these
> > groups would be a major improvment.
> >
> > Mikael Gustafsson
> > mik### [at] nettifi
> 
> Personally, I really dislike the new GUI look.  It's far too much like
> Internet Explorer.  I really don't like the animated scene in the top
> right, again, it's too much like browsers.

I think the look is beta is well. I do like the animated scene, but only
if it's
gonna be customizable. And paws/pause is a little corny. <g> Why is the
little
black x-mark/close button needed on the right? I almost always right
click on the
open scene file to close/render or whatever. If a close button is
needed, it
oughta be in the upper left of the toolbar, IMHO. 

>  I couldn't find a way to
> disable this other than disabling the toolbar entirely.  Disabling the
> toolbar (by un-checking 'Use Toolbar' in the 'Appearance' menu) works
> immediately but if you exit and re-start POV the toolbar returns even
> though 'Use Toolbar' is still un-checked!  I also don't like the new
> icons and the background pattern behind them. It's just too busy and
> distracting.

I like the old icons much better also.

Well, I noticed if you've got the toolbar in use, turn it off, fine. But
turn it back on, and the toolbar only partially appears, and some of it
pops up on mouseover, but not all of it. I have to minimize and then
restore
to get it back. Keep single instance works with just 3.1b, but if I've
opted for multiple instances and try to launch 3.1, while 3.1b is
running, 3.1b cranks up!

[more snippage...I've only run a few of the test scenes - macros and
arrays]

But the windows stuff is minor and should be easily fixable. Beta is as
beta does, right? The meat of the improvements (media, macros, arrays,
file i/o,
etc.) are all extremely useful/powerful. Bravo.

Wayne Gordon

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The problem with the 'Use Toolbar' setting not being sticky has been fixed
already and will be in the next beta.

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povray.org admin team wrote:
> 
> The problem with the 'Use Toolbar' setting not being sticky has been fixed
> already and will be in the next beta.

Wow! that was fast!  

I only posted a note about it today!  ;-)

(yes I realise you might well have already known about the problem)

keep it up chaps

tim

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This is BETA software and not final.... bit too early to go judging it!  As
for the new GUI I rather like it ;-)  Would be nice to disable that graphic
animation in top right though !!

Bryan
tim jordan <tim### [at] paradisenetnznospam> wrote in message
359### [at] paradisenetnznospam...
>Mikael Gustafsson wrote:
>>
>> I don't know if the POV-admin is accepting "bug reports" in this group
but
>> here goes. I just downloaded and tried out POV 3.1b4 win and besides
being
>> somewhat slower than 3.02 (will probably be optimized at a later stage?)
>> it's great. I especially love the redesigned GUI but it still needs some
>> fine-tuning, In Windows 98 the titlebar in the editor windows is not
>> gradient as it should be. The toolbars follow the win98 "regulations" I
>> guess but if would be nice to have the option to turn of the texts from
the
>> main toolbar (New, Open, ...). Besides these I can't think of any
>> improvments at the moments so keep up the good work. POV-Ray is the best
>> software I have and it keeps getting better all the time.
>>
>> PS. Adding the slope depentent textures that are being discussed in these
>> groups would be a major improvment.
>>
>> Mikael Gustafsson
>> mik### [at] nettifi
>
>Personally, I really dislike the new GUI look.  It's far too much like
>Internet Explorer.  I really don't like the animated scene in the top
>right, again, it's too much like browsers.  I couldn't find a way to
>disable this other than disabling the toolbar entirely.  Disabling the
>toolbar (by un-checking 'Use Toolbar' in the 'Appearance' menu) works
>immediately but if you exit and re-start POV the toolbar returns even
>though 'Use Toolbar' is still un-checked!  I also don't like the new
>icons and the background pattern behind them. It's just too busy and
>distracting.
>
>Some of the test scenes didn't work for me eg:
>
>foglyr2.pov  --- all I got was a large opaque magenta block instead of
>fog over the checkered floor.
>
>hollow1.pov --- Couldn't detect any difference between the two spheres
>or their shadows.
>
>media3.pov --- Are we supposed to see light beams here?
>
>galaxy.pov --- Where are the density files?
>
>As for speed differences, I haven't run skyvase yet but fish13 runs a
>full 1 minute and 8 secs slower than POV 3.02.
>The demo runs 5 secs slower than POV 3.02
>
>To end on a more positive note:
>
>I do like the new macro facility - makes for much leaner and more
>understandable code.
>
>tim

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Bryan Garnett-Law wrote:
> 
> This is BETA software and not final.... bit too early to go judging it!  As
> for the new GUI I rather like it ;-)  Would be nice to disable that graphic
> animation in top right though !!
> 
> Bryan

I'm well aware that's it's BETA and not final.

tim

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>fine-tuning, In Windows 98 the titlebar in the editor windows is not

I wasn't aware of this (not having seen Windows 98 at all). By default POVWIN
draws its own caption to allow the addition of the extra button. You can set it
to default to the standard Win98 titlebar by setting the menu item 'Use Non-
Client Drawing in Main Window' in the Appearance menu to OFF. You'll also lose
the main status bar at the bottom (but not the editor status bar).

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>I like the old icons much better also.

What icons in particular are you referring to?

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Yes, that fixes the gradient toolbar. What's weird though is that not all of
the toolbar
is solid color as can be seen in the attached image. I think this can be
fixed in some
way.

povray.org admin team wrote in message
<35a07740.75892026@news.povray.org>...
>>fine-tuning, In Windows 98 the titlebar in the editor windows is not
>
>I wasn't aware of this (not having seen Windows 98 at all). By default
POVWIN
>draws its own caption to allow the addition of the extra button. You can
set it
>to default to the standard Win98 titlebar by setting the menu item 'Use
Non-
>Client Drawing in Main Window' in the Appearance menu to OFF. You'll also
lose
>the main status bar at the bottom (but not the editor status bar).

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