Alan Kong <ako### [at] pacbellno-spamnet> wrote:
: but they don't devote any print space to freeware
: ray tracers :(

  That's because free programs CAN'T be good...

-- 
main(i,_){for(_?--i,main(i+2,"FhhQHFIJD|FQTITFN]zRFHhhTBFHhhTBFysdB"[i]
):5;i&&_>1;printf("%s",_-70?_&1?"[]":" ":(_=0,"\n")),_/=2);} /*- Warp -*/

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Nieminen Juha wrote:
> 
> Alan Kong <ako### [at] pacbellno-spamnet> wrote:
> : but they don't devote any print space to freeware
> : ray tracers :(
> 
>   That's because free programs CAN'T be good...

   No it's because people who distribute freeware programs do not pay big
bucks for advertising their product like the commercial software providers
do. It's economics pure and simple. It is a good thing that word of mouth
works. I would never have found POV-Ray had someone not posted a raytraced
image on a local BBS a few years ago. I got curious about the image and
finaly found the software that produced it. The rest is history :)

-- 
Ken Tyler
1100+ Povray, Graphics, 3D Rendering, and Raytracing Links:
http://home.pacbell.net/tylereng/index.html

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Actually I gave a few lectures and demonstrations about Povray in the last
years and didn't have this kind of problem, even with CG professionals. I've
also received more than encouraging emails from people working in CG companies
(software, games,  movies) who may have been a little bored with their usual
professional fare. Perhaps this was due to the fact that I put the emphasis on
the artistical possibilities of povray and not on its value as a 3DS or Maya
competitor. Most of the people who use professional software use it as a tool
that allows them to work fast and make money, so it's no surprise they don't
really care about amateur tools. It's a little like asking a professional
truck driver what he/she thinks of your beautiful 50's vintage car in terms of
trucking performance : he/she may despise it as a professional vehicle, and
like it anyway because it's a cool car. In the same way, a CG professional may
not care about povray as a 3D programme and yet enjoy your povray output
because of its artistical merit (and sometimes be impressed by the fact that
it was done with something 100% free).

Gilles Tran

Nieminen Juha wrote:

> TonyB <ben### [at] panamaphoenixnet> wrote:
> : I mentioned POV-Ray. Everyone there has heard _of_ it. My attempts to
> : explain more about it resulted in instant boredom and ingnoring from the
> : 'nice' people. As soon as a I returned to 3D Studio, they had my full
> : attention again.
>
>   AFAIK this is a very common phenomenon. Almost all people who use 3DS a
> lot, specially if doing it professionally, will tell you a thousand and
> one excuses why povray is not good.
>   Often this happens although they have seen only a couple of (mediocre)
> povray pictures and they have heard that it's a text-based program.
>
> --
> main(i,_){for(_?--i,main(i+2,"FhhQHFIJD|FQTITFN]zRFHhhTBFHhhTBFysdB"[i]
> ):5;i&&_>1;printf("%s",_-70?_&1?"[]":" ":(_=0,"\n")),_/=2);} /*- Warp -*/

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Ken <tyl### [at] pacbellnet> wrote
>  I would never have found POV-Ray had someone not posted a raytraced
> image on a local BBS a few years ago. I got curious about the image and
> finaly found the software that produced it. The rest is history :)

So it all started with a search for links? Hmmm...

I found POV by looking for animation tools. I was doing animated GIFs by
hand (making money at it too! Short term career that was though) when I
found a demo of some commercial program. By doing a search for the terms I
found in the help file (Ray Tracing, CSG, rendering) I found the link to
povray.org.

    The rest is mystory.

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I found POV-Ray through another DOS based modeller which had direct POV-Ray
1.0 ouput :)  It recommended it for rendering over the modeller's renderer!

So I seeked out this mystically POV-Ray on the net a year later and found
it!  I then ordered the Offical POV-Ray Raytracing CD-ROM and started my POV
Experience.

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On Tue, 5 Oct 1999 08:10:34 -0400, "Buckaroo Bill"
<the### [at] earthlinknet> wrote:

>I found POV by looking for animation tools. I was doing animated GIFs by
>hand (making money at it too! Short term career that was though) when I
>found a demo of some commercial program. By doing a search for the terms I
>found in the help file (Ray Tracing, CSG, rendering) I found the link to
>povray.org.

  Bill, I'm going to re-start this thread (sorry!) in povray.off-topic.

-- 
Alan
http://www.povray.org - Home of the Persistence of Vision Ray Tracer

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Alan Kong <ako### [at] pacbellNO-SPAMnet> wrote
>
>   Bill, I'm going to re-start this thread (sorry!) in povray.off-topic.
>

    I considered that, but since it was about finding POV... nonetheless, it
seems to have survived the transplant. No harm done.

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Alan Kong <ako### [at] pacbellNO-SPAMnet> wrote:
: but they don't devote any print space to freeware
: ray tracers :(

Actually, CGW is what got me into 3D art.  About a year ago a subscription
of CGW was floating around our office.  I started flipping through it
looking at the images wishing I had a few thousand dollars so I could
afford the software and hardware to do such art.  At the time my only
knowledge of the area was from tv coverage of companies like ILM.

But in that particular issue of CGW there was mention of POV-Ray, that the
software was free, and with the URL.  So I ventured over in disbelief
thinking it was some gimic to sell a $10,000 software package.  Downloaded
POV-Ray.  Played around with it a bit.  And I've been hooked on 3D art ever
since.

- Jerome

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On 5 Oct 1999 17:40:02 -0400, Jerome Waters <hjw### [at] whqcsarcom> wrote:

>But in that particular issue of CGW there was mention of POV-Ray, that the
>software was free, and with the URL.

  Hi, Jerome. Was that the issue that had a featured article on radiosity?
They made some errors when they mentioned POV-Ray in that paragraph. First
they referred to it as shareware and then as public domain, neither of which
is accurate. I remember bringing up the issue with Dan Farmer [POV-Team] at
the time but can't recall if I ever sent CGW a correction by e-mail.

  Still, CGW is a nice publication and I've subscribed to it for several
years (did I renew this year??). They cover a lot of movie CG effects, which
is where a lot of my (amateur) interest lies.

-- 
Alan
http://www.povray.org - Home of the Persistence of Vision Ray Tracer

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I was made aware of POV by a friend who had an Amiga and was
using Imagine and Real3D, he told me that there was a
package for the PC that could do Ray Tracing, he also said
that you sometimes get these packages on the front of
magazines.  I bought the magazines for ages but never saw
POV mentioned.  The magazine disappeared from the shops so I
didn't bother any more.  

Then years later I got a new PC and an internet account, I
did a quick search somewhere for shareware and POV, and
BINGO there was a whole site dedicated to it.  The rest is
"time spent ray tracing while real life, family, friends and
my career all go to rack and ruin". 

Buckaroo Bill wrote:
> 
> Ken <tyl### [at] pacbellnet> wrote
> >  I would never have found POV-Ray had someone not posted a raytraced
> > image on a local BBS a few years ago. I got curious about the image and
> > finaly found the software that produced it. The rest is history :)
> 
> So it all started with a search for links? Hmmm...
> 
> I found POV by looking for animation tools. I was doing animated GIFs by
> hand (making money at it too! Short term career that was though) when I
> found a demo of some commercial program. By doing a search for the terms I
> found in the help file (Ray Tracing, CSG, rendering) I found the link to
> povray.org.
> 
>     The rest is mystory.

-- 
Cheers
Steve              email mailto:sjl### [at] ndirectcouk

%HAV-A-NICEDAY Error not enough coffee  0 pps. 

web http://www.ndirect.co.uk/~sjlen/

or  http://start.at/zero-pps

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