I'm trying to set up some "modular" code in INC's where I want to have
the option of having "null objects."  (The application is a body where I
don't have to say define all the finger objects all the time;  I want to
have say one object that is all the approprate cylinders, another which
is just a few boxes.  One INC will define the motion, with modular INC's
for various "bodies".).

What is the best way for me to do this?

Ideally, I could say:
#declare fingerobject123= object{null}

If I cannot, what is the next best "null object" to use, especially if I
don't want it to mess with the bounding box or trace functions or other
properties of the collection of the objects?  Would it be along the
lines of

#declare fingerobject123= sphere {0,1e-10 pigment rgbft 1} ?

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In article <3A7ECF11.5AB59B9C@my-dejanews.com> , "Greg M. Johnson" 
<gre### [at] my-dejanewscom> wrote:

> I'm trying to set up some "modular" code in INC's where I want to have
> the option of having "null objects."  (The application is a body where I
> don't have to say define all the finger objects all the time;  I want to
> have say one object that is all the approprate cylinders, another which
> is just a few boxes.  One INC will define the motion, with modular INC's
> for various "bodies".).
>
> What is the best way for me to do this?

Use a macro.


      Thorsten


____________________________________________________
Thorsten Froehlich, Duisburg, Germany
e-mail: tho### [at] trfde

Visit POV-Ray on the web: http://mac.povray.org

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Thorsten Froehlich wrote:

> > What is the best way for me to do this?
>
> Use a macro.

Thanks but no.  I want to have a large series of INC's that I can use, perhaps
in the same scene.  It will be like having a closet full of "walking beats"
and another of "characters".   So perhaps the way to do it is in the
characters which are say missing some wrist cylinders to make these parts
instead a clear sphere of radius 1E-10.

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I use something like this:
.
.
.
#declare null=union{}
object {null}
.
.
.
sphere{0,0}

As long as there is one "real" object anywhere in the main
scene, it should work.



"Greg M. Johnson" wrote:
> 
> I'm trying to set up some "modular" code in INC's where I want to have
> the option of having "null objects."  (The application is a body where I
> don't have to say define all the finger objects all the time;  I want to
> have say one object that is all the approprate cylinders, another which
> is just a few boxes.  One INC will define the motion, with modular INC's
> for various "bodies".).
> 
> What is the best way for me to do this?
> 
> Ideally, I could say:
> #declare fingerobject123= object{null}
> 
> If I cannot, what is the next best "null object" to use, especially if I
> don't want it to mess with the bounding box or trace functions or other
> properties of the collection of the objects?  Would it be along the
> lines of
> 
> #declare fingerobject123= sphere {0,1e-10 pigment rgbft 1} ?

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Greg M. Johnson <gre### [at] my-dejanewscom> wrote:
:> Use a macro.

: Thanks but no.

  Why not?

-- 
char*i="b[7FK@`3NB6>B:b3O6>:B:b3O6><`3:;8:6f733:>::b?7B>:>^B>C73;S1";
main(_,c,m){for(m=32;c=*i++-49;c&m?puts(""):m)for(_=(
c/4)&7;putchar(m),_--?m:(_=(1<<(c&3))-1,(m^=3)&3););}    /*- Warp -*/

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"Mr. Art" wrote:

> sphere{0,0}

Cool, I didn't know this was legal.

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Warp wrote:

> Greg M. Johnson <gre### [at] my-dejanewscom> wrote:
> :> Use a macro.
> : Thanks but no.
>   Why not?

I am setting up a modular system for movement of characters. It
comprises:

1) One file for information on posing the character (rotation of neck,
wrist_position_point for IK, etc.)
2) Several files where a list of objects are declared (headobj, neckobj,
thighobj, wristobj, fingersegment1L3, fingersegment1L2, etc.)  Each of
these files can be a different character.
3) A file that performs transforms on the objects in #2 using the
information in #1,  and then displays the union of them.

Thus, I can have two very different characters walking with the same
style, or two versions of the same character with different walk styles.

The problem is that I wanted to show off the system with two characters:
1) a stick figure made of cylinders connecting all the joints, and
2) a figure like that I see in some anatomy art books made of blocks (no
articulated fingers).

The problem is how do I keep this modular approach if I'm missing some
objects in the file.  Perhaps Art's suggestion of defining these fingers
as sphere{0,0} is the best.

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Greg M. Johnson wrote in message <3A7FFF03.36D3DC92@my-dejanews.com>...
> The problem is how do I keep this modular approach if I'm missing some
> objects in the file.  Perhaps Art's suggestion of defining these fingers
> as sphere{0,0} is the best.


did you compared your idea with blobman ?
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/HoustonGraph/POV-Ray/index.htm

ABX

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Wlodzimierz ABX Skiba wrote:

> did you compared your idea with blobman ?
> http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/HoustonGraph/POV-Ray/index.htm

I have great respect for what he's done, but its main problem is that it
wasn't created by me. I get greater personal satisfaction out of something I
can model from scratch than something that is pre-fab, no matter how
ingenious.  I'd rather make something crappy with my own figure than
photorealistic with Poser.  My goal is someday to have some cool, extremely
expressive characters that I can just reuse again and again ala'  JvS'
"Rusty"  or  perhaps closer to NA's "Pool Shark Guy".  I've tinkered with
Peter's code, but didn't find it all that interchangeable, didn't like the
faces, didn't think it had as much mobility to do all the things I was
interested in.

In my code, I will be able to have the figure shrug its shoulders: a rotation
of the clavicle bone. I'll also have non-slipping feet with bending at the
toe, am laboring on a true three-point foot structure.  With just a few lines
of code, I'll be able to include both a stick figure, a cool modelled figure,
and a robotic figure all doing the same walk. Can anyone say, "T2" ?  I'm also
spending a lot of time "digitizing" the xyz points off of skeletons & heads
from anatomy books to give it a more realistic shape, something sorely lacking
in my first two versions.

ANOTHER vision I have is that my "bones" could serve as the model for some
genius' coding of a "bones + bicubic patch" system ala' Hash's
Animation:Master.

Again, with great respect to Peter H,  it's quite likely I'll make something
less user-friendly than his is, but it at least will be designed around *my*
objectives . . .

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Hehe, our thoughts, ideas and approaches regarding to this seem to have
quite some things in common! :)

Rune
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