What if full plug-in support was added to POV-Ray?  Then something like this
would probably be possible.

--
This message brought to you by:
-=< Ian (the### [at] hotmailcom >=-

Please visit my site at http://spectere2000.cjb.net! :)

ryan constantine <rco### [at] yahoocom> wrote in message
news:38D15FCC.81CF80F3@yahoo.com...
> is there a way to convert pov and inc files into moray?  or is there a
> utility that allows one to search through pov and inc files for an
> object and import it into moray?  it seems to me that if moray can go
> from moray to pov, it should be able to go the other way as well.  does
> it?  how?
>

Post a reply to this message

On Sun, 19 Mar 2000 01:50:28 -0500, "Ian Burgmyer"
<the### [at] hotmailcom> wrote:

>What if full plug-in support was added to POV-Ray?  Then something like this
>would probably be possible.

You do realise the difficulties with developing a cross-platform
plug-in architecture, don't you? Besides, plug-ins are somewhat
prohibited by POVLEGAL at this stage. They can easily be used to abuse
the hard work of the team.


Peter Popov
pet### [at] usanet
ICQ: 15002700

Post a reply to this message

Peter Popov <pet### [at] usanet> wrote in message
news:ko=UOEv6av1Fa0MKuimmJTG93LxX@4ax.com...
> >What if full plug-in support was added to POV-Ray?  Then something like
this
> >would probably be possible.
>
> You do realise the difficulties with developing a cross-platform
> plug-in architecture, don't you?

Yeah, you're right.  Then again, there's an interpreted language.  But good
luck writing an import/export plugin :)

> Besides, plug-ins are somewhat
> prohibited by POVLEGAL at this stage.

Oh.  Okay.

> They can easily be used to abuse
> the hard work of the team.

How?  All it would be is a module adding to the existing code, even if a
cross-platform binary were possible.

Also, what would be the use of cross-platform plugins?  For instance, a file
export/import plugin would likely only be useful for that specific OS.
Exporting Moray files, for instance, on a Linux version of POV-Ray would be
a waste of time.

--
This message brought to you by:
-=< Ian (the### [at] hotmailcom >=-

Please visit my site at http://spectere2000.cjb.net! :)

Post a reply to this message

In article <38d4b640$1@news.povray.org>, "Ian Burgmyer" 
<the### [at] hotmailcom> wrote:

> Yeah, you're right.  Then again, there's an interpreted language.

You mean a language you could write plugins in and then refer to their 
files from a scene file?
Sounds a lot like POV-Script and include files, doesn't it?


> How?  All it would be is a module adding to the existing code, even if a
> cross-platform binary were possible.

But that module could do just about anything once it is called, unless 
it is written in an interpreted language, in which case we already have 
the "plugin" feature.


> Also, what would be the use of cross-platform plugins?  For instance, 
> a file export/import plugin would likely only be useful for that 
> specific OS. Exporting Moray files, for instance, on a Linux version 
> of POV-Ray would be a waste of time.

Most people think of plugins as doing the same things that include files 
and macros do now. And I don't see how they would be very useful 
otherwise...remove that one part and you don't have much left. I doubt 
that import/export plugins will represent a large portion of their use.
If there was a way to make a cross platform plugin that was called from 
POV script by object notation, like this:
PLUGIN_NAME {PARAMETERS, OBJECT MODIFIERS}

it would be very useful.
It could be made to use POV-Script, but that would make it nearly 
impossible to write things like import/export plugins. Maybe a kind of 
macro, "plugin_object" or something(I can't think of anything better at 
the moment), which would make a new "plugin" when #declared.
Something like this:
// START PLUGIN INCLUDE FILE
#declare Tree =
plugin_object {
    parameters {RecuseDepth, Branches, BranchAngle}
    ...
    // POV-Script that does whatever the plugin is supposed to do
}
// END PLUGIN INCLUDE FILE


// START SCENE FILE
Tree {
    RecurseDepth 5
    Branches 2
    BranchAngle 30
}
// END SCENE FILE

Or maybe it could be declared with something more like macro notation:
#plugin_object PLUGIN_NAME(PARAMETERS)
...
#end
Only the way it is called would be different.

Just a jumble of random, half-finished, caffeine deprived thoughts. I'm 
going to get some coffee now...

-- 
Chris Huff
e-mail: chr### [at] yahoocom
Web page: http://chrishuff.dhs.org/

Post a reply to this message

Chris Huff <chr### [at] yahoocom> wrote in message
news:chrishuff_99-92A0F1.09411919032000@news.povray.org...
> > Yeah, you're right.  Then again, there's an interpreted language.
>
> You mean a language you could write plugins in and then refer to their
> files from a scene file?
> Sounds a lot like POV-Script and include files, doesn't it?

I mean something like import/export plugins.

> > How?  All it would be is a module adding to the existing code, even if a
> > cross-platform binary were possible.
>
> But that module could do just about anything once it is called, unless
> it is written in an interpreted language, in which case we already have
> the "plugin" feature.

Not if someone wanted an export plugin.

> > Also, what would be the use of cross-platform plugins?  For instance,
> > a file export/import plugin would likely only be useful for that
> > specific OS. Exporting Moray files, for instance, on a Linux version
> > of POV-Ray would be a waste of time.
>
> Most people think of plugins as doing the same things that include files
> and macros do now. And I don't see how they would be very useful
> otherwise...remove that one part and you don't have much left. I doubt
> that import/export plugins will represent a large portion of their use.
> If there was a way to make a cross platform plugin that was called from
> POV script by object notation, like this:
> PLUGIN_NAME {PARAMETERS, OBJECT MODIFIERS}

We have that already.  #macro

Or did you mean something more interactive, flexible or more complex?

> Just a jumble of random, half-finished, caffeine deprived thoughts. I'm
> going to get some coffee now...

Caffeine. . .haven't had any all day.  Thanks for reminding me!  *runs down
and grabs an RC*

--
This message brought to you by:
-=< Ian (the### [at] hotmailcom >=-

Please visit my site at http://spectere2000.cjb.net! :)

Post a reply to this message

Ian Burgmyer wrote:

> I mean something like import/export plugins.

I don't think you fully understand the technical details
involved with writing such a plugin for POV-Ray even if
POV-Ray offered a plugin architecture.

-- 
Ken Tyler -  1300+ Povray, Graphics, 3D Rendering, and Raytracing Links:
http://home.pacbell.net/tylereng/index.html http://www.povray.org/links/

Post a reply to this message

In article <38d57e11@news.povray.org>, "Ian Burgmyer" 
<the### [at] hotmailcom> wrote:

> I mean something like import/export plugins.
> ...
> Not if someone wanted an export plugin.

We already have an interpreted language, do you want another one? 
Specifically for export plugins?
How do you want these things to work? Would they be accessed from the 
scene file or the .ini file, or would they be part of the 
platform-specific portion of the program?


> We have that already.  #macro
> 
> Or did you mean something more interactive, flexible or more complex?

Actually, what I mean is basically macros that can be called with the 
object syntax. So you do MyObject {Position VALUE} instead of 
MakeObject(VALUE). Or ExportToWhatever{OBJECTS}

-- 
Chris Huff
e-mail: chr### [at] yahoocom
Web page: http://chrishuff.dhs.org/

Post a reply to this message

Chris Huff <chr### [at] yahoocom> wrote in message
news:chrishuff_99-C0BC70.20404419032000@news.povray.org...
> In article <38d57e11@news.povray.org>, "Ian Burgmyer"
> <the### [at] hotmailcom> wrote:
>
> > I mean something like import/export plugins.
> > ...
> > Not if someone wanted an export plugin.
>
> We already have an interpreted language, do you want another one?
> Specifically for export plugins?
> How do you want these things to work? Would they be accessed from the
> scene file or the .ini file, or would they be part of the
> platform-specific portion of the program?

That's what I was thinking. . .something platform specific.  For instance,
it would be totally illogical to put Moray support in the Macintosh version.

> > We have that already.  #macro
> >
> > Or did you mean something more interactive, flexible or more complex?
>
> Actually, what I mean is basically macros that can be called with the
> object syntax. So you do MyObject {Position VALUE} instead of
> MakeObject(VALUE). Or ExportToWhatever{OBJECTS}

Yes, that would be very nice.  I constantly mix it up :)

--
This message brought to you by:
-=< Ian (the### [at] hotmailcom >=-

Please visit my site at http://spectere2000.cjb.net! :)

Post a reply to this message