Hello POV Ray Community;

I have compiled my own POV Ray to test it. For that purpose I have created a
very simple Model with surface properties within the POV-Ray Editor. My
questions are:

-How does POV-Ray decide, which C++ functions have to be carried out if I
start rendering by pressing the "Run"-Button? Is it possible to follow the
process chain which is then started in POV Ray?

-How does POV Ray translate its modeling language to make it understandable
for the C++ code?

-Does anyone know universities or institutes which have experiences with POV
Ray?

Greetings!

Thanks in advance!

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Start here, with the first book in the list, available in next to every
(university) library:
<http://www.povray.org/documentation/view/3.6.1/211/>

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Thorsten Froehlich <tho### [at] povrayorg> wrote:
> Start here, with the first book in the list, available in next to every
> (university) library:
> <http://www.povray.org/documentation/view/3.6.1/211/>

Thank you.

I have already read this book which was very helpful. Thus, the basics are
clear. But it's hard to get an overview how POV Ray works in general.

My interest is to follow the processing chain in POV Ray if I start
rendering a modelled scene by pressing the "Run"-Button.

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Le 19.10.2007 09:23, Pfingstei nous fit lire :

> I have already read this book which was very helpful. Thus, the basics are
> clear. But it's hard to get an overview how POV Ray works in general.
> 
> My interest is to follow the processing chain in POV Ray if I start
> rendering a modelled scene by pressing the "Run"-Button.
> 
Then, despite this workgroup, I would suggest studying the code of
the unix/linux "port" of povray (and without any intent to start any
holy war).
I believe it would be simpler to get the first link of the chain:
unix C/C++ programs start with the main() function, and what the
"Run"-button does is similar to the launch of povray for unix.
The windows' overlay might obscure that first step a bit: at least
with the unix code, you know what to grep for!

> -How does POV-Ray decide, which C++ functions have to be carried out if I
> start rendering by pressing the "Run"-Button? Is it possible to follow the
> process chain which is then started in POV Ray?
> 
That can be done with a debugger, at least for mono-threaded version
of povray.
It will be a bit tedious.
Great phases (from memory) are: initialisation of structures, both
internal and from file (all the configuration files), then parsing
of scene file (that parsing creates more data structures connected
to the root-ones) and "finally" (it might take days), the rendering,
done using all the relevant data structures). (a photon phase might
be done before that one, generating more and more data structures).

> -How does POV Ray translate its modeling language to make it understandable
> for the C++ code?

That's what the parsing step is for: translating the SDL into
allocated structure (in 100%, it would create new object (C++
meaning), but so far the code has an heavy inheritance from its C
ancestors).


> -Does anyone know universities or institutes which have experiences with POV
> Ray?

Nope, but it's not my field. May be worth asking in povray.general

-- 
The superior man understands what is right;
the inferior man understands what will sell.
-- Confucius

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On Fri, 19 Oct 2007 03:23:19 EDT, "Pfingstei" <Pfi### [at] gmxde> wrote:

>clear. But it's hard to get an overview how POV Ray works in general.

If you plan to review the code, here's a good place to start, courtesy of The MegaPOV
Team...

http://megapov.inetart.net/manual-1.2.1/megapov0121.html#internals

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