POV-Ray : Newsgroups : povray.windows : Camera/Debug suggestions for Pov-Ray : Camera/Debug suggestions for Pov-Ray Server Time
15 Jun 2024 05:38:27 EDT (-0400)
  Camera/Debug suggestions for Pov-Ray  
From: Ghost2
Date: 12 Jan 2006 11:30:00
Message: <web.43c6836044d8a45454ce5cdc0@news.povray.org>
I've been using Pov-Ray on and off for about a year or two now and I have a
few Ideas I would really like to see implemented.

1.) Have a 'Disable' keyword available for (most) objects.  If POV-Ray
encounters this (or a similar keyword) in an objects description, then it
won't render it.  This would be a much better solution than having to
comment out large blocks of code.

2.) Camera Mode: Depth Map.  This one has probably been suggested many times
before, but here it is anyway.  In the camera block, the user enters
something along the lines of 'Depth' or whatever else the camera is chosen
to be.  It also would need 4 values. Two of which are color vectors, and
two are scalars(MinDepth and MaxDepth).  A ray is traced until it
intersects an object, then the distance is calculated.  Anything closer
than the MinDepth is drawn as the first color (Default is White), and
anything Farther away than the MaxDepth is rendered the second (default is
Black).  Depths in between are given color values in between, much like a
gradient. The end result is something like this:
http://www.quasimondo.com/archives/depthmap.jpg
It may also be possible to specify a color map. This would result in a
rainbow of depths.

3.) Camera Mode: Calculation Density.  This one is more of a debugging
feature than a graphics mode, but it's would be interesting to see
nonetheless.  Instead of calculating the color values of individual pixels,
the image is based on the number of calculations/time required to arrive at
those values.  Complex regions, perhaps those that require area lights,
media, or photon mapping, will show up lighter in color.  Less intensive
areas, such as basic primitives, flatshading, and basic pointlights would
appear darker.  This would be great if you're trying to figure out where
the sticking points are, so that you can temporarily disable the complex
bits while you work on something else.  It may have to be weighted
logarithmically, to prevent the image from appearing as just one color.
Because calculations are counted, not performed, it should make a quick
diagnostic tool.


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