"Gilles Tran" <gitran_nospam_@wanadoo.fr> wrote:
> Well, one major reason I switched from POV-Ray to a "regular"
> modelling/rendering package with GUI is that there's so, so much more than
> one can do with a graphical interface. Writing script only goes so far: for
> many things, eye/hand coordination remains the best combination. Of course
> I'm speaking from a practical, not theoretical, point of view.

of course.  Excuse me for going a little overboard:  I speak as a programmer
and it shows.  Visual programming paradigms simply do not cut the mustard as
far as systems programming go.  But we're here talking about an image
renderer and images lead to visual modelling and hand-eye coordination no
doubt.

However, it has always been stressed that povray -- like Renderman, Mental
Ray and other renderers -- deals exclusively with the rendering process.
It was never supposed to be a modeller, yet efforts like yours and many
others are only proof to the great strength and flexibility of povray's
SDL.  And a SDL is a good thing even if regulars users don't use it.

As a programmer I understand why most open-source projects and povray indeed
are mostly command-line tools or plugins at most:  adding GUI, menus,
sensible options, interactive functionality and real-time visualization of
modifications in graphical programs are huge resource eaters.  And by
resource here I mean programmers.

Povray has far too few programmers to compete in GUI functionality with the
commercial players where big money and Hollywood are involved.  So, they
focus on making it a renderer first and foremost.  It's all about
priorities.

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