Thomas de Groot <tho### [at] degrootorg> wrote:

>
> If your description of the method is correct, the draw back would be
> that you have to produce a new transparency map for every new camera
> setting or transformation to the object. This is not the case with the
> DF3 method.
>

You're correct, if you intend to move the camera or object(s) around.
Illusion.inc is really for a pre-set static scene (more or less, which I'll
describe below.)

Basically, illusion.inc can be thought of a an old-style 'color slide
projector', placed *at* the POV-Ray scene's camera position. The projected image
fills the entire rendered frame--but you choose which objects in the scene to
apply the projected image onto. (Each object shows only that particular portion
of the full image 'texture'.) In other words, the *same* illusion.inc image is
'attached' to any/all of the objects. The visual effect of this is fundamentally
different from applying typical image_maps to the objects: The z-depth of the
individial objects doesn't matter-- the projected image itself will always
appear the same size on them, and undistorted, even on spherical objects (for
example.)

But here's a really interesting feature (the most important one, IMO): Although
the illusion.inc 'camera position' is supposed to match the scene's real
camera-- for the best undistorted image reproduction-- the scene camera CAN be
moved around (somewhat, within limits.) I've used this for some really cool
animations; the visual result is like a 3-D 'matte painting'.

A caveat: When trying to use illusion.inc for the first time, it can be a bit
confusing to understand, visually speaking. IMO, it has a few features that are
unnecessary and only 'get in the way.' I've re-written my own version, to remove
that stuff.

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