"jr" <cre### [at] gmailcom> wrote:

> > .... the syntax of
> >        png "my_holdout_mask_image.png" interpolate 2
> > is a difficult 'thing' to pre-#declare (in case you want to substitute different
> > images there.) It's not quite a full pigment specification.
>
> ok.  and an array of image_patterns?  how many of those?  (2* 34?  more?)
>
> (have never used 'image_pattern' but if it can be declared, it can be stuffed
> into arrays)
>

Just 34 of them (so far.) SO, I *could* make 34 complete image_patterns, stick
them into an array-- which hopefully will accept them and greatly reduce the
subsequent memory load-- then call *those* in the repeating
texture{image_pattern{...  later.

Those 34 image_patterns will necessarily need their '2nd part' included as well,
the texture to be masked, TEX_MAP_FOOBAR. I may have to make 34 of *those*,
because they also randomly vary (in 34 ways), yet need to 'match up' with the
'1st part' of each image_pattern, the hold-out-mask. (The way my code is
constructed at present, it's all handled in a completely different and somewhat
code-efficient way, simply because of that thorny image_pattern syntax. Thus the
current macro use-- which isn't ideal, memory-wise.)

Not an insurmountable task, and might be worth the effort... which is solely to
reduce the scene's memory load and parse time. My Windows 7 machine has only 7GB
of ram(!), so disc-swapping currently begins to happen if I try to make, say,
10000 buildings.

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