"jr" <cre### [at] gmailcom> wrote:

> the IDE thing I had
> an interest in, in particular small "custom apps", like perhaps a spline editor,
> using POV-Ray to render "real-time" in a given (X) window id.

Without an extant development team capable of implementing such a thing, the
best that we have now is either the existing code - edit control points - render
cycle, or a third party software.
Even excel or open office would suffice for most spline types.
Ed Hynan wrote EPSpline.

Presumably Sergei, Ilya, or Leroy could code something up to display splines in
an "app" or online in Threejs.

One would imagine there are existing tools online to display simple splines.

Desmos actually is amazing.
https://www.desmos.com/calculator/norf40wc76

It would be easy enough to write some scenes in SDL to display whatever spline
you'd like.

What would be really cool is if we had something like a graphical GUI where you
could just add points with a mouse click and move them around with the mouse.
Some kind of software where the user could model the spline before raytracing
it...   We could call it a "modeler".  Then we could quickly get on with the
serious business of tracing more rays.  More. Rays.
Hey, I like the sound of that   - maybe we could name the modeler.....
.... nevermind.


> fwiw, being "old-fashioned" (or simply "old" :-)) I would not be keen "using
> special format comments", think that comments should be just that.

The evil spirits inhabiting the AI whispered to me that it would be as simple
as:

// @tab BEGIN Camera
camera { /* ... */ }
// @tab END

// @tab BEGIN Objects
object { /* ... */ }
// @tab END

As much as I am enamored of using tools for their proper, intended purpose, when
it comes right down to it, I'm not opposed to using a screwdriver as a prybar to
open a paint can, rather than purchasing or taking the time to hunt down a
single-purpose paint-can opener. (So long as the scredriver is not abused in the
process, or it's a cheap chai nesium throwaway)

If I can make efficient use of a dual purpose comment format, that makes
organizing my thoughts and debugging code quicker and more efficient, then I
would submit that we afford such a thing serious consideration.
I mean, just look at how you abuse code flow directives such as #if (1) ... #end
   instead of properly commenting with /* ... */   ;)

People older than you were fine with paper and pencil, a charred stick and
papyrus, or a mammoth bone in the sand.
Then those smarmy innovators came along with drums and smoke signals.
New-fangled fancy you choose to use a high-tech computer connected to a
world-wide high speed network.

:P

-bw

<thumps chest.  points.  ugh ugh.>

:D

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