Eugene Lazutkin wrote:

> I agree with you 100%. OpenGL can help a lot when someone debugs a
> geometrically complex scene (placements, geometry, sizes) when it is
> not practical to use small previews. It may not help to test lights
> and
> textures but anyway it will be _very_ useful piece of functionality.
>
> My wish list for future versions of POV-Ray:
>
> General: OpenGL preview and multiprocessor capabilities.
> Windows-specific: (possibly) Direct3D preview, full MMX support.
>
> Reasons: I see OpenGL and DirectX as the only reasonable way to
> support
> platform-specific hardware- (and software-) assisted acceleration. All
> new
> processors are MMX-capable and it is a crime not to use accelerating
> facilities for computing power-hungry apps :-). Now when memory prices
> are
> going down and Intel processors are dirt cheap, it is practical and
> inexpensive
> to have a dual processor computer under NT or whatever you like. There
> is
> a number of multiprocessor UNIX computers out there. A lot of people
> buy
> dual-processor motherboards counting on future upgrades by adding
> second
> CPU. I believe it should be supported eventually.
>
> Eugene

Note that as far as I know OpenGL has no good way to do CSG - and some
other correspondences between OpenGL and POV language do not relate.
Also, as for OpenGL and DirectX, Microsoft and SGI have just announced
they will work together with their two respective technologies to merge
them into a better standard for 3D on the PC. Read their release at
microsoft.com or opengl.org or sgi.com. The people I have talked with,
and myself, think this is a great move.

OpenGL previews would most likely be limited to basic shapes, in my
opinion.

jon

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