The main shortcoming is that you can't make it hollow, and it isn't hollow be
default, so Halos and Fog wont work. This may be different in 3.1, but I haven't
looked into that too much yet. Complete Textures aren't always necesary, but
I've been tempted to build clouds on the sky sphere and add a normal
statement...so I have to fake it. I realize that it's supposed to be a more
interesting background than the Background statement, but I think it would be
cool to be able to do more with it...imagine a sky that glows with ambience.....

Josh English
eng### [at] spiritonecom
www.spiritone.com/~english


K. Tyler wrote:

> Nieminen Mika wrote:
>
> > Josh English <eng### [at] spiritonecom> wrote:
> > : sBecaseu of the shortcomings of the Sky_sphere I use more outdated
> > : methods
> >
> >   Shortcomings? I don't understand why do you need complete textures in the
> > sky_sphere. finish and normal statements do nothing since the "sphere" is
> > at the infinity.
>
>     The sky_sphere isn't really at infinity though. It's not even
> a sphere. It just appears that way.
>
>     In fact it's really everywhere in the scene something else isn't.
> Sounds confusing but it's not. The method of implementing the
> sky_sphere is similar to the projection of the camera. Rays of light
> are projected into the scene from all directions, and anywhere they
> do  not  hit an object, that pixel is then turned on using the pigments
> color index for that location.
>
>     That's why no finish, normal. or texturing options are allowed.
> You can't have it reacting with reflected rays coming off the surfaces
> of the objects in the scene or you would end up with all kinds of
> visible unwanted effects. You could, in a manner of speaking,
> think of it as a massive, located everywhere,  area light.
>
> K.Tyler

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