"Stan" <swr### [at] earthlinknet> wrote in message
news:39978544.2D5317BF@earthlink.net...
| I just wanted to know the best way to make a laser. I was told to use
| area lights, but it doesn't occur to me how that could work. I need the
| light intensity and the width of the beam to remain almost constant and
| for it to be seen from the side. I saw how to do it in 3D Studio Max,
| but that doesn't help.

I kind of tried and failed at making the perfect laser beams in MegaPov.
It's possible to get a single beam for sure, no problems there, just use
media contained within a cylinder along with a cylidrical light source.

| Also, can I make a halfway mirror that reflects on one side but is
| transparent from the other side?

I even had the laser beaming out from behind a 100% (+/- a fraction of
percent) mirror, diagonal to the beam.  Orientation not really a concern
though.  I had used the mirror and beam together as a 'looks_like' within
the light source.  That way there isn't any self shadowing so the beam
shines through unaffected.  However when it comes to bouncing the beams
around in the media that's where I was stopped.  Someone else might have the
answer to it.  This is why I had to go with multiple beams and just faked
the reflected light.

Bob

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