Chris Huff <chr### [at] maccom> wrote:
: I know it is the wrong term, but I don't think there is a better one. 

  Perhaps "directional light source" could be better.
  That is, instead of saying "the light comes from this point" it says
"the light comes from this direction".

  This can be easily implemented by "translating" the light source so that
it is always in the same place relative to any point in the scene.
  A possible syntax could be something like:

light_source
{ LOCATION, COLOR
  [area_light AREALIGHT_PARAMS]
  directional point_at POINT
}

  When calculating the lighting of some point <x,y,z> in the scene, the
light source is "translated" so that its POINT value becomes <x,y,z>
(as if we had made a "translate <x,y,z>-POINT" to the light source at
each <x,y,z> in the scene).
  That is, the light source is located always in the same place relative
to each point (ie. each point "sees" the light source at the same direction
and distance).

  This should be easy to implement and it even shouldn't be noticeably
slower than a regular light source.

-- 
main(i,_){for(_?--i,main(i+2,"FhhQHFIJD|FQTITFN]zRFHhhTBFHhhTBFysdB"[i]
):_;i&&_>1;printf("%s",_-70?_&1?"[]":" ":(_=0,"\n")),_/=2);} /*- Warp -*/

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