POV-Ray : Newsgroups : povray.unofficial.patches : Mesh2 uv_vectors problem : Re: Mesh2 uv_vectors problem Server Time
2 Sep 2024 00:18:15 EDT (-0400)
  Re: Mesh2 uv_vectors problem  
From: Nathan Kopp
Date: 15 Jan 2001 21:41:35
Message: <3a63b4df$1@news.povray.org>
"Rune" <run### [at] inamecom> wrote...
> Why do the UV vectors in mesh2 only accept UV vectors?
> It may sound like a stupid question put like that, but I really see no
> reason whatsoever why I can't define my UV-triangles in 3D space. I think
> it's a great and very annoying limitation.

UV mapping is also known as "surface mapping."  A surface is a 2D property
of an object.  Therefore, surface coordinates are, by definition, 2D.  The
reason it's called u/v mapping is that it uses two coordinates, named "u"
and "v", instead of the traditional three ("x", "y", and "z").

Generally speaking, u/v mapping is used to "paint" an 2D image map onto the
2D surface of an object.

Basically, what you're asking for is not u/v mapping, but rather some type
of texture coordinate interpolation, where each vertex of a mesh is mapped
to a point in 3D texture space, and interpolation is used to find the other
texture coordinates on the surface.  This could work for meshes, but it is
not really u/v mapping and it probably wouldn't work well for many other
objects.

Of course, this does NOT mean that it is a bad idea.  I can see how it could
be rather useful, but it's not really u/v mapping.  I'd like it if there'd
be a way to make it work for all objects, and not just meshes, though.
Although texture interpolation currently only works for meshes, so we're
already setting a trend for extra texture features for meshes.

As you say, it would be relatively easy to implement.

-Nathan


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