"Xplo Eristotle" <inq### [at] unforgettablecom> wrote in message
news:3BA7654F.D3428246@unforgettable.com...
> I was playing with AA settings today and it occurred to me that while
> high-contrast areas need a high adaptive sampling setting to achieve a
> really smooth-looking edge, areas with less contrast can get by with
> quick and dirty sampling. To some extent, this is provided for by the AA
> threshold.. but could AA further be optimized by adjusting the sampling
> according to contrast? For instance, the user could specify adaptive 3
> or 4 down to threshold .3, then adaptive 2 down to threshold .1 or so,
> and adaptive 1 below that...
>
> At present I have no idea what the interface for this would look like,
> or if it would have a significant effect on render times.. I just wanted
> to get the idea out and see what people thought.
>
> -Xplo

AA already has adaptive sampling, ie, it is used only when the contrast is
high enough (see section 5.2.6.5).  To summarize, type 1 only uses AA if it
is needed and type 2 not only uses AA but subdivides the image recursively
if there is still a large contrast.  So, if an area has a little bit of
contrast, it will only subdivide once (if at all).  If a lot of contrast is
present, POV-Ray will not only subdivide further, but only subdivide those
areas where the contrast exists.

...Chambers

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