"Hugo" <hua### [at] post3teledk> wrote in message
news:3cb5791a@news.povray.org...
> Well I'm not into the source code, but what about to precalculate just the
> bit of isosurface, that is currently rendering? I mean, POV-Ray renders
> pixel by pixel, line by line. For each pixel, many things has to be done,
> but it shouldn't be necessary to calculate the surface, for that pixel,
more
> than once.. I wonder if it's calculated many times, since some objects
like
> iso's takes much longer.
>
> (I know this idea wouldn't provide a cache for transparant or reflected
> objects. Those would have to be recalculated.)

A mosaic preview using something like adaptive sampling could speed up an
isosurface ;)
This would only be effective if the isosurface took only a small portion of
it's contained_by object.  Test all four corners of a box, and use those for
ray tests within a certain distance of the box(es).
This could be adapted to allow reflection/transparency.
--
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 RAY

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