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Warp wrote:
> Jim Charter <jrc### [at] msn com> wrote:
>> I hit a bump, conceptually, when I see the term 'shader language'.
>
> The idea of shaders is that instead of having a limited set of
> hard-coded algorithms for calculating surface texturing <snip>
> the engine offers an efficient language which can be used to
> add new algorithms used to determine the color of the surface.
Just to add a bit to what Warp has said.
A shader language would allow a user of SDL access to more of what
POV-Ray knows abut a surface, light_source, etc.
An example is the calculation of a specular highlight which requires
knowledge of the angle of incidence of a light_source to a surface.
Bringing that information to the user on a ray by ray basis would allow
for things like:
#if AOI > SomeNumber color_it_this_way #else color_it_another_way
or
pigment { AOI * Something + SomethingElse color_map { ...
A possibly more exciting example to a traditional media artist like
yourself: You'll be familiar with the concept of shading and tinting
paint. POV-Ray (effectively) shades colors as they darken, with access
to the illumination of a ray intersection, you could instead tint colors
as they lighten.
-Shay
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