> I've downloaded a couple of .pov files and am trying to figure out the right way
> to render them, but am having trouble understanding I/O on the command line.
> After quite a bit of fumbling, I eventually use these two different command
> lines for the two files:
>
> povray +Icube.pov +H750 > cube.png

With this command, the image gets displayed as it is rendered and saved 
with the name that you have provided.
If your compile did not include the libraries to actualy display the 
image, then, you essentialy get garbage to display. Use the -D switch, 
or add it to the master ini file.
You set the hight of the image and use the "default" width.
In my opinion, it's beter to provide both hight (+hxxx) and width 
(+wxxx). It reduce the chances of bad surprises.

> povray -D +Idice_usage_examples.pov +w384 +h216

With this command line, you disable the display of the image and use the 
default naming whitch is the name of the .POV file with the extention .PNG.
It also set the dimention of the image to 384 pixels whide and 216 
pixeld high. This override the dimention from the master ini file.

>
> For the first file, the rendered png image is sent to standard out, but for the
> other it's sent automatically to a file with the same name as the input file
> (ending in .png instead of .pov).
>
>    1) Why the difference?  Is there some setting in one of the two .pov source
> files that's governing this behavior that I haven't noticed?
>
> For the latter file, some horrid ncurses stuff is instead sent to standard out
> that gets my putty xterm session into quite the tizzy.  I eventually discovered
> the -D option to disable this output and saving my xterm the death-throes.  But
> again,
>
>    2) Why am I geeting ncurses output in one case, but not the other?
>
> I added the +H750 on the first line because the image otherwise seemed
> unnaturally vertically squished.  Not sure why.  Perhaps it's just the nature of
> the perspective chosen in that environment.  I guess I'm not too concerned with
> that oddity right now.

By default, the aspect ratio is assumed to be 4:3. If you look at 
icube.pov, you'll find a camera that use a different aspect ratio and 
setting the hight to 750 pixels gives you the correct, or almost 
correct, aspect ratio.
The key calues are up and right. Usualy, up = <0,1,0> and right = <4/3, 
0, 0>, but the author choose a different value.
Take a look at the camera{} statement of that file.

>
> Anyway, I'd like to understand what the heck I'm doing before I start changing
> things.
>
> I'd appreciate any light you can cast into the darkened room in which I
> currently stumble.
>
> Matt Busche
>
>

Welcome Matt.


Alain

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