Wasn't it magnum who wrote:
>Sorry to ask this (maybe stupid and denoting a total lack of knowledge on
>how POV-Ray works) question, but is it possible to gather and dump to a
>file raytracing informations during the raytracing process, for example by
>using SDL ?
>
>I think for example of the possibility to gather for each ray the initial 3D
>vector parameters of this ray from the camera, and then to get the end 3D
>vector after the raytracing process for this ray (and/or the point in the
>"world" where it gets).
>
>I would like to use POV-ray to gather informations about the effects of
>refraction of a "complex" scene mainly made of transparent objects. Is it
>possible ?

You can certainly use trace() to follow a ray to where it first hits
something. (Hint: group all your refractive objects into one union and
all your opaque objects into another, trace them both and then use
vlength() to see which one is hit first.)

I guess you'd have to do the refraction calculations explicitly in SDL.
Trace() will give you the direction of the normal at the intersection
point. I's a long time since I did O-level physics, but I seem to
remember that the ratio of the sin of the angles is equal to the ratio
of the refractive indices.

-- 
Mike Williams
Gentleman of Leisure

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