Wasn't it Jon Berndt who wrote:
>[I've been using POV-Ray for years on and off, but I still consider myself a
>sort of newbie]
>
>I have used heightfields with a provided bitmap, but I often found that they
>didn't quite work for me, at least the way I was using them.  I wanted to
>make a landscape (terrain) that was rolling hills, but that exhibited detail
>even when viewed up close.  I have some ideas how to do this, but the most
>important aspect of this for me to get started is to know, first, if POV-Ray
>can essentially model heightfields algorithmically rather than from
>(potentially limited) bitmaps. I am guessing that there might be a way to
>generate a heightfield that is based on a texture, perhaps?
>
>Referrals to a FAQ or web page or section in the help file is fine,

I've now worked out how to generate the same landscape using
height_field code and isosurface code. This makes it possible to develop
a landscape using the fast height_field code, then produce a final
render using the slow isosurface code.

I'll be posting the details and example code to my isosurface tutorial
later tonight. The "Mountains4.pov" scene in the source ZIP file
switches from height_field to isosurface rendering by #declaring HF to
be true or false.

<http://www.econym.demon.co.uk/patterns.htm#hf>

-- 
Mike Williams
Gentleman of Leisure

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