This message continues a message that I posted in .utilities forum.
I want to know if there is a way to convert a POV scene to an MDL scene.
Thanks in advance
Margaritis Paktitis

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Takis Paktitis wrote:
> 
> This message continues a message that I posted in .utilities forum.
> I want to know if there is a way to convert a POV scene to an MDL scene.
> Thanks in advance
> Margaritis Paktitis

See my reply in povray.binaries.utilities.

Lutz you are welcome to point out any flaws in my answer there.

-- 
Ken Tyler
1100+ Povray, Graphics, 3D Rendering, and Raytracing Links:
http://home.pacbell.net/tylereng/index.html

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Hi Ken, you recently wrote in moray.win:

> Lutz you are welcome to point out any flaws in my answer there.
Hmm, I don't subscribe to p.b.u. I'm sure others will check it out<g>.

- Lutz
  email : lut### [at] stmuccom
  Web   : http://www.stmuc.com/moray

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Lutz Kretzschmar wrote:
> 
> Hi Ken, you recently wrote in moray.win:
> 
> > Lutz you are welcome to point out any flaws in my answer there.
> Hmm, I don't subscribe to p.b.u. I'm sure others will check it out<g>.

I will quote it for you then :)

Takis Paktitis wrote:
> 
> OK. Thanks for your reply.
> I think that is much better to work in a graphical interface like Moray than
> in a text editor like POV-Ray. I also think that Moray owes its existance
> because POV-Ray exists. Thats why I believe the development team in Moray
> MUST think of a way to transfer (convert) a .POV file to a .MDL format.
> Further more I think that any program that exports scenes to POV-Ray format
> must have a way to import scenes from Moray. I know that is a difficult
> (maybe to difficult) task to be accomplished but this would be a very nice
> feature.
> Any way I believe in the good will of the users of Moray and POV-Ray and I
> will wait for the moment of a message "ANOUNCE: POV2MDL converter".
> Thanks again
> Margaritis Paktitis

 I am not arguing that for some people working in a modelling program
is easier. I also agree for such people that it would be nice if their
modelling program of choice had the ability to import .pov files. A lot
can also be said of a person who is willing to learn how to code in a
text editor to produce the kind of scene they imagine in their head.
I can assure you that you will learn a lot more about POV-Ray if you
do spend some scene development time in Pov's text language only.

 What you do not understand though is the complexity of the conversion
process. In order for Moray to be able to read .pov files you would
essentially have to build a Pov language parser into Moray that is
equal to the language parser already available *AS* POV-Ray. I have
talked with the author or Moray and he is not happy with the idea of
adding that much overhead to the program plus the complex programming
task involved. It just is not as simple as you would think or it would
have been done already.

 To make it as a stand alone conversion program still has the problems
associated with writing a program what will parse the Pov language
and then convert it into a format that Moray would recognize. Again
it is not a weekend project that just anyone could do. It would take
someone with as much experience as the programmers of POV-Ray to write
such a parser and there are few of those around that have time on
their hands for this type of work. In fact if someone actually did
write such a program they would likely want to be paid for it instead
of offering it for free like many of the other Pov related utilities
are.

 Again I am not against the idea but I do realize just how difficult
it would be to do and how much time it would probably take to program
such a utility.


-- 
Ken Tyler
1100+ Povray, Graphics, 3D Rendering, and Raytracing Links:
http://home.pacbell.net/tylereng/index.html

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Hi Ken, you recently wrote in moray.win:

> I will quote it for you then :)
Thanks. I agree completely with what you said. Also, many constructs
(all the #-directives come to mind) at best are difficult to import
(unrolled loops, etc), at worst (can I say that?) are impossible to
import (macros, variables, clock stuff, etc.).

And the language is so versatile, it's difficult to write a parser
without using the POV-Ray code (which is a no-no).

- Lutz
  email : lut### [at] stmuccom
  Web   : http://www.stmuc.com/moray

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Lutz Kretzschmar <lut### [at] stmuccom> wrote...
>
> And the language is so versatile, it's difficult to write a parser
> without using the POV-Ray code (which is a no-no).
>

Seems to me Thomas Baier wrote a little patch of POV-Ray (the POB patch)
which would parse the scene and output a binary file.  I think it should be
possible (and not far to difficult) to do something similar to output MDL
files.  That way you could use POV-Ray code.  For info on the POB SDK, check
out:
http://www.stmuc.com/thbaier/pob_sdk.html

-Nathan

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Hi Nathan Kopp, you recently wrote in moray.win:

> Seems to me Thomas Baier wrote a little patch of POV-Ray (the POB patch)
> which would parse the scene and output a binary file.  
Yes, but Thomas has no intention of developing it further for POV-Ray
3.0 or 3.1. It currently only reads POV-Ray 2.2 files. 

- Lutz
  email : lut### [at] stmuccom
  Web   : http://www.stmuc.com/moray

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Lutz Kretzschmar wrote:
> 
> Hi Nathan Kopp, you recently wrote in moray.win:
> 
> > Seems to me Thomas Baier wrote a little patch of POV-Ray (the POB patch)
> > which would parse the scene and output a binary file.

> Yes, but Thomas has no intention of developing it further for POV-Ray
> 3.0 or 3.1. It currently only reads POV-Ray 2.2 files.

I have a version compiled by Thomas for Pov v3.0.

-- 
Ken Tyler -  1100+ Povray, Graphics, 3D Rendering, and Raytracing Links:
http://home.pacbell.net/tylereng/index.html http://www.povray.org/links/

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Hi Ken, you recently wrote in moray.win:

> I have a version compiled by Thomas for Pov v3.0.
Really? I didn't know he did that. Is it a public version? I wonder if
he intends doing a 3.1 as well, then.

- Lutz
  email : lut### [at] stmuccom
  Web   : http://www.stmuc.com/moray

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Lutz Kretzschmar wrote:
> 
> Hi Ken, you recently wrote in moray.win:
> 
> > I have a version compiled by Thomas for Pov v3.0.
> Really? I didn't know he did that. Is it a public version? I wonder if
> he intends doing a 3.1 as well, then.

I know little about the development on this but you can read up on it at:

http://www.stmuc.com/thbaier/pob_sdk.html

-- 
Ken Tyler -  1100+ Povray, Graphics, 3D Rendering, and Raytracing Links:
http://home.pacbell.net/tylereng/index.html http://www.povray.org/links/

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