I understand I'm not using a $400 to $10,000 modeling system, but I do think
I'm using the most intuitive inexpensive modelers made.

Here's my dilemma,(sp),  how far can I go.  I'm just starting out, and have
only played with a few of the features, but I've made some amazing progress,
(for me).  I've made a few animations, some even complex, and I'm modeling
polyurethane jounce bumpers based on cad drawings where I work.

My long range is Jurrasic Park.(not literally)

If I modeled a living object, is there a way to design in physics?
Can I make skin that will expand with the muscle model underneath?
Can I make cloth that will have some properties of cloth?

These aren't demands for improvement, these are my thoughts on using this
system as long as possible.
I am also learning C++ maybe these are things I could someday build into a
plugin(s).

I realize I'm going to have to go up to (only based on price and assumed
abilities) 3ds or rhino, or lightwave, maybe even higher than that, but I'd
like to think there was a way to hang on to the Mo / Pov ray team.

If any of this stuff is possible now, please fill me in, if not I'll wait
til some of these brilliant men and women, or maybe even I come up with a
means to accomplish this.

I'd briefly like to thank a few people like Lutz for the whole thing, the
povray team, Ken Tyler for answering some of my Q.'s, H.E. Day for being
brilliant at such a young age, and the many others who have helped, or
inspired.


Dean M.

ps no I'm not dying, I just feel moved to ramble.

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[Snip]
> If I modeled a living object, is there a way to design in physics?
> Can I make skin that will expand with the muscle model underneath?
> Can I make cloth that will have some properties of cloth?

You can do IK, but not physics, to the best of my knowledge.

And to the latter, if, by some manner, you manage to figure out how to do 
these things using Moray and Povray, could you please tell me how to do 
it?  (that's a fancy way of saying that I don't think you can :)

Bye for now,
     Jamie.

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On Wed, 17 May 2000 14:05:46 -0400, "Dean MacIsaac" <dmm### [at] fngpcom>
wrote:

>Can I make skin that will expand with the muscle model underneath?

I think dMesh focuses on just that, search the links on povray.org if
you haven't done so already.

>Can I make cloth that will have some properties of cloth?

Cloth can and has been successfully modelled in POV. Hugo Elias has a
very good explanation of the approach on his page (note the title :) )
http://freespace.virgin.net/hugo.elias though his model was made in C
or C++.

>These aren't demands for improvement, these are my thoughts on using this
>system as long as possible.
>I am also learning C++ maybe these are things I could someday build into a
>plugin(s).

Basically any language you know could help by doing the calculations
and generating a data file POV could then read in, thus skipping the
slow parsing phase generally involved in creating physically accurate
models. Of course this is not always possible (for example for systems
which interract with the scene geometry) but it should suffice as a
start.

>I realize I'm going to have to go up to (only based on price and assumed
>abilities) 3ds or rhino, or lightwave, maybe even higher than that, but I'd
>like to think there was a way to hang on to the Mo / Pov ray team.

You can always use POV for rendering. It is the best raytracer around.


Peter Popov ICQ : 15002700
Personal e-mail : pet### [at] usanet
TAG      e-mail : pet### [at] tagpovrayorg

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with moray, you can do quite a bit, just not quite as much as you'd
like.  i'll be posting a couple of pics later next week of a model i'm
working on.  i had posted a couple a while back as 'moray xwing' in the
images group.  i think you'll be impressed.  i am, and i'm the one doing
it.  it's only my third model.  the textures will be the difficult part.

as for physics and muscle modelling and the like, even with programs
like 3ds, those capabilities come in plugins which start at 100 bucks
and go up from there.  the digimation website can tell you more about
that.  i encourage you, however, to learn c++ and to venture into
writing the plugins you need.  it's been two years since i wrote in c++,
but this summer i have decided to start a plugin that i think will be a
small enough step to get me off to a good start.  the plugin will parse
pov files and find and then convert textures and finishes.  another
simple idea might be to add the cabability to 'hand code' elements of a
pov (or megapov) scene from within moray (like a text editor or
something that also accesses the 'insert' menu from pov).  

but a lot of good things are on the horizon for pov (and hopefully moray
will keep up).  the middle of the year should bring about version 3,5 of
pov and 4.0 should be out early next year (at least those are the
rumors).   hang in there and good luck!

Dean MacIsaac wrote:
> 
> I understand I'm not using a $400 to $10,000 modeling system, but I do think
> I'm using the most intuitive inexpensive modelers made.
> 
> Here's my dilemma,(sp),  how far can I go.  I'm just starting out, and have
> only played with a few of the features, but I've made some amazing progress,
> (for me).  I've made a few animations, some even complex, and I'm modeling
> polyurethane jounce bumpers based on cad drawings where I work.
> 
> My long range is Jurrasic Park.(not literally)
> 
> If I modeled a living object, is there a way to design in physics?
> Can I make skin that will expand with the muscle model underneath?
> Can I make cloth that will have some properties of cloth?
> 
> These aren't demands for improvement, these are my thoughts on using this
> system as long as possible.
> I am also learning C++ maybe these are things I could someday build into a
> plugin(s).
> 
> I realize I'm going to have to go up to (only based on price and assumed
> abilities) 3ds or rhino, or lightwave, maybe even higher than that, but I'd
> like to think there was a way to hang on to the Mo / Pov ray team.
> 
> If any of this stuff is possible now, please fill me in, if not I'll wait
> til some of these brilliant men and women, or maybe even I come up with a
> means to accomplish this.
> 
> I'd briefly like to thank a few people like Lutz for the whole thing, the
> povray team, Ken Tyler for answering some of my Q.'s, H.E. Day for being
> brilliant at such a young age, and the many others who have helped, or
> inspired.
> 
> Dean M.
> 
> ps no I'm not dying, I just feel moved to ramble.

Post a reply to this message