How far can one go in creating a complex scene in povray?

For example, the next development of my blob character system may become
very complex. There will be:
-    a head texture macro with variables for hair, teeth, "skin"
-    a head transformation macro
-    a head macro with collection of spheres & cylinders, each ending with a
call to the head texture & transformation macros
-    blobs for hair, teeth, and "whole naked body" which call this head
macro (but with different thresholds)
-    a shirt texture macro
-    an arms & torso macro with spheres, etc, and calls of torso macro
-    the torso macro called by shirt macro and whole naked body macro
-    a union of  hair, teeth, body, shirt, pants blobs
-     this union called with different movement-parameter-inc's and shirt
and skin parameters say a few dozen times in a scene
        or a marching army or a busy city street.

I'm already 2/3 of the way there. My code is getting so complex that
everytime I fix the chin shape, for example, I have lots and lots of copying
& pasting to do (skin and hair and teeth all affected).  Adding this kind of
modularity would make the character editing more efficient.

I cannot help but feel intimidated by the project, at the idea that my code
will simply hit a Brick Wall by overusing some resource in my computer
(fixable: buy a bigger one) or --gasp-- with povray itself.     This *would
be* the grand marvel of computing as a hobby, if the only limitation were my
imagination.

Post a reply to this message

> I'm already 2/3 of the way there. My code is getting so complex that
> everytime I fix the chin shape, for example, I have lots and lots of
copying
> & pasting to do (skin and hair and teeth all affected).  Adding this kind
of
> modularity would make the character editing more efficient.

You are already talking about macros. So what do you need to copy exactly?
Is the blob modelled manually or by macros?

> I cannot help but feel intimidated by the project, at the idea that my
code
> will simply hit a Brick Wall by overusing some resource in my computer

Well, to decrease the resouces needed (e.g. memory) there are IMO at least
two ways: decreasing details wherever not needed or use a different
technique which can do the same thing but needs less resources for it.

Both is not easy in a late stage of the scene, of course. For example
modelling the thing as a mesh needs a lot less resources even at a high
number of triangles, together with a shorter tracing time. But I don't know
if it is even possible for your object?
By using macros you could adapt the level of detail according to the needs
of the scene....

The only limit I fell over ever was my plant mesh in a 160MB include file.
PoV 3.1g couldn't parse it, MegaPoV could. So I expect to have the same
increased "limit" in 3.5

All the other stuff simply needed memory and time.

Do you have any guestimation about the number of components? Blobs,
cylinders.....

regards
SY

Post a reply to this message

"Greg M. Johnson" wrote:
> How far can one go in creating a complex scene in povray?

I'm not sure of what it is that you want to discuss. Do you want to discuss
options of how to make your project more modular so that developing and
maintaining it becomes easier? Or was making it modular not the problem,
only that you are afraid that making it modular might take up too many
resources, and that's what you want to discuss? Is it both issues, or just
the latter?

Rune
--
3D images and anims, include files, tutorials and more:
Rune's World:  http://rsj.mobilixnet.dk (updated Feb 16)
POV-Ray Users: http://rsj.mobilixnet.dk/povrayusers/
POV-Ray Ring:  http://webring.povray.co.uk

Post a reply to this message

"Rune" <run### [at] mobilixnetdk> wrote in message
news:3c979cc6$1@news.povray.org...
> only that you are afraid that making it modular might take up too many
> resources.

This is the concern.  How many levels of complexity can I have? macros in
macros in macros in blobs in unions in unions?  Is the sky the limit? Will
render speed become limiting far before I hit any other limitation?

Post a reply to this message

"Greg M. Johnson" wrote:
> This is the concern.  How many levels of complexity
> can I have?

Lots. I wouldn't worry too much. Besides, it should be possible for you to
test your system many times during the development. It's not like you spend
many months making it modular, and then at the end to your surprise you find
out that it's way too slow.

> macros in macros in macros in blobs in unions in unions?

Doesn't sounds that bad.

Also remember that complexity of code is by no means directly proportional
to requirement of resources.

Rune
--
3D images and anims, include files, tutorials and more:
Rune's World:  http://rsj.mobilixnet.dk (updated Feb 16)
POV-Ray Users: http://rsj.mobilixnet.dk/povrayusers/
POV-Ray Ring:  http://webring.povray.co.uk

Post a reply to this message