I really like my graphpaper background object macro (see "Graphpaper" in
pbi), but it renders very slowly. I suspect it is the layered texture with
large amounts of transparency. It also cannot be placed on an object as well
as it does on the flat surfaces of my background. So I was looking for
another way to do it. I think quilt is the most likely pattern, but I don't
seem to be able to get a sharp enough curve. Is there a better way to do
what I want?

--
    First snow, then silence.
    This thousand dollar screen dies
    so beautifully.

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If you're using 3.5, try basing it on this...

#declare boxesfunc = function{max(x-int(x),y-int(y),z-int(z))}
function {select(boxesfunc(x,y,z)-.5,1-boxesfunc(x,y,z),boxesfunc(x,y,z))}

That code may or may not work, I didn't test it...

- Slime
[ http://www.slimeland.com/ ]
[ http://www.slimeland.com/images/ ]

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"Slime" <noo### [at] hotmailcom> wrote in message
news:3c7726ae$1@news.povray.org...
> If you're using 3.5, try basing it on this...
>
> #declare boxesfunc = function{max(x-int(x),y-int(y),z-int(z))}
> function {select(boxesfunc(x,y,z)-.5,1-boxesfunc(x,y,z),boxesfunc(x,y,z))}
>
> That code may or may not work, I didn't test it...

    Doesn't seem to... I am still working on it though...Thanks.

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How about a gradient pattern inside a checker pattern.

Bill DeWitt wrote:

> "Slime" <noo### [at] hotmailcom> wrote in message
> news:3c7726ae$1@news.povray.org...
> 
>>If you're using 3.5, try basing it on this...
>>
>>#declare boxesfunc = function{max(x-int(x),y-int(y),z-int(z))}
>>function {select(boxesfunc(x,y,z)-.5,1-boxesfunc(x,y,z),boxesfunc(x,y,z))}
>>
>>That code may or may not work, I didn't test it...
>>
> 
>     Doesn't seem to... I am still working on it though...Thanks.
> 
> 
>

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In 3.1 I've used something like:

#declare GraphPaper =
    texture {
        pigment {
            gradient x
            color_map {
                [0.1 color Red]
                [0.1 color transmit 1.0]
                }
            }
        }
    texture {
        pigment {
            gradient y
            color_map {
                [0.1 color Green]
                [0.1 color transmit 1.0]
                }
            }
        }
    texture {
        pigment {
            gradient z
            color_map {
                [0.1 color Blue]
                [0.1 color transmit 1.0]
                }
            }
        }

Tweaking this gives me a decent "graph paper" look.  I've never noticed it being
significantly slower than, say, checkers, bricks, or similar.  Although, I must
admit, you are doing good things with your macro.  Nice work.

    Randy

Bill DeWitt wrote:

>     I really like my graphpaper background object macro (see "Graphpaper" in
> pbi), but it renders very slowly. I suspect it is the layered texture with
> large amounts of transparency. It also cannot be placed on an object as well
> as it does on the flat surfaces of my background. So I was looking for
> another way to do it. I think quilt is the most likely pattern, but I don't
> seem to be able to get a sharp enough curve. Is there a better way to do
> what I want?
>
> --
>     First snow, then silence.
>     This thousand dollar screen dies
>     so beautifully.

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"Randy Hawley" <rha### [at] iquestnet> wrote in message
news:3C789288.734EEDD7@iquest.net...
> In 3.1 I've used something like:
>
> #declare GraphPaper =


    This is about the same way I'm doing it. Usually it is fine, but I was
just hoping for some speed increase. The untextured boxes render about 10
times as fast.

    I may be out of luck. I have made a couple of function pigments that
look worse and render slower... reverse progress of a sort, I know what not
to bother with anymore.

    Thanks though. Any input in appreciated. This may help me stop wasting
my time...

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On Fri, 22 Feb 2002 21:52:34 -0500, "Bill DeWitt"
<bde### [at] cflrrcom> wrote:

>
>    I really like my graphpaper background object macro (see "Graphpaper" in
>pbi), but it renders very slowly. I suspect it is the layered texture with
>large amounts of transparency. It also cannot be placed on an object as well
>as it does on the flat surfaces of my background. So I was looking for
>another way to do it. I think quilt is the most likely pattern, but I don't
>seem to be able to get a sharp enough curve. Is there a better way to do
>what I want?
>

I have recently been wrestling with this problem as well.
What seems to work the best for me is to declare a
function to get one direction of lines, then add
three copies of the function, each set to use
a different axes.  You might want to pop over to
the binaries scene files group and grab a posting
with the subject "ech_s12_drk_01.zip".  It
uses this technique to get 2d graph paper but I
see no reason why it can't be expanded to 3d graph
paper

Pete

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<Pet### [at] nymaliasnetalmost> wrote
>
> I have recently been wrestling with this problem as well.

    I think I will end up with what I am using now. I forced my macro to
also generate a GraphObjectTexture that I can use on any object (see
p.b.i.). The paper only uses two dimensions and then I duplicate the
textured object to make three walls, so the GraphPaperTexture doesn't really
work on an object.

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