Will there be a 64-bit optimized version of POV-Ray for the new PPC-970 (aka
G5) based Macs out there?  Is there 64-bit code for other architectures
that could be ported? It seems like you could get a fair bit of render
speed increase as POV uses high-precision math.

Heck, will there be a version which supports Jaguar even (yes, I am using
MacMegaPOV).

--Mike

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In article <web.3ef7b756d6f1e9b3b8af7bc0@news.povray.org> , "hamburg" 
<ham### [at] fasharvardedu> wrote:

> Will there be a 64-bit optimized version of POV-Ray for the new PPC-970 (aka
> G5) based Macs out there?

The systems ship in *August*, they are not available yet, so don't expect
anything before the systems are actually available :-)

Not to mention that it isn't exactly feasible to buy a new computer for
US$3000 every year to optimise for the newest available system just to
develop a free program.  Not that I wouldn't really like to do so ;-)

> Is there 64-bit code for other architectures that could be ported?

There is nothing to be ported, you are on the wrong track that there is any
porting necessary.  You can compile the Unix version of POV-Ray on Mac OS X
just like on any other (64 bit) Unix system, but it requires some good
understanding of the implications, and for the plain 3.5 source code it
might require a patch to get radiosity to work as expected on any 64 bit
system, but that is all.

> It seems like you could get a fair bit of render speed increase as POV uses
> high-precision math.

It is to be expected, yes.

> Heck, will there be a version which supports Jaguar even

POV-Ray 3.5 runs just fine in Classic with the same performance.  If you are
looking for a version for Mac OS X 10.2 that runs under the Mac OS X GUI, go
to <http://mac.povray.org/download/macosx102.html>.

    Thorsten


PS: For a purely technical explanation, please read this instead:
Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2003 08:32:14 +0200
From: "Thorsten Froehlich" <tho### [at] trfde>
Newsgroups: povray.general
Subject: Re: PowerMac G5 implications
Message-ID: <3ef7f070$1@news.povray.org>
Xref: news.povray.org povray.general:47708

____________________________________________________
Thorsten Froehlich
e-mail: mac### [at] povrayorg

I am a member of the POV-Ray Team.
Visit POV-Ray on the web: http://mac.povray.org

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Thorsten Froehlich wrote:
>The systems ship in *August*, they are not available yet, so don't expect
>anything before the systems are actually available :-)

Yes, I'm not pressuring people to get it done NOWNOWNOW, just wondering if
it'll be on the agenda.  It wouldn't really do anyone much good before then
anyway.

>Not to mention that it isn't exactly feasible to buy a new computer for
>US$3000 every year to optimise for the newest available system just to
>develop a free program.  Not that I wouldn't really like to do so ;-)

Heh.  Point taken.  It's nowhere near certain that I will have a G5
available anytime soon, and I'm not going to replace my eMac at college
anytime soon.

>> Is there 64-bit code for other architectures that could be ported?
>
>There is nothing to be ported, you are on the wrong track that there is any
>porting necessary.  You can compile the Unix version of POV-Ray on Mac OS X
>just like on any other (64 bit) Unix system, but it requires some good
>understanding of the implications, and for the plain 3.5 source code it
>might require a patch to get radiosity to work as expected on any 64 bit
>system, but that is all.

Cool.  I've actually been wanting a POV that takes command line arguments.
P'rhaps I'll have to try this if I get access to a G5. (My family's old
G3-266 is having problems, crashing at random times, and such; it could be
time to replace it soon, and I'd have SSH access from school if they did).
No radiosity could be a problem, but many of my scenes don't use it anyway.

>> It seems like you could get a fair bit of render speed increase as POV uses
>> high-precision math.
>
>It is to be expected, yes.

Good.  Waiting for 8 hours on a G4 is annoying, even if it's only for the
final render :-/

>> Heck, will there be a version which supports Jaguar even
>
>POV-Ray 3.5 runs just fine in Classic with the same performance.

Uh-uh.  It runs fine under OS 9 with the same performance.  But for some
reason on my system, I can't get it to run in classic.  (ie, it ignores the
checkbox in the Get Info window).  This is presumably a problem with my
system, rather than POV (in fact, I don't know how POV could possibly be
causing the problem), but it's still quite aggravating and prevents me from
using it under OS X.

>If you are
>looking for a version for Mac OS X 10.2 that runs under the Mac OS X GUI, go
>to <http://mac.povray.org/download/macosx102.html>.

Oh, cool, a new release candidate!  Thanks, I didn't notice that! *checks it
out*.

>    Thorsten
>
>
>PS: For a purely technical explanation, please read this instead:
>Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2003 08:32:14 +0200
>From: "Thorsten Froehlich" <tho### [at] trfde>
>Newsgroups: povray.general
>Subject: Re: PowerMac G5 implications
>Message-ID: <3ef7f070$1[at]news.povray.org>
>Xref: news.povray.org povray.general:47708

OK.  Will do.
Thanks a lot,
--Mike

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Thorsten Froehlich wrote:

>The systems ship in *August*, they are not available yet, so don't expect
>anything before the systems are actually available :-)
>
>Not to mention that it isn't exactly feasible to buy a new computer for
>US$3000 every year to optimise for the newest available system just to
>develop a free program.  Not that I wouldn't really like to do so ;-)
>  
>

Ok.

Maybe we should all get together and lobby Apple to supply Thorsten with 
new machines so he can keep things up for benchmarks, PR and such.

:-)

Of course, I'm sure he wouldn't mind playing with Xcode either.

-- 
Jon A. Cruz

What's this? It's almost as though the fates were tempting me to...
Bad fates. Baaad... Naughty fates...

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