Is it possible to create two unions , each with a single blob on top of
a cylinder, position the unions so that the blobs are in contact with
each other and get the blobs to interact blobby like?

I've been trying to create some articulated limbs and have been
investigating this as an option but can't get it to work for reasons I
think I dimly understand but just want to check.

While I am here, I realise that POV doesn't support this, but is there
some reason why  any object cannot ultimately be made to behave like a
blob when it comes into near contact with another object.  This would
open some interesting modelling possiblities like creating fillets
between objects.

thanks

Mike Marinos

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Mike Marinos wrote:
> 
> Is it possible to create two unions , each with a single blob on top of
> a cylinder, position the unions so that the blobs are in contact with
> each other and get the blobs to interact blobby like?
> 

Only components in one blob object will interact. However, the blob object can
also have cylindrical components which should work well in your case.

> 
> While I am here, I realise that POV doesn't support this, but is there
> some reason why  any object cannot ultimately be made to behave like a
> blob when it comes into near contact with another object.

I'm not sure if _any_ object can be made to interact, but I see no real reason
why not. In fact, it can already be done in MegaPOV (a custom version of POV),
which has a 'isoblob' object - a combination of isosurface and blob.
An isosurface is just that - a surface is drawn through points where an
user-defined function evaluates to a threshold value. The isoblob object takes
this function and creates from it the density function for a blob component.
Thus, if you have the function for, say, a box, you should be able to use this
box as a blob component.
For further details, you might want to download MegaPOV and see the
documentation. Windows version is available at:
http://nathan.kopp.com/patched.htm

-- 
Margus Ramst

Personal e-mail: mar### [at] peakeduee
TAG (Team Assistance Group) e-mail: mar### [at] tagpovrayorg

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Thanks Margus,

I suspected that your explaination was going to be the answer and I'll give
MegaPOV a try.

Can you explain the relationship between POV and the unofficial patches - do they
end up getting incorportated in the offical POV? or is it more like a frontier /
experimental zone.

thanks

Mike Marinos

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Will be both continuous experimenting with much, if not all, ultimately
becoming new features of POV-Ray 3.5 when that's available sometime
this year (according to reliable sources).

Bob

"jan marinos" <jma### [at] yahoocom> wrote in message
news:390F949C.7C7A56AE@yahoo.com...
| Thanks Margus,
|
| I suspected that your explaination was going to be the answer and I'll give
| MegaPOV a try.
|
| Can you explain the relationship between POV and the unofficial patches - do they
| end up getting incorportated in the offical POV? or is it more like a frontier /
| experimental zone.
|
| thanks
|
| Mike Marinos
|

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Not all features in all patches will get into official POV, of course. But much
of what is currently MegaPOV will make it into POV 3.5
MegaPOV is unique, in that it is more like a collection of patches, from many
different authors, and thus offers a great testbed for integrating new features.
You still have access to all the old features (although some are not entirely
backward compatible) so I think it's definitely worth a shot. It's a bit
experimental, yes - but if you don't like experimenting, I don't see how you can
like POV ;)

-- 
Margus Ramst

Personal e-mail: mar### [at] peakeduee
TAG (Team Assistance Group) e-mail: mar### [at] tagpovrayorg

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Mike Marinos <mik### [at] yahoocom> wrote:
: Is it possible to create two unions , each with a single blob on top of
: a cylinder, position the unions so that the blobs are in contact with
: each other and get the blobs to interact blobby like?

  Well, supposing you want to do something like this:

#declare Thing =
  union
  { cylinder { 0, y, .1 }
    blob { sphere { y, 1, 1 } }
  }

union
{ object { Thing translate -x rotate z*-45 }
  object { Thing translate x rotate z*45 }
}

and you want those two created blob spheres to interact, you will have to
make some tricks.
  The fact is that the two blob sphere have to be in the same blob block in
order to interact. So we have to create them inside it.
  This could be one way of doing it (untested):

#macro CreateBlobComponent(Loc, Rad, Str, Transf)
  sphere { Loc, Rad, Str transform { Transf } }
#end

#declare Thing =
  cylinder { 0, y, .1 }

#declare BlobLocation = y;

union
{ #declare Tr1 = transform { translate -x rotate z*-45 }
  #declare Tr1 = transform { translate x rotate z*45 }
  object { Thing transform { Tr1 } }
  object { Thing transform { Tr2 } }
  blob
  { CreateBlobComponent(BlobLocation, 1, 1, Tr1)
    CreateBlobComponent(BlobLocation, 1, 1, Tr2)
  }
}

-- 
main(i,_){for(_?--i,main(i+2,"FhhQHFIJD|FQTITFN]zRFHhhTBFHhhTBFysdB"[i]
):5;i&&_>1;printf("%s",_-70?_&1?"[]":" ":(_=0,"\n")),_/=2);} /*- Warp -*/

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Thanks people

I'll give Warp's idea a go as well

cheers

mike marinos

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Warp <war### [at] tagpovrayorg> wrote:
: { #declare Tr1 = transform { translate -x rotate z*-45 }
:   #declare Tr1 = transform { translate x rotate z*45 }

  Of course the second identifier would be Tr2, not Tr1.

-- 
main(i,_){for(_?--i,main(i+2,"FhhQHFIJD|FQTITFN]zRFHhhTBFHhhTBFysdB"[i]
):5;i&&_>1;printf("%s",_-70?_&1?"[]":" ":(_=0,"\n")),_/=2);} /*- Warp -*/

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