I'm a normal computer user, few days ago I saw some images created in Pov
Ray, I was amazed, so I downloaded the file of POV-Ray, I've already read
the instructions and turotials but I don't understand how to use this
program. Can somebody help me and give URLs of "COMPLETE"!! tutorials?

Post a reply to this message

I don't know of any "complete" tutorial (if a tutorial
can actually be more than a start is up to you.. :-).

The main thing is that POV-Ray is a script-based
program. You tell it "things" with keywords.

For example, to set up your camera, you use
camera{ ... }
Inside the brackets you put the information which
positions and sets the camera to look at a certain
point. Easiest to begin with is understanding the
concept of 3D-Vectors as POV-Ray uses them:
<x,y,z>, where x is right (negative x is left), y is
up, and finally z is "depth".
So, for a camera to look from a little above and right
onto the origin, that'd be:
<5,5,-10> (which is a setup I mostly begin with).

Same applies to light_sources, which you position
and color:
light_source{<200,400,-400> rgb <1,1,1>}

Notice the rgb. Its specified the next vector to
be a color-vector, where x is red, y is green and z is blue.

Beginning with this concept, you should easily fumble your
way through to your first image. If you're using Windows,
rendering the script is either done by the button undertitled
with "run", or Alt + G (both pressed simultaneously).
Its the difficult first steps we've all been through, so you should
be able to do so as well. :-)

Good luck!


-- 
Tim Nikias v2.0
Homepage: http://www.digitaltwilight.de/no_lights
Email: Tim### [at] gmxde

> I'm a normal computer user, few days ago I saw some images created in Pov
> Ray, I was amazed, so I downloaded the file of POV-Ray, I've already read
> the instructions and turotials but I don't understand how to use this
> program. Can somebody help me and give URLs of "COMPLETE"!! tutorials?
>

Post a reply to this message

"Asterisco" <luism@hotmail.com> wrote in news:web.3ef1fb4d5fc5bbad886b7c970
@news.povray.org:

> I've already read the instructions and turotials but I don't 
> understand how to use this program. 
> 
> 

Under windows?

File - > Open
Choose one of the samples scenes in
C:\Program Files\POV-Ray for Windows v3.5\scenes or where ever you 
installed POV-Ray to:

Click the render button.

The image is saved by default as a tga in the same directory where the file 
was opened from.

If you have specific questions about the Scene Description Language feel 
free to post in this newsgroup.  Beyond that, read the docs, read the 
newsgroups, repeat as neccesary.

Post a reply to this message

Asterisco wrote:
>Can somebody help me and give URLs of "COMPLETE"!! tutorials?

Friedrich Lohmueller has a tutorial here that is quite good.


http://www.f-lohmueller.de/pov_tut/pov__eng.htm


Thank you Friedrich!



Richard

Post a reply to this message

Tom Galvin wrote:
..... Beyond that, read the docs, read the
>newsgroups, repeat as neccesary.

Specifically, http://www.povray.org/documentation/view/26/#s03

It really is the best way to get started.  If I can do it, I'm fairly sure
you can too! :-)  Actually, I've found POV coding to be a very rewarding
and satisfying "intro" to programming logic for non-programmers.
Even simple marbelized spheres are more interesting than "Hello World" or
useless primitive "phone lists."

--Library Man

Post a reply to this message

Asterisco wrote:
> 
> I'm a normal computer user, few days ago I saw some images created in Pov
> Ray, I was amazed, so I downloaded the file of POV-Ray, I've already read
> the instructions and turotials but I don't understand how to use this
> program. Can somebody help me and give URLs of "COMPLETE"!! tutorials?

Beginner to advanced -

http://www.povray.org/resources/links/3D_Tutorials/POV-Ray_Tutorials/

-- 
Ken Tyler

Post a reply to this message

do you have any "programming" experience or basic math? although not a
requirement to use povray, some basic understanding of it might help. Which
isn't meant to scare you off. You don't need any, some of us have gotten by
for years without any ;)

You might be interested in using a modeller such as Moray for Windows if you
are in fact running in windows.


In any case, i recommend starting small. don't use a modeller at first. play
with setting up a camera, lights, then a plane with a simple color. Each of
these 3 steps are documented in the povray help. read up on the coordinate
system so you know where this are going to be when you set up a plane { <0,
1, 0>, 0 }. add a sphere or two and you are well on your way to being an
official povray user ;) (hint: read up on reflection and checker, play with
them in the above scene and post the result to povray.binaries.images to get
your semi-official welcoming)

Then i recommend reading up on textures a little or just using the textures
included with povray. this isn't a complete introduction, but it should get
you rendering and playing. oh, not to mention antialiasing which will make
your images look sharper.

good luck, have fun!

Asterisco <lui### [at] hotmailcom> wrote in message
news:web.3ef1fb4d5fc5bbad886b7c970@news.povray.org...
> I'm a normal computer user, few days ago I saw some images created in Pov
> Ray, I was amazed, so I downloaded the file of POV-Ray, I've already read
> the instructions and turotials but I don't understand how to use this
> program. Can somebody help me and give URLs of "COMPLETE"!! tutorials?
>

Post a reply to this message