I'm trying to get a laserbeam to work. I've used the following code for the
laser
#declare LaserPosition = <2,1.5,1>;
#declare LaserTarget=<0,1.5,20>;
#declare LaserSize=<0.5,0.5,0.5>;
light_source {LaserPosition
              color Green
              cylinder radius .1
              falloff 0
              point_at LaserTarget
              looks_like { box {LaserPosition-LaserSize,
LaserPosition+LaserSize color Black}}
(There's also an additional white light source)

I want to shine the laser on the side of a silver colored box, see the spot
where it hits this box, reflect the beam onto the side of another silver
colored box, and see the spot where it hits this box. Also I would like to
be able to see a trace of the beam as it propagates through the "air".

How do I do this??

Hope you guys can help me
In advance thanx
kind regards
Georg
              }

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Georg Olesen wrote:
> I'm trying to get a laserbeam to work. I've used the following code for the
> laser
> #declare LaserPosition = <2,1.5,1>;
> #declare LaserTarget=<0,1.5,20>;
> #declare LaserSize=<0.5,0.5,0.5>;
> light_source {LaserPosition
>               color Green
>               cylinder radius .1
>               falloff 0
>               point_at LaserTarget
>               looks_like { box {LaserPosition-LaserSize,
> LaserPosition+LaserSize color Black}}
> (There's also an additional white light source)
> 
> I want to shine the laser on the side of a silver colored box, see the spot
> where it hits this box, reflect the beam onto the side of another silver
> colored box, and see the spot where it hits this box. Also I would like to
> be able to see a trace of the beam as it propagates through the "air".
> 
> How do I do this??
> 
> Hope you guys can help me
> In advance thanx
> kind regards
> Georg
>               }
> 
> 
> 
Some more experienced huys will correct if I'm mistaken, but :
You can use a transparent cylinder with interior media (see the examples 
in pov, or some scenes at IRTC : I used grdesert recently for a similar 
need).
Be aware that objects do not reflect *light* (you cannot light something 
by using a mirror), they reflect their environment. If the light must 
follow a reflected path, you'll have to make as many media cylinders as 
segments in the path of the light.

Regis.

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Georg Olesen nous apporta ses lumieres en ce 2005-01-26 12:14:
> I'm trying to get a laserbeam to work. I've used the following code for the
> laser
> #declare LaserPosition = <2,1.5,1>;
> #declare LaserTarget=<0,1.5,20>;
> #declare LaserSize=<0.5,0.5,0.5>;
> light_source {LaserPosition
>               color Green
>               cylinder radius .1
>               falloff 0
>               point_at LaserTarget
>               looks_like { box {LaserPosition-LaserSize,
> LaserPosition+LaserSize color Black}}
> (There's also an additional white light source)
> 
> I want to shine the laser on the side of a silver colored box, see the spot
> where it hits this box, reflect the beam onto the side of another silver
> colored box, and see the spot where it hits this box. Also I would like to
> be able to see a trace of the beam as it propagates through the "air".
> 
> How do I do this??
> 
> Hope you guys can help me
> In advance thanx
> kind regards
> Georg
>               }
> 
> 
> 
If you want to have your beam reflected, you need to use "photons". It enable a
light_source to 
actualy "emit" a light that can be refracted and reflected. Add "photons{reflection
on}" to the 
light's deffinition. You also need to add "global_settings{photons{spacing 0.01}}" to
the scene. You 
need to add a photons block to each mirrors like: "photons{target reflection on}"
This takes care of the reflected beam.
To make it visible, you need some scattering media. It's better to use a relatively
tight container 
for it to help keep the render time reasonable. The container should have a pigment of
rgbt 1 to 
keep it invisible. Use merge to remove the internal surfaces if you need several
components to 
follow the beam. Use only one media for the whole container.
Take a look at the optics.pov in the advanced scenes. It shows light beam be splitted,
reflected and 
refracted using photons made visible by media. It takes some time to render.

Alain

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