"kmcpeak" <kmc### [at] ethzch> wrote:

>
> Thanks for the encouragement Kenneth! I will keep plugging away. One issue
> regarding the pigment gradient is that not all the pyramids have the same y
> value for the bottom of their pit. So I struggled finding the *best* value since
> it worked for some but not all. Do you see any way around that?

Ah, I didn't think of that. My own little test had the indents bottoming-out at
almost the same depth (give or take a tiny amount.)

There actually *is* a way to give each indent it's own special gradient-y
treatment(!) But it's crazily complicated, so I won't go into great detail; here
are the basics, though:

POV-Ray has a pattern called BOXED. In essence, it can be used to 'encapsulate'
any of POV-Ray's other patterns (like gradient y.) In this use, it's kind of
like a 'once' statement for patterns--the pattern on the inside of the 'box',
and a transparent rgbt 1 added for everywhere outside.

Anyway, first your entire SEM model would get its own texture/pigment (NOT a
gradient-y this time but just whatever makes the surface look good--bumps,
averaged, whatever.) Then multiple 'boxed' textures are added with their
encapsulated gradient-y's--so each indent get its own boxed pattern to override
the 'main' texture just in those places (with the boxes appropriately scaled of
course, which is the tricky part--and placed right under the surface.)

There is a method in POV-Ray for almost anything!

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