From: quinn at cruzeiro.ugcs.caltech.edu (Quinn Dunkan)
Date: 8 Apr 1999 02:45:40 GMT
Subject: povray.py
References: <__YN2.30200$FZ5.11443@news.rdc1.sfba.home.com> <y0jpv5hx606.fsf@vier.idi.ntnu.no> <m3bth1wk8b.fsf@solo.david-steuber.com>
Message-ID: <slrn7go62n.f5i.quinn@cruzeiro.ugcs.caltech.edu>
Content-Length: 1701
X-UID: 986                                                  

On 06 Apr 1999 15:46:12 -0500, David Steuber <trashcan at david-steuber.com> wrote:
>mlh at idt.ntnu.no (Magnus L. Hetland) writes:
>
>-> "TM" <downstairs at home.com> writes:
>-> 
>-> > Has anyone created a pov ray module for python?
>-> 
>-> I have been thinking about it, but haven't done it yet... What do you
>-> think it should contain?
>
>This is a relatively off the cuff response.  But I think such a module 
>should provide python classes for the POV types.  Then, instead of
>using the POV scene description language, you would use Python.  You
>could algorithmicly create a scene or animation sequence.  Then you
>would pass the data structure (a list or other sequence) to a Python
>function that renders it in POV scene description language for POV to
>digest and render.
>
>Another thing I would like to see is a module for generating RIB
>files.  In fact, a Python RenderMan module would be quite nice,
>complete with shading language support.  Anything out there like that?

Well, I don't have RenderMan, but I did write a pov.py module.  It does
basically what you described, and eventually I'm going to add animation
features and basic physics (the ocaml module I wrote before did that) and
stuff like "magic" transforms that align one object with another, spline
curves etc.  I've designed some scenes in it, and it's wordier than pov, but
has all the benefits of a real language.  It doesn't do the new halo syntax
because the pov people have yet to release an updated unix version
(grumblegripegrunt).  It's incomplete, and written when I was first learning
python, and I haven't worked on it for a while, but I'll send it to anyone
interested.  Perhaps we could collaborate?




