Some ray-tracing images with POV-Ray ==================================== Package version: 1.41 (for Linux and Windows) First version: Sometimes 1998 Latest update: 2010-03-27 Author ====== Pov-files and images by: Stefan Spaennare, Lund, Sweden E-mail: stefan@spaennare.se Home page of the author: http://www.spaennare.se/index.html The images and pov-files are available on the web-page: http://www.spaennare.se/povray.html Contents ======== 1. Introduction 2. Copy right 3. Download 4.1 How to render the images with POV-Ray under Linux 4.2 How to render the images with POV-Ray under Windows 5. Some technical notes 6. C-programs to make some pov-files 7. References 7.1. References and comments 7.2. Pov-files based on ideas from other people 8. Package history 1. Introduction =============== With today's computer animation tools and ray-tracing programs it is almost possible to do everything one can imagine (to the expense of much computer power). Many new movies are examples of that. I am also very impressed what clever people do with with ray-tracing programs such as POV-Ray (both still images and movies). Many images and movies found on the POV-Ray home page (see below), not at least the winning contributions of the POV-Ray competitions, are almost incredible and very advanced. I have tried to do some pov-files and images with POV-Ray myself. These images are really VERY simple compared to these standards. However, simple objects can also be beautiful, and I actually like simple objects where the ray-tracing effect is clearly seen. I must also admit that I simply do not have the knowledge or time to do more advanced images. Sometimes I have also "stolen" some ideas from other POV-Ray users (see section 7 below). I am also very grateful to the POV-Ray team that such a wonderful program can be downloaded for free! 2. Copy right ============= The images in this package are free to copy, view, change and print for private or commercial use. However, the author appreciate very much if you make a reference to him and his POV-Ray web-page. The author should under no circumstances be responsible for any misuse of the images. 3. Download =========== The pov-file package (sspov.zip) for my images can be downloaded from: http://www.spaennare.se/povray.html It is recommended to use POV-Ray 3.6.2 to render these images. Unfortunately they do not work well with POV-Ray 3.7.x. The program can be downloaded here: http://www.povray.org 4.1 How to render the images with POV-Ray under Linux ===================================================== Uncompress and unpack the downloaded file to the directory sspov: >unzip sspov.zip Download POV-Ray package 3.6.2 for Linux (binaries) from http:/www.povray.org and uncompress and unpack it. Copy the "povray" (or "x-povray") executable to the sspov directory from the povray directory (for example povray-3.6). If necessary copy also the "povray.ini" file and edit the paths in the file to appropriate directories. To render one of the images simply run one of the "do*" files. For example to make the "cube" image in the sspov directory at 800 x 600 resolution. Note, it is recommended to render the images with AA 0.3 anti aliasing. It improves the image quality quite a bit, but take longer time to render. Unfortunately do these files not include this option at the moment. >cp ./DO800/do* . >chmod +x do* >docube The image is quite "simple" and takes only a few minutes to render (at 800 x 600 pixels) on a 1 GHz class computer (or faster). To render all the images at the same time use one of the "doall" scripts (although it will take some time). More do-files to produce images with higher resolution are present in the DO1200, DO4K and DO8K directories (1200 x 900), (4000 x 3000) and (8000 x 6000) pixels respectively. The last images takes very long time to render also on fast computers, and are intended for photo quality printing (in A4 or higher format). The images were easily rendered using POV-Ray 3.6 (with the +mv3.6 option). Please ignore warnings and error messages during the rendering process of pov-files including glass objects. The images produced are in uncompressed Targa (*.tga) format and can easily be converted to for example JPG (*.jpg) or GIF (*.gif) with your favorite image editor or viewer. You are very welcome to change and modify the pov-files if you wish! Further information and comments are included in some of the pov-files. 4.2 How to render the images with POV-Ray under Windows ======================================================= These pov-files work very well also with Windows (XP or higher). Download the sspov.zip file and uncompress it. Also download POV-Ray 3.6.2 binaries for Windows from http:/www.povray.org and install it. Then put the sspov map under "Documents\POV-Ray\v3.6\scenes" and start the POV-Ray program. Then open the sspov map and pick any of the pov-files. If you want to render many images in a sequence several pov-files can easily be setup in a batch-file. Note, it is recommended to render the images with AA 0.3 anti aliasing. It improves the image quality quite a bit, but take longer time to render. It is also very easy to add custom resolutions (with or without anti aliasing). The images produced are in uncompressed bitmap (*.bmp) format and can easily be converted to for example JPG (*.jpg) or GIF (*.gif) with your favorite image editor or viewer. You are very welcome to change and modify the pov-files if you wish! Further information and comments are included in some of the pov-files. 5. Some technical notes ======================= The author has changed the light settings and made most of the images somewhat darker than in the previous releases of the package. Some textures are also changed in some of the images. The reason is to avoid bright white saturated areas and reflections in the images. This also makes the images more suitable to view on modern bright TFT monitors or high contrast CRT monitors. Also the printing results become much better on photo quality printers. If you are not satisfied with the resulting images it is usually a good idea to start making the light sources (in the *.pov files) somewhat brighter (or darker). The pov-files (*.pov) have also been corrected for fore some "CSG" warnings (see the POV-Ray manual). Some old glass textures in the package are also somewhat incompatible with the +mv3.6 option for newer versions of POV-Ray. However, that seems not to affect the final rendering results of the images. 6. C-programs to make some pov-files ==================================== This section is probably somewhat supplementary for most POV-Ray users. C-programs (mkaart.c, mkmoff.c, mkcoshyp.c, mkknot1.c and mkmoeb.c) to make the most important parts of the corresponding pov-files are located in the CPROG directory. However default values of data included in these pov-files can be used without problems to make the images present on my POV-Ray web-page. To compile the C-programs using GNU gcc (in the CPROG directory): >chmod +x compall >compall The executables can be removed by: >chmod +x rmfiles >rmfiles Different parameter values can be input to the executable programs but it is recommended to use the values present in the "domk*" files (see the contents of these short files). More detailed information about each C-program and how to use it is present in the header of each source code (together with a disclaimer). To run the example ("domk*") scripts: >chmod +x do* >domkaart >domkmoff >domkcoshyp >domkknot1 >domkmoeb1 >domkmoeb2 Different output files are produced. See the contents of the "domk*" files. How the generated code is used see the corresponding pov-files. 7. References ============= 7.1. References and comments ---------------------------- Most of these images are my own ideas and are very simple and easily rendered with with standard functions in POV-Ray. I.e. the images and pov-files cball.pov, cball5.pov, retort.pov, retort4,pov, teacup.pov, bearing.pov, abacus.pov, cube.pov, stefan1.pov, stefan2.pov, water.pov, rings.pov and diamond.pov. The cball.pov and cball5.pov files use a predefined "icosahedron" shape as a base. The retort.pov and retort4.pov files were made by measuring dimensions of a real retort in glass. The rings.pov and diamond.pov files were easily done using predefined shapes in the "gems.inc" file. The moff.pov file was partly generated by a C-program (mkmoff.c) made by the author. A Moffat function is used in astronomy to fit a function to the image of a star in a CCD image taken with a ground based telescope. In many cases a Moffat function (Moffat 1969) describes quite well the PSF (Point Spread Function) when the light from a star (point source) goes through the atmosphere of the Earth. The elliptically symmetric Moffat function is given by: m(x,y)=(ax^2+by^2+c)^(-beta). The Moffat beta=2.5 in this image and a, b and c are constants. For circular symmetry a = b. The coshyp.pov file was partly generated by a C-program (mkcoshyp.c) made by the author. The cosine hyperbolic function on the form y = (1/k)*cosh(k*x) defines among other things the shape of a hanging chain or wire (under the force of gravity) with both ends fixed. The moebius1.pov and moebius2.pov files were partly generated by a C-program (mkmoeb.c) made by the author. 7.2. Pov-files based on ideas from other people ----------------------------------------------- The alfta1.pov file is intended to use to make a simplified image of the beautiful baptismal font in Alfta church, Haelsingland, Sweden. The lest.pov file use a background image by Douglas Muir that comes as a demo pov-file with POV-Ray 3.01 (or perhaps an earlier version). The clust.pov file is based on an idea (and partly a pov-file) by the classic Eric Haines "Sphereflake" (probably POV-Ray 3.01 or earlier). The idea to the tori4.pov file comes from a demo function (image) that comes with early versions of Matlab. The aart*.pov files and corresponding "Aart" (Alcudia art) images are my impression of the fascinating work of art "Nude de Leonardo" made to the Millennium change by the Hungarian artist Ben Jackober living in the beautiful town Alcudia on Mallorca. The original work of art is located in "The Magic Center Roundabout" in in the center of Alcudia. The aart*.pov files were partly generated by a C-program (mkaart.c) made by the author. The images are shown with about the original red color, steel color and pov-files are also available with glass texture. The glass version is not shown on my web-page. The idea to the links.pov and linksrgb.pov files is my most prominent "stealing". However technically my images are much more simple than the original one. Actually I am somewhat envious that it was not my idea to connect three links this way! :-) The "steel links" image looks rather "sensual" to me (for being a "steel object")! The original image "The Link Lock" (found on the POV-Ray home page) was made by "Tek" (Tekno Frannansa) 2002. He has a very interesting home page of his own with many nice images (including this image): "http://www.evilsuperbrain.com". The pov-file to this original image can be downloaded here. But it takes quite a long time to render (according to him). I have not tried that myself. The knot1*.pov files were partly generated by a C-program (mkknot1.c) made by by the author. The images have some inspiration from Tor Olav's homepage: "http://home.online.no/~t-o-k/index.html". The formula for the trefoil knot was found on the web-page (Mathematica code): "http://facstaff.unca.edu/mcmcclur/java/LiveMathematica/trefoil.html". 8. Package history ================== Version 1.41, 2010-03-27: ------------------------- Minor (non visible) corrections to the alfta1.pov file. Version 1.40, 2010-03-21: ------------------------- Minor changes in the alfta1.pov file (especially in the wooden texture). Version 1.39, 2010-03-19: ------------------------- The pov-file alfta1.pov added. The sspov package now come as a zip-file and the main unzipped directory is now called "sspov" (not "SSPOV"). The author has also tested that the package works very well with POV-Ray 3.6.2 under Windows (XP or higher). Version 1.38, 2007-08-13: ------------------------- Minor updates to this readme.txt file. Version 1.37, 2006-12-08: ------------------------- The pov-files knot1r.pov, knot1g.pov, knot1b.pov, moebius1.pov and moebius2.pov added. The C-programs mkknot1.c and mkmoeb.c added (in the CPROG directory). The files doaartg1 and doaartg2 removed from the doall files in the DO800, DO1200, DO4K and DO8K directories. Version 1.36, 2006-08-22: ------------------------- Minor changes to the C-program mkcoshyp.c (in the CPROG directory). Minor changes to the file coshyp.pov. Version 1.35, 2006-08-21: ------------------------- Very important corrections to the C-program mkcoshyp.c (in the CPROG directory). Changes to the file coshyp.pov. Version 1.34, 2006-08-21: ------------------------- Very important corrections to the C-program mkcoshyp.c (in the CPROG directory). Changes to the file coshyp.pov. Version 1.33, 2006-08-20: ------------------------- Very minor changes to the file cball.pov. The file coshyp.pov and the C-program mkcoshyp.c (in the CPROG directory) added. Version 1.32, 2006-03-08: ------------------------- Minor improvements to the files cball.pov and teacup.pov. The resulting images are now also somewhat brighter to make better printouts. Minor changes to the C-program mkmoff.c (in the CPROG directory). These changes do not affect the output from the program. The file doretort4 corrected in the directory DO4K. Version 1.31, 2005-10-09: ------------------------- Minor changes to the C-program mkaart.c (in the CPROG directory). These changes do not affect the output from the program. Version 1.30, 2005-10-09: ------------------------- The pov-files aart1.pov, aart2.pov, aarts1.pov, aarts2.pov, aartg1.pov and aartg2.pov added. The pov-code in all pov-files has also been updated to POV-Ray 3.6 and made somewhat "prettier". C-programs (mkaart.c and mkmoff.c in the CPROG directory) to generate the main part of the aart*.pov and moff.pov files are also included. Version 1.27, 2005-05-22: ------------------------- Minor changes to to stefan1.pov. and stefan2.pov. Version 1.26, 2005-05-22: ------------------------- Minor changes to to stefan1.pov. and stefan2.pov. Version 1.25, 2005-05-21: ------------------------- Minor changes to to cball5.pov. The file stefan.pov renamed to stefan1.pov. The file stefan2.pov added. Version 1.24, 2005-05-16: ------------------------- Improvements to bearing.pov. Version 1.21 - 1.23, May 2005: ------------------------------ Improvements to many pov-files, most to bearing.pov and water.pov. Version 1.20, May 2005: ----------------------- Heavy updates to most pov-files. The pov-files links.pov, linksrgb.pov, clust.pov, rings.pov, diamond.pov added. Version 1.00, Release sometimes 1998: ------------------------------------- The pov-files cball.pov, cball5.pov, teacup.pov, retort.pov, retort4.pov, bearing.pov, abacus.pov, stefan.pov, cube.pov, tori4.pov, moff.pov, lest.pov, water.pov included. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- End of readme.txt file.