POV-Ray [plugin] (updated: 2016/Aug/08)

[micheus]

Just a quick post to say I tried after upgrading to Pov-Ray 3.62 and I still fail to get a rendered image if no lights are present.

Just send me one of these files by e-mail (you have it), then I check it here - it's better.

---

I figured it out.
It was because what sandman has reported before.

I think I told before: if you didn't added lights to your scene, the exporter will export one or two infinit lights - looking for the option you have choosen in the View menu.

As you render directly from Wings you only see the message "No image rendered". If you export and run it on POV-Ray app and there we get a better message about the undeclared object:
The lights declarations are:

#declare wl_1_Infinite1 = light_source { ...
#declare wl_2_Infinite2 = light_source { ...

but the object declaration is
object{ wl_0_Infinite1
}
object{ wl_1_Infinite2
}

I'm working on this too.

[maker]

Maybe its not exactly what we would like, but v3.7RC? has improved it - I just discovered these days. There is a new keyword area_illumination in the light statement. See the result:

That is very interesting. I'll have to re-read the Pov-ray help file now. The things people (Wings / Blender / Pov-ray) think of when I'm not there!

Quote:as you pointed out, it could be a mess to guess the orientation the user wants.

That was before I discover that Area light is not getting its context menu working. If so, we will able to use the same operation we use for Spot, Point and Infinite - use the Position Highlight option in the context menu.

I've not really found the "Position Highlight" option convenient. (I can never see the highlight in the viewport, and Wings does not display shadows.) But that's probably because I'm dumb and not doing something I should be

[BTW, in architecture modelling, many times I cannot see the tiny Infinite Light. I've to guess the position by the way the shading in the model changes.]

[micheus]

That is very interesting. I'll have to re-read the Pov-ray help file now.

There is no documentation for v3.7 - it's still beta, inspet of its RC6. and they are talking about the next version 4.0.
You will find all that is new in v3.7 by checking the changes doc as well the users group.

I've not really found the "Position Highlight" option convenient. (I can never see the highlight in the viewport, and Wings does not display shadows.)

You are right about objects in Wings doesn't cast shadows, but the lights adjustment can be most intuitive by using that options in the context menu, including Position highlight - think about Spot light. ... and if you have time, take a look at this video I did:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEAQWxzRFqs (watch on YouTube)

[micheus]

I upload the plug-in update to my Google disk - please go to the first post in this thread for get it.

Please test it.
maker, as you are a .pov file hacker too , please check how object light is defined now. Let me know if missed something.

p.s. I updated only that for *-erts.5.9.

[maker]

There is no documentation for v3.7 - it's still beta, inspet of its RC6. and they are talking about the next version 4.0.
You will find all that is new in v3.7 by checking the changes doc as well the users group.

Actually there is - in the Pov-ray download. But it seems sketchy: compared to 3.6 the examples are too few. I do look at the User Groups once in a while, nowadays.

... but the lights adjustment can be most intuitive by using that options in the context menu, including Position highlight - think about Spot light. ... and if you have time, take a look at this video I did:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEAQWxzRFqs (watch on YouTube)

Thanks. I will. (Hopefully, I still have some bandwidth left.)

Please test it.
maker, as you are a .pov file hacker too Smile, please check how object light is defined now. Let me know if missed something.

Definitely (I'm a bit sick now, so as soon as I recover.) I'm not a hacker of .pov - needs bigger brains than mine. I used to be very interested in Pov-ray years back, but lost interest since others were offering better features, like AO, etc. But now I've become interested in hybrid photorealistic+NonPR - and the modelling features of Pov and the huge amount of free stuff - is too good to miss

[oort]

Micheus,
I only have a moment to test the updated version.

I see that rendering a scene without lights added works now...

I am wondering what "material emit" is being used in the plug-in preferences > Use material emit? It seems that the only time you want this enabled is when no lights have been added to the scene. Maybe this option should be labeled as something else???

With plug-in preferences > Use material emit for Pov-Ray Ambient enabled the Render option "Emissive Filter" is ignored.

With Use material emit for Pov-Ray Ambient disabled the Render option "Emissive Filter" is used. This works well and seems logical.

I don't know enough to say for sure... but wouldn't it be good to list "Emissive Filter" as "Ambient Emissive Filter" so that new users will know what to look for in the render options????

I see that if you add an Ambient light "Use material emit for Pov-Ray Ambient" has to be disabled and Render option "Emissive Filter" is used. This works well and seems logical.

I noticed that the color of the Ambient light is ignored and the Emissive Filter color is used. This is ok but it may be confusing to new users who might expect the color of the Ambient light to affect the light color.

Thanks for the update!
oort

[maker]

Wow! With just a "a moment" to spare, he has covered all the bases. Everything I could possibly think of - and more! I wonder, what will happen when he actually gets some time?

The talent and energy of people in this forum continually amazes me!

Edit: I couldn't find any difference in the Pov-ray rendering when I changed the default material Ambient to bright red. Nor when I also changed the Emission to the same. I wonder what I'm doing wrong

[micheus]

oort, I answer you late.

maker, I hope you get better soon.
About your question, I would like to get your pov file for verify it. Please send me it to (my nick)@gmail.com.
But don't forget you need set ambient=1 for the ligth and define at least a tiny value for Emissive color in the Pov dialog exporter.

[oort]

My moment went longer than planned which left me getting to bed later than I should....

Playing with it again this morning it seems that Pov-Ray plug-in preference "Use material Emit for Pov-Ray Ambient" may no longer be needed after the last updates. It could be always set to disabled??? Remember I am speaking as one with very little experience with Pov-Ray....

From what I see so far, having it enabled or disabled has no affect when no lights are present... and having it enabled gives a black scene when lights are present.

oort

[maker]

oort: May you have many more such moments. (Your little experience looks like having more knowledge)

Micheus: Thanks for the wishes. Almost recovered now: just a minor viral infection. About .pov file: If it's okay with you, I'd like to test some more. (Actually, I don't think I have the file. For tests like this I normally save as temp.wings / temp.pov / temp.png. The current "temp" will have replaced the previous one.)

I did a few tests with the "object to area light" option. Use "material emissive for povray ambient" is unselected (I forgot to turn it on again; just now remembered to check.) Other settings, incl. lights as default.

Pov-ray rendering vs screenshot, mostly.








HTH (and is not an unnecessary waste of time )

Edit: A nice byproduct of this: Playing around with the "sections" and "slices" of the torus can give some nice frames or space-frame triangles. (And using mlabs "Move...Arrangement" should give some nice grills. Maybe even a Buckminster-Fuller dome)