I will show my technique for writing scene files one by one. I hope these may be your help for your POV-Ray works.

	A. Structure or General A-1. Using a table calculating software A-2. POV-Ray user's function by isosurface patched POV-Ray 3.0 A-3. Putting similar objects A-4. Fractal structure A-5. Doll able to pose freely A-6. Set of objects forming a sphere A-7. Flower pedals, fish, or etc. by bicubic_patch A-8. Forming a face by grouped faces by bicubic_patch

A-1. Using a table calculating software

If you write a scene file by a table calculating software like Exel or Lotus1-2-3 or so on, you can treat or culculate many data on the scene file easily. Table calculating softwares prepare many powerful functions and you can use all of them for scene files.
Of cource you must save the file by a table calculating software as a text file and copy the file's text on a "*.pov" file for rendering. If you convert a "*.pov" file to a table calculating software's file, you must modify the "*.pov" file to be suitable for the conversion.


I prepare a sample file ilphowt4.xls by Excel for Windows95 ver.7 (Probably Excel ver.5-6 can treat this file.) for downloading. Please check and see how I did. This sample file is the sample file of "A-8" with a user's function by Visual BASIC.

A-2. POV-Ray user's function by isosurface patched POV-Ray 3.0

Mr. Suzuki's isosurface patched POV-Ray 3.0 can use POV-Ray user's function and "If" command. So you can express almost same but partry different many objects in a scene file by a simple statement. I drew "The Birth of Blue" and "Wings" in "VIRTUAL SPACE / VERMILION" page by this technique.
I show this in the sample "ilphowt4.xls" which is the sample of "A-1" and "A-8".


The declaration of POV-Ray user's function is easy.

#macro Floor ( float X, float Z, float Y00, float Y10, float Y20, float Y30, float Y01, float Y11, float Y21, float Y31, float Y02, float Y12, float Y22, float Y32, float Y03, float Y13, float Y23, float Y33 )
object {
bicubic_patch { type 1
flatness 0.01
u_steps 4
v_steps 4
< X,Y00,Z >, < X+1, Y10, Z >, < X+2, Y20, Z >, < X+3, Y30, Z >,
< X,Y01,Z+1>, < X+1, Y11, Z+1>, < X+2, Y21, Z+1>, < X+3, Y31, Z+1>,
< X,Y02,Z+2>, < X+1, Y12, Z+2>, < X+2, Y22, Z+2>, < X+3, Y32, Z+2>,
< X,Y03,Z+3>, < X+1, Y13, Z+3>, < X+2, Y23, Z+3>, < X+3, Y33, Z+3>
}
}
#end_macro

The usage is as follows;

#Floor ( -9, -9, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 )

A-3. Putting similar objects

Sample [ A group of colored spheres ]


Scene file : ilphowt5.txt ( Paste this file's text in a new scene file. )
I wrote in this sample as follows;

#declare Cy=0 #while (Cy < 4)
#declare Cz=0 #while (Cz < 4)
#declare Cx=0 #while (Cx < 4)
sphere { < 0,0,0> 0.3
pigment { color rgb < 1-Cx/3, Cy/3, 1-Cz/3>}
translate < Cx, Cy, Cz >
}
#declare Cx=Cx+1 #end
#declare Cz=Cz+1 #end
#declare Cy=Cy+1 #end



You can put groups of a group by inserting "#declare #while and #end" between "#declare #while and #end" like this.

A-4. ">Fractal structure

Sample [ A group of Tetrahedrons with the Fractal structure ]


Scene file : ilphowt6.txt ( Paste this file's text in a new scene file. )
You can put a fractal structure with a simple script using "#declare #while #end". In the sample I wrote like follows;

#declare Tetrahedrg = object { Tetrahedron
bounded_by{ box { < -3, -3, -3>, < 3, 3, 3>}
}
#declare Ct=1
#while (Ct < 9)
#declare Tetrahedrg =
union {
object { Tetrahedrg translate < 0,0,2.8284*Ct> }
object { Tetrahedrg translate < -2.4495*Ct,0,-1.4142*Ct> }
object { Tetrahedrg translate < 2.4495*Ct,0,-1.4142*Ct> }
object { Tetrahedrg translate < 0,4*Ct,0> }
}
#declare Ct=Ct*2
#end
union { Tetrahedrg pigment { rgb < 0.1, 0.5, 1>}}


You can reduce the load of your computer and shorten the culculating time by using "bounded_by" to Tetrahedron.

A-5. Doll able to pose freely

Sample [ Doll ]


Scene file : ilphowt1.txt ( Paste this file's text in a new scene file. )
The angel I drew in the "VIRTUAL SPACE / Vermilion" page has a nest structure.
I form a doll with a "union" or "marge" group from each joint to the end. And I translate each group to the location that the joint is just at (0,0,0). Then I rotate the group and retranslate just the length of the vector from upper group's joint to this group's joint.
The doll's pose is determined with the rotation values of all joints. You can see this structure easily in the sample.

A-6. Set of objects forming a sphere

Sample [ Spheres forming polyhedrons ]


Scene file : ilphowt2.txt ( Paste this file's text in a new scene file. )
I drew "A Specimen", "The Crystallizing", and "To Princess Diana" in "VIRTUAL SPACE / WHITE" page by putting objects at the point of vertex of polyhedrons. I drew the sphere nebura in "VIRTUAL DOLL / TWILL"'s "Doll - Twinkle" with many small spheres with the nested structure of a polyhedron.
These polyhedron settings of objects that the group of objects forms a sphere I feel the geometrical beauty.
Sample shows the figures of polyhedrons which have 4, 8, 12, and 32 vertices. I calculated them. Please use freely.


If you are interested in polyhedrons, you should visit 3D-CG polyhedron catalogue.

A-7. Flower pedals, fish, or etc. by bicubic_patch

Sample [ Flower pedals with Fish ]


Scene file : ilphowt3.txt ( Paste this file's text in a new scene file. )
POV-Ray has a internal function called "bicubic_patch" which drows a smooth curved face from 16 points in the 3 dimensional space. I use this function for drawing curved faces suitable for flower pedals. I drew lilies' pedals on the work named "To Princess Diana" in the page "VIRTUAL SPACE / WHITE".
Of cource you can use the curved face for another purpose like drawing fish. I added fish in the sample made of 2 bicubic_patch's faces.


I expect being shown nice flowers.

A-8. Forming a face by grouped faces by bicubic_patch

Sample [ Protuberance ]


Scene file : ilphowt4.xls ( I drew this file with the technique, Excel for Windows95 ver.7(A-1) and user's function(A-2). Perhaps Excel ver.5-6 can treat this file. Save as a text file and paste the text in a new scene file.
We can draw a large and complicated face by placing many bicubic_patch's face side by side. But fine data are necessary for smooth connecting.
I drew "To the horizon" in the page "VIRTUAL SPACE / WHITE" by this technique.


We can input the bicubic_patch's points data in the 3 dimensional space with no limitation. But the sample "ilphowt4.xls" is used for drawing from the data of Y's value at X-Z grid. You can extend this sample for many porpose as a drawer of the 3 dimensional figue. The rendering is fast.

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