LEGO raytracing
Robert M. Dye
I would like to try my hand at some raytracing, but...
I am using a PowerMacintosh. I have POV-Ray for theMac, but the
libraries of LEGO bricks I have found on the net don't seem to work
right; they all provide numerous error messages.
I found a version of Rayshade that is SUPPOSED to run on the Mac, but it
crashes every time I try, and has a date of 1992. Apple has only gone
thru about three major system software and one major processor change
sinse that time...(sigh).
Whoever designed LDraw apparently has no plans for it to ever be ported
to the Mac.
Any mac users out there who can offer help or suggestions in getting
started?
Thanks,
Rob
Robert M. Dye
Jacob Sparre Andersen
Robert M. Dye (marq...@swbell.net) wants to do some raytracing, but...
[ Mac un-friendly software ]
LDraw is written in Turbo Pascal. If there is a Turbo Pascal compatible
compiler for Macintoshes (including the "standard" libraries), then it is
just a matter of compiling the source code for LDraw and LEdit.
There is a LDraw to POV-Ray translator, and it works. It is just limited by
the (currently) low number of translated pieces.
I have plans of making a portable command line clone of LDraw (but not
LEdit), and maybe an LDraw applet (Java byte code). - I will not start
working on this project until sometime this fall, so you have to have
patience if you decide to wait for it.
Play well,
Jacob
--
Jacob Sparre Andersen Web: http://fys.ku.dk/%7Esparre/
Center for Chaos and Turbulence Studies Phone: (+45) 39 65 53 51
The Niels Bohr Institute (+45) 35 32 53 05
--
Try Ada 95 - The programming language of today - and tomorrow!
Robert M. Dye
Jacob Sparre Andersen wrote:
>
> LDraw is written in Turbo Pascal. If there is a Turbo Pascal compatible
> compiler for Macintoshes (including the "standard" libraries), then it is
> just a matter of compiling the source code for LDraw and LEdit.
>
> There is a LDraw to POV-Ray translator, and it works. It is just limited by
> the (currently) low number of translated pieces.
Well, I'll find out...but I thought the answer to the question "Can I
get the source code?" (from the LDRAW FAQ) was "No!"
???
Rob
Jacob Sparre Andersen
Robert M. Dye (marq...@swbell.net) wrote (citing me):
|^^^^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^^^^^
I wrote the article Rob cites just before I got the sad news that James
Jessiman, the author of LDraw, has passed away. - I expected that James could
be convinced to compile LDraw for Mac's himself.
The current situation wrt LDraw is not very clear, since James never stated a
clear distribution policy (except for "no source code").
It is possible to write a LDraw compatible program, preferably in a more
portable language, but the greatest part of James' work is his parts library
for LDraw, which it will be allmost impossible to reproduce.
Hopefully James' parents will allow a continued distribution of James work.
Greetings,
Jacob
--
Jacob Sparre Andersen Web: http://fys.ku.dk/%7Esparre/
Center for Chaos and Turbulence Studies Phone: (+45) 39 65 53 51
The Niels Bohr Institute (+45) 35 32 53 05
--
LDraw FAQ: http://fys.ku.dk/%7Esparre/LEGO/V%E6rkt%F8j/LDraw-FAQ.html
Terry Keller
Jacob Sparre Andersen <spa...@meyer.fys.ku.dk> wrote in article
<1997Aug2.1...@news.nbi.dk>...
Jacob, you say the parts library would be impossible to reproduce. But will
they need to be? I think that the LeoCAD program for win95 uses James'
part library. I would think that the author of LeoCAD would have gotten
permission to use the part library from James.
So can we infer that James would allow other programs to use the library?
Would that make writing a Mac (or any other platform) version simpler?
-- Terry K --