The Status Window gives you feedback on what RTrace is doing at a given time. The status window looks like this:
Figure 6: The Status Window
The top line is a text description of what RTrace is doing at the moment. Below that there are two thermometers. The upper one indicates the amount of time left in the current major task, which the bottom one shows the amount left in a minor task. Major tasks include reading the scene, enclosing the scene, and rendering. Minor tasks include reading a single polygon from the scene.
The next line down shows the amount of free memory in RTrace’s MultiFinder partition. If you are using Finder, it shows the total free memory. The number will decrease as the scene is read, and as memory is allocated for other purposes.
Beneath that is the amount of memory currently used by the image, if it is being stored in memory. In the case above, the image is not being stored in memory, so no memory is used.
Finally, the number at the bottom indicates the number of objects in the current scene. Larger scenes with more objects require more memory to render.
The Log Window
The Log Window is a scrollable window which contains technical output which RTrace generates during the scene reading, enclosing and rendering. It looks like this:
Figure 7: The Log Window
The log window is limited to 1000 lines of text. After this limit is exceeded, the oldest lines will disappear from the top. If you want to see a complete, unlimited log of the rendering, look at RTrace Log File, which RTrace creates in its directory each time it is launched.
The Image Window
The Image window is a standard window which contains the image being rendered. It looks like this:
Figure 8: The Image Window
The size of the Image Window will vary depending on the si e of the image. While the image is rendering, the Image Window will contain a partial image.
If the Keep Image In Memory option is checked in the Preferences Window, a copy of the image will be kept in memory. If part or all of the Image Window is obscured by another window, and then revealed again, it will be redrawn from the copy in memory. This is expected in a Macintosh application. However, due to the large number of colors in the image, it can take a huge amount of memory to keep the image in memory. In low memory situations, therefore, it is possible to not keep the image in memory, by checking off the option in the Preferences Window.
Note, however, that in this case the image window will not be properly redrawn if it is obscured. If the image is not being kept in memory, you should try to avoid obscuring the Image Window.
On Macintosh computers without 32-bit QuickDraw, it is not possible to keep the image in memory. In such a case, the Keep Image in Memory option is always off.
On Macintosh computers without Color QuickDraw, there is no Image Window, and the image cannot be seen while it is rendering.
The Preferences Window
The Preferences Window is brought up by selecting Preferences… from the Edit Menu. It looks like this:
Figure 9: The Preferences Window
The Preferences Window allows you to set various RTrace options which will carry over from session to session. The options are:
Allow background tasks:When this option is checked, RTrace will act like a “nice” Macintosh application, and will give some of its time to any programs running in the background. The exact amount of time it will give depends on the value of the number below, which is in 1/60 second intervals. In the above case, RTrace will stop every 30 intervals (every half second) to give up a little time to background programs, and to check for any events (like abort). Disabling it will cause RTrace to run “blind”; it will not stop for anything until it is done with it’s task. When this option is disabled, RTrace runs significantly faster. However, it is not possible to do anything else when RTrace is in this mode, and it is not possible to abort a rendering.
Show image as it is rendered:When this option is checked on, the Image Window wi l be made visible each rendering, and the image will be drawn in the Image Window as it is rendered.
Keep image in memory:When this option is checked on, the image being rendered will be stored in memory. This allows the Image Window to be updated when it becomes obscured and then is revealed again. However, it can take a lot of memory to store the image in memory (actual number of bytes = image height x image width x 3). In a low-memory situation, try turning this option off. The memory will be made available for scene data and other necessary information. However, the Image Window will not be updated if it is obscured and then revealed. When this option is off, you should try not to obscure the Image Window if you want the image on the screen to remain intact. Note, however, that any saved image will be intact, regardless of any settings.
Show Status window for each rendering:When this option is checked on, the Status Window is shown each time a rendering begins. This will speed things up a bit, since drawing all the status information takes time.
Hide Options window during each rendering:When this option is checked on, the Options Window is hidden each time a rendering begins. This may help to prevent clutter, since the Options Window is usually not needed while an image is rendering.
Show About window at program startup:When this option is checked on, the About Window is shown each time RTrace is launched.
