Suzy B Software 2/Suzy B Software CD-ROM 2 (1994).iso/picmanip/pic_r2z/raynews2/raynews2.txt

Text File | 1995-05-05 | 13KB | 255 lines

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*     GFA RAYTRACE USER NEWS     ISSUE #2    FEBRUARY 1992      *
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Welcome to another issue of Raytrace User News!  I am happy to
announce that the efforts of the past few months have been
rewarded because a converter to Spectrum 512 format has finally
been written.  We are no longer trapped in GFA's proprietary
format, and can now print, edit, and distribute our renderings
in formats other ST owners, even other computer owners can view
with ease.


A CONVERTER EXISTS!

The credit for this goes to Lonny Pursell of Pandora, Ohio who
more than a year ago began puzzling on Raytrace's file format.
He chanced to run across my plea for a converter recently, and
with a little time away from the project, resumed work on reverse
engineering Raytrace's method of creating 512 color pics.  The
result is SUL2SPU.PRG, a Shareware program that will convert
uncompressed Raytrace pics to uncompressed Spectrum 512 format.
(its available on GEnie and Compuserve in the ST libraries.)

With additional cooperation from the US, UK, and German branches
of GFA, the code to Raytrace was made availiable as well, and
the prospect of a converter than can handle compressed format, or
a version of Raytrace that could save directly to Spectrum 512
format is now a possibility.  With my inspiration and Lonny's
perspiration, we'll see what comes out of it.  GFA's willingness
to release Raytrace's code to me (glad they did!) but is a bad omen
- an indication that the program is on its last leg.  Unless Raytrace
is updated to run on TOS 2.X and Mega STE's its future is imperiled
as a product standing still, while technology marches on.

>     GFA needs to hear from you to convince them of this final
>     update to see that this fine little piece of rendering software
>     is kept up to at least run on the 3 million 68000 based ST's
>     that have been sold over the past 6 years.  Please, take the
>     time to let them know one more update is needed!

(just had to get that plug in between the poop on the converter...)


Lonny's Shareware converter is partially disabled.  You can view
resultant Spectrum files with any viewer or slideshow, but if
you attempt to edit them in Spectrum itself, the red color Spectrum
uses for its menu (color register 15) will appear in your picture.
This is Lonny's gentle way of 'convincing' you to send in your
shareware fee, and you'll recieve the registered version where you
can edit to your pics to your hearts content.  Subtle coercion?
Perhaps.  But Lonny's efforts deserve to be rewarded.  You can
receive the full version by sending your $5 Shareware fee to:

Lonny Pursell  P.O. Box 145  Pandora, Ohio  USA  45877


YOU NEED SPECTRUM 512

Spectrum 512 is now an essential companion to GFA Raytrace.  One
of the first things you should try once you have the registered
converter is to use the Antialias functions to smooth out the
rough edges in your raytraced pics, especially the edges of
squares in checkerboard grounds.  Just using the default setting
can instantly enhance any picture, but experimenting with it
will produce better results.

I always switch to MAGnify mode when using the antialias feature,
since you can see the current settings diplayed in the upper left
corner.  Pressing the B or A key moves between Blur and Antialias.
The spacebar toggles local and drag-box mode.  (remember when drag-
ging the box across the screen to avoid starting at the far left
edge, Spectrum will leave a vertical line of pixels as it mistakenly
antialiases the edge of the left color palette!!!  Move your pointer
right a few pixels, then drag your box down and to the right.)  The
number keys 1-9 set the 'breadth' of the effect.  I recommend keeping
the number small -  Antialias is much more subtle in its settings
than Blur, where a setting greater than 2 will obliterate detail
rather than enhancing your pic.  But Blur at 1 usually works great,
and is usually the first thing I try.  I'd also recommend reading
up on the Spectrum manual to help you get the hang of picking
exactly which of the 512 colors you need to touch-up pics that may
have small areas where 'color problems' cropped up in the rendering
phase, or to manually antialias areas inside objects which Spectrum
tends to miss.

Trio Engineering, authors of Spectrum 512 also wrote an excellent
converter, SPC2GIF that I highly recommend.  Both small and fast,
its a great way to share your creations with virtually any other
computer owner through GIF format.  SPU2PI1 included with Spectrum
also does a fairly good job of converting to 16 color Degas if the
original Raytrace pic doesn't have too many colors.  Two PD
utilities - VIEWGIF (now commercially STIPPLE) and DMJGIF 3.0
have a feature that displays the number of unique colors in a GIF
file.  I was suprised to find that most Raytrace pics have only
30 to 70 colors (more if antialiased in Spectrum.) Pics with even
higher numbers are those like Raytrace's opening screen where
colored lamps are used to light the letters in a rainbow effect.

If you don't have Spectrum 512, E.Arthur Brown and Company have
swung a deal with Antic and are now liquidating Spectrum for an
incredible $14.95 - a great price.  Call EABCo's toll free order
line 1-800-322-4405 to take advantage of this deal.


TEXTURE MAPPING, REVISITED

In the last issue, I gave some hints and tips on using texture maps.
The more I use them, the more indespensable they are to producing
exceptional tracings that have more realism.  The relatively limited
resolution and number of colors of the aging ST means it needs all
the help it can get.  If you're like me, THE main reason you like
raytracing is because you can't paint for sh*t in 16 let alone 512
colors, so you let the computer do the dirty work for you.  So let
texture maps turn a simple box into an oak chest or a marble slab.
Not all of Raytrace's objects allow mapping, (gawd I wish I could
map onto a sphere!) but put those that do to thier best advantage.

With what limited artistic skills I do have, as well as by using
VIDI-ST to grab some video images, I have created a good starter
set of texture maps in NEO format & uploaded in an archive on GEnie
called RAYTEX.LZH (if you don't have access to GEnie, I'll be glad
to mail them to you if you send some of your tracings on a disk.)
Included in the collection are sample textures of wood, marble,
stone, and brick surfaces for you to experiment with.  A good set
of textures like this are so fundamental to raytracing, I'm a bit
disappointed some weren't included on the GFA Raytrace disks.

I'll keep working at creating more - my main interest is getting
a good variety of woodgrains.  I've been able to hand paint some
woods with reasonable effect (stone I have not been good at) but
digitizing seems the way to go.  With a photorealistic image to
start with, the quailty gets passed on to the rendered image.
Please, if you have any sucess converting or digitizing images
suitible for texture maps, send them on to me and I'll make sure
other Raytrace user's can get access to them.


LOST IN SPACE, 3-D

Several people have commented that they found the learning curve
rather steep, and let Ryatrace languish on the shelf.  Though I
can't give them motivation, I do agree Raytrace requires alot of
trial and error.  Raytrace is a very simplistic, crude raytracer
in many aspects.  And yet its feature set and possibilities
outstrip the time and abilities many have to fully master it.

Set a simple goal for each raytrace session.  Rather than aimless
experimentation try the following:

- Create a dozen spheres onscreen and try any combination of
  attributes, %, etc. Trace with 1 white lamp front and center.
- *Force yourself* to make a dozen of each of the object types.
  Tweleve in succession will help lock in concepts forever.
- Load a pic as a ground and try various ground sizes, lights,
  observer and view directions on it between quick traces.
- Put a single white sphere on a checked black and white ground.
  Add any color of light, quick trace, add another, etc. to
  really get the hang of the effect of multiple light sources.
  Raytrace is quirky how it calculates the 'strength' of lamps
  based on distance.
- Map the same pic onto every object type possible & observe.
- Think of scenes that are easy to build - a snowman for example
  3 white spheres and you're halfway there.  Make a shift in how
  you perceive your world - that everything in life is a composite
  of cones, rectangles, spheres, and cylinders.


ANOTHER VIEWPOINT

A classic rule in outdoor photograpy: Keep the sun at your back.
But dont make this the default of most scenes, with camera view
centered, light centered and above.  Deviating from that formula
will add more depth and interest.  Note: the Grand Canyon is at
its best at sunrise and sunset, not high noon.  Don't always view
a raytrace world like a coal miner with a light in your hardhat.
The objects themselves then hide most of the shadows they create.

To get the most perspective in your tracings - put your main
light to one side of center, offset your observer in the opposite
direction:
                       L                      L
L= lamp                +
x= center              x                         x   +
+= observer      -------------           ------------------
                    BORING!!!           MUCH MORE INTERESTING

The shadows of your objects will be more noticeable this way.  Lower
your lamp to exaggerate shadows even more.  A slight shift to the side
with your horizontal view angle also puts more perspective and interest
into a checkered ground, so it doesn't run in a straight line toward
you.  The closer your observer is to ground level, the more perspective
you will see in its pattern (at the loss of some detail.)  My most
visually intriguing renderings have been those where I went to
extremes - from a mouse's view of a room to that of looking down from
a hot air balloon directly overhead.  Sometimes losing sight of your
objects messing with view angles is a great way to come up with an
interesting camera view once you get them in sight again...


GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!

I did get a little publicity in the Febrary 92 issue of ST FORMAT UK.
I had mailed them a little press release a few months back and finally
got a little space allocated on page 141.  After my little blurb, the
editors responded with:

"It seems strange that GFA appear to have lost interest in such a
worthy program as GFA Raytrace, especially since it is the only
commercial raytracer you can find for the ST.  Its not perfect by any
means, but it's very faults provide the best reasons why it should be
updated now and again.  A user group can only help there, consider the
group."

Well, you can bet a photocopy of that is gonna make it under the noses
of GFA's branches by next week, and it would be nice if that sentiment
is echoed from divergent sources.  I'm rather amazed at the awareness
level regarding Raytrace I've been able to muster myself in the past
few months, by making the most of the online networks and by writing
to magazines.  I've made a difference - you can too, even by just
uploading sample raytrace pics to a local bbs - maybe we can bring
more users into the fold.



TAKE IT TO THE TOP

Once again, here's where to call or write for upgrades to V2.1,
to request further updates to Raytrace (we desperately need an update
so that Raytrace will run on the new TOS 2.06/7!) or to get more info
on GFA's other great products:

GFA SYSTEMTECHNIK GMBH    GFA DATA MEDIA UK     GFA SOFTWARE TECH.
Heerdter Standburg #30    Box 121               27 Congress Street
D4000 Dusseldorf 11       Wokingham Berkshire   Salem,
Republic of               RG11 1FA              MA  01970-5523
GERMANY                   ENGLAND               USA
Dirk Van Assche           Les Player            John Barger

To call GFA:   America  1 [phone]   Fax: [phone]
Direct Dial Germany (using ATT long distance):  011 49 211 55040
Direct Dial England (using ATT long distance): 011 44 734 794941


HOW TO REACH ME

I'm always interested in seeing other users creations - send a disk
of pics, texture maps, or wireframes, and I'll send you the best of
what I have in return.

Write to:     GFA RAYTRACE USERS USA  c/o Nick S. Smith
              4406 5th Avenue South  Minneapolis, MN 55409-2124

I can be reached on GEnie 24 hours/day by sending mail to S.SMITH65