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POVMenu v1.1b ====================================================================== A Menu Driven User Interface For The Persistence Of Vision Raytracer (POV-Ray v1.0) ====================================================================== POVMenu USERS GUIDE ====================================================================== BETA RELEASE - PLEASE DO NOT DISTRIBUTE! ====================================================================== POVMenu Is FreeWare From The Graphics WorkShop BBS Copyright(c) Dennis Dodd, 24 Dec 1992, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED! Tech Support & Inquires: (901) 458-9456 * USR d.s. * FidoNet 1:123/57 POVMenu version 1.1b Contents ====================================================================== Quick Start .............................................. 1 Upgrading From Version 1.0 ............................... 2 Introduction ............................................. 3 Disclaimer & Copyright Notice ............................ 4 Software & Hardware Requirements ......................... 4 Features ................................................. 5 Files Included In The Archive ............................ 6 Installing POVMenu ....................................... 7 The Directory Structure .................................. 11 Menu Operation ........................................... 12 F10 - Convert To GIF ..................................... 14 Configuration Screen Options ............................. 16 QuickView Display Options ................................ 20 The User Definable Menu Picks ............................ 29 Command Line Display ..................................... 30 If You Have Problems With POVMenu ........................ 30 Program Credits .......................................... 30 Release History .......................................... 31 ====================================================================== POVMenu v1.1 - The Menu Shell For POV-Ray v1.0 Page 1 ====================================================================== A QUICK START - FOR THE IMPATIENT POWER USER ---------------------------------------------------------------------- If you are one of those kinds who hates to read documentation, then hopefully this page will get you going. [1] Let me get something straight... POVMenu does not require a pre- defined directory structure to operate correctly. It can be adapted for use with almost any directory setup. If you wish to use POV-Menu with your existing directory structure, this will require a little reading on your part. Please refer to the section outlining the CONFIGURATION screens. There you will find instructions on how to setup POVMenu with an existing directory structure. If you are a new comer to POV-Ray, then begin with a copy POV-Ray installed in the directory structure as recommended in the POV-Ray v1.0 docs, page 10. [2] Create a new directory off of the \POVRAY directory called 'IMAGES'. [3] Install the files contained in the POVMenu archive in the \POVRAY directory. Move the file RUNPL.BAT to the POVRAY\UTIL directory. [4] Run the INSTPOVM program. Supply the hard drive letter and the POV-Ray run directory name ('\POVRAY' normally). [5] Make sure that the '\POVRAY' and the '\POVRAY\UTIL' directories are on the DOS path and re-boot your system if needed. [6] Fire up POVMenu by typing "POV" and [ENTER] at the DOS prompt. [7] Press ALT-F1 and fill in the following fields with the requested information: 1) The name of the .POV file you would like to Edit/Render. 8) The name of the POV-Ray executable you are running. 9) The name of the image processing program used to 'touch up' and add text to your final GIF files (IMPROCES or VGACAD). 10) Your favorite file browser (LIST.COM). 11) Your favorite GIF file viewer (VPIC or CShow). 12) The name of your favorite hard disk manager utility (QDos, X-Tree, etc...). 13) The name of your text editor (Qedit, Multi-Edit, etc.). [8] Press ALT-F1 and select the desired Convert-To-GIF method. Press [ESCAPE] to return to the main configuration screen. [9] Press ALT-F2 and fill in the user definable Utility program names POVMenu v1.1 - The Menu Shell For POV-Ray v1.0 Page 2 ====================================================================== and menu tags. Press [ESCAPE] to return to the main configuration screen. [15] Press [ESCAPE] to save the configuration and exit. [16] Enjoy POVMenu! UPGRADING FROM VERSION 1.0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- If you have been running version 1.0 of POVMenu, please be advised that version 1.1 IS NOT A DROP IN REPLACEMENT! The POVMenu configuration file format has been changed. To install and run version 1.1 you *MUST* first run the INSTPOVM program and convert your existing configuration file. To upgrade to version 1.1 follow these steps: [1] Move the archive (POVMNU11.ARJ) into your POV-Ray run directory and unARJ it with the overwrite option, using the following command line: ARJ e -y POVMNU11 (ARJ is case sensitive. You MUST type the command line just as it appears above.) [2] Run the INSTPOVM program. When asked "Are you upgrading from a previous version of POVMenu?", answer [Y]es, and press [ENTER]. Next the program will ask "Would you like to convert your old configuration file?", answer [Y]es, and press [ENTER]. [3] Copy the file RUNPL.BAT into your \POVRAY\UTIL directory. RUNPL.BAT is an example batch file for using the user defined menu picks. See the section on 'The User Defined Menu Picks' for more info on this subject and recommendations on how to set them up. POVMenu v1.1 - The Menu Shell For POV-Ray v1.0 Page 3 ====================================================================== INTRODUCTION ---------------------------------------------------------------------- If you have gone to the trouble and expense to download this file and begin reading this document, then you are probably frustrated by the complicated command line driven user interface that the Persistence of Vision raytracer provides. POV-Ray is a *GREAT* raytracer, but the command line options can get very confusing, especially for a new comer to the program. I discovered POV-Ray during January of 1992. In the months that followed I rendered a bunch of files using a series of crude BAT files that I wrote to take a little of the pain out of the EDIT/VIEW/RENDER/ CONVERT-TO-GIF process. After a few months of this I decided that there HAD to be a better way to interact with this wonderful program. So, I decided to write a simple but useful menu driven interface that would ride on top of POV-Ray and call it with command lines instructing it to perform all of the basic steps needed during the creation of a picture. You may customize the command lines passed to POV-Ray and some of the picks that appear on the Main Menu, allowing you to adapt POVMenu to suit your personal tastes and needs. POVMenu started out as a goofy little program that I wrote in QuickBasic that turned out to be indispensable when running POV-Ray on a regular basis. I *DO NOT* claim to be a guru programmer by any stretch of the imagination, but the damn thing works, and works quite well if you don't ask too much of it. (At least the price is right!) If you find POVMenu helpful, let me know! If you find room for improvement, tell me and I'll wire it into the program. If you think it's a piece of crap, then delete it and save yourself a few 'K' of disk space. If you would like to contact me, please do! I may be reached at the following places: On my BBS: ** The Graphics WorkShop BBS ** Node1: 901-458-9456 | Both Nodes USR ds Node2: 901-323-9296 | 14.4K - HST/v.32b The Graphics Alternative BBS, 510-524-2780 (v.32) You Can Call Me Ray BBS, 708-358-5611 (HST and/or v.32) via FidoNet netmail at 1:123/57, or the FidoNet graphics echo Voice: 901-323-8183 (use your common sense, I work a day job!) The latest version of POVMenu may always be FREQed from 1:123/57 under the magic name 'POVMENU'. POVMenu v1.1 - The Menu Shell For POV-Ray v1.0 Page 4 ====================================================================== DISCLAIMER & COPYRIGHT NOTICE ---------------------------------------------------------------------- In the spirit of Persistence of Vision, POVMenu is copyrighted freeware. This means: [legal b.s. mode on] 1 - You are free to use POVMenu for your own personal use. 2 - Please propagate POVMenu by uploading it to your favorite BBS or sharing a copy of it with a friend. 3 - Use the program at your own risk! The only thing that I grantee POVMenu to do is occupy disk space. If it breaks your system, you own both halfs. You should always maintain reliable backups of your hard drive(s) just in case something goes wrong! 4 - I retain all rights to the program. You may not hack, reverse engineer, or otherwise fornicate with the executables 'POVMENU.EXE' or 'INSTPOVM.EXE'. You may not edit or modify the DOC file included in the archive. 5 - The original distribution archive must be left intact and undisturbed. The original archive is packaged in a virus free ARJ security envelope. You may not repackage POVMenu in an alternate archive format such as ZIP or LZH. The contents of the original distribution archive may not be altered in any way. This includes adding 'ads' for your BBS to the archive or any other such extraneous files. You may not change the comments that are displayed when the file is de-archived. 6 - You may not charge money for POVMenu (beyond a handling fee not to exceed $5.00 US). 7 - You may not include POVMenu in any commercial, shareware, or freeware product without the written consent of the author. [legal b.s. mode off] That's enough of that! SOFTWARE & HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To use POVMenu, and take advantage of all the functions provided, quite a few external programs are needed. These programs are summarized below: * A copy of the POV-Ray executable (required!). You're dead in the water without it. * A text editor capable of receiving the file name to edit POVMenu v1.1 - The Menu Shell For POV-Ray v1.0 Page 5 ====================================================================== on the calling command line such as QEdit, Multi-Edit, etc. * An image processing program that may be used to 'touch up' and/or add text to your GIF files, such a IMAGE PROCESS or VGACAD. * An image processing program capable of converting 24 bit TARGA files to 8 bit GIF files, such as Image Alchemy, PicLab, IMG2GIF, TGA2GIF, etc... * A GIF file viewer such as VPIC or CShow. * A file browser utility such as LIST.COM. * A hard disk management utility such as QDos or X-Tree. * Up to five of any of the popular utilities for POV-Ray like C-Render, C-Mapper, Coil, POVscape, etc. -or- any BAT files of your own. Most of these programs should be installed on your hard drive in directories that are on your DOS path (like \UTIL or \BIN). The image processors should be installed in the directory that your TARGA files are built in. The POV-Ray utilities should be installed in your \POVRAY\UTIL directory or be on the DOS path. This is noted in this document when required. Hardware wise, if your system will run POV-Ray, it will run POVMenu! FEATURES ---------------------------------------------------------------------- POVMenu provides the following features: * Calls all programs from recursive batch files. Effectively requiring *ZERO BYTES* in memory overhead to use! * Calls up to five user defined programs or BAT files as menu picks on the main menu. These may be any of the various POV-Ray utilities like C-Render, etc. or, user written BAT files. Allowing you to add any functions to the main menu that you desire. * 2 'QuickView' modes, allowing you to render directly to the screen using the several color selection methods provided in POV-Ray. 2 resolutions are provided: 160x100 (1/4 screen) and 320x200 (full screen). These pictures look pretty bad, but they are great for verifying that the basic color, shape, and placement of the objects in your scene are suitable. Support provided for the palette option allowing you to use the HSV, 3-3-2, Gray Scale, or Sierra High Color palette DAC methods of color selection. * Calls POV-Ray and renders your final product. A variety of options are provided allowing you to control most aspects POVMenu v1.1 - The Menu Shell For POV-Ray v1.0 Page 6 ====================================================================== of the output file, such as anti-alias on/off and threshold, rendering quality, output file type, etc. Four resolutions are provided: 320x200, 640x480, 800x600, and 1024x768. * Provides a built in selection of five methods to convert from TARGA to GIF. Separate command line parameters are stored for each method, allowing very quick change over from one method to another. Great for comparing the final product produced from several different methods. * Calls your favorite text editor with the current .POV loaded. * Calls your favorite image processor (IMPROCES, VGACAD, etc.), allowing you to perform post processing on your final pic files, or to create GIFs used for image mapping. * Calls your favorite pic file viewer (VPIC, CSHOW, etc). So you can admire your GIFs (and show them off to your friends!). * Calls a file browser program with all of your .POV files, sample .POVs, or INClude files loaded and ready to view. (Vern D. Burg's LIST.COM is highly recommended!) Great for doing a quick search through the files provided with POV-Ray for reference. * Calls your favorite hard disk manager program (Q-Dos, X-Tree, etc.). THE FILES INCLUDED IN THE POVMenu ARCHIVE ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The POVMNU11.ARJ archive should yield the following files: POVMENU.EXE <-- The menu program. POVMENU.V11 <-- Default config file, (renamed to POVMENU.CFG). POVMHELP.DAT <-- Online help text displayed by the menu program. INSTPOVM.EXE <-- Installation/Upgrade utility. RUNPL.BAT <-- Example user defined menu pick. POVMENU.DOC <-- The DOC file. README.1ST <-- Readme 1st information. WHATS.NEW <-- What's new in version 1.1. DESC.SDI <-- Description file (may be deleted). FILE_ID.DIZ <-- Description file (may be deleted). The POVMNU11.ARJ file was created using the ARJ security envelope feature. When un-ARJing, the last line of text on your screen should say: *** This archive HAS a valid ARJ-SECURITY envelope *** If POVMenu was not packed in an ARJ file or ARJ doesn't report a clean file when un-ARJing, you are urged to seek an original copy of the archive! POVMenu v1.1 - The Menu Shell For POV-Ray v1.0 Page 7 ====================================================================== A FEW THOUGHTS ABOUT INSTALLING POVMenu ON YOUR SYSTEM ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The major bitch i got from most of the users of the version 1.0 release was that your directory structure *HAD* to be changed to conform to POVMenu's way of doing things. The creation of this problem was entirely my fault. I did not make something clear enough in the version 1.0 docs. POVMenu CAN BE CONFIGURED TO RUN IN ANY DIRECTORY STRUCTURE THAT YOU PRESENTLY HAVE! If it can't, then I have done a poor job as a programmer, and I need your input to help fix it! In the following sections I will explain two strategies for installing POVMenu. The first, assumes that you currently have POV- Ray installed on your hard drive, and that you have been using it for some time now. A few examples are given to help you with configuring POVMenu to work in your existing setup. The second strategy assumes that you are a new comer to POV-Ray, and will be installing it for the first time. An example with step-by-step instructions is provided. Regardless of which strategy you will be using, a few basic steps are required when installing. These are: 1) Unpack the archive into the directory that POV-Ray runs in. 2) You *MUST* run the INSTPOVM installation utility. This programs installs your configuration file and creates the POV.BAT file, that is critical to proper operation. 3) You must then run the menu program and fill in some information on the configuration screens (ALT-F1 on the main menu). Look through the next two sections and decide which one best describes your needs, and follow the instructions given. INSTALLING POVMenu IN AN EXISTING SETUP ---------------------------------------------------------------------- In talking with some of the users of POV-Ray, I have found that the directory structure people have varies wildly from person to person. This complicates the design of a program like POVMenu if the user is using more that one directory for ray tracing. I will provide a few concrete examples of how to install POVMenu into an existing directory setup. EXAMPLE 1: Let's assume that you have every bloody file needed in one directory called \POV. This means that all your include and dat files as well as all of the ray tracing software is in one directory. Also, all of the image processors used to convert to GIF are here. All of your TARGA files are created in this directory. You get the picture... The directory structure looks like this: POVMenu v1.1 - The Menu Shell For POV-Ray v1.0 Page 8 ====================================================================== \ROOT ----- \POV On the configuration screen fill in the blanks as follows: |============== Path Names ============| 2) POV-Ray Run Dir: \POV 3) Scene File Dir : \POV 4) Include FileDir: \POV 5) Sample File Dir: \POV 6) Image File Dir : \POV 7) Utility Dir : \POV Simple, no? Ok, so what if I have just a few more directories in my setup? EXAMPLE 2: Let's assume that you have you have a directory called \POV that holds the raytracer software and utilities. Another that holds all of your samples, includes, and dat files called \DATS. And a third one called \PICS that holds all of the TARGAs and GIFs that are created. Lets take a look at this one... The directory structure looks like this: \ROOT ----- \POV --+-- \DATS | +-- \PICS On the configuration screen fill in the blanks as follows: |============== Path Names ============| 2) POV-Ray Run Dir: \POV 3) Scene File Dir : \POV\DATS 4) Include FileDir: \POV\DATS 5) Sample File Dir: \POV\DATS 6) Image File Dir : \POV\PICS 7) Utility Dir : \POV Are you starting to get the picture? Ok, so what if a have several directories, but they are all hung off of the root directory? No problem... EXAMPLE 3: Let's assume that you have you have a directory called \PVRAY that holds the raytracer software. Another called \RAYUTIL that holds all of the utility stuff. Another that holds all of your samples, includes, and dat files called \DAT. And a forth one called \IMAGES that holds all of the TARGAs and GIFs that are created. Lets take a look at this one... The directory structure looks like this: \ROOT --+-- \DAT | +-- \IMAGES POVMenu v1.1 - The Menu Shell For POV-Ray v1.0 Page 9 ====================================================================== | +-- \PVRAY | +-- \RAYUTIL On the configuration screen fill in the blanks as follows: |============== Path Names ============| 2) POV-Ray Run Dir: \PVRAY 3) Scene File Dir : \DAT 4) Include FileDir: \DAT 5) Sample File Dir: \DAT 6) Image File Dir : \IMAGES 7) Utility Dir : \RAYUTIL See the sections about the configuration screen, as there are several other fields that must be filled in before POVMenu will work properly. I hope this helps more that it confuses. With just a little planning and reading on your part, POVMenu can be made to run with any directory setup. Also, if you're still unsure what to put in the path name fields, see the section that describes the specific purpose for each of these paths (CONFIGURATIONS SCREEN OPTIONS). If you still don't know after reading that section, then call me! I'd love to hear from you. INSTALLING POV-Ray AND POVMenu FROM SCRATCH ---------------------------------------------------------------------- If you are a new comer to POV-Ray then this section should get you up and going. The recommended directory structure as defined in the POV- Ray version 1.0 manual (page 10) is: \ROOT --- \POVRAY --+-- \INCLUDE | +-- \SAMPLES | +-- \SCENES | +-- \UTIL You should have this directory structure established on your hard drive and the various files installed as recommended in the POV-Ray version 1.0 doc's before installing POVMenu. You should add one additional directory (IMAGES) to this configuration to use POVMenu. Your final directory structure should look like this: \ROOT --- \POVRAY --+-- \IMAGES <--- add this dir | +-- \INCLUDE | +-- \SAMPLES | +-- \SCENES POVMenu v1.1 - The Menu Shell For POV-Ray v1.0 Page 10 ====================================================================== | +-- \UTIL Add the additional directory by moving to the '\POVRAY' directory and typing the following command at the DOS prompt: 'MD IMAGES' and press the [ENTER] key. Place the files from the POVMNU11.ARJ archive in the '\POVRAY' directory. Run the INSTPOVM.EXE program. When you run the INSTPOVM program it will ask: Are you upgrading from a previous version of POVMenu (Y/N)? You should answer [N]o. INSTPOVM will then asks a couple of questions about the drive letter and directory name that POV-Ray is installed in. This program writes the POV.BAT that calls the menu program. After running INSTPOVM, you should delete it, as there is no further need for it. The POV.BAT file created by INSTPOVM should look something like this: @ECHO OFF C: <-- Hard drive POV-Ray is installed on CD \POVRAY <-- Directory that POV-Ray is installed in POVMENU POVBAT Make sure that the '\POVRAY' and the '\POVRAY\UTIL' directories are on the DOS path and re-boot your system if needed. The last step in the installation procedure involves configuring POVMenu for use in your environment. Start POVMenu by typing 'POV' at the DOS prompt and press [ENTER]. The menu should appear on your screen. Press ALT-F1 and the configuration screen should appear. One at a time, edit each of the field numbers shown below, and enter the correct data for your system. See the section on the CONFIGURATION SCREEN OPTIONS for further details. 1) The name of the .POV file you would like to Edit/Render. 8) The name of the POV-Ray executable you are running. 9) The name of the image processing program used to 'touch up' and add text to your final GIF files (IMPROCES or VGACAD). 10) Your favorite file browser (LIST.COM). 11) Your favorite GIF file viewer (VPIC or CShow). 12) The name of your favorite hard disk manager utility (QDos, X-Tree, etc.). POVMenu v1.1 - The Menu Shell For POV-Ray v1.0 Page 11 ====================================================================== 13) The name of your text editor (Qedit, Multi-Edit, etc.). Next, press [F1] while on the configuration screen, and you will be presented with the convert to GIF options screen. Select the desired method by hi-lighting it and pressing [ENTER] and then press [ESCAPE]. Press [ESCAPE] to save the configuration and exit. After saving this information, POVMenu is ready for use! The default configuration file supplied with POVMenu is setup to work in the directory structure as defined in the POV-Ray docs. All you will need to do is fill in the PROGRAM NAME fields with the names of the programs your using. THE DIRECTORY STRUCTURE ---------------------------------------------------------------------- If you are installing into the default directory structure as defined in the POV_Ray docs, an explanation of the directories is in order. The purpose of each directory is explained below: The '\POVRAY' directory contains the POV-Ray excitable, DOC files, and other assorted goodies. Install the INSTPOVM.EXE and POVMENU.EXE files (from the archive) into this directory. The '\POVRAY\INCLUDE' directory should contain all the include files in the version 1 release of POV-Ray. (i.e. COLORS.INC, TEXTURES.INC, SHAPES.INC, etc...). ------------------- !! IMPORTANT TIP !! ------------------- Any INCLUDE files that are defined in your .POV files *MUST* be placed in the '\POVRAY\INCLUDE' directory, or POV-Ray will report an error (include file not found). The '\POVRAY\SAMPLES' directory should contain all the sample .POV files included in the version 1 release of POV-Ray. The '\POVRAY\SCENES' directory will hold all of the .POV files that you create. The '\POVRAY\UTIL' directory should contain all the utility programs and files in the version 1 release of POV-Ray. You should also install C-Render, C-Mapper, Coil, POVScape, and any other POV-Ray utilities you may have. Also, put all of your .BAT files that will be installed as user defined menu picks in this directory. All of the TARGA, RAW, DUMP, and GIF files created during the rendering and conversion processes will be placed in the '\POV\IMAGES' directory. This is also the directory that the image processing programs are directed to run in. You may change the names of these directories to suit yourself (but why bother?). The above directory example is setup in the default POVMenu v1.1 - The Menu Shell For POV-Ray v1.0 Page 12 ====================================================================== configuration file that comes with POVMenu. If you insist, you may change the path names to anything that you like. See the section describing the CONFIGURATION SCREEN OPTIONS for further details. ------------------- !! IMPORTANT TIP !! ------------------- MAKE SURE THAT THE '\POVRAY' DIRECTORY IS ON THE DOS PATH! This is necessary due to the manner in which the POVMenu program interacts with the .BAT files that animate it. See your DOS manual if you don't know what the DOS 'path' is and how to set it up. MENU OPERATION ---------------------------------------------------------------------- POVMenu utilizes the '.DEF' feature in POV-Ray to pass the command line parameters to the executable. When any of the render options are selected (F2, F3, & F6 thorough F9) a file named POVMENU.DEF is created in the POV-Ray run directory, and all command line parameters are written into this file. Then, POV-Ray is called with the following command line: [POV Executable Name] POVMENU.DEF Example: POVRAY POVMENU.DEF Note that this method will override any options set up in the environment. (i.e. SET POVRAYOPT=...). See the section on the DEFAULT PARAMETER FILE in the POV-Ray docs for further information on how POV-Ray interacts with the .DEF file. POVMenu is launched from the DOS prompt by typing 'POV' and pressing [ENTER]. The menu should appear on your screen. Actions are selected by pressing the 'F' key associated with the desired menu pick. A brief description of the menu functions are presented below: ------------------ F1 - EDIT POV file ------------------ Calls your text editor with the current .POV file loaded. This file must be found in the directory specified in configuration field 3 (Scene File Dir) or in \POVRAY\SAMPLES. ---------------------- F2 - QuickView 160x100 F3 - QuickView 320x200 ---------------------- Calls POV-Ray with a command line causing the current .POV file to be rendered directly to the screen using the internal color selection that is built into the IBM port of POV-Ray. The desired VGA chip set option may be specified on the configuration screen, field 12 (QuickView display option). POVMenu v1.1 - The Menu Shell For POV-Ray v1.0 Page 13 ====================================================================== I find these options useful when I'm working on a scene and need to verify the basic shape, texture, and placement of the objects I have defined in my .POV file. The F2 option will render a 160x100 picture (1/4 screen @320x200) and the F3 option will render a 320x200 picture (full screen). A sample command line used when calling POV for a QuickView is available on the main configuration screen (press F3). IMPORTANT TIP: With the release of version 1.0 of POV-Ray, the render to screen will usually blow up when the QuickView option is set to zero. See the section that outlines this function for more info! -------------------- F4 - Image Processor -------------------- Moves to the directory specified in configuration field 6 (Image File DIR) and calls the program defined in configuration field 8 (Image Processor Pgm Name). This is handy when you need to touch-up a picture after conversion to the final output format. (Normally .GIF) -------------- F5 - View GIFs -------------- Moves to the directory specified in configuration field 6 (Image File DIR) and calls the program defined in configuration field 10 (GIF Viewer Pgm Name). Allows you to view all of your wonderful raytraces! -------------------- F6 - Render 320x200 F7 - Render 640x480 F8 - Render 800x600 F9 - Render 1026x768 -------------------- This group of menu picks will call POV-Ray with a command line causing the current .POV file to be rendered to an output file. These picks are typically used to create your final TARGA file. Note that several items on the configuration screen will affect the command line passed to POV-Ray when rendering. Field 16 (Anti-alias Y/N), field 15 (Anti-alias Threshold), field 17 (Rendering Quality), and field 18 (POV Out File Format). See the POV docs on the command line options +a, +q, and +f; and the section below (CONFIGURATION SCREEN OPTIONS) for further information. The output file format during rendering is defined in POVMenu v1.1 - The Menu Shell For POV-Ray v1.0 Page 14 ====================================================================== configuration field 18 (POV Out File Format). The 3 possible formats are [t]arga, [r]aw, and [d]ump. The only format supported by POVMenu is the TARGA file format. If your using Raw or Dump, then the F10 pick (Convert to GIF) is useless. A sample of the command line used when calling POV-Ray for final rendering my be displayed by pressing F3 while on the configuration screen. -------------------- F10 - Convert to GIF -------------------- Most of the folks that are running the IBM port of POV-Ray are using the GIF format as their final file format. Because POV-Ray will not output directly to GIF, the POV-Ray output (TARGA) must be converted using a separate image processing program capable of 24 bit TARGA to 8 bit GIF conversion. POVMenu supports five methods to convert from TARGA to GIF, they are: 1) TGA2GIF - Sun Country Software 2) CUTTGA - Sun Country Software 3) PicLab - Lee D. Crocker & Stone Soup 4) IMG2GIF - Steven Coy (with TGA2VIV by Dan Farmer) 5) ALCHEMY - Handmade Software The action taken when the F10 pick is asserted from the main menu depends the method selected on the EDIT CONVERT TO GIF OPTIONS screen. Please note that all image processing is carried out in the directory specified in configuration field 6 (Image File Dir). This is the directory that POV-Ray is instructed to build it's TARGA files in, and is also the directory that the GIFs are built in. For this scheme to work, the image processor *MUST* be on the DOS path or in the Image File Dir as specified in configuration field 6. One final note about F10, if you are using another program to do your conversion to GIF (besides the five listed), please contact me and I'll be glad to add it to POVMenu. The only requirement is that the program must be able to accept it's input from the DOS command line or via redirection from a command file. A sample of the command line used when calling you Image Processor for conversion to GIF my be displayed by pressing F3 while on the main configuration screen. ------------------ ALT F1 - Configure ------------------ POVMenu v1.1 - The Menu Shell For POV-Ray v1.0 Page 15 ====================================================================== Calls the configuration file editor. See the section titled "CONFIGURATION SCREEN OPTIONS" for further details. ------------------ ALT F2 - List POVs ------------------ Moves to the directory specified in configuration field 3 (Scene File Dir) and calls the program listed in configuration field 9 (File Viewer Pgm Name). This allows you to move to the Scenes directory and view your .POV files with LIST. --------------------- ALT F3 - List SAMPLEs --------------------- Moves to the directory specified in configuration field 5 (Sample File Dir) and calls the program listed in configuration field 9 (File Viewer Pgm Name). This allows you to move to the Samples directory and view the sample files supplied in POV-Ray with LIST. ---------------------- ALT F4 - List INCLUDEs ---------------------- Moves to the directory specified in configuration field 4 (INCLUDE File Dir) and calls the program listed in configuration field 9 (File Viewer Pgm Name). This allows you to move to the Include file directory and view your INCLUDE files with LIST. --------------------- ALT F5 - Disk Utility --------------------- Just about everyone has a favorite disk management utility like QDos or X-Tree. This menu pick transfers control to the program specified in configuration field 11 (File Utility Pgm Name). This allows you to copy files, move files, delete files, etc. without having to exit the menu. ----------------------------------------------- ALT F6 thru ALT F10 - User Definable Menu Picks ----------------------------------------------- Using the appropriate screen in the configuration system, you may install any options that you wish. See the section on UTILITY CONFIGURATION for further information. POVMenu v1.1 - The Menu Shell For POV-Ray v1.0 Page 16 ====================================================================== CONFIGURATION SCREEN OPTIONS ---------------------------------------------------------------------- When you press ALT-F1 on the main menu you will be presented with the configuration screen. This screen allows you to store a variety of information that determines how POV-Ray will work, what the current .POV file is, and the path names to the various directories used, etc. This information is written to disk, and is re-loaded each time POVMenu runs. This means that the configuration settings are 'remembered' by the menu program. Each area on the configuration screens are divided into fields. Each field is identified with a 'field number' that appears to the left of the field description and is delimited with the ')' character. To change the contents of a field, enter the field number and press [ENTER]. The selected field will hi-lite and then you may enter information into the field. Full edit capability is provided (i.e. insert, delete, home, end, etc.). Press [ENTER] when done. The hi-lite will return to the prompt area, and the newly entered data will be displayed in the field. When the hi-lite is in the prompt area, press [ESCAPE] to save the current settings and return to the Main Menu. The configuration editor is divided into three screens that you may enter information into, and a forth screen that displays the sample command lines. Each of these four screens are described below: SCREEN 1 - THE MAIN CONFIGURATION --------------------------------------------------------------------- The main configuration screen has four areas where information is entered, and a help box. Each area has it's own purpose. The five areas are: 1) Current POV File 2) Path Names 3) Program Names 4) Rendering Options 5) The Help Box These five areas and their fields are explained in detail below: AREA 1 - CURRENT DATA FILE The fields are: |====== Current Data File ======| 1) Current POV File: FLY.POV ------------------- 1) Current POV File ------------------- Enter the name of the POV file that you wish to edit and render here. This is the file name that will be passed to POVMenu v1.1 - The Menu Shell For POV-Ray v1.0 Page 17 ====================================================================== your editor for the F1 (Edit POV File) menu pick. This is also the input file name passed on the command line when doing a quickview or render. The file name specified here is first looked for in the SAMPLES directory. If not found there, then POVMenu looks in the SCENES directory. If the specified file is not found there, then it is assumed you are starting a new .POV file. You are prompted if you wish to create the new file. If you answer YES, then a new file is created in the SCENES directory and it will contain a single comment line indicating the new file name. You may then edit, quickview, and render as desired. Defaults to "CHANGEME.POV" until changed. AREA 2 - PATH NAMES The fields are: |============== Path Names ============| 2) POV-Ray Run Dir: \POVRAY 3) Scene File Dir : \POVRAY\SCENES 4) Include FileDir: \POVRAY\INCLUDE 5) Sample File Dir: \POVRAY\SAMPLES 6) Image File Dir : \POVRAY\IMAGES 7) Utility Dir : \POVRAY\UTIL ------------------ 2) POV-Ray Run Dir ------------------ Enter the full path name to the directory where the POV-Ray excitable may be found. Defaults to '\POVRAY' if not changed. ----------------- 3) Scene File Dir ----------------- Enter the full path name to the directory where the .POV files created by are kept. Defaults to '\POVRAY\SCENES' if not changed. ------------------- 4) Include File Dir ------------------- Enter the full path name to the directory where your include files may be found (i.e. COLORS.INC, SHAPES.INC, TEXTURE.INC etc...). POVMenu v1.1 - The Menu Shell For POV-Ray v1.0 Page 18 ====================================================================== Defaults to '\POVRAY\INCLUDE' if not changed. ----------------- 6) Image File Dir ----------------- Enter the full path name to the directory where all output image files will be built when created by POV-Ray. This is the directory where your TARGA files will be created when rendering a final image. Defaults to '\POVRAY\IMAGES' if not changed. NOTE: This directory is created by you when installing POVMenu. -------------- 7) Utility Dir -------------- Enter the full path name to the directory where all utility processing is performed. Whenever any of the main menu picks ALT-F6 through ALT-F10 are selected, processing is carried out in this directory. Defaults to '\POVRAY\UTIL' if not changed. AREA 3 - PROGRAM NAMES The fields are: |========== Program Names ==========| 8) POV-Ray Executable Name: POVIBM 9) Image Processor Pgm Name: IMPROCES 10) File Viewer Pgm Name : LIST 11) GIF Viewer Pgm Name : VPIC 12) File Utility Pgm Name : QD 13) Text Editor Pgm Name : Q --------------------------- 8) POV-Ray Excitable Name --------------------------- Enter the name of the POV excitable that you are using here. This is the program name specified on the command line when POVMenu calls POV-Ray to render or quickview. Defaults to 'POVRAY' if not changed. --------------------------- 9) Image Processor Pgm Name --------------------------- Enter the name of your image processing program here. This is the program that will be called when the F4 (Image Processor) menu pick is selected. POVMenu will move to the POVMenu v1.1 - The Menu Shell For POV-Ray v1.0 Page 19 ====================================================================== path specified in field 6 and then call the program name entered in field 9. Defaults to 'IMPROCES' if not changed. ------------------------ 10) File Viewer Pgm Name ------------------------ Enter the name of the file browser utility that you wish to use here. This name is passed on the command line when the ALT-F2, ALT-F3, ALT-F4 (List POVs, SAMPLES, INCLUDES) menu picks are selected. Defaults to 'LIST' if not changed. ----------------------- 11) GIF Viewer Pgm Name ----------------------- Enter the name of your favorite GIF file viewer utility here. This name is passed on the command line when the F5 (View GIFs) menu pick is selected. Defaults to 'VPIC' if not changed. ------------------------- 12) File Utility Pgm Name ------------------------- Enter the name of your favorite hard disk management utility here (such as Qdos or Xtree). This program name is called when the ALT-F5 menu pick is selected. Defaults to 'QD' (i.e. QDos) if not changed. ------------------------ 13) Text Editor Pgm Name ------------------------ Enter the name of your favorite text editor here. This is the program specified when the F1 (Edit POV file) menu pick is selected. Defaults to 'Q' (i.e. Qedit) if not changed. AREA 4 - RENDERING OPTIONS The fields are: |===== Rendering Options ======| 14) Anti-alias T-hold: 0.2 15) Use Anti-alias Y/N: Y 16) Rendering Quality: 9 POVMenu v1.1 - The Menu Shell For POV-Ray v1.0 Page 20 ====================================================================== 17) QView Display Opt: 0 18) POV Out File Formt: targa 19) Allow break during Rendering (Y/N) : N --------------------- 14) Anti-alias T-hold --------------------- If field 16 is set to Yes, the value entered here is passed as the anti-alias threshold when rendering (i.e. +a0.2). See the POV-Ray docs for further info on the +a command line option. Defaults to '0.2' if not changed. ------------------ 15) Anti-alias Y/N ------------------ This Yes/No question determines whether or not anti-aliasing will be in effect when rendering (F2, F3, and F6 through F9 on the menu). See the POV-Ray docs for further info on the -a/+a command line parameters. Defaults to 'No' if not changed. ------------------ 16) Render Quality ------------------ This field determines the value passed in the -q parameter on the command line when rendering. The valid entries are numeric one through nine (1-9). See the POV-Ray doc's for further info on the -q command line parameter. Defaults to '9' if not changed. ---------------------------- 17) QuickView Display Option ---------------------------- This option requires a little explanation. There were several new display modes added in version 1.0 of POV-Ray, and for some unknown reason, the +d options were not documented in the POV-Ray version 1.0 docs. The +d command line option allows you to define the video hardware and palette in use when rendering directly to the screen. The +d option takes the form of: +dxy, where x is the display adapter type and y is the palette option. POVMenu allows you to define the display option in the following field: 17) QView Display Opt: xy All of the information that I am quoting below came from Tim POVMenu v1.1 - The Menu Shell For POV-Ray v1.0 Page 21 ====================================================================== Wegner's wonderful book: "Image Lab" (pg. 308), published by The Waite Group (ISBN 1-878739-11-5, $39.95 and highly recommended!). The valid values for x (display adapter type) are: 0 - (Default) Auto-detect from types below 1 - Basic, plain vanilla VGA 320x200 2 - MVGA (mode 13X) Tweaked VGA 360x480, if >320x200 3 - Tesing Labs 3000 SVGA 4 - Tesing Labs 4000 SVGA 5 - AT&T VDC600 SVGA 6 - Oak Technologies OTI-067 7 - Video 7 SVGA 8 - Video 7 Vega VGA 9 - Paradise SVGA A - Ahead Systems Version 'A' SVGA B - Ahead Systems Version 'B' SVGA C - Chips & Technologies SVGA D - ATI VGA Wonder E - Everex SVGA F - Trident SVGA G - VESA standard SVGA H through N - Reserved, unassigned (S)VGA types O - TIGA/Hercules Graphics Workstation 16-bit P - TIGA/Hercules Graphics Workstation 32-bit Q through Z - Reserved, unassigned True-Color adapter types The valid values for y (palette options) are: 0 - (Default) HSV->RGB method 3 - 3-3-2 RGB method G - Grey Scale (optimized 64-shade palette for IBM's) H - Serra High Color palette DAC The character(s) entered here are used to build the display command line specification when the F2 & F3 (QuickView) menu picks are selected. See the POV-Ray docs for further info on the +d command line parameter (what little there is!). Defaults to 0 (zero, auto-detect and HSV palette) if not changed. ------------------- !! IMPORTANT TIP !! ------------------- With the release of version 1.0 of POV-Ray, when the Display Option is set to zero, POV-Ray will report a run-time error when rendering to the screen, (most of the time). If POV-Ray will render to a Targa file, but bombs out when you try to do a QuickView, the you need to change the option defined in this field to match the chip set in your VGA card. Defaults to 0 (zero, auto-detect and HSV palette) if not POVMenu v1.1 - The Menu Shell For POV-Ray v1.0 Page 22 ====================================================================== changed. PLEASE CHANGE THIS WHEN INSTALLING!! -------------------------- 18) POV Output File Option -------------------------- The parameter entered here will determine the file format that your final product will be rendered in. See the POV docs for further info on the +f command line option. Defaults to 't' (TARGA) if not changed. Note that the TARGA format is the only output file format supported by the F10 (Convert to GIF) menu pick. -------------------------------------- 19) Allow BREAK during rendering (Y/N) -------------------------------------- Setting this option to [Y]es will cause the +x parameter to be passed to POV-Ray when rendering. This allows you to abort a trace while POV-Ray is rendering. Setting this option to [N]o, locks the in the trace until POV-Ray is finished. (The only way to break is to RESET your computer.) Defaults to 'N' if not changed. ------------------------------------------ 20) QuickView to Video While Rendering Y/N ------------------------------------------ Setting this option to [Y]es will cause the +d parameter to be passed to POV-Ray when rendering. This allows you to view the trace directly on the screen as it is rendered to a file. Also, note that when enabled, the -v command line parameter will be passed to prevent the stats display while rendering. Defaults to 'N' if not changed. ------------- !! WARNING !! (You better read this!) ------------- Be advised that when this option is enabled, POV-Ray will switch the video into graphics mode and set the resolution to match the image being rendered. If you are rendering in a SVGA resolution like 800x600 or 1024x768, POV-Ray will attempt to switch your VGA card into those modes. If your display monitor can not handle these modes, it will most likely self-destruct (i.e. smoke will come out!). DO NOT ENABLE THIS OPTION UNLESS YOU ARE QUITE SURE THAT YOUR MONITOR WILL SAFELY DISPLAY THE RESOLUTION THAT YOU ARE RENDERING AT. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! ----------------------- 21) Verbose Display Y/N ----------------------- POVMenu v1.1 - The Menu Shell For POV-Ray v1.0 Page 23 ====================================================================== Setting this option to [Y]es will cause the +v parameter to be passed to POV-Ray when rendering. This causes POV-Ray to display statistics while rendering. Defaults to 'Y' if not changed. AREA 5 - THE HELP BOX At the bottom of the screen is a box that displays the options available on the configuration screen, and also contains the prompt area. The help box is shown below: +-[ POVMenu Configuration ]-----------------------------------+ | | | Press: F1 to edit CONVERT TO GIF OPTIONS | | F2 to edit UTILITY OPTIONS | | F3 to VIEW SAMPLE COMMAND LINES | | -or- | | Enter the FIELD NUMBER (above) to change --> | | [ESCAPE] to save current settings and EXIT | +-------------------------------------------------------------+ When the cursor is in the prompt box, you may enter the field number that you wish to edit and press [ENTER]. Or, you may press the 3 listed 'F' keys to gain access to more configuration options. The three screens available with F1, F2, and F3 are explained below: SCREEN 2 - (F1) CONVERT TO GIF OPTIONS --------------------------------------------------------------------- Because POV-Ray will not output directly to GIF, the POV-Ray output (TARGA) must be converted using a separate image processing program capable of 24 bit TARGA to 8 bit GIF conversion. POVMenu supports five methods to convert from TARGA to GIF, they are: TGA2GIF by Sun Country Software CUTTGA by Sun Country Software PICLAB by Lee Daniel Crocker & The Stone Soup Group IMG2GIF by Steven Coy (with TGA2VIV by Dan Farmer) ALCHEMY by Handmade Software (Image Alchemy) To access the CONVERT TO GIF OPTIONS, press [F1] while on the main configuration screen. The screen is divided into two areas. The upper area provides on-line help describing the currently hi-lighted program and explains how POVMenu uses it to perform a convert to GIF operation. The text in this area will change as you move the hi-light up and down in the selection box. The lower area of the screen has a selection box to the right that contains the 5 convert methods. One of the selections will be hi-lighted. You may change your selection by pressing the UP or DOWN arrows until the desired method is hi-lighted, and then press POVMenu v1.1 - The Menu Shell For POV-Ray v1.0 Page 24 ====================================================================== [ENTER]. The area to the left displays your current selection, and the command line options for the conversion method. Press [F1] to edit the command line options. Full edit capability is provided (i.e. insert, delete, home, end, etc.). Press [ENTER] when done. The hi-lite will return to the selection box, indicating that the edit operation is complete. The options entered here will be passed on the command line when the image processor is called by the CONVERT-TO-GIF menu pick (F10 on the Main Menu). Note that as you scroll up and down in the list of conversion methods, the command line options will change. POVMenu stores a separate set of command line options for each conversion method. This allows you to change from one method to another very quickly when selecting a conversion program. After you gain some experience rendering images with POV-Ray, and then converting the Targa files to GIFs, you will find the results that each conversion method gives will vary. Alchemy may do a better job with a given image that PicLab or IMG2GIF. Other images will convert better with PicLab or TGA2GIF, or one of the other methods. This will require some experimentation on your part to decide which conversion method yields the best results. This is due to the various dithering methods that the image processors use to reduce millions of colors that may be present in a Targa file down to just 256 colors (the maximum number of colors that can be displayed on a standard SVGA is 256). I have arranged the menu system to allow you to change the conversion method very quickly in an effort to allow you to compare the various image processors when converting your final render to a GIF. Generally speaking, when I have rendered a picture, I will first convert it with Image Alchemy. Alchemy tends to give me the best results in most cases. I will use this picture as a reference, and then convert using PicLab, IMG2GIF, and TGA2GIF and compare the resulting images one at a time. The manner in which POVMenu calls the image processors to convert to GIF and a little background on each of these programs is outlined below: POVMenu v1.1 - The Menu Shell For POV-Ray v1.0 Page 25 ====================================================================== ------------- IMAGE ALCHEMY ------------- When POVMenu calls Image Alchemy the following action is taken. A command line is built that contains the following elements: [GIF Conversion Pgm Name] + [POVFILE.TGA] + [POVFILE.GIF] + [GIF Conversion Options] Example: ALCHEMY MYFILE.TGA MYFILE.GIF -o -ds -8 -256 ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ | | | | | +-----+-----+ | | | | Cvt-to-GIF option Config field 1 Alchemy Cmd Parameters This command line is written into a batch file and control is transferred to this batch file, causing ALCHEMY to convert the TARGA file to a GIF file. When ALCHEMY terminates, control returns to POVMenu, and the Main menu re-appears on your screen. ABOUT IMAGE ALCHEMY: ALCHEMY is a shareware conversion program by Handmade Software, Los Gatos, CA. ALCHEMY does an excellent job of converting from Targa to GIF. POVMenu runs ALCHEMY by writing a series of commands into a batch file and then transfers control to it. ALCHEMY performs a direct conversion from Targa to GIF. COMMAND LINE OPTIONS: ALCHEMY provides a very flexible command line allowing control over palette selection method & sort, dither type, etc. Several dithers are available: -d1 Floyd-Steinberg, -d2 Stucki, & -d3 Jarvis-Judice -Ninke. Generally, a parameters setting of: -o -g -ds -8 -c256 will give good results. Please see the ALCHEMY docs for further info. POVMenu v1.1 - The Menu Shell For POV-Ray v1.0 Page 26 ====================================================================== ------ PICLAB ------ When POVMenu calls PicLab the following action is taken. First of all, a command file is created which contains the proper commands and filenames that will cause PicLab to convert the desired TARGA file to a GIF. When PicLab is called, it is directed to accept it's input from the command file. The PicLab command file is named POVMENU.CMD and looks something like this: TLOAD MYFILE.TGA <-- load input TARGA file MAKEPAL <-- build GIF color palette MAP <-- map the new palette GSAVE MYFILE.GIF <-- save the image to a GIF QUIT <-- all done! Next, a command line is built that contains the following elements: [GIF Conversion Pgm Name] + "POVMENU.CMD" Example: PL POVMENU.CMD ^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^ | | | +--- Hard wired in POVMenu Cvt-to-GIF option This command line is written into a batch file and control is transferred to this batch file, causing PicLab to read it's input from the file POVMENU.CMD. You will be able to watch PicLab run as it goes through the motions of converting the file. When PicLab terminates, control returns to POVMenu, and the Main menu re-appears on your screen. ABOUT PICLAB: PicLab is a public domain image processor by Lee Daniel Crocker. It is suitable for converting from Targa to GIF. POVMenu uses the "Command File" feature in PicLab to pass processing commands. POVMenu writes a series of commands into a file called POVMENU.CMD, and then calls PicLab with the following command line: PL POVMENU.CMD This causes PicLab to read it's commands from the POVMENU.CMD file instead of from the keyboard. PicLab converts directly from Targa to GIF. COMMAND LINE OPTIONS: No command options are needed when using PicLab. Please see the PicLab docs for further information. POVMenu v1.1 - The Menu Shell For POV-Ray v1.0 Page 27 ====================================================================== ------- IMG2GIF ------- When POVMenu calls IMG2GIF the following action is taken. First of all, a BAT file is created which contains the proper commands and filenames that will cause the conversion of the desired TARGA file to a GIF. The controlling BAT file looks something like this: @ECHO OFF CLS CD \POVRAY\IMAGES CALL TGA2VIV BLOCK <-- Convert from Targa to IMG CALL IMG2GIF BLOCK -d -m <-- Convert from IMG to GIF IF EXIST *.IMG DEL *.IMG <-- Clean up the disk PAUSE POV Note that the line that calls IMG2GIF works like this: CALL IMG2GIF BLOCK -d -m ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^ | | | | | +-- IMG2GIF command parameters Cvt-to-GIF option +-- Config Field 1 (.POV file name) This command line is written into the batch file and control is transferred to this batch file, causing the conversion from Targa to GIF. ABOUT IMG2GIF: IMG2GIF is a conversion utility by Steven Croy (author of Vivid). IMG2GIF does an excellent job of converting to the GIF format. Conversion using this program is a two step process. First the Targa file is converted to the IMG format using TGA2VIV (by Dan Farmer). It is then converted to GIF using IMG2GIF. POVMenu writes a series of commands into a batch file and then transfers control to it. Both programs run sequentially, causing the conversion to GIF. COMMAND LINE OPTIONS: Note that the information in Parameters are passed as parameters to IMG2GIF when it runs. The -d parameter selects a Floyd-Steinberg dither. Also available are: -o ordered dither, -r random noise, and -m median cut. Generally, a parameters setting of: -d -m will give good results. Please see the IMG2GIF docs for further information. POVMenu v1.1 - The Menu Shell For POV-Ray v1.0 Page 28 ====================================================================== ------- TGA2GIF ------- When POVMenu calls TGA2GIF the following action is taken. A command line is built that contains the following elements: [GIF Conversion Pgm Name] + [GIF Conversion Options] + [POVFILE.TGA] + [POVFILE.GIF] Example: TGA2GIF -d MYFILE.TGA MYFILE.GIF ^^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^^^^ | | | | | | +-----+-----+ | | | Cvt-to-GIF option | +-- Config field 1 +-- TGA2GIF command line parameters This command line is written into a batch file and control is transferred to this batch file, causing TGA2GIF to convert the TARGA file to a GIF file. When TGA2GIF terminates, control returns to POVMenu, and the Main menu re-appears on your screen. ABOUT TGA2GIF: TGA2GIF is a new shareware conversion program by Sun Country Software, Albuquerque, NM. TGA2GIF does an excellent job of converting from Targa to GIF. POVMenu runs TGA2GIF by writing a series of commands into a batch file and then transfers control to it. TGA2GIF performs a direct conversion from Targa to GIF. COMMAND LINE OPTIONS: Note that the information in Parameters are passed as the flags to TGA2GIF when it runs. The /d flag specifies an optional dither using Floyd-Steinberg. Generally, a parameters setting of: /d will give good results. Please see the TGA2GIF docs for further information. ------ CUTTGA ------ Support for Sun Country Software's CUTTGA is provided based on some preliminary information provided by Loren Bolinger at Sun Country. As this version of POVMenu went to press I had not received an evaluation copy of CUTTGA to verify proper operation with. Based on the information that I got from Loren, this convert method should work fine, but I have no way of verifying this. POVMenu v1.1 - The Menu Shell For POV-Ray v1.0 Page 29 ====================================================================== SCREEN 3 - (F2) UTILITY CONFIGURATION (The User Definable Menu Picks) --------------------------------------------------------------------- POVMenu provides you with 5 user definable menu picks. You may install any POV-Ray utilities or user written BAT files that you wish. This allows you to adapt POVMenu to your liking, and add functions that are unique to your working environment. When you press [F2] while on the main configuration screen, the Utility Configuration screen will appear. This screen is divided into three areas: The upper area provides a help text. The lower left area has 5 fields that contains the names of the programs and/or user written BAT files the will be run by POVMenu when selected. The lower right area contains the text that will displayed on the menu for the menu pick names. Note that the fields on this screen are paired up. Field 1 is the program or BAT file name for the first menu pick, and Field 6 is the menu pick name that is displayed on the Main Menu. ----------------- !!IMPORTANT TIP!! ----------------- When POVMenu runs one of the user defined utility programs, it changes to the directory specified in configuration field 7 (Utility Directory, which is normally set to '\POVRAY\UTIL'), and then attempts to run the program or batch file. This means that the program or batch file called by POVMenu must be in the utility directory or on the DOS path. POVMenu comes with one utility program installed, to provide an example of how to use this feature. You will note that the ALT-F6 menu pick calls PicLab. Let's take a look at how this works... To install PicLab as a menu pick, I first created a little batch file called RUNPL.BAT in the \POVRAY\UTIL directory. RUNPL.BAT looks like this: @ECHO OFF CD\POVRAY\IMAGES PL Note that the batch file changes to the \POVRAY\IMAGES directory before it run PicLab (I have PicLab installed in the IMAGES directory). Then to actually install the menu pick, I went to the UTILITY CONFIGURATION screen (F2 from the Configuration Screen) and entered 'RUNPL' in field 1, and entered 'PicLab' in field 6. This feature adds a lot of flexibility to POVMenu by allowing you to add functions to the menu that suit your personal needs. POVMenu v1.1 - The Menu Shell For POV-Ray v1.0 Page 30 ====================================================================== SCREEN 4 - (F3) SAMPLE COMMAND LINE DISPLAY --------------------------------------------------------------------- POVMenu provides you with a screen that displays a sample of the command lines used when rendering to the screen, rendering to file, and when converting to GIF. When you press [F3] while at the main configuration screen, the Sample Command Line Display screen will appear. This screen is divided into two sections. The upper area displays a help text, the lower area displays the three sample command lines. POVMenu uses the '.DEF' file method of passing command line parameters to POV-Ray. This means that the command line parameters are written into a COMMAND DEFINITION FILE that POV-Ray reads at run time. POVMenu puts it's command line parameters into a file called 'POVMENU.DEF'. Then POV-Ray is called with the following command line: POVRAY POVMENU.DEF Note that this process will override any environmental settings in effect at run time. See the POV-Ray docs for further information. The COMMAND LINEs are samples of the command lines that POVMenu will build and call POV-Ray with. They are provided so that you may look at them and verify that the proper information is being passed. IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS WITH POVMenu ---------------------------------------------------------------------- !CAUTION! POVMenu has very little error trapping built in. It does not verify that the path names and programs specified on the configuration screen exist. It trusts that you have entered correct information. It will blindly call the program names and specify the paths that you enter. If they are incorrect, there are no harmful effects, other than the menu picks will not function properly if incorrect information is specified on the configuration screen. If a menu pick does not appear to work correctly, check the values entered into the associated fields on the configuration screen. It's a pretty good bet that you 'fat fingered' something. Many people have used POVMenu with great success. I is (to my knowledge) error free (if set up correctly), and that works quite reliably. If you have problems with it, please contact me and I will do what I can straighten it out. If we discover that my code is broke, I'll fix it and send you a new copy, no extra charge! PROGRAM CREDITS ---------------------------------------------------------------------- A lot of programs are mentioned in this document. I felt that I should give credit to their copyright holders... POV-Ray is copyrighted by the POV-Ray development team. POVMenu v1.1 - The Menu Shell For POV-Ray v1.0 Page 31 ====================================================================== QEdit is copyrighted by SemWare. Multi-Edit is copyrighted by American Cybernetics. IMAGE PROCESS is copyrighted by John Wagner. Image Alchemy is copyrighted by Handmade Software. TGA2GIF & CUTTGA are copyrighted by Sun Country Software. PicLab is public domain software by Lee Daniel Crocker & The Stone Soup Group. VPIC is copyrighted by Bob Montgomery. CShow is copyrighted by Bob Berry, Canyon State Systems & Software. LIST.COM is copyrighted by Vernon D. Burg. QDos is copyrighted by Gazelle Software. X-Tree is copyrighted by the X-Tree Company. C-Render is copyrighted by SoftTronics. C-Mapper is copyrighted by SoftTronics. Coil is copyrighted by W. D. Kirby. POVscape is copyrighted by John Stanley. I had nothing to do with the creation of any of these programs and claim no rights to them. If you use any of these program that are shareware, please register them! Oh! I almost forgot... GIF is a trademark of Compuserve. IBM is a trademark of International Business Machines. RELEASE HISTORY ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 08 AUG 92 - version 1.0, first release. 24 DEC 92 - version 1.1b BETA release. [END POVMENU.DOC]