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1993-07-05
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DKB RAYTRACE REVIEW
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I first saw this raytracer in ST FORMAT (it got 88%) and it looked
pretty good, so I sent off for it.
DKB Raytrace is very similar to QRT Raytrace (what a handy statement
for people who haven't got QRT!) in that the "worlds" are created by a
list of commands via a word processor, and imported into a TTP
application file along with certain parameters.
You get to place your primitive shapes, such as spheres, triangles,
planes, and quadrics, in your imaginary world, and give them textures
as usual. There is a total of 10 different attributes one object can
have: Ambient light, Diffuse light, Brilliance, Reflection, Refraction,
Index of Refraction, Phong highlighting, Phongsize, Phong specular
highlight coefficient (!) and roughness.
You can also map one of 13 predefined textures onto the shapes as well:
Checkerboard (yawn), Bozo (eh?), Spotted, Agate, Gradient, Granite,
Ripples, Waves, Bumps, Dents, Wrinkles, Wood, or any RAW, GIF, or IFF
picture file.
These textures can then be scaled, translated, and rotated to give a
gargantuan variety of textures. Mapped picture images can be either
done once, or "tiled" to give a continuous pattern.
If your advanced mathematics is any good, you will be able to create
quadric shapes by using the equation:
Ax**2 + By**2 + Cz**2 + Dxy + Exy + Fyz + Gx + Hy + Iz + J = 0
But if it isn't, then you can used the predefined ones, like Cylinders,
Cones, Paraboloids, and Hyperboloids (like I did)
There are about fourty files to view so you can see what can be done
with this program, and some of them are pretty impressive.
Once you have created your ASCII text file, you need to run the TTP
program (much better if you had a Command Line Interface, because you
actually get a chance to view any error messages) You can also pass
over some values, like width and height of picture, verbose, output
file, input/output filenames, anti-aliasing, buffer, and rendering
quality.
Then, hit RETURN. If you did a simple picture with dimensions of
something like 80x60, then it should be done in a few minutes. Here is
a list of things that you can do if you did a full-sized complicated
picture while you are waiting:
1) Take two trips to Alton Towers
2) Go on holiday to Spain
3) Make 5869 cups of tea
4) Smoke 4215 cigarettes
5) Write three novels
6) Read seven novels
7) Go on holiday to Portugal
8) Walk around the park 850 times
9) Watch all the episodes of Brookside
(get the hint)
The description language is fairly straightforward if you know what you
are doing, if not slightly more complex than QRT. The rendering time is
also a bit slower than QRT, but then again, there are many more
features to it.
The file that is outputted is massive (depending on the dimensions),
and you require a post-processor to view the end result (in 24-bit
TARGA format). There is one on the disk, but it is just too slow to
draw out (probably longer than it takes to raytrace it - not)
Generally this is a program of excellent quality, and it is probably
the best raytracers yet (and at under three pounds, the value for money
is pretty good!)
Article: BLACK EAGLE 5/7/93