Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uflorida!ufqtp!sutherla
From: sutherla@qtp.ufl.edu (scott sutherland)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: RenderMan Companion Question.
Keywords: RenderMan
Message-ID: <724@orange9.qtp.ufl.edu>
Date: 23 Oct 89 15:59:32 GMT
Reply-To: sutherla@qtp.ufl.edu (scott sutherland)
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Florida Quantum Theory Project
Lines: 49


	There was some discussion a few weeks ago about a book called
"The RenderMan Companion" or something like this. I just found the
book at a local book store and it is only $22. I thumbed through the
book and noticed that it gives C code for many functions. I have some
questions that were NOT answered by a 10 minute perusal for the book.


	1) Is the code in the book a complete RenderMan interface? What
	   I mean is, if I type in all the code in the book, will this
	   constitute a RenderMan interface for my Amiga 2000?

	2) If the answer to the above question is NO, and I am pretty
	   sure it is, then can someone tell me exactly what the 
	   code in the book is supposed to represent, and how it
	   affects the ability of getting RenderMan to work on my
	   computer.

	3) Now to the general question. As I understand it, the Render-
	   Man specification is just a complex and complete way of 
	   describing an object to a renderer. It cannot, by itself,
	   render an object. Now, can someone tell me exactly what is
	   needed and exactly what I would have to do to be able to
	   use RenderMan on my Amiga, from what code I need, to what I
	   need for an object definition, to how I would have to 
	   render the object. I have seen some of the output from this
	   RenderMan stuff, but NO information is given on how it was
	   rendered and on what hardware/software. I believe that the
	   ray tracing program TURBO SILVER SV is capable of rendering
	   many of the images that I have seen in the Companion book,
	   although not with the number of colors (unless you use RGB24
	   and a frame buffer) nor the resolution (unless using a frame
	   buffer), since it allows for control of reflectivity (256
	   variations of R, G, and B independently), refractive index
	   (0 to 3.5 I believe), transparency (again with 256 variations
	   of R, G, and B independently), texture mapping (especially
	   with the new user-definable textures such as tree, which
	   will actually put rings inside an object which can be viewed
	   when the object is "cut"), among many other features.


OKAY, SO WHAT IT BASICALLY BOILS DOWN TO IS THAT I WANT TO USE THE
RENDERMAN INTERFACE ON MY AMIGA AND I WANT TO KNOW IF IT IS POSSIBLE
AND IF SO, EXCRUTIATING DETAIL ON HOW IT CAN BE DONE.

Thanks,

Scott Sutherland
sutherla@qtp.ufl.edu