Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!rutgers!texbell!vector!joshua!void!letni!sneaky!merch!spudge!johnm
From: johnm@spudge.UUCP (John Munsch)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: Re: RenderMan Companion Question.
Summary: You and me both pal...
Keywords: RenderMan, Amiga, lazy Pixar programmers, spam
Message-ID: <4968@spudge.UUCP>
Date: 24 Oct 89 20:16:33 GMT
References: <724@orange9.qtp.ufl.edu>
Reply-To: johnm@spudge.UUCP (John Munsch)
Distribution: na
Organization: Friends of Guru Bob
Lines: 57

In article <724@orange9.qtp.ufl.edu> sutherla@qtp.ufl.edu (scott sutherland) writes:
[Preamble about buying "The RenderMan Companion" deleted]

>	1) Is the code in the book a complete RenderMan interface?
No.  The code you see in the book uses a hypothetical RenderMan compatible
library to perform all of its rendering.  The code is describing scenes,
objects, lighting, and shading to this library so that the library can
perform the rendering.

>	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.
See above.  The reason you and I don't have it is in a diatribe below :-).

>	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.
No one has yet written a RM compatible library for the Amiga is the problem.
What makes this so unbelievable is that some of the employees at Pixar have
the guts to claim that they are Amiga owners and lovers.  No true Amiga
lover would ever sit idly by and let the best computer ever designed be
snubbed in favor of Macs and (Ohmygod) PC's.  I guess they just play games
with theirs (no smiley).

If you had a RM library then you would either:
	a) a program that had an interface to it.  For instance, the maker of
	a program like Modeler 3D or 3Demon could add some code that would
	send completed models to a renderman.library and get back fully
	rendered pictures.

	b) use the info in _The RenderMan Companion_ to write programs that
	will directly describe the scenes, objects, and what-not to the
	library and then request rendering of that scene.  This would probably
	just require some glue routines for your favorite compiler to
	access the same renderman.library.

One thing which may or may not be a problem for you is that you will need
some pretty powerful hardware.  The PC version requires a 80386 and 80387
math coproce$$or and the Mac version requires a 68020 and 68881 (if memory
serves).

I believe Pixar will sell you a PC object version of their library for
somewhere under $500 (which won't help you or me) or they will let you have
the source to their library for around $6000 so that you could port it to
the Amiga yourself.

NOTE: The last two paragraphs drew on my memory.  Parity errors abound in
my head so take all of that with a grain of salt.

John Munsch