Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!spool.mu.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!bloom-beacon!eru!hagbard!sunic!news.funet.fi!funic!santra!hila.hut.fi!raisa From: raisa@hila.hut.fi (Olli R{is{) Newsgroups: comp.graphics Subject: Re: Scene Description Standard Message-ID: <1991May2.085132.23086@santra.uucp> Date: 2 May 91 08:51:32 GMT References: <30137@rouge.usl.edu> <248@rins.ryukoku.ac.jp> <1991May1.135548.27865@mks.com> Sender: news@santra.uucp (Cnews - USENET news system) Reply-To: raisa@hila.hut.fi (Olli Raisa) Organization: Helsinki University of Technology, FINLAND Lines: 30 bcorrie@csr (Brian Corrie) writes: >>Is the RIB format simply a Renderman program compiled into a bytestream? >From what I understand, the RIB format is just a scene description, without >all of the control flow and other constructs of the C binding. As far as I know, a RIB file resembles the C interface, but all parameters to RenderMan functions are literals. Variables don't exist -- nor are there any C other language constructs. You could produce a RIB file from a C language scene description by linking it with a "renderer" that outputs a function name and its arguments for each RenderMan function call. >>There is also Pixar's copyright limitations on Renderman that could cause >>problems. >This I'm not too sure about. Any comments from people out there that have >dealt with licensing from Pixar. Anyone form Pixar have any comments. Some time ago, someone from UK told us (here in comp.graphics) that it is virtually impossible to get any answers from Pixar. However, if you are going to write a RenderMan-compatible modeller or renderer, you are supposed to inform Pixar about it. I think you are very welcome to write a modelling program, but (if I read correctly between the lines of the RenderMan specifications) the rendering part could cause problems -- you would be competing with Pixar. Olli Raisa