Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!decwrl!sgi!msc@ramoth.SGI.COM
From: msc@ramoth.SGI.COM (Mark Callow)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sgi
Subject: Re: SGI/Sun raster image background program (in 3D)
Summary: SGI raster format != Sun raster format
Message-ID: <31153@sgi.SGI.COM>
Date: 22 Apr 89 02:47:22 GMT
References: <8904212115.AA24591@adt.uucp>
Sender: daemon@sgi.SGI.COM
Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc., Mountain View, CA
Lines: 35

In article <8904212115.AA24591@adt.uucp>, spike@adt.UUCP (Joe Ilacqua) writes:
> 
> 	Now you can change your background in NeWS (Max (whatever you
> call it)) with this handy program.  It takes a SGI or Sun rasterfile
>
> .
> .
>
> The SGI rasterfiles (found in /usr/NeWS/smi and used by the NeWS image
> demos) are the same format as Sun rasterfiles.  The Portable Bitmap
> Package (pbm), which has been distributed on the net and comes on the
> X tape, can convert a number of bitmap formats to a SGI/SUN raster

Before anybody gets too confused...

The SGI raster file format (as used by all the neat image tools in 4D gifts
and elsewhere) is not the same as the Sun rasterfile format.  The 4Sight
NeWS server's readcanvas primitive understands both SGI and Sun formats.

The files in /usr/NeWS/smi are all in the Sun rasterfile format including
those in the directory /usr/NeWS/smi/SGI.  The latter directory is so named
simply because the images originated at SGI.  It has nothing to do with the
file format.

There is a program "tonews" that converts from SGI raster format to Sun raster
format.  There does not appear to be a man page for it.  Mea culpa.

To answer another recently asked question about images:  the best way to
print screen images is to make an SGI image format file using either icut
or scrsave and then simply "lp <filename>".  Assuming your lp is set up
correctly it will convert the file as necessary to print on your default
printer.  It even dithers rgb images to PostScript for a laserwriter.

--
	-Mark