Creating and Rendering 3D Objects

Using FOSS Tools Under Linux

Worcester Linux Users Group

May 19, 2004

What are you talking about?

How?

Use a 3D modeler to create a... 3D model

This consists of a union of discrete elements.

Add textures, lighting effects, etc.

Export this model in a language that the render understands

Use renderer to create image of model.

Realize you screwed something up, repeat ad naseum.

Scenes

Your 3D objects...

Sky (sphere) and either a perfectly flat plane or a height mesh.

Animations

A scene were objects are maniplated via timed effects

Raw eyeballing...

Spline based

Povray renders scenes one frame at a time.

Tools

Kpovmodeler

Blender

Povray

Mjpeg toolkit (for creating clips)

Kpovmodeler

KDE QT based 3D modeler specifically designed to work with povray.

Very featureful and visually configurable, though has a couple of kludgy spots.

Save often!!!

Outputs .pov files that are sensible.

vs. bicubic triangle objects that are hard to maniplate.

Layout is similar to Maya

Blender

YA3DMP...

Very mature and featureful.

Newer version has been visually cleaned up

Has built in support for animation, logic, etc.

Exports to lots of formats, however not povray.

However, it does export to VRML which can then be converted to povray files. However, objects will be bicubic meshes.

Uses it's own renderer called “Yafray”

Povray

Persistance Of Vision Ray Tracer

It slices, it dices, it makes juliette fries.

Very mature, featureful ray tracer.

Has more options then microsoft has security holes

However, it's animation interface is very primative.

Well maybe not primative, just hard to use.

.pov files...

Language used by povray to render scenes

Human readable

Sensible

2004-05-12T13:28:14