[comp.sys.amiga] Silver and Sculpt File Formats and MORE QUESTIONS

crb@raybed2.UUCP (CHRIS BURTTON) (06/09/89)

	Since I got a number of request for the file format for
	Turbo Silver, I send the info to comp.sys.sources.  For
	those who can't wait (or in case it doesn't make it there)
	I got the info off of either PLink or Genie.

	Some people also asked for the file format for Sculpt 3D.
	To get that you can either buy Sculpt 4D (it't in the manual)
	or call Byte By Byte and get them to send it to you (ask for the
	technical help, it'll cost you $10).  Their phone number is
	512-343-4357.  Thanks to Rick Unland at Commodore for getting
	this info to me.

	Now for some questions:

	In Turbo Silver, how are the points used?  Are they connected 
	to each other (like laying a sheet over an irregular surface)?

	In Sculpt 3D, How are the edges used?  Are they lines of zero
	thickness?  Are they sides of a polygon (if so how do you know
	which ones connect togather)?

	Also in Sculpt, all the co-ordinates are typed as long.  Is
	this really integers or is it like Turbos 2 byte whole and 2
	byte fraction?


					Thanks for any info,
					Chris Burton
					...!rayssd!raybed2!crb

berry@stsci.EDU (Jim Berry) (06/15/89)

From article <1322@raybed2.UUCP>, by crb@raybed2.UUCP (CHRIS BURTTON):


> 	In Turbo Silver, how are the points used?  Are they connected 
> 	to each other (like laying a sheet over an irregular surface)?

> 					Chris Burton
> 					...!rayssd!raybed2!crb

No.  It's done the same way that Sculpt does it.

There is a list of points (data type - VECTOR ie. xyz coords).

There is a list of edges.  Each edge consists of two indices into
the points list.

There is a list of faces.  Each face consists of three indices into
the edges list.

Send me mail if you have any questions.

-- 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jim Berry                         | UUCP:{arizona,decvax,hao}!noao!stsci!berry
Space Telescope Science Institute | ARPA:   berry@stsci.edu
Baltimore, Md. 21218              | SPAM:   SCIVAX::BERRY, KEPLER::BERRY

shf@well.UUCP (Stuart H. Ferguson) (06/15/89)

+-- crb@raybed2.UUCP (CHRIS BURTTON) writes:
| 	Some people also asked for the file format for Sculpt 3D.
| 	To get that you can either buy Sculpt 4D (it't in the manual)
| 	or call Byte By Byte and get them to send it to you (ask for the
| 	technical help, it'll cost you $10).  

Ha!  Some help that is -- I already had to figure it out myself. :-)

| 	In Sculpt 3D, How are the edges used?  Are they lines of zero
| 	thickness?  Are they sides of a polygon (if so how do you know
| 	which ones connect togather)?

They are not used for rendering at all.  They are aparently used to make the
wireframe Tri-View faster, and to do some modeling tasks like extrusion
and "spinning".  To render the triangles you need only the point and polygon
information.

| 	Also in Sculpt, all the co-ordinates are typed as long.  Is
| 	this really integers or is it like Turbos 2 byte whole and 2
| 	byte fraction?

It doesn't matter -- their absolute mangnitudes don't mean anything.
-- 
		Stuart Ferguson		(shf@well.UUCP)
		Action by HAVOC