hrlaser@pnet02.cts.com (Harv Laser) (12/14/88)
By popular request.....
Hidden Sculpt 3D commands
-------------------------
By disassembling a little code, I found some more undocumented
features of the Sculpt 3D ray tracing program. If some of these don't
work for you, check your version. I am using v1.102. If you have an
earlier version, you can get an update from Byte by Byte. The newer
version is supposed to have some optimizations for faster rendering
speeds.
By clicking on the DOWN window, and then pressing CTRL-D you bring up
a requestor that asks you for a magic number. The valid entries and
their effects are described below.
123 Palette and Exposure lock
Enables additional menu selections. COLOR LOCK and COLOR
UNLOCK are added to the Observer/Mode menu, and LOCK and
UNLOCK are added to the Observer/Exposure menu. These
features are described in detail in the documentation for
the latest release of MOVIE! by Eric Graham. These
commands lock the palette and exposure of consecutive
renderings so they may be compressed for animation.
100 Set mirror recursion depth
Brings up a requestor that allows you to change the mirror
recursive depth value (default is 5).
101 Set glass recursion depth
Brings up a requestor that allows you to change the glass
recursive depth value (default is 5).
1044 Set the debug value
Brings up a requestor that allows you to set the debug
value From what I saw, it seems that 0 doesn't output
debug data, non 0 does send debug data to standard output
(you should invoke Sculpt 3D from CLI so the output will
go to the CLI window, or you could probably redirect it to
a printer or file). Small numbers cause mostly timing data
to be displayed. Large or negative numbers cause
additional data to be displayed if the scene has mirrored
or glass objects. It looked like the code also tested for
debug values of 3, 4, and 5, but I couldn't see any
difference in the output.
What puzzles me is why the debug code, and the many tests against its
value are in the release version of the program at all. Why increase
the size of the program, load times, and execution times with runtime
debug tests and code when it could have been conditionally compiled
code, present during development, and absent from the release version.
But this is a small complaint for a very good program.
Steve Hatchett c/o HUBERT bbs (Nevada)
702-322-8877
----------------[end of buffer dumpo]--------------
Harv Laser, Sysop, The People/Link AmigaZone. Plink: CBM*HARV
UUCP: {ames!elroy, <backbone>}!gryphon!pnet02!hrlaser
INET: hrlaser@pnet02.cts.com
<---open Push down while turning close tightly--->dale@boing.UUCP (Dale Luck) (12/15/88)
Flames from Duck. In article <9584@gryphon.COM> hrlaser@pnet02.cts.com (Harv Laser) writes: >By popular request..... > >Hidden Sculpt 3D commands >------------------------- > >By disassembling a little code, I found some more undocumented >features of the Sculpt 3D ray tracing program. If some of these don't >work for you, check your version. I am using v1.102. If you have an >earlier version, you can get an update from Byte by Byte. The newer >version is supposed to have some optimizations for faster rendering >speeds. Postings and activity like this piss me off. Don't you have anything better to do with your time? I hope when a new version of sculpt3d comes out and you undocumented features don't work anymore or are different that you don't complain about incompatibility. > >What puzzles me is why the debug code, and the many tests against its >value are in the release version of the program at all. Why increase >the size of the program, load times, and execution times with runtime >debug tests and code when it could have been conditionally compiled >code, present during development, and absent from the release version. >But this is a small complaint for a very good program. > >Steve Hatchett c/o HUBERT bbs (Nevada) > 702-322-8877 > Stuff like this really pisses me off. The amount of code added to support the debug stuff and maybe some unfinished features is probably less that 5% of the total code size. So instead of loading in 10 seconds it takes 10.5 seconds. My heart bleeds for you, buddy. You really don't understand computer software and the support game. Scuplt3d is an incredably complex program. It is running on a tremendous variety of amigas with all kinds of wierd hardware attached and any manner of software running at the same time. If a user has a problem with Sculpt3d, by using the debug features ByteByByte may be able to get a better idea about what problems may be occuring in the field. -- Dale Luck GfxBase/Boing, Inc. {uunet!cbmvax|pyramid}!amiga!boing!dale
vic@zen.UUCP (Victor Gavin) (12/17/88)
In article <528@boing.UUCP> dale@boing.UUCP (Dale Luck) writes: >Flames from Duck. > >In article <9584@gryphon.COM> hrlaser@pnet02.cts.com (Harv Laser) writes: >>By popular request..... >> >>Hidden Sculpt 3D commands >>------------------------- >> >>By disassembling a little code, I found some more undocumented >>features of the Sculpt 3D ray tracing program. > >Postings and activity like this piss me off. Don't you have anything >better to do with your time? Some people relax in a hot bath, some go jogging, what do you do :-) Seriously though folks, if Harv thinks his time is well spent wandering through dis-assembly listings, let him. Help yourself to an aphorism: Horses for courses, swings and round-abouts, one mans meat... >Dale Luck GfxBase/Boing, Inc. >{uunet!cbmvax|pyramid}!amiga!boing!dale vic -- Victor Gavin Zengrange Limited vic@zen.co.uk Greenfield Road ..!mcvax!ukc!zen.co.uk!vic Leeds LS9 8DB +44 532 489048 England
gsarff@meph.UUCP (Gary Sarff) (12/17/88)
In <528@boing.UUCP> article dale@boing.UUCP (Dale Luck) writes: >Flames from Duck. > >In article <9584@gryphon.COM> hrlaser@pnet02.cts.com (Harv Laser) writes: >>By popular request..... ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^ Did you see this? We the USERS of this computer and software in order to... >> >>Hidden Sculpt 3D commands >>------------------------- >> >>By disassembling a little code, I found some more undocumented >>features of the Sculpt 3D ray tracing program. If some of these don't >>work for you, check your version. I am using v1.102. If you have an ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ see below. > >Postings and activity like this piss me off. Don't you have anything ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ once. >better to do with your time? I hope when a new version of sculpt3d It is HIS program after all, he paid for it and presumably owns it. >comes out and you undocumented features don't work anymore or are >different that you don't complain about incompatibility. Yes if someone types control-d and the window doesn't come up then they will know won't they? How hard is that? > >> >>What puzzles me is why the debug code, and the many tests against its ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >>value are in the release version of the program at all. Why increase >>the size of the program, load times, and execution times with runtime ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ SEE below. >>debug tests and code when it could have been conditionally compiled >>code, present during development, and absent from the release version. >>But this is a small complaint for a very good program. >> >>Steve Hatchett c/o HUBERT bbs (Nevada) >> 702-322-8877 >> > > >Stuff like this really pisses me off. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ twice. Was this called for? > > The amount of code added to support the debug stuff and maybe >some unfinished features is probably less that 5% of the total >code size. So instead of loading in 10 seconds it takes 10.5 IN EXECUTION TIME!!, What if the debug tests are in some of the main ray-tracing loops, hmmm? What then? I'd say, just offhand, that you'd get an increase in execution time, wouldn't you? >seconds. My heart bleeds for you, buddy. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The friendly people of amiga. 5% of the code too, some people DO try to run sculpt3d on a 512K amiga too you know, a few K can make all the difference in being able to open a screen or multi-task at all. > > You really don't understand computer software and the support game. >Scuplt3d is an incredably complex program. It is running on a >tremendous variety of amigas with all kinds of wierd hardware attached >and any manner of software running at the same time. > If a user has a problem with Sculpt3d, by using the debug features >ByteByByte may be able to get a better idea about what problems may >be occuring in the field. > >-- >Dale Luck GfxBase/Boing, Inc. >{uunet!cbmvax|pyramid}!amiga!boing!dale > I hope I do understand computer software, being a systems programmer and doing device drivers, disk caching optimizations, for multi-user minis (That have MMU's and a safe OS) and playing with my amiga 2000 in my spare time, using among other things Sculpt3d. One of those codes that was listed (the 123 that locks the color palette from one ray-trace to another) has been known by the public for some time. It is ESSENTIAL to the use of Sculpt3d by itself (along with something like the MAKEANIM and MOVIE PD programs) to allow some people to make animations. It was certainly before any of us lowly users were blessed with Animate 3d because it wasn't available yet. You couldn't make an animation unless you could lock the color palette because the pd programs that put together your iff pictures couldn't handle a different palette in each frame. So why did Byte by Byte hide this, why wasn't it in the menu? The obvious answer (to my cynical mind 8-) was that we were all supposed to just wait for Animate 3d. Only they could do animations, we couldn't. Oh well. The other codes sound useful too and if they don't work, then they don't. They aren't documented after all, and it is Our (mine, harv lasers, anyone else's )programs after all. I have always been a calm person that just lets things on the net pass because it is a free forum, I have never responded to any flames before but something about this flame just upset me so much that I wrote this. I really do not think that this was called for, if anyone has any shadowy rights to criticize harv laser or the referenced Steve hatchet or anyone else for this it is Byte By Byte, not you. Did you have a bad day or something? Mellow out. Lets all get back to our amigas. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Those whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad" He who steals my core-dump, steals trash
hrlaser@pnet02.cts.com (Harv Laser) (12/20/88)
vic@zen.UUCP (Victor Gavin) writes: >Seriously though folks, if Harv thinks his time is well spent wandering through >dis-assembly listings, let him. Read my posting again. *I* didn't disassemble the thing... see the name of the guy who did? No no, not that Harv thing, before that. See? He's in Nevada and runs a BBS? He's the one. Yeah, him! We all straight on that now? I'm too busy playing Dungeon Master to sit around wasting my time disassembling Sculpt, even if I knew how to, which I don't. Those "magic numbers" have been published elsewhere too... for instance, look in the docs that come with Eric Graham's dilbm/pilbm/movie programs. Harv Laser, Sysop, The People/Link AmigaZone. Plink: CBM*HARV UUCP: {ames!elroy, <backbone>}!gryphon!pnet02!hrlaser INET: hrlaser@pnet02.cts.com <---open Push down while turning close tightly--->