loki@physics.mcgill.ca (Loki Jorgenson Rm421) (07/10/90)
Does anyone know if any of the currently available PD ray-tracing packages is particularly useful on the IRIS? A 4D/25 in our case. The best known one I would guess would be the MTV RayTracer. But how easy it to use with the existing IRIS graphics library? Regards, Loki Jorgenson node: loki@physics.mcgill.ca Physics, McGill University fax: (514) 398-3733 Montreal Quebec CANADA phone: (514) 398-6531 << Waxing frees the mind and makes the legs smooth >>
davis@ADENOSINE.PHARM.UTAH.EDU ("Darrell R. Davis") (07/11/90)
I have been using a ray tracing program called RASTER3D on my 4D/20
for molecular modeling. The quality of the images are better than any
of the commercial packages that I have seen for this purpose.
Although this is a specialized application, there may be something
useful for your purpose. Here is some information that I pulled out of
the README file that is part of the package and also a part of the man
page for "render" which may be of interest. I do know that as of
last fall (1989), David Bacon was at CARB in Maryland, the addresses
below may give you a lead.
**************************************************************
RENDER(1G) UNIX System V (RASTER3D commands) RENDER(1G)
NAME
render - make an image file from some 3D objects
SYNOPSIS
render [ file ]
DESCRIPTION
Render accepts a file (standard input by default) containing
some control information and parameters describing a set of
coloured spheres and triangles in 3-space, and produces an
image file on the standard output acceptable to dither(1G).
Normally, render is invoked implicitly by orb(1G) or
scene(1G), and the image is piped to dither automatically.
The algorithm used by render is described in Bacon, D.J. &
Anderson, W.F., "A Fast Algorithm for Rendering Images of
Solid Objects with Shadows, and Its Application in Making
Pictures of Molecules," manuscript in preparation (probably
to be submitted to J. Comp. Chem. or to J. Mol. Graphics),
1988.
Input file format
The input layout for render is the same as that accepted by
scene(1G
* Tell everyone about RASTER3D!
* The rendering algorithm used by the program "render.f" is
* described in the following paper:
*
If you have any questions, problems, comments, complaints,
or suggestions, please do not hesitate to call or write me.
David Bacon
Department of Biochemistry
Medical Sciences Building
University of Alberta
Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7
CANADA
Phone: 403-432-4575
Bitnet: USERGORA@UALTAMTS
I will be moving to the Washington, DC area sometime in
August, 1988. Here is a temporary intermediate contact:
c/o John Moult
Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology
9600 Gudelsky Drive
Rockville, MD 20850
USA
Phone: 301-975-2593
Bitnet: JOHN@MSMFVM
Mark Israel and Stephen Samuel made significant contributions
to this package, and may be reached at the Edmonton address
above or as follows:
Phone: 403-432-2422
Bitnet: USERLNDS@UALTAMTS
*******************************************************************
Hope this is of some general interest.
--------------------------------------------------------------
*
Darrell R. Davis * * * "Faster, faster, until the
Assistant Professor * * * thrill of speed overcomes
Medicinal Chemistry *A**L**T**A* the fear of death."
University of Utah * * *
* * * --H.S. Thompson
*
--------------------------------------------------------------tomw@orac.esd.sgi.com (Tom Weinstein) (07/11/90)
In article <9007092046.AA07962@frodo.Physics.McGill.CA>, loki@physics.mcgill.ca (Loki Jorgenson Rm421) writes: > Does anyone know if any of the currently available PD ray-tracing > packages is particularly useful on the IRIS? A 4D/25 in our case. > The best known one I would guess would be the MTV RayTracer. But how > easy it to use with the existing IRIS graphics library? > Loki Jorgenson node: loki@physics.mcgill.ca I got rayshade working fairly easily on a 4D/20. You also need to get the utah RLE toolkit. Most raytracers shouldn't really have any compatibility problems with the GL because all they do is write out an image file of some sort. The problems begin when trying to display the images on the screen. -- Tom Weinstein Silicon Graphics, Inc., Entry Systems Division, Window Systems tomw@orac.esd.sgi.com Any opinions expressed above are mine, not sgi's.
merritt@max.u.washington.edu (07/17/90)
In article <9007110354.AA04884@adenosine.pharm.utah.edu>, davis@ADENOSINE.PHARM.UTAH.EDU ("Darrell R. Davis") writes: > I have been using a ray tracing program called RASTER3D on my 4D/20 > for molecular modeling. The quality of the images are better than any > of the commercial packages that I have seen for this purpose. > Although this is a specialized application, there may be something > useful for your purpose. Here is some information that I pulled out of > the README file that is part of the package and also a part of the man [users guide stuff deleted] I can second the recommendation of RASTER3D as a ray-tracing program for molecular models. As distributed it supports spheres and triangles as object types. I have hacked it up a bit for use on a 4D/20 so that it also supports object types for flat-ended cylinders, round-ended cylinders, and Phong-shaded triangles (original distribution was flat-shading only). I have also modified the code to produce output directly to a *.rgb format file (as per 4Dgifts/iristools/imgtools) so that the resulting pictures can easily be edited with the imgtools utilities. If people are interested I can make my version avaiable, along with various conversion routines to go from a Brookhaven PDB coordinate file to input descriptions for ribbon drawings, ball and stick models, etc. Ethan A Merritt University of Washington SM-20 Seattle, WA 98195 merritt@xray0.bchem.washington.edu
blbates@AERO4.LARC.NASA.GOV ("Brent L. Bates AAD/TAB MS361 x42854") (07/17/90)
Please post or put in info-iris anonymous ftp site. -- Brent L. Bates NASA-Langley Research Center M.S. 361 Hampton, Virginia 23665-5225 (804) 864-2854 E-mail: blbates@aero4.larc.nasa.gov or blbates@aero2.larc.nasa.gov
bobf@BLUMIRIS.CHEM.UMR.EDU ("Robert B. Funchess") (07/18/90)
I'm interested in that hacked version of raster3d; in fact, if it's not TOO large, I could even set aside some anonymous FTP space for it... in the meantime, I've been using rayshade (from comp.sources.unix) with some perl scripts to do much the same thing (take molecular structure data and turn it into a raytraced molecular model). Rayshade supports spheres, cones, planes, and some other object classes I haven't needed yet... it's also possible to define new objects based on these primitives. You'll need the Utah Raster Image Toolkit if you want to use rayshade. -- Bob Funchess bobf@blumiris.chem.umr.edu Chemistry Dept. University of Missouri - Rolla
fish@cs.utah.edu (Russ Fish) (07/19/90)
In article <9007092046.AA07962@frodo.Physics.McGill.CA> loki@physics.mcgill.ca (Loki Jorgenson Rm421) writes: > Does anyone know if any of the currently available PD ray-tracing > packages is particularly useful on the IRIS? A 4D/25 in our case. There is a ray-tracer named `prt' included in the Alpha_1 Geometric Modelling System. (Prt was originally written by John W. Peterson, now at Apple. He was also one of the main authors of the Utah Raster Toolkit when he was here.) I've used it, and like it a lot. Alpha_1's strength is sculptured surface solid modelling, so besides the usual polygons, etc., prt renders NURB splines of any order. prt does texture mapping, reflections, refraction, and shadows, in addition to the stuff that GL lighting does (multiple colored lights, smooth metallic shading, etc.) Anti-aliasing is available in both the spatial domain (de-jagging) and the temporal domain (motion blurring on time-varying, animated models.) John came up with an adaptive scheme to supersample only where needed, which he calls pixel-threshing, so you only pay for anti-aliasing where it's needed. > But how easy it to use with the existing IRIS graphics library? The Utah Raster Toolkit (included in the Alpha_1 distribution) has image display tools for RLE files. Use get4d on the Iris. Alpha_1 isn't public domain, but it's CHEAP to educational and government lab groups. I believe the current price for a distribution (two tapes + two manuals) is $475. Send me mail if you want a little bit more info. Send mail to mcminn@cs.utah.edu if you want a lot of info or want to place an order. -Russ Fish fish@cs.utah.edu (801) 581-5884 -- -Russ Fish fish@cs.utah.edu (801) 581-5884