[comp.archives] [comp.sys.amiga.graphics...] Re: Newell's teapot in DKBtrace?

erich@eye.com (Eric Haines) (05/23/91)

Archive-name: graphics/raytrace/spd/1991-05-21
Archive: weedeater.math.yale.edu:/pub/SPD.3.0.shar.Z [130.132.23.17]
Original-posting-by: erich@eye.com (Eric Haines)
Original-subject: Re: Newell's teapot in DKBtrace?
Reposted-by: emv@msen.com (Edward Vielmetti, MSEN)

In article <JRM.91May20122241@delta.ma.adfa.oz.au> jrm@delta.ma.adfa.oz.au (John R Marley) writes:
>
>I have DKBtrace version 2.11 running on our Apollo DN10000 and wish to trace a
>few teapots.  I have the data describing the thing, but it uses Bezier patches.
>I can convert the Bezier patches to heaps of smooth shaded triangles, but
>calculating the vertex normals will be a bit of a #$%^&*.

It's not that hard to compute the normals - two more power vectors to get
surface tangent u & v vectors, then take the cross product of these to get the
normal.  Things do fall apart at the center of the lid, where the normals go to
zero or somesuch (I solve this by just testing for these special case guys).

The code is a part of the SPD 3.0 package, which generates the teapot at any
resolution you like.  The SPD package is available via anonymous FTP from:

	weedeater.math.yale.edu [130.132.23.17]

among others.  For those without FTP access, write to the netlib automatic
mailer:  research!netlib and netlib@ornl.gov are the sites.  Send a one line
message "send index" for more information, or "send haines from graphics" for
the latest version of the SPD package.  It'll automatically send you the
source.

Eric

-- comp.archives file verification
weedeater.math.yale.edu
-rw-r--r--   1 ftp      guest      47883 Dec 18 10:55 /pub/SPD.3.0.shar.Z
found spd ok
weedeater.math.yale.edu:/pub/SPD.3.0.shar.Z