From: nwickham@nyx.cs.du.edu (Neal Wickham)
Subject: Re: Real 3D  ...time for a reality check in 3d software
X-Disclaimer: Nyx is a public access Unix system run by the University
	of Denver for the Denver community.  The University has neither
	control over nor responsibility for the opinions of users.
Reply-To: nwickham@nyx.UUCP (Neal Wickham)
Organization: Nyx, Public Access Unix at U. of Denver Math/CS dept.
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 92 23:01:18 GMT




Here is some tech specs, although  some more will probably be added,
 *ETA* 2 months:-

Please note that the features listed in this document are subject to change....


    REAL 3D V 2 -

    THE HIGH END SOFTWARE FOR THE AMIGA PROFESSIONAL

    FIRST PREVIEWED AT SIGGRAPH'92 (CHICAGO)


    MAJOR FEATURES

    Fully user customizable editor

    Open architecture for expandability
    Fully integrated editor and renderer taking full advantage of     multitasking
    Hierarchial object construction
    CSG solid modelling
    Fully implemented Boolean operations
    Polygonal surfaces
    Quadric surfaces
    B-Splines
    Procedural objects
    Large collection of quadric tools for constructing complex shapes
    Comprehensive set of free form surface construction tools
    Linear transformation tools
    Approx 100 nonlinear freeform deformations
    Comprehensive set of direct curve and surface manipulation tools
    Skeletonal modelling
    Displacements
    Transparency with physically correct refractions
    Procedural materials
    Fully implemented texture mapping
        -colour
        -bump
        -enviroment
        -shadow
        -reflection
        -clip
        -transparency
        -brilliancy
        -mapping through user defined formulas
        -visible placement of textures etc
    Unlimited texture/materials descriptions per object
    Infinite number of light sources
        -point
        -line
        -wall
    Soft shadows
    Revolutionary animation system
    -morphing/keyframing
    -particle animation
    -character animation
    -inversed kinematics
    -magnetism/gravity
    -procedural
    -allows all transformations and free form deformations to be animated
    R3PL- fully featured programming language used for:
            -expanding program features and user interface
            -describing macros
            -scene description
            -defining particle behaviour
            -procedural texture and material handlers
            -interactive object creation and manipulation etc...
    Fully customizable object and material data structures using tags
    Renderman RIB output
    AutoCad DXF import/export
    Tree and landscape fractal generators
    AGFA Compugraphic font import
    9 level antialiasing uses adaptive supersampling
    Multiple background images
    Field rendering
    Alpha channel support
    Motion blur
    Lense flair effect
    Ray tracing
    Dust effects
    Fogs
    Burred reflections
    Undo with user definable unlimited depth
    Arexx support


    Program         Real 3D is design  and animation program for producing
    Description     high quality,  realistic pictures of three dimensional
                    objects.  The main  target  group of  the software are
                    video producers, creative computer  artists,   product
                    designers,   teachers   and   everyone  interested  in
                    computer generated imagery. The new version introduces
                    a large collection of  state-of-art  features,  making
                    Real 3D one of the most powerful 3D packages available.

    Ray Tracing     A ray  tracing  of  Real 3D  is  strongly based on the
                    physical reality of the real world.  Real 3D  produces
                    pictures  by  simulating  the  laws  of  physics,  and
                    consiquently they represent reality  with  astonishing
                    accuracy.

    Speed           Innovative methods and new ray tracing algorithms make
                    Real 3D  really fast.  Ray tracing  of  Real 3D  is so
                    incredibly  fast  that  it  can  be used  as a primary
                    rendering   method   instead  of  wire  frames  during
                    interactive modelling process.

    Zero Wait       The asynchronous  software  design, implemented  using
    State Design    latest  techniques  of  object  oriented  programming,
                    takes  advantage  of  multi  tasking operating systems
                    extensively  in order to  achieve maximal  convenience
                    and productivity in modelling.  The user  never has to
                    wait until some function is finished; instead, he  can
                    continue with  new actions while old ones are executed
                    as background tasks.

    Customizable    Real 3D V 2  user  interfaces  is fully  customizable.
    Environment     It  is  possible  to   construct   different   working
    and             environments  to  meet   requirements   of   different
    Expandability   applications. For example  you  can  use  Real 3D as a
                    single  view  editor,  a  tri-view editor or perhaps a
                    9-view editor. It is possible to expand the program by
                    defining  new  functions and  binding  them to  menus,
                    icons and keys.

    Integrated      The  modeless  design  principle of Real 3D means that
    Environment     the  user can  directly  access  all  functions of the
                    program. For  example,  it  is  possible  to  modify a
                    material  and  immediately  see  how  the modification
                    affects the rendered image.

    Hierarchical    With Real 3D  you  can  create  hierarchical  objects.
    Object          This  means  that  objects  you  create can be made of
    Oriented        subobjects,  and  these  subobjects may have their own
    Construction    substructure and so on. This  kind of a tree structure
    of Objects      is well known in the context of disk operating systems,
                    in which you can create directories inside directories.
                    In Real 3D counterparts of these  directories are used
                    to collect objects into logical groups.
                    This   kind  of  approach  makes  for  example  object
                    modifications  extremely easy,  because it is possible
                    to perform operations to logical entities. If you want
                    to copy a DOS directory,  you don't  have to take care
                    of the files and  directories  inside it.  In the same
                    manner, you can  stretch a complex  object in  Real 3D
                    as easily as one part of it.

    True Solid      Real 3D includes a true solid modeler. Solid model is
    Model           the  most   sophisticated   way  to  represent  three
                    dimensional  objects.  For  example,  solid modelling
                    offers  general   Boolean  operations  and  makes  it
                    possible to simulate optical devices correctly.

    Polygonal       Conventional polygonal surfaces  with  Phong  shading
    Surfaces        are included.

    Quadric         In addition to polygonal surfaces,  Real 3D  includes
    Surfaces        several curved surfaces, such as a sphere, a cylinder,
                    a cone and a  hyperboloid.  This means that no matter
                    how much you enlarge a sphere created by Real 3D, you
                    don't  find  any  edges  or  corners on  its surface.
                    Furthermore, this makes the program  much faster. And
                    what  is  most important,  the produced pictures look
                    really good.

    Parametric      Uniform cubic B-Spline surfaces provide user with the
    Surfaces        most  powerful  way  of  representing curved freeform
                    surfaces and organic shapes. The  quality  of  shaded
                    B-Spline  surfaces  is   far  superior  to  polygonal
                    surfaces.

    Boolean         Solid model allows Boolean operations between objects.
    Operations      It is  possible, for example, to split an object into
                    two  pieces  and  move  the  pieces apart so that the
                    inner structure of the object is revealed.
                    Operations can also be done so that the properties of
                    the  material  of  the target object are changed.  By
                    using a brilliant cylinder one can  drill a brilliant
                    hole into a matt  object.  Operations  are a powerful
                    way  to  create  and  modify  objects.  Especially in
                    modeling  technical objects these  Boolean operations
                    are indispensable.

    Properties of   Due to solid model, it is possible to create  objects
    Materials       from  different  materials  having  suitable physical
                    properties. All material properties  can be  adjusted
                    without any restrictions. Even  the light  refraction
                    index is freely  adjustable so that it is possible to
                    create  optical  devices  from  glass  lenses.  These
                    devices act as their  real counterparts: a magnifying
                    glass in Real 3D world really magnifies!

    Texture         The  texture  mapping  properties  of Real 3D are not
    Mapping         restricted  to  a  typical   chequered  pattern:  Any
                    picture  can be used to paint objects. You can create
    Color Mapping   pictures with your favorite painting program as  well
                    as with a video digitizer or a scanner.  For example,
    Bump Mapping    by digitizing a wood filament pattern, it is easy  to
                    create wooden objects looking very realistic.
    Clip Mapping    In Real 3D V 2,  textures  are  a  part of the object
                    hierarchy,  so  that  textures  can  be  modified and
    Special Mapping animated just as easily as any object in hierarchy.

    Light           Its possible to use unlimited number of light sources
    Sources         with desired color and brightness. Also non pointwise
                    light sources are  included  producing  smooth  edged
                    shadows.

    Animation       The  new version introduces a revolutionary animation
    Support         system, including such features as morphing, particle
                    animations, continuous time or  frame based animation
                    description,  procedural   animations,  texture   and
    Procedural      material   morphing,   exellent   memory  management,
    Animations      texture and  backdrop  image  animations,  skeletonal
                    control, etc.
    Particle        In  the new animation system, the motion description
    Animations      is a natural part of the object structure.
                    Real 3D includes also software for  showing  rendered
                    animations  interactively.

    Rendering       Real 3D includes seven different rendering techniques:
    Techniques      a real time wireframe model, a hidden line  wireframe
                    model,  a high speed  one light  source  ray  tracing
                    model, a  lampless  ray tracing model, a  non-shadow-
                    casting  ray  tracing model,  scan  line model  and a
                    complete ray tracing model.

    Image Output    Interface  to  output  devices  is  well designed and
                    flexible allowing,  for  example,  graphics  hardware
                    manufactures to write the  software  needed for using
                    the hardware with Real 3D.

    Anti-aliasing   Real 3D includes adjustable anti-aliasing.  There are
                    9 different degrees of anti-aliasing,  from which the
                    user can select a suitable  level.  The most accurate
                    level uses 256*256 adaptive supersampling,  which  is
                    certainly enough for any application !.

    Fast rendering  It  is  possible  to  render  with low resolutions to
                    produce  images  faster. A very useful function is so
                    called box function, which allows the user to  define
                    rectancular areas  on  the  rendering  screen.  These
                    areas can then be rendered with a desired resolution,
                    anti-aliasing level etc.

    Macro Function  It  is  possible to combine several Real 3D functions
                    to  form  macros.  With  macros  the  user can easily
                    create complex,  symmetric forms or produce animation
                    effects.  Macros  can  be  saved,  loaded and bind to
                    keys, menus and icons.

    Mathematical    There is unlimited number  of  mathematical  textures
    Textures        available. In addition to built in textures, the user
                    can   write  arbitrary  formulas  defining the color,
                    bumps and other material properties.

    R3PL            Real 3D contains fully featured programming language,
                    R3PL. The language offers the most powerful interface
                    to the software and can even be  used  for  accessing
                    operating system functions. For example, R3PL is used
                    for:

   Database         Two  formats  are  available:  a  binary and an ascii
    Formats         format. The binary format offers efficient  and  fast
                    way of storing a scene description, whereas the ascii
                    format,  based  on   R3PL  programming  language,  is
                    machine independent.

    Renderman       Object  data  structure  can be saved using Renderman
    Interface       RIB format.

    AutoCAD         Real 3D supports also AutoCAD DXF format.
    Interface

    Multiple        It is possible to use multiple textures/materials per
    Textures        object. Furthermore, the materials can be blended and
                    faded.

    Tags            Object and material data  structures  can be expanded
                    using  tags.  Tags  are  also  utilized  in  particle
                    animations  where the tag  data attached to an object
                    can determine the behaviour of the object.

    Quadric         Quadric tools can be used for constructing complex
    Tools           shapes by combining quadric primitives.

    Free Form       Large collection of free form surface construction
    Tools           methods are provided, including coplanar and orthogonal
                    sweeps, swingging, rotation, cross-sectional building
                    etc.

    Fractal         Two fractal generatos are included: the tree and the
    Generators      landscape generator.

    Linear          All necessary transformations are included and some
    Transformations more.

    Nonlinear       Nearly one hundred nonlinear transformations are
    Modifications   available.




Can someone wake me up and give me my Cornflakes(TM)? I think I've been dreaming.


Newsgroups: comp.graphics.animation