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127 | POV-Ray | Parser/SDL | Feature Request | 3.70 beta 37a | Very Low | Low | Expandable arrays | Tracked on GitHub | |
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Task Description
Currently, arrays are of a fixed size. You can’t add or remove items to/from an array. I think it would like arrays to be expandable with no fixed and pre-determined size.
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131 | POV-Ray | Other | Feature Request | 3.70 beta 37a | Very Low | Low | Ability to change the order of editor tabs by dragging ... | Tracked on GitHub | |
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Task Description
See Notepad++ or EditPad Lite for examples.
It would be nice to be able to drag tabs in the editor window to change their order, so as to group opened files together by relevance for instance.
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138 | POV-Ray | User interface | Feature Request | 3.70 beta 37a | Very Low | Low | "Rename" option in File menu | Tracked on GitHub | |
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Task Description
Would be great if there were a “Rename” option in the editor File menu to rename the current file name. Otherwise, you have to close the file, rename it in file manager, then open the file again, thus loosing the current tab position and undo history for the file.
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140 | POV-Ray | Platform-specific | Feature Request | 3.70 beta 37a | Very Low | Low | "Reload" option in File menu | Tracked on GitHub | |
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Task Description
Would be great to have a “Reload” option in the File menu to manually reload the current file from disk, discarding all subsequent changes since the last save.
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151 | POV-Ray | Runtime error | Possible Bug | 3.70 beta 37a | Very Low | Low | No way to cancel save while parsing, never ending error... | Tracked on GitHub | |
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Task Description
On Windows, when I try and save a file while it is being parsed prior to rendering, I get an error, “Failed to save file: The operation completed successfully”, with a single OK button to click. Despite the weird wording, I’m OK with that.
However after clicking OK I get the error, “Failed to save file ‘...’“, with three buttons: Cancel, Try Again, Continue. Not sure what “Continue” means in this context, given that the possibilities would seem to be covered by the other two buttons. Whatever.
Also, sometimes I get a message with only a single “Retry” button. Not sure what the exact message was.
Anyway, the real problem is that, regardless of which button I press, the program continues to spawning the same error message endlessly. Luckily there is a delay between them, but still it would be nice to have at least one of the three buttons *stop* POV-Ray from asking me again.
Also, once the program finishes parsing the file and it becomes possible once again to save the file, it does nothing. I.e. it doesn’t save the file. So what’s the point of the message and all the options? Why not just say, “Unable to save the file, file is parsing” and be done with it?
I think I recall the same behavior in 3.6.2, so it’s nothing new that’s been introduced.
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333 | POV-Ray | User interface | Feature Request | 3.70 release | Very Low | Low | Make text in "about" alt+b dialog selectable with the m... | Tracked on GitHub | |
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Task Description
When you press alt+b or access the “about” dialog in the Help menu it displays some text including software version number and list of contributors.
It would be nice to be able to select and copy this text using this mouse. Sometimes in the newsgroup I have to tell people what version of POVray I am using, and typing the version number can be a pain.
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334 | POV-Ray | Texture/Material/Finish | Feature Request | 3.70 release | Very Low | Low | HLS colors | Tracked on GitHub | |
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Task Description
It would be nice to be able to specify colors in HLS as well as RGB.
Currently, you can use a macor to convert individual colors. But this does not work in color_maps where you want smooth gradations/interpolations between two or several colors.
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335 | POV-Ray | Parser/SDL | Possible Bug | 3.70 release | Very Low | Low | macro works in variable but not in array | Tracked on GitHub | |
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Task Description
This doesn’t work:
#declare pavement_object = array[2] {
object {trash_can_macro() scale 3/4 translate -x * 1/2},
object {potted_plant_macro(_CT_rand2) scale 3/4 scale 3/2 translate -x * 1/2}
}
This does work:
#declare trash_can_object = object {trash_can_macro()}; #declare potted_plant_object = object {potted_plant_macro(_CT_rand2)}; #declare pavement_object = array[2] {
object {trash_can_object scale 3/4 translate -x * 1/2},
object {potted_plant_object scale 3/4 scale 3/2 translate -x * 1/2}
}
Logically, I cannot see a reason for this to be so.
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129 | POV-Ray | Parser/SDL | Feature Request | 3.70 beta 37a | Defer | Very Low | Hash arrays | Tracked on GitHub | |
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Task Description
Currently, array items may only be referenced by their index number (an integer). It would be nice to also be able to assign string values as array indexes, as in other scripting languages.
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133 | POV-Ray | Geometric Primitives | Feature Request | 3.70 beta 37a | Defer | Very Low | Subdivision support | Tracked on GitHub | |
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Task Description
Someone built a version of Povray with internal support for automatic subdivision of meshes. See:
http://www.cise.ufl.edu/~xwu/Pov-Sub/
Would like to see this feature added natively to Povray.
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145 | POV-Ray | Parser/SDL | Feature Request | 3.70 beta 37a | Very Low | Low | Stack trace report on error | Tracked on GitHub | |
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Task Description
In other languages if you encounter an error you’ll often be presented with a stack trace showing not only the file and line number the error occurred at, but also any calling functions and _their_ calling functions and so on.
Currently, Povray reports the line number of the error as well as the last five or so lines prior to the error. This is usually OK in simple scenes, but breaks down when you start making use of inclusion and macros.
Let’s say you have a macro located in a file that you then include in your scene. Within your scene you call the macro multiple times, passing input to it. However, by accident you pass _invalid_ input to the macro at some point, resulting in an error when parsing. In this case Povray will report the error as belonging to the macro whereas the actual bug exists in the calling code. If the macro is called more than once in your scene it can be difficult to figure out _which_ instance is the one supplying the bad input.
Not sure how much of this is achievable in Povray.
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130 | POV-Ray | Parser/SDL | Feature Request | 3.70 beta 37a | Very Low | High | Master scene unit system variable | Closed | |
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Task Description
Currently, many POV scenes/include files behave differently depending on the basic units used within the scene. Scaling them differently can affect things like ior and media. A master system variable that users can set to configure the scene’s units would be beneficial for sharing and collaboration purposes, so that person A’s glass interior works correctly in person B’s wine glass scene. Just like the #version system variable, it should have a default value but should be possible to explicitly override.
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62 | POV-Ray | Geometric Primitives | Feature Request | Not applicable | Very Low | Low | Set and get font metrics | Closed | |
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Task Description
Add a way to get and set font metrics.
Attached an image that shows what I’m talking about.
Thanks!!
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63 | POV-Ray | Geometric Primitives | Feature Request | Not applicable | Very Low | Low | Extend native support for 2D primitives | Closed | |
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Task Description
Improve native support for 2D primitives. Ideally a 1:1 mapping of SVG primitives/shapes. They go a long way to making diagrams look a lot better. Having to create image maps based on externally created bitmaps slows the workflow down a lot!
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64 | POV-Ray | Image format | Feature Request | Not applicable | Very Low | Low | Add "POV-Ray" metatags to images | Closed | |
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Task Description
Add metatags to output images identifying the file as having been created using POV-Ray.
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119 | POV-Ray | Documentation | Feature Request | 3.70 beta 37a | Very Low | Low | Table of Contents in each page of the docs | Closed | |
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Task Description
There should be a table of contents on each page of the documentation, or at least on the very long pages. Scrolling through the entire page to figure out what topics are covered sucks.
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121 | POV-Ray | Parser/SDL | Feature Request | 3.70 beta 37a | Very Low | Low | Option to render pixels randomly, or in Nth pixel | Closed | |
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Task Description
Assuming there are no performance issues, it would be nice to tell Povray to select the pixels to render randomly, so that the image gets filled in gradually instead of from top to bottom and from left to right.
Also, maybe an option to tell it to render every Nth pixel.
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122 | POV-Ray | Parser/SDL | Feature Request | 3.70 beta 37a | Very Low | Low | #ELSEIF statement | Closed | |
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Task Description
Request an #ELSEIF statement in POV SDL.
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123 | POV-Ray | Parser/SDL | Feature Request | 3.70 beta 37a | Very Low | Low | #BREAK statement inside #WHILE and #FOR loops | Closed | |
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Task Description
Request #BREAK statement inside #WHILE and #FOR loops.
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126 | POV-Ray | Parser/SDL | Feature Request | 3.70 beta 37a | Very Low | Low | Explicit #RETURN statement inside macros | Closed | |
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Task Description
In POV SDL it can sometimes be ambiguous what exactly a macro returns. An explicit #RETURNS statement would make this unambiguous.
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128 | POV-Ray | Parser/SDL | Feature Request | 3.70 beta 37a | Very Low | Low | Mixed-type arrays | Closed | |
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Task Description
Currently, arrays may contain only one object type. Would be nice to eliminate this restriction and allow arrays to contain objects of different types.
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132 | POV-Ray | Geometric Primitives | Feature Request | 3.70 beta 37a | Very Low | Low | Native support for mesh-based surface approximations | Closed | |
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Task Description
There are various scripts around the Net meant for approximating things like isosurfaces and parametric objects using meshes. It would probably run bit faster and be easier to use if this were supported natively within Povray. The feature would require an additional object parameter in order to toggle this behavior on/off.
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134 | POV-Ray | Image format | Feature Request | 3.70 beta 37a | Very Low | Low | INI option to overlay render information on output imag ... | Closed | |
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Task Description
It would be nice to configure an INI option to add render information like render time, date, and input file to output images.
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135 | POV-Ray | Platform-specific | Feature Request | 3.70 beta 37a | Very Low | Low | Right-click menu when clicking on editor tab | Closed | |
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Task Description
When right-clicking on a tab in the editor window a list of options should appear, such as:
* Close * Close all but this * Save * Save as * Print
See Notepad++, EditPad Lite, and Firefox for examples.
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137 | POV-Ray | Include files | Feature Request | 3.70 beta 37a | Very Low | Low | atand function | Closed | |
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Task Description
There already exist atan, atan2 and atan2d functions, why not atand?
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139 | POV-Ray | Platform-specific | Feature Request | 3.70 beta 37a | Very Low | Low | "Delete" option in File menu | Closed | |
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Task Description
Would be nice to have a “Delete” option in the File menu to delete the current file from disk.
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146 | POV-Ray | Parser/SDL | Possible Bug | 3.70 beta 37a | Very Low | Low | Macros are finnicky about how you type your code | Closed | |
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Task Description
Macros are finicky about how you type your code. What works outside macros sometimes fails inside them. For more information see the threads:
“Problems with macro (3.6)”, in p.a-u, 06-09-10 “Bad operands”, in p.g, 05-20-10
Still not sure *what* exactly the problem was, but one of my workarounds ended up working.
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147 | POV-Ray | Frontend | Possible Bug | 3.70 beta 37a | Very Low | Low | Statistic_File not working? | Closed | |
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Task Description
In POV 3.6 you could set the Statistic_File option to a custom file and folder path. In the beta I get an “Cannot open file” error. Has the feature been intentionally removed or did it become broken?
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148 | POV-Ray | Documentation | Feature Request | 3.70 beta 37a | Very Low | Low | Thumbnails in docs for shapes.inc, shapes_old.inc, shap ... | Closed | |
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Task Description
The documentation entries for shapes.inc, shapes_old.inc, shapes2.inc, shapesq.inc, etc. should have thumbnails next to the object descriptions.
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149 | POV-Ray | User interface | Feature Request | 3.70 beta 37a | Very Low | Low | Tray icon: show render progress | Closed | |
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Task Description
In the tray icon, I’d like to see the render progress indicated somehow icon itself. Either a set of numbers (percents), or a change in color of the icon (e.g. from top to bottom). Something like the attached images.
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150 | POV-Ray | Frontend | Compatibility Issue | 3.70 beta 37a | Very Low | Low | Windows file association problems (Win7 only??) | Closed | |
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Task Description
Windows allows you to associate programs with file extensions using the “Open with” file manager right-click menu extension.
I’m running Windows 7 64bit, and installed the 64 bit versions of 3.6.2 and the beta appropriately.
A couple of problems that I haven’t tested very thoroughly:
1. If you have both POV 3.6.2 and the beta installed at the same time, you can no longer using this dialog change the association to the beta once it has been created for 3.6.2. There’s no error or anything; it just opens the file inside 3.6.2 instead. Maybe because both versions appear as “POV-Ray for Windows” to this dialog? Would adding the version number to the name fix things? Anything I can do on my end of things to resolve this?
2. In POV-Ray 3.6.2, I can use this dialog to open *.inc, *.txt and other files in POV-Ray, but only if POV-Ray isn’t already running. If POV-Ray is already running I get an “Only /EDIT and /RENDER may be passed to previous instance” error. Files with the *.pov extension open properly regardless, without any error. I am unable to test this in the beta at the moment due to the first problem unfortunately. Could someone please test this with the beta and confirm whether the behavior also exists?
3. With the POV-Ray 3.7 beta, entering the following command in the command prompt results in the same error:
"C:\Program Files\POV-Ray for Windows v3.7\bin\pvengine64.exe" "D:\Working\Povray\GearHead\LoadingScreen\btr_maanji.pov"
If I change it to the following it works however:
"C:\Program Files\POV-Ray for Windows v3.7\bin\pvengine64.exe" /EDIT "D:\Working\Povray\GearHead\LoadingScreen\btr_maanji.pov"
Is this error/behavior really necessary? Would it be OK to instead change the behavior when the /EDIT flag is omitted in the command-line such that the file is opened in the editor by default, without throwing an error?
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152 | POV-Ray | Parser/SDL | Feature Request | 3.70 beta 37a | Very Low | Low | Camera in object, union statements | Closed | |
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Task Description
Currently, cameras placed inside object or union statements will halt the render with an error. Take for instance the following case:
#local temp_camera_1 = camera
{
orthographic
location z*-12
direction z
up y
right x*image_width/image_height
scale 32
}
#local temp_light_1 = light_source
{
0
color rgb 1
translate <-30, 30, -30>
}
#local temp_light_2 = light_source
{
0
color rgb 1
translate <-30, 30, +30>
}
union
{
object {temp_light_1}
object {temp_light_2}
// camera {temp_camera_1} // doesn't work!!!
}
//object {temp_camera_1} // doesn't work!!!
camera {temp_camera_1} // works!!!
Changing this behavior would make it possible to more easily apply transformations to scene objects and the camera at the same time in situations where the scene’s frame of reference is in motion relative to the rest of the scene, for instance in animations.
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164 | POV-Ray | Other | Feature Request | 3.70 beta 38 | Very Low | Low | Date/time stamp on rendered images | Closed | |
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Task Description
I’d like to request the ability to create a date/time stamp on output images so that new renders don’t always overwrite old ones. Thanks.
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211 | POV-Ray | Image format | Feature Request | 3.70 RC3 | Very Low | Low | Fill blank space with pixels on quit rendering | Closed | |
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Task Description
It would be nice when quitting a render if the remaining space were filled with empty pixels. That way the partial render will still be viewable in all image apps.
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212 | POV-Ray | User interface | Feature Request | 3.70 RC3 | Very Low | Low | Next beta: new desktop icon | Closed | |
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Task Description
For the next beta version, could you please create a new desktop icon? I keep clicking on the wrong version.
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312 | POV-Ray | Other | Possible Bug | 3.70 release | Very Low | Low | Rendering stuck at 99% | Closed | |
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Task Description
After a long parse period and a relatively quick rendering, POVray gets stuck at 99% when rendering the attached file.
Rendered at 6144x3072px with antialiasing set to 0.3.
Can anyone confirm?
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332 | POV-Ray | User interface | Feature Request | 3.70 release | Very Low | Low | Progress animation in taskbar tabs | Closed | |
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Task Description
On Windows 7 and newer operating systems, some programs are able to display their progress in the taskbar buttons.
Here is an example of Chrome downloading something and showing the progress in the taskbar:
http://www.winbeta.org/sites/default/files/news/oldfashinoned.jpg
Here is an example with Paint.NET instead:
http://www.getpaint.net/images/pdn351_superbarProgress.png
I think this feature would use fewer CPU resources than a) minimizing/maximizing the whole application window each time you want to check progress, or b) hovering the mouse over the taskbar button to show the thumbnails.
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120 | POV-Ray | Documentation | Compatibility Issue | 3.70 beta 37a | Very Low | Very Low | More library paths, wildcards | Closed | |
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Task Description
20 library paths is a bit small given the sheer number of include files I’ve collected over the years. An increase in the number, and/or the ability to include wildcards in the search path, would be great.
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124 | POV-Ray | Parser/SDL | Feature Request | 3.70 beta 37a | Defer | Very Low | variable number of parameters in macros | Closed | |
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Task Description
Many programming languages support an indeterminate number of parameters in functions/macros.
JavaScript for instance supports an “arguments” object.
Lua for instance supports the “args” object.
I would like to see that added to POV as well.
Here’s an JavaScript example:
function ArgTest(a, b){
var i, s = "The ArgTest function expected ";
var numargs = arguments.length; //Get number of arguments passed.
var expargs = ArgTest.length; //Get number of arguments expected.
if (expargs < 2)
s += expargs + " argument. ";
else
s += expargs + " arguments. ";
if (numargs < 2)
s += numargs + " was passed.";
else
s += numargs + " were passed.";
s += "\n\n"
for (i =0 ; i < numargs; i++){ //Get argument contents.
s += " Arg " + i + " = " + arguments[i] + "\n";
}
return(s); //Return list of arguments.
}
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125 | POV-Ray | Parser/SDL | Feature Request | 3.70 beta 37a | Very Low | Very Low | System variable to track whether a file has been includ ... | Closed | |
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Task Description
Request a system variable to test whether a scene file has been included by another scene file.
For instance:
#if (is_included)
camera {...}
#end
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136 | POV-Ray | Parser/SDL | Feature Request | 3.70 beta 37a | Defer | Very Low | String concatenation operator | Closed | |
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Task Description
Using the concat function is tedious. Why not just have an operator with which to concatenate strings?
“Hello " + “world!”
“Hello " . “world!”
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160 | POV-Ray | Other | Feature Request | All | Very Low | Very Low | Parallel GPU processing support | Closed | |
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Task Description
...for instance nVidia’s CUDA architecture, discussed here and other places.
General consensus is that it’s not worth the effort if only a partial set of POV-Ray’s features are possible.
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