Very Computer

About six weeks ago, I posted a question about the splitting loop in REYES.
More specifically about it's description in ARMAN. Now, 2:25 AM in The
Netherlands, sitting in bed with my sister's laptop, while roaming the
Google group archive looking for anything REYES I realized that I hadn't got
an answer except for a helpful clarification by Tom Duff.

So, I'll try again:

In Advanced Renderman in the chapter describing REYES there's a section on
the splitting loop. In this section it says
"If the primitive is (at least partially) on-screen, its size is tested. If
it is deemed "too large" on-screen, according to a metric described later,
it is split into smaller primitives. [...]"

What is that metric and where is it described?
I've been reading chapter 6 dozens of times now, but I can't put my finger
on the thing, I'm desperate to know.... BOOOOOHOOOOOOO!!!

Trinity: I know why you're here, Leo. I know what you've been doing... why
you hardly sleep, why you live alone, and why night after night, you sit by
your computer. You're looking for Mr. Reyes. I know because I was once
looking for the same thing. And when I found him, he told me I wasn't really
looking for him. I was looking for an answer. It's the question, Leo. It's
the question that drives us. It's the question that brought you here. You
know the question, just as I did.
Leo: What is the Metric?
Trinity: The answer is out there, Leo, and it's looking for you, and it will
find you if you want it to.

Oh god, I'm getting too silly :)

Regards,
Paul
(who's starsign is Leo)

--
Paul Melis. Pondering if Tom Duff thinks up and types in one of his "unique"
signatures
by hand every time he posts in the group...

 : it is deemed "too large" on-screen, according to a metric
 : described later, it is split into smaller primitives. [...]"
 :
 : What is that metric and where is it described?
 : I've been reading chapter 6 dozens of times now, but I can't put
 : my finger on the thing, I'm desperate to know.... BOOOOOHOOOOOOO!!!

I'm certainly not an expert, but I believe when the primitive is
smaller than a pixel (effectively called a
micro-primitive/polygon), it is sufficently small enough.

Kawaldeep

if you desire to correspond via email, please replace berzerkeley with berkeley

The metric is: if you were to dice the primitive into little quads
whose size is given by the shading rate, would you get "too many"
of those quads?  Where "too many" is a user parameter ("gridsize" in
PRMan).

        -- lg

--
Larry Gritz                                     Exluna

No, you're thinking of "dicing", not "splitting". Splitting comes
first, and determines the size of each grid. After a primitive is
split, each part is sorted into the right bucket (i.e. the first that
intersects its screen-space bounding box). When that bucket comes up
for rendering, *then* the part of the split primitive will be diced
into micropolygons. The micropolygons are then associated with every
bucket they could possibly affect.

I know, it's confusing.

--
-Stephen H. Westin
Any information or opinions in this message are mine: they do not
represent the position of Cornell University or any of its sponsors.

Quote:>Trinity: I know why you're here, Leo. I know what you've been doing... why
>you hardly sleep, why you live alone, and why night after night, you sit by
>your computer. You're looking for Mr. Reyes. I know because I was once
>looking for the same thing. And when I found him, he told me I wasn't really
>looking for him. I was looking for an answer. It's the question, Leo. It's
>the question that drives us. It's the question that brought you here. You
>know the question, just as I did.
>Leo: What is the Metric?
>Trinity: The answer is out there, Leo, and it's looking for you, and it will
>find you if you want it to.

Follow the rabbit Leo, the white rabbit. And stay away from the pink pills, ya hear me ?
Or was it the blue one ? =P

doberlec

<include disclaimer.h>

Quote:> >Trinity: I know why you're here, Leo. I know what you've been doing...
why
> >you hardly sleep, why you live alone, and why night after night, you sit
by
> >your computer. You're looking for Mr. Reyes. I know because I was once
> >looking for the same thing. And when I found him, he told me I wasn't
really
> >looking for him. I was looking for an answer. It's the question, Leo.
It's
> >the question that drives us. It's the question that brought you here. You
> >know the question, just as I did.
> >Leo: What is the Metric?
> >Trinity: The answer is out there, Leo, and it's looking for you, and it
will
> >find you if you want it to.

> Follow the rabbit Leo, the white rabbit. And stay away from the pink
pills, ya hear me ?
> Or was it the blue one ? =P

<trinnggg ....>
Leo: <click> Hello?
Trinity: My name's Trinity.
Leo: .... errr .... ah, the girl from the club two weeks ago, hi honey!
Trinity: That was a long time ago.
Leo: Oh come on, we had something good going on! I'd like to see you again.
Trinity: What?
Leo: No really, I had a good time with you.
Trinity: Most guys do.
Leo: ... <jawdrop> ... I can't believe you actually said that....
Trinity: Please Leo, you have to trust me.
Leo: I do, honey, I do! So, why you're calling?
Trinity: Because you have been down there Leo, you know that road, you know
exactly where it ends. And I know that's not where you want to be.
Leo: Wow, you're good.... yeah, I would like a bit more of a long-term
relationship... All those one-night stands don't make you feel better in the
long run and <click>
Leo: Hello? Hello? Trinity? .... damn!

Agent Brown: She got out.
Agent Smith: Doesn't matter.
Agent Brown: The informant is real.
Agent Smith: Yes.
Agent Jones: We have the name of their next target.
Agent Brown: The name is Leo.
Agent Smith: We'll need a search running.
Agent Jones: It has already begun.

<tringggg .... tringgg>
Leo: <click> Hello?
Morpheus: Hello, Leo. Do you know who this is?
Leo: Mom?
Morpheus: Far from it.
Leo: Errr.... Wendy?
Morpheus: Far from it.
Leo: I give up...
Morpheus: . I've been looking for you, Leo. I don't know if you're ready to
see what I want to show you, but unfortunately, you and I have run out of
time. They're coming for you, Leo, and I don't know what they're going to
do.
Leo: Who's coming for me?
Morpheus: Stand up and see for yourself.
Leo: What, right now? I'm under the sink trying to fix a leakage!
Morpheus: Yes, now.
Leo: Okay...
<KLUNK>
Leo: Shit, that hurts! ........ Well, nothing to see here. You sure you got
the right person?
Morpheus: You have the look of a man who accepts what he sees because he is
expecting to wake up. Ironically, that's not far from the truth.
Leo: Hmmm, I'm not expecting to wake up much more today. Boy, my eyes
hurt...
Morpheus: You've never used them before.
Leo: .... no, you idiot, it's part of the hangover of yesterdays drinking
binge! Oh yeah, and I smoked to much.
Cypher: Good shit, huh? It's good for two things: degreasing engines and
killing brain cells.
Leo: What? Who was that?
Morpheus: I imagine that right now you're feeling a bit like Alice, tumbling
down the rabbit hole.
Leo: Close, more like a rabbit tumbling down Alice's hole.
Morpheus: Welcome to the desert of the real.
Leo: Pfff, this is all getting a bit too real for me. Wish it was holidays
again...
Morpheus: What is "real"? How do you define "real"?
Leo: Oh man, stop giving me a hard time on a saturday morning, my head's
hurting already! Maybe some coffee will get me started...
<flush, sizzle, <yawn>, klunk, click ..... click click>
Leo: ...... Helloohooh? Are you gonna make me coffee or what? Stupid
machine...
<click .... click .... click click click>
Leo: Damn, it's broken!
Morpheus: Throughout human history, we have been dependent on machines to
survive. Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony.
Leo: Is that supposed to make me feel better or what?
Morpheus: You have to let it all go, Leo. Fear, doubt, and disbelief. Free
your mind.
Leo: I'd sure like to let something go free right now, you're getting on my
nerves!
Morpheus: Stop trying to hit me and hit me!
<SMACK!>
Morpheus: ouch
Rhineheart: You have a problem with authority, Mr. Melis.
Leo: ARRRGGGG!!!! Mr. Wizard! Get me the hell out of here!

Gettin' a little goofy from all the late-night rendering, guys? ;)