Re: LANG: Fractals in VRML 1.0 -- problem

Anthropohedron ([email protected])
Fri, 23 Jun 1995 15:07:41 -0400 (EDT)

} Very tiny VRML 1.0 files can define fractal trees, mountains, clouds,
} and textures. The VRML 1.0 spec (with LevelOfDetail added) supports
} 3D fractals, and the current SGI version of WebSpace can display them.
} A nice fractal tree can be seen by downloading two files into the
} same directory, and viewing the first on> with the current WebSpace
} beta on an SGI machine:
}
} http://kirk.usafa.af.mil/~baird/ftree.wrl
} http://kirk.usafa.af.mil/~baird/tree.wrl

The problem with these two files is that the WWWInline is
file:/usr/people/baird/tree/wrl rather than just tree.wrl. It can still be
viewed, but the files must b> edited virst. I also note that you do not
follow the spec requiring a single node per file, and have several root
nodes in ftree.wrl.

} Unfortunately, my system administrator still hasn't set up the server
} to give the right MIME types, so you'll have to download the files
} before you can view them. They're very small. As far as I know,

Yah. I had

} these are the first VRML fractals on the Web. They work by using
} recursive WWWINLINEs, with the recursion terminated by LevelOfDetail.
} Fractals are incredible bandwidth savers, because a small file can
} create an infinite number of polygons, with more appearing on the
} screen as you zoom in closer. Ther> are several small changes we

Webspace views this nicely, but it slows down terribly. Mind you, this is
looking at it on a 2-processor SGI Onyx. I wonder if Webspace keeps trying
to reread the file (I note that Webspace does not yet implement caching,
hint hint to SGI). Even a complicated figure like that should render
quickly and rotate quickly if Webspace wer> concentrating solely on the
rendering of what is/should be visible.

} could make to the spec and } fractals:
}
} Currently, fractal shapes are possible, but not fractal colors or
} pictures. This is because geometric transforms are cumulative, but
} color changes aren't. I would propose taking the fields of the
} MATERIAL node, and adding them } code:
} Transform {
} emissiveColor .5 1 2
} }
} would make all future nodes half as red and } would have been without the transform. This would allow fractal
} colors, even fractal-compri> ed photographs, to b> applied to objects.

I assume you are not recommending removing the Material node (or even the
emissiveColor fieldly allowing a multiplicative coloring
scheme in addition

} I hope to soon get the MIME types on my server fixed, and set up a
} page giving a wide range of VRML fractals. I'll include any VRML
} fractals e-mailed to me in the collection, along with acknowledgement
} of the author.

Great stuff. It should have been clear earlier that such things are
possible. Very impri> ive.

} Leemon Baird
--Greg