[Bf-committers] Ocean Simulator

[levon hudson]

this is a message that Simon Harvey posted on the blender.org forums in 
relation to his ocean simulator mesh and textures. the original post can 
be found here 
http://www.blender.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=phpBB2&file=viewtopic&p=35884#35884


    Hi everybody,

    Well, I have moved my development computer from university to my
    home which dosent have an internet connection so alas I cannot send
    any pictures as updates.

    I have been thinking about blenders effect code, both its geometry
    effects (i.e. the 'effects' tab in Object buttons) and also about
    application specific textures (in texture buttons) - and I have
    decided that it would not be a good thing to have an application
    specific OceanFFT texture in the texture type popup menu, since all
    textures mentioned are quite general making this quite a break from
    tradition.

    What I think should be implemented is some sort of a graph system
    where people create 'Graph Effects' whos output can be used to
    modify the geometry of objects as well as can be outputted to
    textures so as to allow for fine texture resolution for things such
    as bumpmaps and colour detail.

    This would require reclycling the code from the OOPS schematic area
    window to generate the graph and a module/block framework so that
    blocks (repersenting a function) could be linked together at the
    users will to accomplish an effect to meet the users desire.

    This would allow for people to do complicated simulations and have
    it consistantly interface with the rest of blender.


    For example (using my module):
    The user would press the spacebar which would bring up an effects
    toolbox, clicking Add->Simulation->Ocean FFT he adds a OceanFFT
    block to the schematic, he then adds a mesh displacer by clicking
    Add->Modifier->Vertex Displacer and then by clicking on the output
    node of the OceanFFT node he creates a link from its output to the
    input node of the vertex displacer.

    This would be leaps and bounds better that what we have now since
    what we have dosent really allow the user any real control over the
    order and the execution of how the effect is to be applied.

    I realise the the above example sounds rather vapourwareish however
    as you can see from my previous posts when I have an idea I go out
    to implement it and so I should not be considered as some users who
    attend these forums with all of the ideas but who never really go on
    to implement them in code. How ever I will not start investing the
    10's of hours of coding time when:
    1. This willl never make it to tophuhu (or any other development
    blender tree)
    2. This is not really what the core blender development team is
    wanting.
    3. There is another project that is currently active that is
    promising to deliver the same thing.

    This is because I have other commitments and am partially doing this
    out of charity and also 'giving' i.e. the code that I write with the
    joy I have in creating has the oppatunity in helping others as well.

    So before I go further I would like input from other developers who
    do have a say on decision making matters since there is no 'Effects
    and simulation' on the official projects list whos names I can get
    in order to talk to them about this.

    Kind Regards
    Simon Harvey