Persistence of Vision Raytracer (POVRAY) : Atari ST

Nothing particularly exciting here, just a slideshow of sample POV scenes given away on ST Format 49 back in the 1990s.

Won't mean anything to anyone who doesn't originally remember it from "way back when..."

Details in full (including POV scripts) can be found here :

http://saberblock.blogspot.com/2011/01/atari-st-raytracing-part-2.html

Music is from the C64 version of Supremacy.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• pov
• povray
• persistence
• of
• vision
• atari
• st
• format
• raytrace
• saberblock

[AGWhiteman]

For those non Atari users.. you can view these picture on an STe in 15 bit colour (19200 colours on screen from a palette of 32768) using a piece of software called photochrome.. no new graphics card required! /|\

[saberblock]

@AGWhiteman Yep - Photochrome actually came on the same ST Format cover disk (came with V3, but I later got V4 from Floppyshop) - obviously it was limited to a slideshow (hence the slideshow nature of the vid). I used to convert them to SPC's to load into Spectrum 512 too. I've also got Raystart (given away on an ST Format cover disk too) that I might take a look at soon - had a GEM based object modeller which I remember as being quite good.

[TheBlackSpider82]

Those thick windy cables were cool.

[saberblock]

@TheBlackSpider82 Indeed, it detracts from the fact that my ability to clip the pictures into the monitor was rather terrible (I was using a nubbin thing on an old Thinkpad) - and technically that's a monochrome monitor too...

[EgoShredder]

Amazing what those old SM124 monochrome monitors could do with a little magic! ;-) Haha but seriously, despite seeing many impressive graphics on PCs down the years, I still get more pleasure from seeing the Atari STE ray traced and photochromed images.

[thebigconsultant]

Jeeze. I use to use POV all the time on the STe, and it tool like 2 days to make these images and then view them at an amazing 19,200 colours on screen using PhotoChrome. lol - I work as a 3D professional

I just picked up a TT this year secondhand, and Im having a ball seeing these 'old friends' again. Check out "Atari Forum"

[AGWhiteman]

honestly at the time PCee's were only doing 256 and that was with a 'brand new machine!' Was 1987/8 ST's had Spectrum 512?

All those colours!

Someone did a high colour demo on the ST a couple of years ago.. Just got my St back with a colour TV to liven things up!

[AGWhiteman]

@saberblock

Yep there were several! Xenomorph, the CAD 3D series, GFA Raytrace, Neon, Eureka! Cyber Sculpt was the easiest to get into as far as object modelling goes.

I guess all these fly under an emulator like Steem or Hatari! /|\