3D Graphics Modelling and Rendering mini-HOWTO by Dane Jarvis (classic novels txt) 📕

3D Graphics Modelling and Rendering mini-HOWTO

 

Dave Jarvis

v1.1, 27 March 2001

Details download and installation instructions for a graphics rendering and modelling development environment using RedHat Linux.

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction 1.1 Preamble

1.2 Modelling vs. Modeling

1.3 Copyright Information 2. Background Information 2.1 The Graphics Library 2.2 The Graphics Modeller 2.3 The Graphics Renderer 3. Installation Instructions 3.1 Warning 3.2 Download the Software 3.3 Install the Graphics Library 3.4 Install the Graphics Renderer 3.5 Install the Graphics Modeller 3.6 Clean Up 4. Miscellaneous Information 4.1 Lighting 4.2 Tutorials 5. Related Links 5.1 Graphics Libraries 5.2 Graphics Renderers 5.3 Graphics Modellers 5.4 Miscellaneous Links 6. Acknowledgements

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1. Introduction

1.1. Preamble

 

This document will guide you through the steps used to install and

configure an environment for modelling and rendering three-dimensional

graphics using Linux. In this section you will also find information

in laymans terms about the required components and how they piece

together. The installation section is purposely minimal; merely the

quick and dirty steps needed to take to get up and running (if it

doesn’t work, more information is available). For those that want

more information about the software components and what they do (in

general), please continue reading.

 

There are, at the minimum, three software packages you’ll need in

order to get up and running. These are as follows (in the order they

are explained, not the order they are installed):

 

∑ a graphics library;

 

∑ a graphics modeller;

 

∑ a graphics renderer.

 

1.2. Modelling vs. Modeling

 

The spelling modelling is Canadian. The spelling modeling is

American. The original author of this document is Canadian. ;-)

 

1.3. Copyright Information

 

Copyright © 2000-2001 Dave Jarvis

 

This document may be reproduced in whole or in part, without fee,

subject to the following restrictions:

 

∑ the copyright notice above and this permission notice must be

preserved complete on all complete or partial copies;

 

∑ any translation or derived work must be approved by the author in

writing before distribution;

 

∑ if you distribute this work in part, instructions for obtaining the

complete version of this manual must be included, and a means for

obtaining a complete version provided;

 

∑ small portions may be reproduced as illustrations for reviews or

quotes in other works without this permission notice if proper

citation is given.

2. Background Information

The content of this section exists only to describe, in general, the

three main components required for three-dimensional modelling and

rendering with a Linux-based system.

 

2.1. The Graphics Library

 

A graphics library consists of the most basic tools used for

manipulating graphical images. Think of all the things needed to

build a house: wiring, plumbing, wood, bricks, and such. The graphics

library can be thought of as not these items, but rather the tools

used create such items. After all, wire, metal tubes, planks, and

bricks don’t magically appear; rather they are created and formed as

entities unto themselves. On a similar note, graphics don’t magically

appear on the screen — typically they consist of lower-level graphics

primatives (lines, rectangles, and individual pixels, for example).

 

So the graphics library, then, can be thought of as the low-level

graphics primatives used to build more complex objects (spheres,

boxes, complex polygons, etc.). Those complex objects are then used

to build even more complicated shapes and figures.

 

The graphics library installed was the freeware implementation of

OpenGL called Mesa.

 

2.2. The Graphics Modeller

 

Since the graphics renderer is, ideally, completely hidden from the

end-user, we’ll deal with that last (besides which, modelling is the

next logical step in keeping with my house-building analogy).

However, when it comes to the actual installation, a graphics modeller

relies on the renderer already being installed.

 

If the graphics library is akin to the tools used to build the tools

used to build a house (!), then graphics modellers can be thought of

as the tools used to build the blueprints for the house —

sophisticated blueprints, as modellers let you dictate exactly where

the wiring, plumbing, wood panels, bricks, and forth are supposed to

go. Furthermore, they let you pick the style of panelling and the

colour of the bricks you desire.

 

The graphics modeller installed was the freeware package called The

Mops, which produces RenderMan-compatible files.

 

2.3. The Graphics Renderer

 

In keeping with the house-building analogy, the graphics renderer is

then the construction workers. Once you have the blueprints and

materials ready to go, you need something to actually build the house

so it appears how it was designed. The graphics renderer is given

information (i.e., the blueprints in the form of a RenderMan-compatible file, or equivalent) from the the modeller to produce the

final result.

 

Just as the graphics modeller needs the graphics renderer before it

can be installed, the renderer relies on the graphics library being

installed beforehand.

 

The graphics renderer installed was the Blue Moon Rendering Toolkit

which uses RenderMan files.

3. Installation Instructions

Keep in mind that these are brief instructions; a quick summary of the

more important details you’ll find listed in README files for the

corresponding software packages. It is, by no means, a substitute for

actually reading those files (as they contain copyright information

and other instructions not necessarily covered by this document).

 

3.1. Warning

 

First, let it be known that this document only covers how to get up

and running using RedHat v7.0. Whenever given the choice as to which

software package to download, please make sure it is compatible with

the flavour of Linux you happen to be running.

 

Second, please only send E-mail if you have information that would be

helpful to other people who might read this document (such as

explaining how to install other tools, pointers to other tutorials,

missing steps grammar and/or speling mistakes and/or tpyos, etc.). If

software doesn’t compile, or you can’t figure it out, please read its

accompanying documentation. Please understand that your system may be

completely different, and as such debugging problems via E-mail across

the Internet is not a task anyone enjoys. ;-)

 

Third, these are software packages that installed without any severe

hitches (read: severe headaches). In the Related Links section, there

are alternate software packages along side the ones covered below.

Note that just because a given software package is not covered in

depth does not mean it is any worse (or better) than those chosen to

install.

 

Good luck!

 

3.2. Download the Software

 

Before you begin, you will need a web browser and Unix shell. If you

don’t know how to use a shell [bash, ksh, etc.], you’re own your own

(although instructions are given in both English and shell commands).

 

Unless otherwise specified, all instructions are to be carried out as

root.

 

1. Create a new directory usrlocal/archives for the packages:

 

mkdir usrlocal/archives

 

2. Download the following packages (in .tar.gz form) into the newly

created directory (homepages are given, as well as links to

download pages, and minimum software version):

 

∑ Mesa Graphics Library <http://www.mesa3d.org/> v3.4.1:

www.mesa3d.org/download.html <http://www.mesa3d.org/download.html>

 

∑ Blue Moon Rendering Toolkit <http://www.bmrt.org/> v2.6beta:

www.bmrt.org/BMRTdownload/index.html

<http://www.bmrt.org/BMRTdownload/index.html>

 

∑ The Mops <http://www.informatik.uni-rostock.de/~rschultz/mops/>

v0.42d: www.informatik.uni-rostock.de/~rschultz/mops/download.html

<http://www.informatik.uni-rostock.de/~rschultz/mops/download.html>

 

3.3. Install the Graphics Library

 

Old versions of tar do not support the z argument. For those systems,

leave out the z argument and use gunzip on the file before using tar.

 

1. Change to the usrlocal/archives directory:

 

cd usrlocal/archives

 

2. Extract Mesa (substitute version number where required):

 

tar zxf MesaLib-3.4.1.tar.gz

tar zxf MesaDemos-3.4.1.tar.gz

 

3. Change to the MesaLib subdirectory:

 

cd Mesa-3.4.1

 

4. Configure, make, and install Mesa with the following sequence of

commands:

 

./configure; make; make install

 

5. Edit etcld.so.conf, and ensure you have a line that reads:

 

usrlocal/lib

 

6. Run the dynamic library configuration program:

 

ldconfig

 

3.4. Install the Graphics Renderer

 

1. Return to the usrlocal/archives directory:

 

cd ..

 

2. Extract the Blue Moon Rendering Toolkit (substitute version number

where required):

 

tar zxf BMRT2.6beta.linux-glibc2.tar.gz

 

3. Change to the BMRT subdirectory:

 

cd BMRT2.6

 

4. Copy files to appropriate destination directories:

 

cp bin/* usrlocal/bin/

cp lib/lib* usrlocal/lib/

cp include/* usrlocal/include/

 

5. Make a directory for the shaders, ensure it is world-writable, then

copy the shader files into it:

 

mkdir usrlocal/shaders

chmod 777 usrlocal/shaders

cp shaders/*.sl* usrlocal/shaders/

cp shaders/*.h usrlocal/shaders/

cp examples/*.sl* usrlocal/shaders/

cp examples/*.h usrlocal/shaders/

 

6. Edit the system login profile (etcprofile or equivalent), and add

the line:

 

export SHADERS=.:usrlocal/shaders

 

7. Copy the .rendribrc file to each user’s home directory.

 

If anything goes wrong, please consult the README file that

accompanies the Blue Moon Rendering Toolkit, or visit their website.

 

3.5. Install the Graphics Modeller

 

The Mops may be installed on a per-user basis, or on a system-wide

basis by root (or equivalent). In this example, it is installed using

a non-administrative account, which should yield positive results.

Note that the compile failed during the install (missing a C header

file), so the precompiled binaries (compatible with RedHat v6.0, your

system may vary) were installed, as follows:

 

1. Change to one directory above where you’d like The Mops to reside.

For example, if usrlocal/mops was desired, then issue the

following command:

 

cd usrlocal

 

2. Extract the mops (substitute number where required), then change

into its directory:

 

tar zxf usrlocal/archives/mops-0.42d-BMRT26-linux.tar.gz

cd mops

 

3. Move the following files from usrlocal/mops/src to

usrlocal/mops:

 

mv src/crtmopssh.sh .

mv src/mfio.so .

mv src/mops .

 

4. Copy the .mopsrc file to the home directory of each user wanting to

run The Mops. For example, the user “jane” would need the

following commands run:

 

cp src/mopsrc homejane/.mopsrc

 

5. Create usrlocal/lib/mops and move the buttons and shaders:

 

mkdir usrlocal/lib/mops/

mv buttons/* usrlocal/lib/mops/

mv shader/*.sl* usrlocal/shaders/

 

If anything goes wrong, please consult the README and Setup.txt files

that accompany The Mops, or visit their website.

 

Log out from root. Log in as a regular user, and run The Mops as

follows:

 

usrlocal/mops/mops

 

You may wish to create a subdirectory within $HOME/mops called models

for saving 3D models.

 

3.6. Clean Up

 

Now that the installation is complete, you can remove from your system

all files that you no longer require (substituting version numbers

where required).

 

cd usrlocal/archives/

rm -rf BMRT2.6

rm -rf Mesa-3.4.1

 

Note: Be cautious when using rm -rf … make sure you are in the

correct directory, and the files and/or directories you wish to delete

are present.

4. Miscellaneous Information

Instead of a frequently asked questions section, here is information

about some of the (almost embarassing) problems faced.

 

4.1. Lighting

 

The most frustrating problem, initially, was trying to figure out why

everything was black — and then how to actually light objects up. In

these “virtual worlds” where you are modelling objects, the worlds are

created from scratch. There is no light in the world until you

actually put a light source in it! The light sources then shine a

given direction, illuminating things in their path