POV-Ray Scene Description Language Quick Reference
Derived from the POV-Ray 3.1g User Documentation
by Robert Chaffe

This is an accumulation and refinement of the entire syntax for the POV-Ray™ Scene Description Language. Also provided are the limitations for the values given with various keywords. Note that the syntax conventions used here are slightly different than those used in the official user documentation which may be acquired at the POV-Ray site.

I (Arnab Bose) have tried to incorprate the MegaPOV syntax on this excellent work of Robert Chaffe. The portions partaining MegaPOV can be shown with POVRay, marked in yellow background, or hidden by the radio buttons on the top (requires adequate support for JavaScript in your browser). For more information on MegaPOV, visit Nathan Kopp's site.

The following syntax conventions are used.

ITEM	An item not in brackets indicates that it is a required item.
[ITEM]	Brackets surround an optional item. If brackets are part of the item, that is noted where applicable.
ITEM...	An ellipsis indicates an item that may be used one or more times.
[ITEM...]	An ellipsis within brackets indicates an item that may be used zero or more times.
ITEM ITEM	Two or more juxtaposed items indicates that they should be used in the given order.
ITEM | ITEM	A pipe separates two or more alternatives from which only one item should be used.
ITEM & ITEM	An ampersand separates two or more items that may be used in any order.

Juxtaposition has precedence over the pipe or ampersand. In the following example, you would select one of the keyword and vector pairs. For that last pair, the keyword itself is optional.
   rgb VECTOR | rgbf 4D_VECTOR | rgbt 4D_VECTOR | [rgbft] 5D_VECTOR

Some item names are simply descriptive in nature. An indication of the item's type is given by a prefix on the item name, as follows.

F_	A FLOAT item
I_	An INT item
V_	A VECTOR item
V4_	A 4-D VECTOR item

Index
The Scene		Transformation		Texture
Language Basics		Camera			Plain Texture
	Float Expression	Object			Layered Texture
	Vector		Finite Solid Primitive		Patterned Texture
	Color		Finite Patch Primitive		Pigment
	String		Infinite Solid Primitive		Normal
	Array		Constructive Solid Geometry		Finish
Language Directive			Light Source		Pattern
	File Inclusion		Object Modifier		Pattern Modifier
	Identifier Declaration	Interior		Media
	File Input/Output			Atmospheric Effect
	Default Texture				Background
	Version Compatibility				Fog
	Conditional Directives				Sky Sphere
	Message Streams				Rainbow
	Macro			Global Settings

MegaPOV Extras
MegaPOV Extras
	Function
	Splines with variables
	Splines with directives
	Motion Blur
	Glow Effects
	Modifying Labelled Objects
	Post Process Effects

The Scene

Describe a POV-Ray scene
SCENE:
	SCENE_ITEM...
		The scene must have at least one OBJECT.
SCENE_ITEM:
	LANGUAGE_DIRECTIVE | CAMERA | OBJECT | ATMOSPHERIC_EFFECT | GLOBAL_SETTINGS

Index

Language Basics

Float Expression
FLOAT:
	NUMERIC_TERM [SIGN NUMERIC_TERM]
SIGN:
	+ | -
NUMERIC_TERM:
	NUMERIC_FACTOR [MULT NUMERIC_FACTOR]
MULT:
	* | /
NUMERIC_FACTOR:
	FLOAT_LITERAL | FLOAT_IDENTIFIER | SIGN NUMERIC_FACTOR | FLOAT_FUNCTION | FLOAT_BUILT_IN_IDENT | ( FULL_EXPRESSION ) | ! NUMERIC_FACTOR | VECTOR.DOT_ITEM
FLOAT_LITERAL:
	[DIGIT...][.]DIGIT...[EXP[SIGN]DIGIT...]
DIGIT:
	0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
EXP:
	e | E
FLOAT_FUNCTION:
	abs(FLOAT) | acos(FLOAT) | acosh(FLOAT) | asc(STRING) | asin(FLOAT) | asinh(FLOAT) | atan2(FLOAT,FLOAT) | atanh(FLOAT) | cabs2(VECTOR2) | ceil(FLOAT) | cimag(VECTOR2) | cos(FLOAT) | cosh(FLOAT) | creal(VECTOR2) | defined(IDENTIFIER) | degrees(FLOAT) | dimensions(ARRAY_IDENTIFIER) | dimension_size(ARRAY_IDENTIFIER,INT) | div(FLOAT,FLOAT) | eval_pattern(PATTERN,VECTOR) | eval_pigment(PIGMENT,VECTOR) | exp(FLOAT) | file_exists(FILE_NAME) | floor(FLOAT) | hf_height_at(FLOAT,FLOAT,HEIGHT_FIELD_IDENTIFIER) | int(FLOAT) | log(FLOAT) | max(FLOAT,FLOAT) | min(FLOAT,FLOAT) | mod(FLOAT,FLOAT) | pow(FLOAT,FLOAT) | radians(FLOAT) | rand(FLOAT) | seed(FLOAT) | sin(FLOAT) | sinh(FLOAT) | sqrt(FLOAT) | strcmp(STRING,STRING) | strlen(STRING) | tan(FLOAT) | tanh(FLOAT) | val(STRING) | vdot(VECTOR,VECTOR) | vlength(VECTOR)
		See also eval_pigment.
FLOAT_BUILT_IN_IDENT:
	clock | pi | version | clock_delta | image_width | image_height | start_chrono | current_chrono | tick_count | NEW_ANIMATION_KEYWORDS | BOOLEAN_KEYWORD
NEW_ANIMATION_KEYWORD:
	initial_clock | final_clock | initial_frame | final_frame | frame_number | clock_on
BOOLEAN_KEYWORD:
	true | yes | on | false | no | off
FULL_EXPRESSION:
	LOGICAL_EXPRESSION [? FULL_EXPRESSION : FULL_EXPRESSION]
LOGICAL_EXPRESSION:
	REL_EXPRESSION [LOGICAL_OPERATOR REL_EXPRESSION]
LOGICAL_OPERATOR:
	& | |
REL_EXPRESSION:
	FLOAT [REL_OPERATOR FLOAT]
REL_OPERATOR:
	< | <= | = | >= | > | !=
DOT_ITEM:
	x | y | z | t | u | v | red | green | blue | filter | transmit
INT:
	FLOAT
		Any fractional part is discarded.
BOOL:
	BOOLEAN_KEYWORD | LOGICAL_EXPRESSION
Vector
VECTOR:
	VECTOR_TERM [SIGN VECTOR_TERM]
VECTOR_TERM:
	VECTOR_FACTOR [MULT VECTOR_FACTOR]
VECTOR_FACTOR:
	VECTOR_LITERAL | VECTOR_IDENTIFIER | SIGN VECTOR_FACTOR | VECTOR_FUNCTION | VECTOR_BUILT_IN_IDENT | FLOAT
VECTOR_LITERAL:
	< FLOAT, FLOAT [, FLOAT [, FLOAT [, FLOAT ]]] >
VECTOR_FUNCTION:
	vaxis_rotate(VECTOR,VECTOR,FLOAT) | vcross(VECTOR,VECTOR) | vnormalize(VECTOR) | vrotate(VECTOR,VECTOR) | eval_pigment(PIGMENT,VECTOR) | min_extent(OBJECT_IDENTIFIER) | max_extent(OBJECT_IDENTIFIER) | trace(OBJECT_IDENTIFIER,V_START,V_DIRECTION[,VECTOR_IDENTIFIER]) | turbulence(F_LAMBDA,F_OMEGA,F_OCTAVES,VECTOR) | vtransform(VECTOR,TRANSFORMATION) | vinv_transform(VECTOR,TRANSFORMATION) | vwarp(VECTOR,WARP) | noise3d(VECTOR)
		See also eval_pattern.
COMPLEX_FUNCTION:
	csqr(VECTOR) | csqrt(VECTOR) | cmult(VECTOR,VECTOR) | cdiv(VECTOR,VECTOR) | cexp(VECTOR) | clog(VECTOR) | cpow(VECTOR,VECTOR) | csin(VECTOR) | ccos(VECTOR) | ctan(VECTOR) | csinh(VECTOR) | ccosh(VECTOR) | ctanh(VECTOR) | casin(VECTOR) | cacosh(VECTOR) | catanh(VECTOR) | casinh(VECTOR) | cacosh(VECTOR) | catanh(VECTOR) | cconj(VECTOR)
		All these functions take 2D vector(s) as complex number input.
VECTOR_BUILT_IN_IDENT:
	x | y | z | t | u | v
Color
COLOR:
	[color] COLOR_BODY
COLOR_BODY:
	COLOR_VECTOR | COLOR_KEYWORD_GROUP | COLOR_IDENTIFIER
COLOR_VECTOR:
	rgb VECTOR | rgbf 4D_VECTOR | rgbt 4D_VECTOR | [rgbft] 5D_VECTOR
COLOR_KEYWORD_GROUP:
	[COLOR_IDENTIFIER] COLOR_KEYWORD_ITEMS
COLOR_KEYWORD_ITEMS:
	[red FLOAT] & [green FLOAT] & [blue FLOAT] & [filter FLOAT] & [transmit FLOAT]
String
STRING:
	STRING_FUNCTION | STRING_IDENTIFIER | STRING_LITERAL
		Limited to 127 printable characters.
STRING_FUNCTION:
	chr(INT) | concat(STRING,STRING[,STRING...]) | date(STR_FORMAT) | str(FLOAT,INT,INT) | strlwr(STRING) | strupr(STRING) | substr(STRING,INT,INT)
STRING_LITERAL:
	QUOTE ASCII_CHARACTER... QUOTE
QUOTE:
	"
Array
Define an array
ARRAY_DECLARATION:
	#declare ARRAY_IDENTIFIER = array DIMENSION [DIMENSION...] [ARRAY_INITIALIZER] | #local ARRAY_IDENTIFIER = array DIMENSION [DIMENSION...] [ARRAY_INITIALIZER]
		Limited to five dimensions.
DIMENSION:
	[ INT ]
		The brackets here are part of the dimension declaration.
ARRAY_INITIALIZER:
	{ ARRAY_INITIALIZER [, ARRAY_INITIALIZER...] } | { RVALUE [, RVALUE...] }
Reference an array
ARRAY_REFERENCE:
	ARRAY_IDENTIFIER ELEMENT [ELEMENT...]
ELEMENT:
	[ INT ]
		The brackets here are part of the element expression.

Index

Language Directive

Control the parsing of sections of the scene file
LANGUAGE_DIRECTIVE:
	INCLUDE_DIRECTIVE | IDENTIFIER_DECLARATION | UNDEF_DIRECTIVE | FOPEN_DIRECTIVE | FCLOSE_DIRECTIVE | READ_DIRECTIVE | WRITE_DIRECTIVE | DEFAULT_DIRECTIVE | VERSION_DIRECTIVE | IF_DIRECTIVE | IFDEF_DIRECTIVE | IFNDEF_DIRECTIVE | SWITCH_DIRECTIVE | WHILE_DIRECTIVE | TEXT_STREAM_DIRECTIVE | MACRO_DEFINITION
File Inclusion
Insert content of another scene file
INCLUDE_DIRECTIVE:
	#include FILE_NAME
		Include files may be nested at most 10 levels deep.
FILE_NAME:
	STRING
		Limited to 40 characters, or your computer's limit, including double-quotes.
Identifier Declaration
Create an identifier for a value, object, etc.
IDENTIFIER_DECLARATION:
	#declare IDENTIFIER = RVALUE [;] OR $IDENTIFIER = RVALUE [;] | #local IDENTIFIER = RVALUE [;] OR %IDENTIFIER = RVALUE [;]
		Up to 127 characters, starting with a letter, consisting of letters, digits and the underscore. The semicolon is required after a FLOAT, VECTOR or COLOR declaration.
IDENTIFIER_REDECLARATION:
	IDENTIFIER_DECLARETION | #set IDENTIFIER = RVALUE
RVALUE:
	FLOAT | VECTOR | COLOR | STRING | OBJECT | MATERIAL | TEXTURE | PIGMENT | NORMAL | FINISH | INTERIOR | MEDIA | DENSITY | TEXTURE_MAP | COLOR_MAP | PIGMENT_MAP | SLOPE_MAP | NORMAL_MAP | DENSITY_MAP | CAMERA | FOG | RAINBOW | SKY_SPHERE | TRANSFORM | FUNCTION
Destroy an identifier
UNDEF_DIRECTIVE:
	#undef IDENTIFIER
File Input/Output
Open a text file
FOPEN_DIRECTIVE:
	#fopen FILE_HANDLE_IDENT FILE_NAME OPEN_TYPE
OPEN_TYPE:
	read | write | append
Close a text file
FCLOSE_DIRECTIVE:
	#fclose FILE_HANDLE_IDENT
Read string, float or vector values from a text file
READ_DIRECTIVE:
	#read ( FILE_HANDLE_IDENT, DATA_IDENTIFIER [, DATA_IDENTIFIER...] )
DATA_IDENTIFIER:
	UNDECLARED_IDENTIFIER | FLOAT_IDENTIFIER | VECTOR_IDENTIFIER | STRING_IDENTIFIER
Write string, float or vector values to a text file
WRITE_DIRECTIVE:
	#write ( FILE_HANDLE_IDENT, DATA_ITEM [, DATA_ITEM...] )
DATA_ITEM:
	FLOAT | VECTOR | STRING
Default Texture
Specify a default texture, pigment, normal and/or finish
DEFAULT_DIRECTIVE:
	#default { DEFAULT_ITEM }
DEFAULT_ITEM:
	PLAIN_TEXTURE | PIGMENT | NORMAL | FINISH
Version Compatibility
Specify the POV-Ray compatibility version number
VERSION_DIRECTIVE:
	#version FLOAT;
	#version unofficial MegaPOV FLOAT;
	#version official FLOAT;
Conditional Directives - May nest conditional directives 200 levels deep
Conditionally parse a section of the scene file, depending on a boolean expression
IF_DIRECTIVE:
	#if ( LOGICAL_EXPRESSION ) SCENE [#else SCENE] #end
Conditionally parse a section of the scene file, depending on the existence of an identifier
IFDEF_DIRECTIVE:
	#ifdef ( IDENTIFIER ) SCENE [#else SCENE] #end
IFNDEF_DIRECTIVE:
	#ifndef ( IDENTIFIER ) SCENE [#else SCENE] #end
Conditionally parse a section of the scene file, depending on the value of a float expression
SWITCH_DIRECTIVE:
	#switch ( FLOAT ) SWITCH_CLAUSE... [#else SCENE] #end
SWITCH_CLAUSE:
	#case ( FLOAT ) SCENE [#break] | #range ( F_LOW, F_HIGH ) SCENE [#break]
Repeat a section of the scene file while a boolean condition is true
WHILE_DIRECTIVE:
	#while ( LOGICAL_EXPRESSION ) SCENE #end
Message Streams
Send a message to a text stream
TEXT_STREAM_DIRECTIVE:
	#debug STRING | #error STRING | #render STRING | #statistics STRING | #warning STRING
Macro
Define a macro
MACRO_DEFINITION:
	#macro MACRO_IDENTIFIER ( [PARAM_IDENTIFIER [, PARAM_IDENTIFIER...]] ) MACRO_BODY #end
MACRO_BODY:
	SCENE
		Excludes another macro definition; may not nest them.
Invoke a macro
MACRO_INVOCATION:
	MACRO_IDENTIFIER ( [ACTUAL_PARAM [, ACTUAL_PARAM...]] )
ACTUAL_PARAM:
	IDENTIFIER | RVALUE
Embedded Directives
Limited directives may be embedded in CAMERA, OBJECT and ATMOSPHERIC_EFFECT statements. However, the directives should only include items (if any) that are valid for a given statement. They should also not disrupt the required order of items, where applicable.
LIMITED_DIRECTIVE:
	IDENTIFIER_DECLARATION | UNDEF_DIRECTIVE | IF_DIRECTIVE | IFDEF_DIRECTIVE | IFNDEF_DIRECTIVE | SWITCH_DIRECTIVE | WHILE_DIRECTIVE | TEXT_STREAM_DIRECTIVE

Index

Transformation

Rotate, resize, move, or otherwise manipulate the coordinates of an object or texture
TRANSFORMATION:
	rotate VECTOR | scale VECTOR | translate VECTOR | transform TRANSFORM_IDENTIFIER | transform { TRANSFORM_IDENTIFIER [TRANSFORMATION...] } matrix < F_VAL00, F_VAL01, F_VAL02, F_VAL10, F_VAL11, F_VAL12, F_VAL20, F_VAL21, F_VAL22, F_VAL30, F_VAL31, F_VAL32 > | inverse
		For scale each vector component that is a 0.0 is converted to a 1.0.
TRANSFORM_DECLARATION:
	#declare TRANSFORM_IDENTIFIER = transform { TRANSFORMATION... } | #local TRANSFORM_IDENTIFIER = transform { TRANSFORMATION... }

Index

Camera

Describe the position, projection type and properties of the camera viewing the scene
CAMERA:
	camera { [CAMERA_TYPE] [CAMERA_ITEMS] [CAMERA_MODIFIERS] } | camera { [CAMERA_ITEMS] [CAMERA_MODIFIERS] orthographic }
CAMERA_TYPE:
	perspective | orthographic | fisheye | ultra_wide_angle | omnimax | panoramic | cylinder CYLINDER_TYPE | SPHERICAL_CAMERA
CYLINDER_TYPE:
	1 | 2 | 3 | 4
		Vertical fixed, horizontal fixed, vertical movable, or horizontal movable.
SPHERICAL_CAMERA:
	sphere/spherical_camera [h_angle FLOAT] [v_angle FLOAT]
CAMERA_ITEMS:
	[CAMERA_IDENTIFIER...] & [location VECTOR] & [right VECTOR] & [up VECTOR] & [direction VECTOR] & [sky VECTOR]
CAMERA_MODIFIERS:
	[CAMERA_IDENTIFIER...] & [angle FLOAT] & [look_at VECTOR] & [FOCAL_BLUR] & [NORMAL] & [TRANSFORMATION...]
		The angle is a positive value. For the perspective camera, the angle is a positive value less than 180.
FOCAL_BLUR:
	aperture FLOAT & blur_samples INT & [focal_point VECTOR] & [confidence FLOAT] & [variance FLOAT]
		The aperture and blur_samples are non-negative values. The confidence and variance are values between 0.0 and 1.0.

Index

Object

Describe an object in the scene
OBJECT:
	FINITE_SOLID_OBJECT | FINITE_PATCH_OBJECT | INFINITE_SOLID_OBJECT | CSG_OBJECT | LIGHT_SOURCE | OBJECT_STATEMENT
OBJECT_STATEMENT:
	object { OBJECT_IDENTIFIER [OBJECT_MODIFIERS] }
Finite Solid Primitive
Describe a solid finite shape
FINITE_SOLID_OBJECT:
	BLOB | BOX | CONE | CYLINDER | HEIGHT_FIELD | ISOBLOB | ISOSURFACE | JULIA_FRACTAL | LATHE | PRISM | SPHERE | SPHERESWEEP | SUPERELLIPSOID | SOR | TEXT | TORUS
The blob object
BLOB:
	blob { BLOB_ITEM... [threshold FLOAT] [BLOB_MODIFIERS] }
		The threshold is a positive value.
BLOB_ITEM:
	sphere { V_CENTER, F_RADIUS, [strength] F_STRENGTH [COMPONENT_MODIFIERS] } | cylinder { V_END1, V_END2, F_RADIUS, [strength] F_STRENGTH [COMPONENT_MODIFIERS] }
		The strength is a non-zero value.
COMPONENT_MODIFIERS:
	[TEXTURE] & [PIGMENT] & [NORMAL] & [FINISH] & [TRANSFORMATION...]
BLOB_MODIFIERS:
	[hierarchy [BOOL]] & [sturm [BOOL]] & [OBJECT_MODIFIERS]
The box object
BOX:
	box { V_CORNER1, V_CORNER2 [OBJECT_MODIFIERS] }
The cone object
CONE:
	cone { V_BASE_CENTER, F_BASE_RADIUS, V_CAP_CENTER, F_CAP_RADIUS [open] [OBJECT_MODIFIERS] }
		One, but not both, of F_BASE_RADIUS or F_CAP_RADIUS can be negative or zero.
The cylinder object
CYLINDER:
	cylinder { V_BASE_CENTER, V_CAP_CENTER, F_RADIUS [open] [OBJECT_MODIFIERS] }
The height field object
HEIGHT_FIELD:
	height_field { HF_TYPE FILE_NAME [HF_MODIFIERS] }
HF_TYPE:
	gif | tga | pot | png | pgm | ppm | sys | pattern I_HEIGHT,I_WIDTH { [hf_gray_16] PIGMENT }
		The pattern type does not need a file name.
HF_MODIFIERS:
	[hierarchy [BOOL]] & [smooth [BOOL]] & [water_level FLOAT] & [OBJECT_MODIFIERS]
		The water_level is a value between 0.0 and 1.0.
The isoblob object
ISOBLOB:
	isoblob { threshold FLOAT FUNCTION... ISOBLOB_COMPONENT... [ISOBLOB_MODIFIERS] }
ISOBLOB_COMPONENT:
	sphere { V_CENTER, F_RADIUS, [strength] F_STRENGTH [function] I_FUNCTION_NO [COMPONENT_MODIFIERS] }
	OR cylinder { V_END1, V_END2, F_RADIUS, [strength] F_STRENGTH [function] I_FUNCTION_NO [COMPONENT_MODIFIERS] }
COMPONENT_MODIFIERS:
	[TEXTURE] & [PIGMENT] & [NORMAL] & [FINISH] & [TRANSFORMATION...]
ISOBLOB_MODIFIERS:
	[accuracy FLOAT] & [max_trace INT] & [normal BOOL] & [OBJECT_MODIFIERS]
The isosurface object
ISOSURFACE:
	isosurface { FUNCTION ISOSURFACE_CONTAINER [ISOSURFACE_MODIFIERS] }
ISOSURFACE_CONTAINER:
	contained_by { box {VECTOR, VECTOR } }
	OR contained_by { sphere {VECTOR, FLOAT } }
ISOSURFACE_MODIFIERS:
	[accuracy FLOAT] & [max_trace INT | all_intersections] & [threshold FLOAT] & [sign -1] & [max_gradient FLOAT] & [eval [VECTOR]] & [method 1|2] & [normal [BOOL]] & [open] & [OBJECT_MODIFIERS]
		The max_gradient and eval parameters only work with method 2.
The Julia fractal object
JULIA_FRACTAL:
	julia_fractal { 4D_VECTOR [JF_ITEMS] [OBJECT_MODIFIERS] }
JF_ITEMS:
	[ALGEBRA_ITEM] & [max_iteration INT] & [precision FLOAT] & [slice V4_NORMAL, F_DISTANCE]
		The max_iteration is a positive value. The slice vector must not have zero length or a zero for the fourth component. The precision is 1.0 or greater.
ALGEBRA_ITEM:
	quaternion [QUATER_FUNCTION] | hypercomplex [HYPER_FUNCTION]
QUATER_FUNCTION:
	sqr | cube
HYPER_FUNCTION:
	sqr | cube | exp | reciprocal | sin | asin | sinh | asinh | cos | acos | cosh | acosh | tan | atan | tanh | atanh | log | pwr(FLOAT,FLOAT)
The lathe object
LATHE:
	lathe { [SPLINE_TYPE] I_NUM_POINTS, POINT_LIST [LATHE_MODIFIERS] }
		The I_NUM_POINTS is 2 or greater for linear_spline, 3 or greater for quadratic_spline, and 4 or greater for cubic_spline or bezier_spline.
SPLINE_TYPE:
	linear_spline | quadratic_spline | cubic_spline | bezier_spline
POINT_LIST:
	A quantity I_NUM_POINTS of 2D_VECTORs separated by commas
LATHE_MODIFIERS:
	[sturm [BOOL]] & [OBJECT_MODIFIERS]
The prism object
PRISM:
	prism { [PRISM_ITEMS] F_HEIGHT1, F_HEIGHT2, I_NUM_POINTS, POINT_LIST [open] [PRISM_MODIFIERS] }
		The I_NUM_POINTS is 3 or greater for linear_spline, 5 or greater for quadratic_spline, and 6 or greater for cubic_spline or bezier_spline.
PRISM_ITEMS:
	[SPLINE_TYPE] & [SWEEP_TYPE]
SPLINE_TYPE:
	linear_spline | quadratic_spline | cubic_spline | bezier_spline
SWEEP_TYPE:
	linear_sweep | conic_sweep
PRISM_MODIFIERS:
	[sturm [BOOL]] & [OBJECT_MODIFIERS]
The sphere object
SPHERE:
	sphere { V_CENTER, F_RADIUS [OBJECT_MODIFIERS] }
		The F_RADIUS is a positive value.
The spheresweep object
SPHERE_SWEEP:
	sphere_sweep { SWEEP_TYPE I_NumSpheres, V_Centre1, F_Radius1,... [sphere_sweep_depth_tolerance FLOAT] [OBJECT_MODIFIERS] }
SWEEP_TYPE:
	linear_sphere_sweep | catmull_rom_spline_sphere_sweep | b_spline_sphere_sweep
The superquadric ellipsoid object
SUPERELLIPSOID:
	superellipsoid { < FLOAT, FLOAT > [OBJECT_MODIFIERS] }
		The FLOATs are positive values.
The surface of revolution object
SOR:
	sor { I_NUM_POINTS, POINT_LIST [open] [SOR_MODIFIERS] }
		The I_NUM_POINTS is 4 or greater.
SOR_MODIFIERS:
	[sturm [BOOL]] & [OBJECT_MODIFIERS]
The text object
TEXT:
	text { ttf FILE_NAME STRING F_THICKNESS, V_OFFSET [TEXT_ALIGNMENT] [OBJECT_MODIFIERS] }
TEXT_ALIGNMENT:
	align_left | align_center | align_right
The torus object
TORUS:
	torus { F_MAJOR_RADIUS, F_MINOR_RADIUS [TORUS_MODIFIERS] }
		The F_MAJOR_RADIUS is a positive value.
TORUS_MODIFIERS:
	[sturm [BOOL]] & [OBJECT_MODIFIERS]
Finite Patch Primitive
Describe an infinitely thin, finite shape
FINITE_PATCH_OBJECT:
	BEZIER_PATCH | BICUBIC_PATCH | DISC | MESH | MESH2 | PARAMETRIC | POLYGON | TRIANGLE | SMOOTH_TRIANGLE
The bezier patch object
BEZIER_PATCH:
	bezier_patch { U_ORDER, V_ORDER [accuracy ACCURACY_VALUE] [rational] BEZIER_CONTROL_POINTS BEZIER_TRIMMED_BY }
BEZIER_CONTROL_POINTS:
	<CP_1_1>, ... <CP_1_U_ORDER> . . . . <CP_V_ORDER_1>, ... <CP_V_ORDER_U_ORDER>
		<CP_*_*> are VECTORs for normal or 4-D VECTORs for rational bezier patches.
BEZIER_TRIMMED_BY:
	trimmed_by { type 1|2 [I_ORDER [rational] <CP_1>, ... <CP_ORDER>] [scale <u,v>] [translate <u,v>] [rotate <u,v>] }
		Note, you may #declare trimmed_by.
The bicubic patch object
BICUBIC_PATCH:
	bicubic_patch { PATCH_ITEMS CONTROL_POINTS [uv_vectors V2_UV1, V2_UV2, V2_UV3, V2_UV4] & [OBJECT_MODIFIERS] }
		The uv_vectors keyword is meant to be used in conjunction with uv_mapping.
PATCH_ITEMS:
	type PATCH_TYPE & u_steps INT & v_steps INT & [flatness FLOAT]
		The u_steps and v_steps are positive values. The flatness is a non-negative value.
PATCH_TYPE:
	0 | 1 | 2 | 3
		Minimal memory or speedier render.
		Or better quality speedier render or rational bezier.
CONTROL_POINTS:
	16 VECTORs separated by commas, 16 4D VECTORs needed for type 3 bicubic patch
The disc object
DISC:
	disc { V_CENTER, V_NORMAL, F_RADIUS [, F_HOLE_RADIUS] [OBJECT_MODIFIERS] }
		The F_RADIUS is greater than the F_HOLE_RADIUS.
The mesh object
MESH:
	mesh { MESH_TRIANGLE... [MESH_MODIFIERS] }
MESH_TRIANGLE:
	triangle { V_CORNER1, V_CORNER2, V_CORNER3 [uv_vectors V2_UV1, V2_UV2, V2_UV3] & [MESH_TEXTURE] } | smooth_triangle { V_CORNER1, V_NORMAL1, V_CORNER2, V_NORMAL2, V_CORNER3, V_NORMAL3 [uv_vectors VECTOR, VECTOR, VECTOR] & [MESH_TEXTURE] }
		The uv_vectors keyword is meant to be used in conjunction with uv_mapping.
MESH_TEXTURE:
	texture { TEXTURE_IDENTIFIER } | texture_list { TEXTURE_IDENTIFIER, TEXTURE_IDENTIFIER, TEXTURE_IDENTIFIER}
MESH_MODIFIERS:
	[hierarchy [BOOL]] & [inside_vector VECTOR] & [OBJECT_MODIFIERS]
The mesh2 object
MESH2:
	mesh2 { MESH2_VERTEX_VECTORS & [MESH2_NORMAL_VECTORS] & [MESH2_UV_VECTORS] & [MESH2_TEXTURE_LIST] & MESH2_FACE_INDICES & [MESH2_NORMAL_INDICES] & [MESH2_UV_INDICES] & [MESH_MODIFIERS] }
		You must supply or omit the VECTORS / INDICES pairs simultaneously. Note, all INDICES start from zero.
MESH2_VERTEX_VECTORS:
	vetex_vectors { I_NUMVERTICES, V_VERTEX0, V_VERTEX1, ... }
MESH2_NORMAL_VECTORS:
	normal_vectors { I_NUMNORMALS, V_NORMAL0, V_NORMAL1, ... }
MESH2_UV_VECTORS:
	uv_vectors { I_NUMUVS, V2_UV0, V2_UV1, ... }
MESH2_TEXTURE_LIST:
	texture_list { I_NUMTEXTURES, TEXTURE_IDENTIFIER0, TEXTURE_IDENTIFIER1, ... }
MESH2_FACE_INDICES:
	face_indices { I_NUMFACES, <I_INDEX00, I_INDEX01, I_INDEX02> [, I_TEXTURE_INDEX [, TEXTURE_INDEX, TEXTURE_INDEX]] ... }
MESH2_NORMAL_INDICES:
	normal_indices { I_NUMNORMALS, <I_INDEX00, I_INDEX01, I_INDEX02> ... }
		I_NUMNORMALS is less than or equal to I_NUMFACES. Faces with normals will be smooth, and without normals will not be smooth.
MESH2_UV_INDICES:
	normal_indices { I_NUMFACES, <I_INDEX00, I_INDEX01, I_INDEX02> ... }
MESH2_MODIFIERS:
	[inside_vector VECTOR] & [OBJECT_MODIFIERS]
The parametric object
PARAMETRIC:
	parametric { PARAMETRIC_3DFUNCTION UVBOUNDS XYZBOUNDS [PARAMETRIC_MODIFIERS] }
PARAMETRIC_3DFUNCTION:
	function x(u,v), y(u,v), z(u,v)
		Where x(), y(), and z() are three functions, in u and v.
UVBOUNDS:
	<F_UMIN, F_VMIN>, <F_UMAX, F_VMAX>
XYZBOUNDS:
	<X_UMIN, Y_VMIN, Z_MIN>, <X_UMAX, Y_VMAX, Z_MAX>
PARAMETRIC_MODIFIERS:
	[accuracy FLOAT] & [precompute I_DEPTH, [[x],[y],[y]]] & [OBJECT_MODIFIERS]
		At least one of x, y or z must be present if precompute is used. Bold []'s are part of syntax.
The polygon object
POLYGON:
	polygon { I_NUM_POINTS, POINT_LIST [OBJECT_MODIFIERS] }
		The I_NUM_POINTS is 3 or greater.
The triangle object
TRIANGLE:
	triangle { V_CORNER1, V_CORNER2, V_CORNER3 [OBJECT_MODIFIERS] }
The smooth triangle object
SMOOTH_TRIANGLE:
	smooth_triangle { V_CORNER1, V_NORMAL1, V_CORNER2, V_NORMAL2, V_CORNER3, V_NORMAL3 [OBJECT_MODIFIERS] }
Infinite Solid Primitive
Describe a solid, possibly infinite, shape
INFINITE_SOLID_OBJECT:
	PLANE | POLY | CUBIC | QUARTIC | QUADRIC
The plane object
PLANE:
	plane { V_NORMAL, F_DISTANCE [OBJECT_MODIFIERS] }
The poly object
POLY:
	poly { ORDER, < POLY_COEFFICIENTS > [POLY_MODIFIERS] }
ORDER:
	An integer value between 2 and 15 inclusive.
POLY_COEFFICIENTS:
	A quantity n of FLOATs separated by commas, where n is ((ORDER+1)*(ORDER+2)*(ORDER+3))/6
POLY_MODIFIERS:
	[sturm [BOOL]] & [OBJECT_MODIFIERS]
The cubic object
CUBIC:
	cubic { < CUBIC_COEFFICIENTS > [POLY_MODIFIERS] }
CUBIC_COEFFICIENTS:
	20 FLOATs separated by commas
The quartic object
QUARTIC:
	quartic { < QUARTIC_COEFFICIENTS > [POLY_MODIFIERS] }
QUARTIC_COEFFICIENTS:
	35 FLOATs separated by commas
The quadric object
QUADRIC:
	quadric { < FLOAT, FLOAT, FLOAT >, < FLOAT, FLOAT, FLOAT >, < FLOAT, FLOAT, FLOAT >, FLOAT [OBJECT_MODIFIERS] }
Constructive Solid Geometry
Describe one complex shape from multiple shapes
CSG_OBJECT:
	UNION | INTERSECTION | DIFFERENCE | MERGE
Combine multiple shapes into one
UNION:
	union { OBJECT... [OBJECT_MODIFIERS] }
Create a new shape from the overlapping portions of multiple shapes
INTERSECTION:
	intersection { SOLID_OBJECT... [OBJECT_MODIFIERS] }
SOLID_OBJECT:
	FINITE_SOLID_OBJECT | INFINITE_SOLID_OBJECT | CSG_OBJECT
Subtract one or more shapes from another
DIFFERENCE:
	difference { SOLID_OBJECT... [cutaway_textures] & [OBJECT_MODIFIERS] }
Combine multiple shapes into one, removing internal surfaces
MERGE:
	merge { SOLID_OBJECT... [OBJECT_MODIFIERS] }
Light Source
Describe the position, type and properties of a light source for the scene
LIGHT_SOURCE:
	light_source { V_LOCATION, COLOR [COLOR_MAP] & [LIGHT_SOURCE_ITEMS] }
		COLOR_MAP should be used only when Photons along with with Dispersion is needed.
LIGHT_SOURCE_ITEMS:
	[LIGHT_TYPE] & [AREA_LIGHT_ITEMS] & [LIGHT_MODIFIERS]
LIGHT_TYPE:
	shadowless | spotlight SPOTLIGHT_ITEMS | cylinder SPOTLIGHT_ITEMS
SPOTLIGHT_ITEMS:
	point_at VECTOR & [radius FLOAT] & [falloff FLOAT] & [tightness FLOAT]
		The falloff is a positive value less than 90.0. The radius is a value between -90.0 and 90.0. The radius should not be greater than the falloff. The tightness is a value between 1.0 and 100.0.
		The implemention of cylinder lights is different between POV-Ray 3.1g and MegaPOV 0.7. Perhaps cylinder lights are (always) parallel in MegaPOV.
AREA_LIGHT_ITEMS:
	area_light V_AXIS1, V_AXIS2, I_SIZE1, I_SIZE2 [adaptive INT] [jitter FLOAT] [circular] [orient]
		The V_AXIS1 should be perpendicular to the V_AXIS2. The I_SIZE1 and I_SIZE2 are positive values. The adaptive is a non-negative value.
LIGHT_MODIFIERS:
	[looks_like { OBJECT }] & [TRANSFORMATION...] & [fade_distance FLOAT] & [fade_power FLOAT] & [media_attenuation [BOOL]] & [media_interaction [BOOL]] & [groups "name1,name2,name3,..."] & [parallel] & [projected_through OBJECT] & [LIGHT_PHOTON_BLOCK] & [GLOW_EFFECT]
		The looks_like object should not be another light source! The fade_distance is a non-zero value.
		Max 30 user groups plus "all" and "none". Multiple groups may be specified seperated by commas. Can specify negation in Object or Media as "! light_group_name". The parallel keyword uses the point_at vector.
LIGHT_PHOTON_BLOCK:
	photons { [LIGHT_PHOTON_ITEMS] }
		See also GLOBAL_PHOTON_BLOCK.
LIGHT_PHOTON_ITEMS:
	[global FLOAT] & [refraction BOOL] & [reflection BOOL] & [area_light]
Object Modifier
Manipulate the appearance of an object
OBJECT_MODIFIERS:
	[CLIPPED_BY] & [BOUNDED_BY] & [INTERIOR] & [MATERIAL] & [TEXTURE] & [INTERIOR_TEXTURE] & [PIGMENT] & [NORMAL] & [FINISH] & [TRANSFORMATION...] & [no_shadow ["light_group_names"]] & [no_image] & [no_reflection] & [inverse] & [hollow [BOOL]] & [uv_mapping] & [double_illuminate] & [light_group "light_groups"] & [label OBJLABEL] & [OBJECT_PHOTON_BLOCK]
		uv_mapping only works with bicubic_patch, mesh, mesh2, lathe, sor, sphere, and box. OBJLABEL is an identifier, without quotes. labelling an object makes it persistant in an animation. Also important is Persistent_Animation=yes INI file entry for persistance of variables.
INTERIOR_TEXTURE:
	interior_texture { anything that goes into texture (...} block }
OBJECT_PHOTON_BLOCK:
	photons { [OBJECT_PHOTON_ITEMS] }
		See also GLOBAL_PHOTON_BLOCK.
OBJECT_PHOTON_ITEMS:
	[target [FLOAT]] & [refraction BOOL] & [reflection BOOL] & [ignore_photons] & [pass_through [BOOL]]
Slice a portion of a shape
CLIPPED_BY:
	clipped_by { UNTEXTURED_SOLID_OBJECT... } | clipped_by { bounded_by }
UNTEXTURED_SOLID_OBJECT:
	FINITE_SOLID_OBJECT | INFINITE_SOLID_OBJECT
		Note, neither with a texture applied.
Specify a bounding shape for an object
BOUNDED_BY:
	bounded_by { UNTEXTURED_SOLID_OBJECT... } | bounded_by { clipped_by }
The material "wrapper"
MATERIAL:
	material { [MATERIAL_IDENTIFIER] [MATERIAL_ITEMS] }
MATERIAL_ITEMS:
	TEXTURE & INTERIOR & [TRANSFORMATION...]

Index

Interior

Describe the interior of an object
INTERIOR:
	interior { [INTERIOR_IDENTIFIER] [INTERIOR_ITEMS] }
INTERIOR_ITEMS:
	[ior FLOAT] & [caustics FLOAT] & [fade_distance FLOAT] & [fade_power FLOAT] & [fade_color COLOR] & [dispersion FLOAT] & [disp_nelems INTEGER] & [MEDIA...]
		The fade_distance is a non-zero value.
		If you set fade_power>=1000, MegaPov will use a realistic exponential attenuation function: Attenuation = exp(-depth/fade_dist)

Index

Texture

Describe the surface of an object
TEXTURE:
	PLAIN_TEXTURE | LAYERED_TEXTURE | PATTERNED_TEXTURE
Plain Texture
Describe a texture consisting of a single pigment, normal and finish
PLAIN_TEXTURE:
	texture { [PLAIN_TEXTURE_IDENT] [PNF_IDENTIFIERS] [PNF_ITEMS] }
PNF_IDENTIFIERS:
	[PIGMENT_IDENTIFIER] & [NORMAL_IDENTIFIER] & [FINISH_IDENTIFIER]
PNF_ITEMS:
	[PIGMENT] & [NORMAL] & [FINISH] & [TRANSFORMATION...]
Layered Texture
Describe a texture consisting of two or more semi-transparent layers
LAYERED_TEXTURE:
	texture { LAYERED_TEXTURE_IDENT } | PLAIN_TEXTURE...
		A patterned texture cannot be used as a layer in a layered texture.
Patterned Texture
Describe a texture using a pattern or blending function
PATTERNED_TEXTURE:
	texture { PATTERNED_TEXTURE_IDENT [TRANSFORMATION...] } | texture { TEXTURE_PATTERN [PATTERN_MODIFIERS] } | texture { tiles TEXTURE tile2 TEXTURE [TRANSFORMATION...] } | texture { MATERIAL_MAP }
TEXTURE_PATTERN:
	MAP_PATTERN TEXTURE_MAP | TEXTURE_LIST_PATTERN
TEXTURE_LIST_PATTERN:
	brick TEXTURE TEXTURE [brick_size VECTOR] [mortar FLOAT] | checker TEXTURE TEXTURE | hexagon TEXTURE TEXTURE TEXTURE | square TEXTURE TEXTURE TEXTURE TEXTURE | triangle TEXTURE TEXTURE TEXTURE TEXTURE TEXTURE TEXTURE
TEXTURE_MAP:
	texture_map { TEXTURE_MAP_BODY } [BLEND_MAP_MODIFIERS]
TEXTURE_MAP_BODY:
	TEXTURE_MAP_IDENTIFIER | TEXTURE_MAP_ENTRY...
		There may be from 2 to 256 map entries.
TEXTURE_MAP_ENTRY:
	[ FLOAT TEXTURE ]
		Note, the brackets here are part of the map entry. The FLOAT is a value between 0.0 and 1.0, or any positive value for the average pattern. Except when used with average, each map index is equal or greater than the previous one in the map.
MATERIAL_MAP:
	material_map { BITMAP_TYPE FILE_NAME [BITMAP_MODIFIERS] TEXTURE... [TRANSFORMATION...] }
BITMAP_TYPE:
	gif | tga | iff | ppm | pgm | png | sys | pattern I_HEIGHT,I_WIDTH { [hf_gray_16] PIGMENT }
		The pattern type does not need a file name.
Pigment
Describe a color or pattern of colors for a texture
PIGMENT:
	pigment { [PIGMENT_IDENTIFIER] [PIGMENT_TYPE] [PIGMENT_MODIFIERS] }
PIGMENT_TYPE:
	PIGMENT_PATTERN | COLOR | IMAGE_MAP
PIGMENT_PATTERN:
	MAP_PATTERN [COLOR_MAP] | MAP_PATTERN PIGMENT_MAP | COLOR_LIST_PATTERN | PIGMENT_LIST_PATTERN
COLOR_LIST_PATTERN:
	brick [COLOR [, COLOR]] [brick_size VECTOR] [mortar FLOAT] | checker [COLOR [, COLOR]] | hexagon [COLOR [, COLOR [, COLOR]]] | square [COLOR [,COLOR [,COLOR [,COLOR]]]] | triangle [COLOR [,COLOR [,COLOR [,COLOR [,COLOR [,COLOR]]]]]]
PIGMENT_LIST_PATTERN:
	brick PIGMENT PIGMENT [brick_size VECTOR] [mortar FLOAT] | checker PIGMENT PIGMENT | hexagon PIGMENT PIGMENT PIGMENT | square PIGMENT PIGMENT PIGMENT PIGMENT | triangle PIGMENT PIGMENT PIGMENT PIGMENT PIGMENT PIGMENT
IMAGE_MAP:
	image_map { BITMAP_TYPE FILE_NAME [IMAGE_MAP_MODIFIER...] [BITMAP_MODIFIERS] }
IMAGE_MAP_MODIFIER:
	filter I_PALETTE, F_AMOUNT | filter all F_AMOUNT | transmit I_PALETTE, F_AMOUNT | transmit all F_AMOUNT
		The I_PALETTE is a non-negative value.
PIGMENT_MODIFIERS:
	[PATTERN_MODIFIERS] & [quick_color COLOR]
COLOR_MAP:
	color_map { COLOR_MAP_BODY } [BLEND_MAP_MODIFIERS]
		The color_map cannot be used with the average pattern.
COLOR_MAP_BODY:
	COLOR_MAP_IDENTIFIER | COLOR_MAP_ENTRY...
		There may be from 2 to 256 map entries.
COLOR_MAP_ENTRY:
	[ FLOAT COLOR ]
		Note, the brackets here are part of the map entry. The FLOAT is a value between 0.0 and 1.0. Each map index is equal or greater than the previous one in the map.
PIGMENT_MAP:
	pigment_map { PIGMENT_MAP_BODY } [BLEND_MAP_MODIFIERS]
PIGMENT_MAP_BODY:
	PIGMENT_MAP_IDENTIFIER | PIGMENT_MAP_ENTRY...
		There may be from 2 to 256 map entries.
PIGMENT_MAP_ENTRY:
	[ FLOAT PIGMENT ]
		Note, the brackets here are part of the map entry. The FLOAT is a value between 0.0 and 1.0, or any positive value for the average pattern. Except when used with average, each map index is equal or greater than the previous one in the map.
Normal
Simulate the visual or tactile surface characteristics of a texture
NORMAL:
	normal { [NORMAL_IDENTIFIER] [NORMAL_TYPE] [NORMAL_MODIFIERS] }
NORMAL_TYPE:
	NORMAL_PATTERN | BUMP_MAP
NORMAL_PATTERN:
	MAP_PATTERN [F_DEPTH] [SLOPE_MAP] | MAP_PATTERN NORMAL_MAP [SLOPE_MAP] | NORMAL_LIST_PATTERN
		Note that the bumps, dents, quilted, ripples, waves and wrinkles patterns cannot use a NORMAL_MAP or SLOPE_MAP.
NORMAL_LIST_PATTERN:
	brick NORMAL NORMAL [brick_size VECTOR] [mortar FLOAT] | brick F_DEPTH [brick_size VECTOR] [mortar FLOAT] | checker NORMAL NORMAL | checker F_DEPTH | hexagon NORMAL NORMAL NORMAL | hexagon F_DEPTH | square NORMAL NORMAL NORMAL NORMAL | square F_DEPTH | triangle NORMAL NORMAL NORMAL NORMAL NORMAL NORMAL | triangle F_DEPTH
BUMP_MAP:
	bump_map { BITMAP_TYPE FILE_NAME [BUMP_MAP_MODIFIERS] }
BUMP_MAP_MODIFIERS:
	[BITMAP_MODIFIERS] & [use_index] & [bump_size FLOAT]
		The bump_size is a non-zero value.
NORMAL_MODIFIERS:
	[PATTERN_MODIFIERS] & [bump_size FLOAT] & [no_bump_scale] & [accuracy FLOAT]
		The bump_size is a non-zero value.
NORMAL_MAP:
	normal_map { NORMAL_MAP_BODY } [BLEND_MAP_MODIFIERS]
NORMAL_MAP_BODY:
	NORMAL_MAP_IDENTIFIER | NORMAL_MAP_ENTRY...
		There may be from 2 to 256 map entries.
NORMAL_MAP_ENTRY:
	[ FLOAT NORMAL ]
		Note, the brackets here are part of the map entry. The FLOAT is a value between 0.0 and 1.0, or any positive value for the average pattern. Except when used with average, each map index is equal or greater than the previous one in the map.
SLOPE_MAP:
	slope_map { SLOPE_MAP_BODY } [BLEND_MAP_MODIFIERS]
SLOPE_MAP_BODY:
	SLOPE_MAP_IDENTIFIER | SLOPE_MAP_ENTRY...
		There may be from 2 to 256 map entries.
SLOPE_MAP_ENTRY:
	[ FLOAT, < F_HEIGHT, F_SLOPE > ]
		Note, the brackets here are part of the map entry. The FLOAT is a value between 0.0 and 1.0. Each map index is equal or greater than the previous one in the map.
Finish
Describe the reflective properties of a surface
FINISH:
	finish { [FINISH_IDENTIFIER] [FINISH_ITEMS] }
FINISH_ITEMS:
	[ambient COLOR] & [diffuse FLOAT] & [brilliance FLOAT] & [PHONG] & [SPECULAR] & [BLINN] & [REFLECTION] & [IRID] & [crand FLOAT]
PHONG:
	phong FLOAT & [phong_size FLOAT] & [metallic [FLOAT]]
SPECULAR:
	specular FLOAT & [roughness FLOAT] & [metallic [FLOAT]]
		The roughness is a non-zero value.
BLINN:
	blinn FLOAT & [facets FLOAT] & [metallic [FLOAT]]
		Needs a large IOR to work.
REFLECTION:
	reflection COLOR | NEW_REFLECTION_SYNTAX & [reflection_exponent FLOAT] & [reflection_blur FLOAT [reflection_samples INT]] & [reflect_metallic [FLOAT]]
NEW_REFLECTION_SYNTAX:
	reflection_type REFLECTION_TYPE [reflection_min FLOAT] & [reflection_max FLOAT] & [reflection_falloff FLOAT] & [conserve_energy]
		The conserve_energy conserves energy, only when variable reflection is used along with transmittance.
REFLECTION_TYPE:
	0 | 1
		Older reflection (for variable reflection use reflection_falloff), Fresnel reflectivity function (needs IOR).
IRID:
	irid { F_AMOUNT [IRID_ITEMS] }
IRID_ITEMS:
	[thickness FLOAT] & [turbulence FLOAT]
Pattern
Specify a pattern function for a texture, pigment, normal or density
MAP_PATTERN:
	AGATE | average | BLOB_PATTERN | BLOB_PIGMENT | boxed | bozo | bumps | cells | crackle [CRACKLE_TYPES...] | cylindrical | DENSITY_FILE | dents | FACETS | FUNCTION | FRACTAL_PATTERN | gradient VECTOR | granite | IMAGE_PATTERN | OBJECT_PATTERN | leopard | mandel I_MAX_ITERATION | marble | NOISE_PIGMENT | onion | planar | PIGMENT_PATTERN | polarical | PROXIMITY | QUILTED | radial | ripples | SLOPE | solid FLOAT | spherical | spiral1 I_NUM_ARMS | spiral2 I_NUM_ARMS | spotted | waves | wood | wrinkles
		The I_MAX_ITERATION is a positive value. The I_NUM_ARMS is a positive value.
AGATE:
	agate [agate_turb FLOAT]
BLOB_PATTERN:
	blob { Please check the MegaPOV 0.7 documentation on Blob Pattern }
BLOB_PIGMENT:
	blob_pigment { Please check the MegaPOV 0.7 documentation on Blob Pigment }
CRACKLE_TYPES:
	form VECTOR | metric FLOAT | offset FLOAT | solid
DENSITY_FILE:
	density_file df3 FILE_NAME [interpolate DENSITY_INTERPOLATE]
DENSITY_INTERPOLATE:
	0 | 1
		None or trilinear.
FACETS:
	facets [coords FLOAT | size FLOAT]
		facets is documented as a "Crackle Type" in the MegaPOV 0.7 documentation.
FRACTAL_PATTERN:
	FRACTAL_PATTERN_TYPE [FRACTAL_PATTERN_MODIFIERS...]
FRACTAL_PATTERN_TYPE:
	mandel I_MAX_ITERATION | mandel3 I_MAX_ITERATION | mandel4 I_MAX_ITERATION | julia V2_COORD I_MAX_ITERATION | julia3 V2_COORD I_MAX_ITERATION | julia4 V2_COORD I_MAX_ITERATION | magnet1m I_MAX_ITERATION | magnet2m I_MAX_ITERATION | magnet1j V2_COORD I_MAX_ITERATION | magnet2j V2_COORD I_MAX_ITERATION
		All these generate 2 dimensional fractals projected on the x-y plane.
FRACTAL_PATTERN_MODIFIERS:
	fractal_interior_type I_TYPE, F_FACTOR | fractal_exterior_type I_TYPE, F_FACTOR
		I_TYPE must be an integer from 0 to 6.
IMAGE_PATTERN:
	image_pattern { BITMAP_TYPE FILE_NAME [use_alpha] }
NOISE_PIGMENT:
	noise_pigment { I_TYPE, COLOR_MIN, COLOR_MAX }
		I_TYPE must be an integer from 0 to 3 (bit 0 for color, bit 1 for gaussian).
OBJECT_PATTERN:
	object_pattern { OBJECT LIST_ITEM_A, LIST_ITEM_B }
		LIST_ITEM_A and LIST_ITEM_B are "colors, pigments, or whatever the pattern is controlling".
PIGMENTT_PATTERN:
	pigment_pattern { PIGMENT_TYPE }
PROXIMITY:
	proximity { OBJECT samples INT [sample_weighing VECTOR] sample_bailout INT max_density FLOAT type INT method INT sides INT }
SLOPE:
	slope { V_SLOPE [, V_ALTITUDE [, <F_LO_SLOPE,F_HI_SLOPE>, <F_LO_ALT,F_HI_ALT> ]] }
QUILTED:
	quilted [control0 FLOAT] [control1 FLOAT]
		The control0 and control1 values should generally be kept between 0.0 and 1.0.
Pattern Modifier
Modify the evaluation of a pattern function
PATTERN_MODIFIERS:
	[TURBULENCE] & [WARP...] & [TRANSFORMATION...]
TURBULENCE:
	turbulence VECTOR & [octaves INT] & [omega FLOAT] & [lambda FLOAT]
		The octaves is a value between 1 and 10.
WARP:
	warp { WARP_ITEM [TRANSFORMATION...] }
WARP_ITEM:
	REPEAT_WARP | BLACK_HOLE_WARP | TURBULENCE | CYLINDRICAL_WARP | SPHERICAL_WARP | TOROIDAL_WARP | PLANAR_WARP | DISPLACE_WARP | reset_children
REPEAT_WARP:
	repeat VECTOR [REPEAT_ITEMS]
REPEAT_ITEMS:
	[offset VECTOR] & [flip VECTOR]
BLACK_HOLE_WARP:
	black_hole V_LOCATION, F_RADIUS [BLACK_HOLE_ITEMS]
BLACK_HOLE_ITEMS:
	[strength FLOAT] & [falloff FLOAT] & [inverse] & [repeat VECTOR [turbulence VECTOR]]
CYLINDRICAL_WARP:
	cylindrical [orientation VECTOR] [dist_exp FLOAT]
SPHERICAL_WARP:
	spherical [orientation VECTOR] [dist_exp FLOAT]
TOROIAL_WARP:
	toroidal [orientation VECTOR] [dist_exp FLOAT] [major_radius FLOAT]
PLANAR_WARP:
	planar [VECTOR, FLOAT]
DISPLACE_WARP:
	displace { PATTERN, COLOR_MAP type INT }
Modify the usage of a blend map
BLEND_MAP_MODIFIERS:
	[frequency FLOAT] & [phase FLOAT] & [WAVEFORM]
WAVEFORM:
	ramp_wave | triangle_wave | sine_wave | scallop_wave | cubic_wave | poly_wave [F_EXPONENT] | atan_wave | spline_wave SPLINE_IDENTIFIER
Specify how a 2-D bitmap is to be applied to a 3-D surface
BITMAP_MODIFIERS:
	[once] & [map_type MAP_TYPE] & [interpolate INTERPOLATE_TYPE]
MAP_TYPE:
	0 | 1 | 2 | 5
		Planar, spherical, cylindrical or toroidal.
INTERPOLATE_TYPE:
	2 | 4
		Bilinear interpolation or normalized distance.

Index

Media

Describe particulate matter
MEDIA:
	media { [MEDIA_IDENTIFIER] [MEDIA_ITEMS] }
MEDIA_ITEMS:
	[method SAMPLE_METHOD] & [intervals INT] & [samples I_MIN, I_MAX] & [sample_spacing FLOAT] & [confidence FLOAT] & [variance FLOAT] & [ratio FLOAT] & [absorption COLOR] & [emission COLOR | EMISSION_NEW] & [SCATTERING] & [DENSITY...] & [TRANSFORMATION...] & [light_group "light_groups"] & [MEDIA_PHOTON_BLOCK]
		The intervals, I_MIN and I_MAX are positive values. The confidence, variance and ratio are values between 0.0 and 1.0.
SAMPLE_METHOD:
	1 | 2 | 3
		Old (random?), Evenly Distributed, and Adaptive sampling methods. Can specify aa_level (default 4) and aa_threshold (default .1) with method 3.
EMISSION_NEW:
	emission COLOR emission_type 2 emission_extinction FLOAT
	OR emission {EMISSION_TYPE, COLOR [FLOAT]}
SCATTERING:
	scattering { SCATTERING_TYPE, COLOR [eccentricity FLOAT] [extinction FLOAT] }
SCATTERING_TYPE:
	1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
		Isotropic, Mie haze, Mie murky, Rayleigh or Henyey-Greenstein.
DENSITY:
	density { [DENSITY_IDENTIFIER] [DENSITY_TYPE] [PATTERN_MODIFIERS] }
DENSITY_TYPE:
	DENSITY_PATTERN | COLOR
DENSITY_PATTERN:
	MAP_PATTERN [COLOR_MAP] | MAP_PATTERN DENSITY_MAP | COLOR_LIST_PATTERN | DENSITY_LIST_PATTERN
DENSITY_LIST_PATTERN:
	brick DENSITY DENSITY [brick_size VECTOR] [mortar FLOAT] | checker DENSITY DENSITY | hexagon DENSITY DENSITY DENSITY | square DENSITY DENSITY DENSITY DENSITY | triangle DENSITY DENSITY DENSITY DENSITY DENSITY DENSITY
DENSITY_MAP:
	density_map { DENSITY_MAP_BODY } [BLEND_MAP_MODIFIERS]
DENSITY_MAP_BODY:
	DENSITY_MAP_IDENTIFIER | DENSITY_MAP_ENTRY...
		There may be from 2 to 256 map entries.
DENSITY_MAP_ENTRY:
	[ FLOAT DENSITY ]
		Note, the brackets here are part of the map entry. The FLOAT is a value between 0.0 and 1.0, or any positive value for the average pattern. Except when used with average, each map index is equal or greater than the previous one in the map.
MEDIA_PHOTON_BLOCK:
	[ignore_photons]
		See also GLOBAL_PHOTON_BLOCK.

Index

Atmospheric Effect

Describe various background and atmospheric features
ATMOSPHERIC_EFFECT:
	MEDIA | BACKGROUND | FOG | SKY_SPHERE | RAINBOW
Background
Specify a background color for the scene
BACKGROUND:
	background { COLOR }
Fog
Simulate a hazy or foggy atmosphere
FOG:
	CONSTANT_FOG | GROUND_FOG
CONSTANT_FOG:
	fog { [FOG_IDENTIFIER] [fog_type 1] FOG_ITEMS }
GROUND_FOG:
	fog { [FOG_IDENTIFIER] fog_type 2 GROUND_FOG_ITEMS }
FOG_ITEMS:
	distance FLOAT & COLOR & [TURBULENCE [turb_depth FLOAT]]
GROUND_FOG_ITEMS:
	FOG_ITEMS & fog_offset FLOAT & fog_alt FLOAT & [up VECTOR [TRANSFORMATION...]]
Sky Sphere
Specify a sky pigment
SKY_SPHERE:
	sky_sphere { [SKY_SPHERE_IDENTIFIER] [SKY_SPHERE_ITEM...] }
SKY_SPHERE_ITEM:
	PIGMENT | TRANSFORMATION
Rainbow
Specify a rainbow arc
RAINBOW:
	rainbow { [RAINBOW_IDENTIFIER] [RAINBOW_ITEMS] }
RAINBOW_ITEMS:
	direction VECTOR & angle FLOAT & width FLOAT & distance FLOAT & COLOR_MAP & [jitter FLOAT] & [up VECTOR] & [arc_angle FLOAT] & [falloff_angle FLOAT]
		The arc_angle is a value between 0 and 360. The falloff_angle should not be greater than the arc_angle.

Index

Global Settings

Specify various settings that apply to the entire scene
GLOBAL_SETTINGS:
	global_settings { GLOBAL_SETTINGS_ITEMS }
GLOBAL_SETTINGS_ITEMS:
	[adc_bailout FLOAT] & [ambient_light COLOR] & [assumed_gamma FLOAT] & [hf_gray_16 [BOOL]] & [irid_wavelength COLOR] & [max_intersections INT] & [max_trace_level INT] & [number_of_waves INT] & [RADIOSITY] & [ini_options STRING] & [string_encoding "UTF8"|"ISO8859_1"|"Cp1252"|"MacRoman"] & [GLOBAL_MOTION_BLUR] & [GLOBAL_PHOTON_BLOCK] & [POST_PROCESS_BLOCK]
		The max_intersections, max_trace_level and number_of_waves are positive values.
		The ini_options does work on options related to animation, output file, and shell-out commands. It will probably be discontinued.
RADIOSITY:
	radiosity { [RADIOSITY_ITEMS] }
RADIOSITY_ITEMS:
	[brightness FLOAT] & [count INT] & [distance_maximum FLOAT] & [error_bound FLOAT] & [gray_threshold FLOAT] & [low_error_factor FLOAT] & [minimum_reuse FLOAT] & [nearest_count INT] & [recursion_limit INT] & [adc_bailout FLOAT] & [normal on] & [media on] & [save_file "file_name" | load_file "file_name"] & [always_sample off] & [pretrace_start FLOAT] & [pretrace_end FLOAT] & [max_sample FLOAT]
		The distance_maximum is calculated automatically and will be ignored if specified.
		The nearest_count is a value between 1 and 10. The recursion_limit is the value 1 or 2.
		The recursion_limit now can be greater than 2 although it becomes pointless after 5 or 6.
GLOBAL_PHOTON_BLOCK:
	photons { [GLOBAL_PHOTON_ITEMS] }
		See also LIGHT_PHOTON_BLOCK, OBJECT_PHOTON_BLOCK, MEDIA_PHOTON_BLOCK.
GLOBAL_PHOTON_ITEMS:
	spacing FLOAT | count INT & [gather INT, INT] & [global INT] & [media INT [, FLOAT]] & [reflection_blur BOOL] & [jitter FLOAT] & [max_trace_level INT] & [adc_bailout FLOAT] & [save_file "file_name" | load_file "file_name"] & [autostop FLOAT] & [expand_thresholds FLOAT, FLOAT] & [radius FLOAT] & [steps INT]
POST_PROCESS_BLOCK:
	post_process { [overwrite_file] & [keep_data_file] & [POST_PROCESS_EFFECTS...] }

Index

MegaPOV Extras

Function
FUNCTION_DECLARATION:
	#declare FUNCTION_IDENTIFIER = FUNCTION | #local FUNCTION_IDENTIFIER = FUNCTION
FUNCTION:
	FUNCTION_USER | FUNCTION_PIGMENT | FUNCTION_PREDEFINED
FUNCTION_USER:
	function { f(x,y,z) | FUNCTION_IDENTIFIER(x,y,z) [|/& FUNCTION_USER] }
		Where f(x,y,z) is any function of x, y, and z. The builtin functions, operators and variables are listed in MegaPOV Documentation. Use & for intersection and | for union.
FUNCTION_PIGMENT:
	function { PIGMENT }
		The color at a point is converted to the value of red+green/256. The blue component is ignored.
FUNCTION_PREDEFINED:
	function { "functionname", <P0, P1, ..., Pn> }
		For a list of predefined functions see the MegaPOV Documentation.
Splines with variables
VSPLINE:
	spline { [VSPLINE_TYPE] F_Arg1, VECTOR | FLOAT, ... } | spline { VSPLINE_IDENTIFIER }
VSPLINE_DECLARATION:
	#declare SPLINE_IDENTIFIER = VSPLINE | #local SPLINE_IDENTIFIER = VSPLINE
VSPLINE_TYPE:
	linear_spline | cubic_spline
VSPLINE_USAGE:
	SPLINE_IDENTIFIER(FLOAT [, VSPLINE_TYPE])
Splines with directives
INIT_SPLINE:
	#init_spline { "NAME", [closed=t | start_end_direction=s,e | natural] <t0,y0>,...,<tn,yn> }
		Default is natural.
EVAL_SPLINE:
	eval_spline ("NAME", t)
		Returns a FLOAT.
INIT_3D_SPLINE:
	#init_3d_spline { "NAME", [closed=t | start_end_direction=v1,v2 | natural] <x0,y0,z0>,...,<xn,yn,zn> }
		Default is natural.
EVAL_3D_SPLINE:
	eval_3d_spline ("NAME", t)
		Returns a VECTOR.
Motion Blur
GLOBAL_MOTION_BLUR:
	motion_blur I_SAMPLE_COUNT, F_CLOCK_DELTA
		Put this in global_settings.
MOTION_BLUR:
	motion_blur { OBJECT [OBJECT_MODIFIERS] }
Glow Effects
GLOW_EFFECT:
	glow { [type 0 | 1 | 2 | 3] & [location VECTOR] & [size FLOAT] & [radius FLOAT] & [fade_power FLOAT] & [color COLOR] & [WARP...] & [TRANSFORMATION...] }
		Can be independent or inside a light_source - automatically taking the colour and position. The types: 0 is denser in the centre, 1 is lighter; 2 simulates exponential; 3 simulates a constant density sphere. The size scales the effect and the radius clips the effect.
Modifying labelled objects
OBJLABEL_MODIFY:
	modify { OBJLABEL [OBJECT_MODIFIERS] }
OBJLABEL_DELETE:
	delete { OBJLABEL }
Post Process Effects
POST_PROCESS_EFFECTS:
	clip_colors { COLOR_MIN, COLOR_MAX } | color_matrix { <F_AA, F_AB, F_AC, F_BA, F_BB, F_BC, F_CA, F_CB, F_CC> } | convolution_matrix { I_XDIM, I_YDIM, F_DIVISOR, F_LEVELLING, <F_MATRIX_VALUES...> } | curves { rgb VSPLINE_RED, VSPLINE_GREEN, VSPLINE_BLUT } | curves { red | green | blue | all VSPLINE } | depth { F_FIELD_START, F_FIELD_LENGTH } | find_edges { F_DEPTH_THRESH, F_NORMAL_THRESH, F_COLOR_THRESH, F_LINE_RADIUS, F_SHARPNESS, PIGMENT_TYPE } | focal_blur { F_FIELD_START, F_FIELD_LENGTH, F_MAX_BLUR_RADIUS, F_KEEP_AA } | invert | limit_brightness [FLOAT] | PP_MATH_OPERATORS | normal | patterned_blur { F_BLUR_DISTANCE, F_BLUR_DIVISOR, F_LEVELLING, PIGMENT_TYPE } | posterize { COLOR } | raw_image | soft_glow { F_AMOUNT, F_BLUR_RADIUS } | stars { F_DENSITY, COLOR_RANGE_MIN, COLOR_RANGE_MAX }
PP_MATH_OPERATORS:
	add | divide | exponent | multiply | post_min | post_max | subtract { PIGMENT_TYPE }

Index

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Copyright © 2000 Robert B. Chaffe, MegaPOV Portion Copyright © 2002 Arnab Bose