🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Jul30.213040.1082@netnews.whoi.edu> rsignell@crusty.er.usgs.gov (Richard P. Signell) writes:
>I have lots of topography data that is convenient to read in as a 2D
>rectilinear field, where the data variable is elevation, and the
>coordinate variables are latitude and longitude.
>
>To render this data usefully with field-to-mesh, it seems I need to convert  
>this to a 3D irregular field, where the data variable elevation is
>combined with the latitude and longitude to give each elevation point
>a 3rd coordinate.
>


I replied to this person and sent him some code to do what he needs.

After some cleaning up, etc., I'm going to submit it to the IAC.  Basically,
this code takes 2d uniform, rect. or irreg fields and does "texture mapping."
The texture may be set "implicitly", thus requiring subsequent intervention
in the geometry viewer to make the "dynammic" texturing happen, or explicitly
where the mesh vertices are colored according to some input image.  This
latter form clearly has some problems.  I personally like to have all my
textures (ie the image being draped over some surface) explicitly under
my control, which is impossible to do via the geometry vieweer.  I can't
read in two distinct images, do some image processing then use those
results by feeding them directly into the geometry viewer.  There are
prorgrammatic ways around this, as well as writing the processed textures
back out to files then clicking on each in turn from the geoemtry viewer,
but this is a pain in the ole mouse finger.  Also, new users groan
when I try to explain what's going on to them.  Anyway, this new module
(I'll post again when it's ready) will allow the user to specify min/max
for uv coordinates, so that the texture can be placed anywhere on the surface.
Sorry, no funny rotation or amorphic scaling is going to be implemented.
I don't have the time and there is no demand for that here.

Additionally, I just sent over two modules which will read/write ASCII
rectilinear fields.  This was motivated in part by major difficulties
encountered with using the "file descriptor" module, and because of the
need for a simple, brain-dead file format.  

On a related note, the klunky 3D axis module at the IAC has been enhanced
so that it will process 2D rectilinear or uniform fields, obtaining Z values
from the data. 

For some reason, 2D rectilinear fields have been a big hit here this summer.

I hope everyone who made it to Siggraph had fun.  I sat on my butt and
worked (more or less) ;-).

wes