ILDA Format

[keeperx]

Ah ha.. but there is where you misunderstand what a wave is.... a wave is created with mathematical data.. and can be written and read as such. therefore storing vector information in it works great.

its like storing the result of the equation that was used to create it.

and when you are drawing in 3d space with lasers using modulated voltage to control your galvos, storing data as a wave kinda does make sense,...

[Zoof]

Ah ha.. but there is where you misunderstand what a wave is.... a wave is created with mathematical data.. and can be written and read as such. therefore storing vector information in it works great.

its like storing the result of the equation that was used to create it.

and when you are drawing in 3d space with lasers using modulated voltage to control your galvos, storing data as a wave kinda does make sense,...

true vector art should be resolutionless. Storing a list of points that are connected by straight lines isn't, zoom in far enough and you'll see straight line segments. Dependence on the hardware (eg scanners) to turn straight lines into curves is one more step away form a generic art representation.

[keeperx]

ok i can get behind that BUT if its stored as a true vector, then the software/hardware can decide how to draw it instead of imposing a set of points...

[James Lehman]

That is the difference between a spline curve and a polyline.

I like polylines! They actually make more sense than splines because they do not need to be figured out. They are what they are.

You've got 16 bits of resolution. How much zooming do you need?

Both ILDA and wave offer a way to record literal points in order.

A descriptive format, like XML could have more abstract concepts in it like circle, arc, spline, etc.


James.

[Zoof]

[SIZE=2]That is the difference between a spline curve and a polyline.

I like polylines! They actually make more sense than splines because they do not need to be figured out. They are what they are.

You've got 16 bits of resolution. How much zooming do you need?

How many points can you squeeze out of a pair of scanners per second?

Splines make sense to me because they prescribe the curve. The curve is not emergent from the sequence of points. Yes it is a different level of abstraction.

[James Lehman]

I agree that splines have a great benefit when used at the right level in the process.

As far as how many points... That has EVERYTHING to do with how close together they are and how wide of an angle you scan the whole frame.

I have a 96KHz sound device and I can use all of that and more!

James.

[Zoof]

Getting back on topic: ILDA files.

Are archor points / dwell points supposed to be in ILDA files, or are they supposed to be added by the software before output.
The ILDA test pattern has a lot of dwell points - my assumption was that any ilda file should display without any insertion of extra points.
Is that correct?

[James Lehman]

I think that's one of those questions with no answer.

If you think about it, there are benifits to both having those points and NOT having those points.

This is where (OMG) yet another section would come in handy; a text area so that the artist can describe the contents of the file.

We might also find a use for that "future" byte that is in every section header. It could be a set of tags; one of which might be READ_ONLY, so that other software would know not to re-optimize it.

James.

[James Lehman]

I can't believe that I've had the final word in this thread for days and days now!

What's up with that?

I'd really like to hear from Bill and / or Patrick on this matter.

What is the word on the ILDA file format?

James.

[Pangolin]

I can't believe that I've had the final word in this thread for days and days now!

I thought I gave my own personal final word many posts ago. It had words like "I am out of gas on this whole topic". So if you want my final word, just scroll up a bit...

Patrick is the Executive Director of ILDA. This is a person who acts on behalf of the board. The board acts (largely) on behalf of its committees, and the ILDA Technical Committee has given its final word on this (at least as it pertains to Format 3, 4 and 5) around February of 2007.

To me, I think what was discovered in this thread is that LaserBoy:
a) uses palettes
b) can possibly use palettes with a combination of formats nobody ever conceived would be used (i.e. 1, 2, and 3 together in the same file)

As I have written, its interesting and clever, but I don't think compelling enough for anybody else to do the same thing, or for the ILDA Technical Committee to turn its world upside down to impose on others.

But you should be proud that you figured out something that nobody else has and that your system is unique because of it.

Half-jokingly, I would say the fact that nobody else wanted to figure out what you did should not discourage you .

Bill