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Ray Tracing Etching
In etch plots, ray tracing is computed as for a color plot. Instead of defining a pixel color immediately, the color and surface and cell numbers corresponding to each pixel are saved. The color is the primary color assigned to the object; different intensities of the color are ignored. After completion of the ray tracing, the color, surface, and optionally the cell array are scanned in a search for neighboring pixels with different values. A line is drawn connecting such pairs of pixels. Etch lines are drawn with the Ray Trace Etch color set on the Component Colors property page.
If Cell is checked in the Etch Boundaries box on the Ray Trace Options property page, etch lines are shown at cell boundaries even if the surface is the same and the cells are the same material and color.
Additional quantities are checked for change when repeated structures are present and Lattice is checked in the Etch Boundaries box on the Ray Trace Options property page. If the surface is part of a universe contained within another cell, the cell numbers of the containers are checked. Only the number of the immediate container is checked, so some boundaries may be missed when multiple fill levels exist. The lattice element number is checked when inside a lattice. The etch image will show the boundaries of the elements on surfaces within a lattice, such as when a clip plane exposes the interior. The boundaries will not be shown on the surface of a cell that is filled with a lattice; that surface is not within the lattice.
Etch lines add definition to a Color picture. They can be drawn in the same ray tracing with the Color+Etch menu item or separately with the Etch Over or Clear+Etch items. The former draws etch lines over the existing image. The latter erases the ray tracing window before drawing the etch lines.
Color, Etch, and Color+Etch examples
 White Rock Science http://www.whiterockscience.com/wrs.html 505 672 1105 |
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