Re: Multiple surface plotting

[Paul van Delst <paul.vandelst(at)noaa.gov>]

David Fanning wrote:
> 
> Paul van Delst (paul.vandelst@noaa.gov) writes:
> 
> > I want to plot out a number of intersecting surfaces, different colours, some shaded, some gridded.
> > After some inquiries, I was lead to Struan Gray's excellent web page and once I figured out how to
> > use the Z-buffer, I had great looking plots of exactly what I wanted .... onscreen (or in a web
> > page).
> >
> > When I output to a file using the recommended TVRD() from z-buffer and then tv'ing after a
> > set_plot,'PS', or writing the tvrd() result to a png file is a result that looks quite awful when
> > printed.
> >
> > What I would dearly love to do would be to create postscript output directly rather than doing a
> > TVRD() of the z-buffer and then tv'ing it to PS output. Does anyone know if this is possible and if
> > so, how? All the z-buffer exmaples I've seen use TVRD() and TV for output.
> 
> Well, here are two suggestions:
> 
>    (1) That Z-buffer can be made pretty darn big. Big enough,
>        probably, so that you could make nice PostScript output.
>
>    (2) Do the same thing in object graphics. The object graphics
>        system *is* a Z-buffer!

So the answer is effectively no. I figured as much. Nuts.

Regarding the OG solution - the learning curve is too steep for my time allowance for the task. The
number crunching part took, oh, about a day. Producing pretty output was secondary and mostly to let
the higher ups know I'm earning my pay. Via direct graphics it's taken me about half a day just to
produce the eye-candy (the number crunching was easy after futzing about with reading all manner of
other people's input files). If OG can produce the pretty pictures in less time, great! Where do I
start? :o)

Thanks for the z-buffer size hint....I'll give that a shot thursdee.

paulv

-- 
Paul van Delst           A little learning is a dangerous thing;
CIMSS @ NOAA/NCEP        Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring;
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                                         Alexander Pope.