Click above image for 3D ()

Now we will create a scene description file and use it to render an image. Because I don't know what operating system you are using or what modeling software you have set up (if any), this specific example will use a plain-text POV-ray scene description file, and POV-Ray itself, invoked from a shell, to do the rendering. Choose your favorite plain-text editor to create and edit the scene description file. On Linux I recommend KWrite, which has the advantage of knowing about POV-Ray's file format and will pleasantly syntax-color your entries. By the way, I am using KWrite's HTML export feature to create the syntax-colored POV-Ray examples on this page.

This example is designed to be the simplest possible POV-Ray scene description. Here is our description:

plane { <0, 1, 0>, 0 pigment { color rgb <0.443137, 0.356863, 0.223529> } } light_source { <-3, 5, -5>, rgb <1, 1, 1> } sphere { <0, 0, 0>, 1 translate y*1 pigment { color rgb <0.8, 1, 0.8> } } camera { perspective location <3, 3, -3> sky <0, 1, 0> direction <0, 0, 1> right <1.3333, 0, 0> up <0, 1, 0> look_at <0, 1, 0> rotate <0, 0, 0> }

The astute reader will notice something different about this listing, one not covered before: there is a translate entry with a new syntax:

translate y*1
        

This is a special POV-Ray shorthand that could have been entered as:

translate <0, 1, 0>
        

This kind of shorthand is provided for those who spend a lot of time hand-editing POV-Ray scene descriptions. The two entries immediately above are equivalent in their effect.

Let's look at this segment of the scene description:

light_source {
   <-3, 5, -5>, rgb <1, 1, 1>
}
        

This block describes a light source. Its location is given as <-3, 5, -5>, that is to say, translated -3 units along the X axis, 5 units along the Y axis and -5 units along the Z axis, or at the upper left and shifted toward the viewer — a position suitable to illuminate an object located in the vicinity of <0,0,0>. The light source's color is given as "rgb <1,1,1>" meaning equal brightnesses of red,green and blue, or white.

Click this image to see the change described in the text

If you copy the code block above into a text editor (or click here to display the POV file), then save it as "example.pov", then run POV-Ray and provide this file name, POV-Ray will render the image. By the way, here is how to invoke POV-Ray from the command line:

$ povray filename.pov
        

The dollar sign at the left is supposed to represent a typical Linux command shell prompt, you do not type this character. It is just present to remind you of the context, that of a command shell. Here is a more elaborate invocation of POV-Ray:

$ povray +W640 +H480 +A filename.pov
        

This example means "create a graphic 640x480 (+W640 +H480) in size, and render using antialiasing (+A)." To see a list of all POV-Ray's command-line options, type:

$ povray -h
        

Now, because this exercise is meant to make you comfortable editing a POV-Ray scene description, let's change something and re-render to see the difference. Let's change this:

translate y*1
        

to this:

translate y*2
        

And render the scene again. Notice that, if you have entered the change correctly, the sphere has moved upward. Click the image on this page to see the change you should expect to get.