KpovModeler

KPovModeler is a modeling and composition program designed to create POV-Ray scenes effortlessly in the KDE environment. Using traditional POV-Ray rendering can be limiting because it doesn't allow you to utilize the full capabilities of the scripted language. However, with KPovModeler users can access all the features of the POV-Ray engine through a graphical tree.

Almost all options of POV-Ray's script language can be used within KPovModeler, except for variables, loop instructions, macros, and some operators. To work around this limitation, KPovModeler allows users to integrate a part of a script with the "Raw POV-Ray" tool. This feature ensures that the raw code is only taken into account by the POV-Ray engine during the rendering stage.

The software has many outstanding features, such as a management system for the scene through a graphical tree, object modification with control points in a graphical view, non-blocking scene rendering with OpenGL as wireframe views, freely configurable view layout with dock widgets, copy/paste and drag/drop of (a subset of) povray(!) code into and out of the object tree, undo, and redo options. Additionally, it supports almost all povray objects and textures, prototypes (declarations), references, and all projection modes of the camera.

To create objects, users don't need to know POV-Ray's script language. However, to create textures referring to POV-Ray's documentation may be difficult to avoid. Copying and pasting the script from the POV-Ray documentation into KPovModeler simplifies the process. If the script only makes use of known primitives, the software will convert the pasted text and include it into the current scene. In a nutshell, if you are unsure how to create an object or effect with KPovModeler, copy its example from POV-Ray's documentation, experiment with it within the software and see how it works. Overall, KPovModeler is a fantastic modeling software that enhances the modeling and composition experiences of POV-Ray scenes.