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Re: Re: MathGL3d and Mathematica 5.3

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg64273] Re: [mg64260] Re: MathGL3d and Mathematica 5.3
• From: Murray Eisenberg <murray at math.umass.edu>
• Date: Thu, 9 Feb 2006 02:44:39 -0500 (EST)
• Organization: Mathematics & Statistics, Univ. of Mass./Amherst
• References: <200602060749.CAA08708@smc.vnet.net> <ds9nlb$bh$1@smc.vnet.net> <200602080853.DAA25635@smc.vnet.net>
• Reply-to: murray at math.umass.edu
• Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

 From the product manual for MathGL3d (version 4) at 
http://www.wolfram.com/products/applications/mathgl3d/:

   "... adds ... support for bump mapping, illuminated lines
   and an improved volume rendering....POVRAY output has been
   rewritten to produced smaller output files....the new version
   allows [more?] colors per vertex and colors per face.  The
   documentation has been improved....The light source editor
   has been enhanced."

I agree, though, that some sort of basic 3D interactivity ought to be 
included in the base Mathematica product -- in fact ought to have been
included already.  So it's almost unimaginable to me that Wolfram would 
not include some sort of 3D interactivity in some new version soon.

I'm even a bit puzzled why this has not already happened.  Perhaps it's 
been a question of good performance in the interpreted system; perhaps 
it's a question of what interface design fits with the overall front end 
design; perhaps, even, Wolfram has been waiting for hardware to catch up.

Ronald Bruck wrote:
> (Top-posting because Murray did)
> 
> Really?  Wolfram is SELLING MathGL3D?
> 
> This brings up the obvious question:  how much more functional is their
> version than the original, FREE version, available at
> 
>    <http://phong.informatik.uni-leipzig.de/~kuska/mathgl3dv3/>?  
> 
> And is this why Kuska hasn't ever updated it for Mac OS?
> 
> --Ron Bruck
> 
> In article <ds9nlb$bh$1 at smc.vnet.net>, Murray Eisenberg
> <murray at math.umass.edu> wrote:
> 
>> It seems unlikely that Wolfram would include THAT much functionality in 
>> the next version of Mathematica.  After all, it is now selling MathGL3d 
>> as a 4d-party Application at a standard price of $450 and an educational 
>> price of $300.
>>
>> I, for one, would sure hate to have the price of Mathematica itself go 
>> up by anything like that much just in order to include the full 
>> functionality of MathGL3d.
>>
>>
>> Mitch Murphy wrote:
>>> attention wolfram ...
>>>
>>> please include MathGL3d in Mathematica 5.3. i'm very disapointed that  
>>> mathematica still does not have an integrated interactive 3d viewer  
>>> after so many years.
> 
> 

-- 
Murray Eisenberg                     murray at math.umass.edu
Mathematics & Statistics Dept.
Lederle Graduate Research Tower      phone 413 549-1020 (H)
University of Massachusetts                413 545-2859 (W)
710 North Pleasant Street            fax   413 545-1801
Amherst, MA 01003-9305

• References:
  • MathGL3d and Mathematica 5.3
    • From: Mitch Murphy <mitch@mix5.com>
  • Re: MathGL3d and Mathematica 5.3
    • From: Ronald Bruck <bruck@math.usc.edu>