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Re: Mathematica Graphics - speed bottleneck

  • To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg97771] Re: Mathematica Graphics - speed bottleneck
  • From: Jens <noeckel at gmail.com>
  • Date: Sat, 21 Mar 2009 05:17:10 -0500 (EST)
  • References: <13486459.1237450560451.JavaMail.root@m02> <gpvh6t$gpk$1@smc.vnet.net>

On Mar 20, 12:39 am, "David Park" <djmp... at comcast.net> wrote:
> It would be very nice if the Help page for Graphics3D gave a more complete
> listing, and a few examples, of the various Methods that can be used. The
> current statement is limited to:
>
> " Settings that can be given through the Method option include
> "SpherePoints" and "CylinderPoints"." with no indication of what these might
> mean - although one might guess.
>
> And in general, the String options need better documentation at the point
> where they are used. Or the Method page could have sections for each of the
> major commands giving the allowed options, just like the ColorFunction page
> gives argument usage for each of the plot types.
>

I can imagine that the Method option is difficult to document because
its scope seems to depend on the context. To clarify what I mean, here
is an example with different values for "CylinderPoints" applied to
two graphics objects, where the most recent value actually _overrides_
the previously specified value:

g = Graphics3D[Rotate[Cone[], Pi/2, {0, 1, 0}],
   Method -> {"ConePoints" -> 5}];
Graphics3D[{Cone[], {Arrowheads[{{.04, 1, g}}],
   Arrow[{{0, 0, 0}, {1, 1, 0}}]}}, Method -> {"ConePoints" -> 15}]

The output shows two cones, one big and one small as part of an arrow.
Both cones have 15 points, instead of 5 points for the arrow head, as
intended.

I think this is not the way Method should work here. But _if_ Method
is supposed to be "global" in the above sense, then it obviously
shouldn't be the mechanism by which one specifies "private" properties
of an _object_, such as the vertex count of the graphics object g.

Jens



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