Hey experts,

I am writing a python script and running into a strange bug.  In my world space callback, I'm getting the world vertices for an actor's geometry and changing those vertices via the SetX(), etc., methods.  This works great all except for one peculiar thing.  When my material has transparency, and I view it head on, I see a strange dotted line running across my polygon.  This only happens when viewing the polygon nearly head on, i.e., viewing angle is orthogonal to the plane of the polygon.  I cannot figure this out.  If I don't call the setter methods on the vertex, there is no problem, so there is something about changing it that triggers the bug.

Does anyone know what I am talking about, and is it just a bug in Poser Pro 2010?  Its basically raining on my parade.

Thanks for any help,

-digitani

Are you sure you're actually moving anything?  I don't have PP2010, but in earlier versions the SetX/SetY/SetZ don't have any effect when applied to a WORLD vertex.  They do what they're supposed to do when applied to a plain old Vertex.  I tried just now with P9, and nothing moves.

The orthogonal cameras always make weird renders.  When things are partly transparent, internal parts will overlap external parts as if they're in the same plane.  This plane-sharing could give a dotted appearance.

Here is MrSparky's Lady Danbo rendered in Front Camera with 70% trans.  Note how the neck seems to be in the same plane as the head.

Hey ockham,

Thanks for the response!

Yes, I am sure that SetX, etc. are indeed moving the world vertices to new positions.  It is worth noting that I am doing this from within the world space callback, so that might make a difference as far as how you can manipulate world vertices.

You are right that Lady Danbo's neck looks like it is in the same plane as her head, but in my example in the first post, that triangle is the only visible object in the scene.  The only other objects are the ground and an invisible pyramid.  I tried moving the triangle away from the ground and the invisible pyramid to be sure that they were not somehow overlapping with the triangle and causing an artifact, and it seems like they are not.  Regardless, they are not visible in the render.

PS.  Its a coincidence that my example bears a striking resemblence to the cover of Dark Side of the Moon. :-)

Aha!  I'd never tried the WorldSpaceCallback.  Looks like it's been around for a long time.  I didn't know it had special properties.