TGAMosaic
by Andy Woodfin
email: awoodfin@mad.scientist.com

	TGAMosaic creates Persistence of Vision (POV-Ray) scene files from uncompressed 24-bit TGA files. It allows the original image to be represented by a mosaic of 3-D objects, which just looks kind of neat. It doesn't pretend to be better than height fields, meshes, etc., because it's not. It is better at what it does, however, which is to allow the original image to be represented by a mosaic of 3-D objects. Did I just say that? The POV scene files generated by TGAMosaic should be compatible with any version of POV-Ray, at least going back to pre 2.0. If not, so sorry.

	This software is provided free to anyone. If you want to sell it, don't. Of course, if you tried, you'd likely not make any sales anyway. Of course, if you want to pay ME for it, go right ahead.

	But seriously, read the GNU Public License included in the zip file. You break it, you bought it. The included source code is copyrighted to me, but you may modify it to your heart's content. Any distribution you make of this or modified code must include the original content of this package, i.e., the original source code and this readme file.

	If you have any suggestions, comments, complaints, etc., email me and let me know. I may complain right back, but that's what makes us such good friends. If you just want to say that it stinks, please don't tell me, as I have quite the fragile ego.

	Many thanks go out to the minds behind the development of Persistence of Vision, the greatest raytracing software in the world, eh?


version history_________________

1.0 - can't quite remember. i think it probably didn't work, or wrote over my checkbook, or something along those lines.

2.0 - it actually worked. probably should have just been called 1.0 then?

2.1 - lost this in the shuffle. i imagine it was different than 2.0

2.2 - Added ability to use cylinders as objects, and added capability for scene file to be animated so image could be blown to smithereens.

2.3 - Reduced file size of output by reducing text written, since nobody is going to read all of a 2 Mb scene file other than the parser. Also added more animation functionality so you can "watch it grow". Added abiltity to use a random combination of all available objects in scene file. 

2.4 - Added routine for discriminating between top-bottom or bottom-top pixel ordering in TGA format, to accomodate esp. TGAs created by PaintShop Pro

2.6 - Can now place tesserae around a cylinder.

future versions - add abiltity to use blobs, CSG's as objects. Allow objects to roll around (if they can roll. a box can't roll.) in animations with collisions, etc. Beef up contrast algorithm to make a somewhat realistic 3-D representation from a 2-D image.