While we were working on the cylindrical pattern, we added a background section to the test scene. Backgrounds tie into what we talked about earlier with alpha channels. The background is what POV-Ray shows when there is nothing in the scene. By default, POV-Ray shows black when there is nothing in the scene, but we can tell POV-Ray to show something else.
- A little background: Background
- The simplest way to change the background is with the background section. You’ll often want to change the background to something other than black if you need a specific background color to match a web page or document’s background color. You will also sometimes want to change the background color if you are unsure where shadows end and the background begins. Changing the background to other than black will more clearly show what part of the…
- A little background: Sky sphere
- The sky sphere is a more complex form of background. You can use it when you want to simplify your scene: it allows you to place a pigment pattern into the scene, at an infinite distance, wherever nothing is. Often, you’ll use it to place a sky in your image or to place a star field.
