Re: OFF file format and or conversion routines

[slevy]

>   I can't get geomview to read in pixar output from the vcs 
> program from the goemetry center.  My guess here is that
> pixar and .rib files are different, is this correct.  If so
> is there a newer version of vcs which has output compatible
> to geomview?

It looks as though vcs writes a kind of Pixar file (CPOLYGON) which,
sure enough, geomview doesn't read.  I don't know of a newer version,
but you might write to the author; he's no longer at math.princeton.edu
as mentioned in vcs' READ.ME but is now at:  sullivan at geom.umn.edu.
Conversion doesn't look difficult and he might be willing to do it.

>   I've also tried to import some .off files I have, but after
> looking though the documentation a bit, I'm not sure that
> your OFF and the standard .off files (both named object
> file format) are compatible.  Am I correct?  I have a large
> database of .off objects.  If not, I can convert them, but
> I just thought I might be doing something wrong.

You're probably right.  Our OFF format is just adapted from one used by
some people at Princeton.  What's the "standard" format for off files,
and whose standard is it?  How widely is it used, as far as you know?
It's conceivable that we could make a future version of geomview read them
directly, if it seemed worth while.

    Stuart Levy