CompuServe Messages

>>I think I moved the camera to a different position. Aha! This may be the problem. In order for the camera to "see" the reflection, the camera and object must be arranged at appropriate angles to the reflective surface. In the picture below, the object and camera are at the same angle from the perpendicular of the reflective surface. This will give you a reflection every time. object camera o perp. o \ / \ | / \ | / \ | / \|/ ——-o——— surface reflection The angle off the perpendicular is called the "angle of reflection" in optics theory. You will get a reflection as long as the camera and object have the same angle of reflection. This means you can move either the camera or object further away and still get a reflection, as long as they maintain the same angle off the perpendicular. Flat mirror reflection is pretty forgiving about this — sometimes you can be miles off the angle of reflection and still get a reflection. Regular autoreflection is merciless — you have to be exactly perfectly on the angle of reflection to get anything at all. A full explanation (with better pictures!) is in the new 3DS Tips & Tricks Series book called Glass & Reflection, $25 from Delmar Publishers (1-800-347-7707). It also has exercise illustrating this exact point. Hope this helps! Michele