3.1 Introduction

This is the Reference section, and it applies to all platforms for which this version of POV-Ray has been ported. The platform-specific documentation is available in a separate section.

Excluding this introduction, the reference section is divided into seven main parts.

1. The Command-line Options section for controlling and configuring POV-Ray.
2. The Scene Description Language section for the programming rules and syntax used in POV-Ray.
3. The Scene File Basics section that details the settings, camera and lighting types that are available.
4. An Object Zoo section that covers built-in objects available for use in scene files.
5. The Embellishments section discusses the textures and patterns that you'll need to make it look good.
6. The Special Effects section is a grouping of atmospheric and media effects.
7. The Scene File Extras section outlines the collection of include files.

New users may find it more convenient to begin with the Introduction to Pov-Ray or tutorial section, followed by the platform-specific documentation, in order to become more familiar your versions platform-specific features.

Additional notes about this documentation are as follows:

1. Windows documentation is accessible using the POV-Ray program's Help menu or by pressing the F1 key.
2. Mac OS documentation is also available via the Help menu and for viewing with a web browser.
3. Unix/Linux documentation is available in html only and by default is typically found in /usr/local/share/povray-3.?/html
4. See the section Notation and Basic Assumptions for more about the notation used throughout this documentation.