Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Using Excel As a 3D Graphics Engine

Posted by kdawson on from the right-tool-for-the-job dept.

simoniker writes "Obviously whimsical but slightly mind-blowing — an Eastern European coder has published video and the Excel tables to get full 3D wireframe running in Microsoft Excel. He even has solid polygonal graphics running. This isn't an Easter Egg by the Excel creators. Rather, he's using formulas to output the graphics, using two different methods, and showing all the variables on-screen in real time as the 3D is created."

2 of 292 comments (clear)

  1. Haven't looked at it, but one possible use... by vigmeister · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    might be to show the suit in charge of your budget a 3D representation of what you are planning. If you teach them how to use it, they will learn how to deal with 3D objects and maybe even make 3D models to explain what they're saying instead of using wors like squiggly for tilde and 4-sided solid artifact (for a cube - I misinterpreted this as a tetrahedron).

    Non technical people tend to implicitly trust Excel almost as much as they trust Buffet's stock tips and maybe this will allow us to leverage that in our quest for dominance...

    Cheers!
    --
    Vig

    --
    Atheist: Buddhist in a Prius
  2. Re:One can only ask... by Nazlfrag · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    This might help:

    Typically, Jedi are given (training) lightsabers on the first day of training. Jedi Masters emphasize that the lightsaber is a measure of progress for an apprentice because lightsaber techniques take great skill and concentration. To construct his own lightsaber is considered the final test for a Jedi padawan before his Jedi Trials. The construction traditionally takes place in a cave on Ilum, though other circumstances may prevent this, and lightsabers can be crafted anywhere as long as the proper tools and components are present. Some Jedi claim to fall into a meditative trance, where their vision helps determine what the results of their construction are. Others simply follow a more ceremonial approach that fully emphasizes the individual's completeness. Corran Horn described several changes within himself as he crafted his lightsaber, coming to terms with his past, his present, and his future.

    Luminara Unduli:
            The crystal is the heart of the blade.
            The heart is the crystal of the Jedi.
            The Jedi is the crystal of the Force.
            The Force is the blade of the heart.

            All are intertwined:
            The crystal, The blade, The Jedi.

            You are one.