Tom's POVRay Wall-Mounted Magnifying Mirror

The picture above was made with this demo POV file and this Mirror object POV file. The animation was made with this POV file.

About this Object

This is a magnifying mirror with a light around it, on an articulated arm, designed for wall-mounting. The mirror is implemented as a macro, such that you specify the angles of each of the joints in the mirror, e.g. mag_mirror(0,0,0,0) produces the "default" position, shown in the middle mirror in the image above. Behind this mirror in the image are two more mirrors, one above showing the front, and one below showing the arm in a bent position, and the whole thing roated so that you are effectively looking "up" at it. Note that this macro does not prevent collisions/intersections if the chosen angles are extreme.

Because this mirror is a lighted mirror, there is a light source. However, the light source is used only to project light out through the back vents (which can make some very cool shadows). The light on the front is currently handled with a high ambient light value.

This mirror should render well from many different angles, and should stand up to fairly close scrutiny. However the inside of the mirror is not intended for viewing, so don't get so close that you can really see inside. The two images below show details of the base, and the back of the mirror. The hinges all rotate appropriately where they have a joint; if textures are properly applied you will be able to see this.

It is based on a real mirror: Jerdon Products HL85C. I've found it on the web here.

Specs

The mirror projects out from the Z=0 plane, in the positive Z direction, with the base centered around the Z-axis. Fully extended, the whole thing is 9.7 units long (I think). The base is 0.75 units thick and four units in diameter. The first arm is 0.3 units above the centerline, and three units long. The second arm is 0.9 units above the centerline, and two units long. The center of the mirror box lines up with the center of the second arm, but the up/down hinge is 0.6 units above the center of both. The mirror box is 2.6079 units thick (not including the hinge assembly), and nine units in diameter.

I have no idea what the magnification on the mirror really is, but it is a section of a sphere with a diameter of 31.6 units.

Problems and Future Work

The access panel for the light has some tiny flaws.

It is missing a sticker above the hinge that has warnings, UL listing, bulb information, etc. There is no cord - on the real light it comes out of the bottom of the base, but I think there was an installation option for installing with the cord going out of the back of the base and straight into the wall, so that's what I've modeled here.

The light source should be an area_light to have more realistic shadows, particularly since the light is so close to the vents that cast the shadows. The light on the front of the mirror is just a white circle with high ambient. It would be more realistic to use a translucent material, lit by the same light that projects through the back air vents.

Copyright

This web page, the associated image(s), and POV files are all copyright 2004 by Thomas A. Fine (that's me!). I hereby grant free distribution rights, including for-profit uses, in full or in part, provided only that copyright notices are preserved and due credit is given.

WARNING: This POV object is based on a real object. I'm not aware of any legal issues related to the design of that real object. It is the user's responsibility to cover your ass.

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