Pov-Ray Setup
First install and confirm that it works before proceeding.
https://www.povray.org/
Blender Setup
0 . In the add-ons section for POV@Ble set Binary Location to include the full path to the POV-Ray program and leave the other setting alone. Example path
C:\Project Files\POV-Ray\v3.7\bin\pvengine64.exe
1 . Set the render engine to Persitence Of Vision.
(No need to mess with any of the other settings for now)
2a. In the text editor create a new file I would give it the same name you plan to use for the Pov texture in code. In my case I called it POV_Checker. Note: You can put multiple textures in the same code.
2b. In the text editor side tab labeled Misc make sure that Source to render is set to Both for each text file you create containing Custom POV Code.
3a. To use your Custom POV Code go to your objects material tab and under Custom POC Code enter the name inside your code so if it looks like this #declare POV_Checker = texture enter POV_Checker.
3b. You can do this step before or after but at the top of the materials tab make sure to click Use Nodes only once.
3c: After clicking Use Nodes if you click Use POV-Ray Nodes you can use nodes just like in the shader editor. The tab to use is called Povray Object Nodes not the shader editor. The only downside is I have yet to figure out how to get patterns to work with nodes.
4 . Hit F12 to render!
Things to Know
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POV-Ray 3.6 and 3.7 default render outputs are noticeably different. I added a color curve to get a similar look to 3.6 (I like it over 3.7). I tried to use POV3.6 with Blender but I think only 3.7 is compatible. Any info to get a more accurate 3.6 look would be appreciated. In short some renders can look different because of the version used to render said image.
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To get that more glassy look enable Caustics in the materials settings.
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Only a single material can be used on an object.
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If you have a skinned model (rigged character) make sure to remove any color attributes or it wont render properly.
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I Included 2 blend files for those interested. Using POV-Ray with Blender is not like using it alone, it’s a bit of hybrid workflow and not always straight forward.
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I’m new to using POV-Ray and that includes using it with Blender, so I don’t have much more to contribute. That said, I just wanted to help out those who find themselves struggling to get this thing working.
Side note: I too was also trying to find out how to get 90s looking renders in Blender and in my searches I found multiple posts by Jannik_F. These awesome threads inspired me to figure out how to get POV-Ray working. Go check their work out!
Additional Resources
https://wiki.povray.org/content/Main_Page
http://xahlee.info/3d/povray-glassy.html
https://wiki.povray.org/content/HowTo:Use_POV-Ray_with_Blender
POV_Basics.blend (3.2 MB)
POV_BasicsTexture.blend (1.4 MB)