Steffen Wrote:can't the same effect simply be achieved by using a specialized customized stud primitive
which has its cylinder colored black?
no.
Studs are used in various contexts. Forcing black will ruin some of those contexts, and of course you're now forcing everyone to use the look, whether they like it or not.
Steffen Wrote:why all the effort of introducing a new keyword?
- Makes it optional
- doesn't force the use on anyone (even if using the files with OBI, viewers can turn the support off)
- enables the feature for anyone who is interested in it, to use it easily
- maintains complete backwards and forwards compatibility with all viewers.
in short, it's an exemplary use of a ! keyword.
Besides, it was done and tested years ago, with a modicum of effort. Now I might have to add 1 to 4 lines of "code" to some new primitive as I discover it.
Steffen Wrote:are other primitives than just stud.dat involved?
Quite a few. Not just studs, but tubes.