[vtkusers] vtk + python ~= vpython? (another newbie question)

[Mike Carifio]

I know people hate this sort of "comparison question", but
I have to ask it: what's the similarity/differences between
vtkpython and Visual Python (http://www.vpython.org/)?
Are they roughly just different implementations of
visualization primatives within a python interpreter,
or is there something more fundemental and significant
going on here?

I'm in the process of selecting a tool for a visualization
project that I'm pitching. I'd like to script it in Python,
if possible, for my own productivity. High performance isn't
an issue (yet, until it becomes an issue (:-)). I anticipate
the app will always remain Python. I'm new to the visualization
domain, so good documentation and perhaps some handholding
will be part of the selection criteria. The app will run on
Windows as a desktop application, so it should be somewhat
self contained. I anticipate that I'll probably only need
simplier primatives to "animate" my model. So ease of use
and ease of packaging and deployment will also affect
the selection criteria. (By the way, the build system for 
vtkpython is wonderful. Kudos to the developers.)

I've managed to get vtkpython running on a Windows XP box
with Python 2.2.2. I can even "xcopy deploy" it to another box,
once I gather up all the vtk dll's, the Python dll's, the python
and vtk .py files. I can get Cone5.py to run, although with
some of the other examples (but not all of them; Cone3 and Cone4
don't do anything and then crash).

So, I'm trying to make a reasonable selection without much
deep background knowledge upon which to rely. Perhaps some
kind soul on the list, who perhaps has experience with
both, can quickly compare the two and focus my attention
on the important issues.

Thanks.