My Scripts on ScriptSpot - LC/PPT Calc Updated! - OLD OLD

[studioDIM]

Thanks to Nikki's input, once again, i updated the Physcam AF script to allow for full AF (as it did before) or to pick one object and try and focus on it. Some part of the object mesh HAS to cross the center pixel of the viewport (ie. lay on the line drawn between camera and target, or along the camera local -Z axis) for the script to AF on it.
Just so it's clearer, the script focuses both targeted AND free physcams (CJ: so you don't have to have a target camera to get the focus properly set, for instance...).
Redonwload the AF script or the pack for the updated version from here

Lele

[jacksc02]

tell me one thing lele, why would we need to use the AF script? whats the benefit of using it?

[studioDIM]

Well, auto-focusing ALL the cameras in a scene without thinking about where to position a target, as well as being able to AF in a very precise way without using a targeted camera.
Pretty much for the same reason you'd have an auto-focus feature in dSLR cameras.
It's more precise , as well, than manually positioning your target.
Also, you do not need to fiddle in 2/3 views to get the target where the important object in your scene is (normally, right in the middle of your screen...)
Roughly, it's the same of what the auto-expose script does, in the sense that it would help the less practiced users to get something viable in one go.
Of course, a pro photographer (and render expert) needs no AF nor auto-exposure turned on in a camera.
But those are precious few...

Lele

[RErender]

Very useful if you want to do a series of shots and don't want to adjust each one ie. in an animation

[studioDIM]

Updated the float exposimeter and added in three new exposure methods/importance sampling.
This is due to Vlado explaining to me why glossies behaved like they did with sun and sky, so i thought i'd have to make the code somewhat better.
It's a first iteration at the new methods, but already they work well in that they can favour exposing the darker tones rather than the brighter ones (ideal for underlit, indoor scenes), the opposite (ideal for glossies-based outdoor scenes, where the reflections' hues have to be dominant), or expose based on the whole image (which is the most resilient to glossies, but for the extremest of situations). The standard way of exposing is still present, and chosen by default.
Please have a go and let me know how you feel about them.
It's there for download as solo or within the usual script pack (updated).
Installer will remove version 0.1c automatically.

as usual, go here to grab either the pack or the individual tool.

Lele

[studioDIM]

Prepared a MUCH better method for exposure, and implemented it. I also changed the other two from version 0.1d to cater for the contrast ratio and so on. The exposimeter now defaults to the new, adaptive method.
Bear in mind that extremely low exposures coupled with very small image sizes might throw it off (a bit, or a lot, depending on how extreme the circumstance is).
That's natural due to the fewer samples, and an issue with Float values being rounded to 0.0 float when the camera is very underexposed (and i mean VERY) in interior shots.
Nothing that should normally be encountered in a production workflow.
In any case, a bigger image size to sample from, and /or a second exposure iteration should nail the exposure the way it's supposed to.

"Traditional" works well without any glossies in the scene under both standard lighting and sun+sky. It tends to get "blinded" by glossy reflections when they are fairly prominent (particularly with sun and sky) in terms of area in the final image (ie. many pixels in the final image are made up by glossies).
"Smart" has proven to work really well with both interiors and exteriors and glossies, with sun and sky. It may need some more fine-tuning to work properly for standard vray lights lighting.
I am still developing it to find the right algorithm to expose, however you may notice the issues present in the exposimeter are also common in standard dSLR cameras' exposimeters.
If anyone has ideas, please do share them

as usual, go here to grab either the pack or the individual tool.

Lele

[studioDIM]

Updated the MaxCam_to_Physcam script.
Its behaviour should now be more predictable in different selection/viewport situations (it will now convert anything for real. convert a physcam view, get an identical clone of the camera, and so on).
One issue with the installer i found under max 9:
you will have to get rid of any *.mcr which has to do with the previous version.
ideally the file is named "VRay-MaxCam_2_PhysCam.mcr".
it should be in "C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Local Settings\Application Data\Autodesk\3dsmax\9 - 32bit\enu\UI\usermacros"
Or in the normal "%maxroot%\UI\MacroScripts\" folder, depending on the max9 setup.
Sorry for this, should be a leftover from max 8.

get it at

http://www.scriptspot.com/Lele/Anyth..._Cam_Max_9.rar

Also forgot to add in here the link to the matrix exposimeter, discussed in this post, can be found within the pack or as stand alone, here.

Lele

[priad]

Hi Lele, the Vraycam converter seems to doesn't work with animated cams.
I'm the only one or?

[studioDIM]

Err, yes, there may be some instance where it doesn't work as expected.
Due to a known bug with targeterd/untargeted physcams i had to work around, something must have broken.
Will look into it tomorrow and likely update it.

Lele

[priad]

THX

[studioDIM]

I have looked into it, and no, i cannot fix it.
I either have max crash when an untargeted camera is converted, or i lose the target animation avoiding the max crash.
Waiting for rc4 to fix it, sorry.

Lele

[studioDIM]

Updated the matrix exposimeter to fix the annoying bug happening on its first run. Stay tuned for some whacky addition (will label them as beta for the ones that will want to try them.)...

Lele

[studioDIM]

A "strange" update which seems to work really nicely, bless VRay.
There's now a checkbox at the bottom of the script window which will attempt to white-balance the physcam automatically.

Pick it up at the first post, or here along with a couple of samples of the works.

Lele

[studioDIM]

Grab the pack again, if you like.
Updated the VRIMG_2_EXR interface to include the RGB channel (cough! ok, ok, i forgot it...).
Inside the pack there's also another surprise, one script has been rewritten from scratch, and now works a charm where it previously failed.
Grab the pack and reinstall them to know which one

Lele

[jacksc02]

tell us which one!