Decals

[magnatizerr]

Hi All

Just a quick intro - I'm a product designer who has been using Rhino/Flamingo/Penguin since year dot and I've been looking around for a good quality render plugin which allows me to work seamless within Rhino.

Seems like I found it? - or so I thought

After only discovering VfR today I've read most (if not all) the posts and after a pretty swift decision decided to hit the credit card with the $499.

I'm just starting to use the downloaded beta version and wanting to apply some decals to the scene - and can't find how to apply them!! - any help??

It seems a fairly hefty oversight if decals can't be applied??

If decals aren't supported, am I still committed to buying the software, as this plugin is pretty useless to me if they can't. The reason for asking is that I have read a post that mentioned that my money will only be taken on final agreement after the first release?? is this so??

Many thanks in advance

magnatizerr

[Micha_cg]

Decals

Decals will work, I'm not sure it work in the current release. How it work: if you disable "tile" at the texture dialog and you use the mapping with tiling per RCM tool, than you get your texture only one times scaled like it would be, if it would be tiled.
I hope it help for a start.

[magnatizerr]

Decals

Hi Micha

Many thanks for the reply -I pretty new to this and sure what the 'RCM' tool is?

I think my problem is that I'm trying to 'run before I can walk' - so I'm presently working my way through the Aversis tutorials (which although for 3Dmax, are very good!) so, I'll no doubt have more questions as I get into it!!!

[Micha_cg]

Decals

RCM is the mapping tool from McNeel for all render engines. You find it at the object properties.

[flipside]

Decals

Hey you sure made the right choice!

But bear in mind that mapping in rhino is in a infantile state now, this will probably evolve a lot. Micha is right, don't look for a decal option like in flamingo, because a texture without tiling is exactly what a decal is. Never understood why they made it a seperate thing in flamingo (probably because you had very limited mapping control for the material based image maps).

Glad you like the tutorials btw Altough for max, the methods are exactly the same in vfr (especially the GI & lighting stuff). Materials are different because vfr has more options right now than vrayformax!

[magnatizerr]

Decals

Hi flipside

I'm starting to think that I've definitely made the right choice Getting on really well with your Tutorials (14hrs spent on v4r just today!!! - its a good thing that I work for myself!!)

It seems that my only stumbling block at the moment is 'mapping' including 'procedural textures'!!

Any pointers on where to start?

Cheers again

[flipside]

Decals

Procedurals seem to work fine here. Just put one in the diffuse map slot and hit render

[Micha_cg]

Decals

OK, I have tested the "grid" at the diffuse color and than have set the same parameters at the bump. No effect. Procedurals seems not work for bump now. I post it at the bug section.

[flipside]

Decals

Hey micha, it's already in the bug section

[magnatizerr]

Decals

Hi Flipside

Many thanks for the help but unfortunately still

This is madness - my head is bleeding from the amount of times I'm hitting it against the wall

I've been trying this for about 4 hrs now and tried every permutation I can think of - Please help (someone?)

I'm trying to get a simple bump map to appear on a test cube using a simple GI lighting environment.

This is what I'm doing:

1. Create cubes of differing sizes (just in case the bump map only appears on some?)
2. Create a 'default material' and change its colour to Red
3. Go to the 'Maps' section of the material editor
4. Select the 'check box' and select the small 'm'
5. Select a 'bitmap' on the 'common type' roll down list (multiplier set on 1 - although I've tried all settings)
6. Select small 'm' on the 'bitmap' section (override set on 1, tile unchecked - although I've tried all settings)
7. Browse for a simple 'bmp' or 'jpeg' file
8. Render

9. NOTHING

All settings are on Default?

Does it have something to do with the 'UVW' settings (eg environment or map channel) If so, do I need to use the 'Mapping' section of the 'Object properties' window??? (because I've tried using this too and - NOTHING)

Please could someone give me some help - or even better create a simple list or screen shot of their settings for a bump map? - or even, even better make a very simple tutorial, for me (and no doubt others) ???

Many thanks in advance

[joe_b]

Decals

Send me the scene and the image files your attempting to use. I'll do some tests of my own, but off the top of my head I don't know what the issue would be.

[edit]
Have you tried several different images and still had no luck? I just followed your exact steps in my build and it worked for me. I am using my development build though.

If none of this works for you I would suggest leaving it alone until our next build comes out (Tuesday). This might be a problem we have already fixed with the mapping and I don't want you giving yourself a concussion from smashing your head into the keyboard

[flipside]

Decals

When using only environment light as the only lighting source, not much or probably nothing of your bump map will show up, as the GI isn't refined in the bumpmap bumps and holes, and the lighting is too even to show the bump detail.

Try rendering without GI with simply the standard light first, to see if it works. (or try a map in the diffuse first and if that shows up, remove it and put it in the bump map slot).

[flipside]

Decals

Here's an example, all of them use the same cube with the same material:

Simple default lighting:



Only skylight:
(like you can see, even the box's corner doesn't show up, which is actually an extreme bump . Simply because of the even lighting which you would never have in real life)



Skylight with floor so there is shadow variation going on (very mild bump effect noticable)



Extra object for more shadow variation:

[magnatizerr]

Decals

Flipside - you STAR !!!!!



You are quite right, my problem seems to have been just using skylight!!

All other lighting works??!! Many thanks

My only problem now seems to be re-sizing the 'bump'!?

Am I right in saying that this will be possible within the next release??? (or, is it possible now, in this release and I've just not worked how to do it???)

cheers

[flipside]

Decals

Hehe, I had the same problem when I started to use vray for max

You should be able to resize the bump with the mapping controls. Go to mapping, show the mapping gizmo and resize it.