Merging multiple containers in an ocean mesh - specify master container?

[jpl1040]

Hello,

I created a sim for an ocean scene with multiple ships in it, with each sim set to Ocean Mesh mode. At render time it tells you that "the master container which provides the material and settings for the merged ocean will be PhoenixFDLiquid001" - is there a way to control this?

What if I wanted them to take the material and settings from PhoenixFDLiquid002? Or any other sim?

Also, I am curious if this is the optimal way to set up a sim of this nature. Does the merging of the multiple containers into a single ocean mesh produce a single infinite ocean that each grid will seamlessly blend into without any overlap or other issues?

Please advise.

Thanks.

[Svetlin.Nikolov]

Hey,

All sims in Ocean mesh mode will be merged into a single one. For now you can't choose which one is the master which owns the material, but soon there will be user friendly interface for this

Cheers!

[leo.surrealismo]

is this possible on version 3.14.01 ?

[Svetlin.Nikolov]

It should be possible, yes, this is quite an old change. Just watch out not to have the containers overlapping.

[leo.surrealismo]

I can not find any setting to choose the master container.

[Svetlin.Nikolov]

Nah, sorry, you can't choose it yet. Isn't there a message telling you which one it is, so you don't bother with the material of the other ones?

[leo.surrealismo]

the problem I`m having is that is not generating ocean on my first frames because. the master container that phoenix is using, starts on frame 32, so between frame 0 and 31, I don`t see any ocean.

[Svetlin.Nikolov]

Ohhh, this is something we totally missed. Let me think about how I can expose something in the nightlies over the next couple of days, so you can continue your work...

[Svetlin.Nikolov]

Okay, so here's what I'm gonna do:

I will add a hidden MaxScript option called "oceanpriority".

By default it will be equal for all containers, but if you want a particular one to be the main container, then you gotta select it and type in the MaxScript listener:

$.oceanpriority = 1

for example. You can use more than 1 as well. The highest priority wins.

If this sounds alright, I will add it to tomorrow's Phoenix 4 nightlies.

Cheers!

[leo.surrealismo]

yes! that will work indeed! the workaround we were doing was to eliminate all the simulators except the one that we want with the highest priority, and after that, mering back the simulators we delete before. jjeejejejej but I prefer your method.

[leo.surrealismo]

is it possible to port it to version 3.14.01 ? we are still on that version. thanks!

[Svetlin.Nikolov]

I hope I will be able to backport it because it's not that big a change, so hopefully the code it touches has not changed much.... Gotta check and confirm that though...

[leo.surrealismo]

thank you svetlin!

[Svetlin.Nikolov]

Ahhh, I'm very sorry, but seems like it's not going to be an easy port to Phoenix 3 Ocean construction and the entire pre-render process is now upside down since we did a lot of changes for Corona compatibility and V-Ray IPR compatibility...

A workaround I can think of would be to have some simulation for all the frames before the master container's start time - maybe even just copying the first cache of that simulator on the hard drive and changing their frame numbers, so that there is some sim data for all frames, for all simulators...

[Svetlin.Nikolov]

ohhh, wait, what if you go to the Input rollout and enable Load Nearest if Missing for all simulators?