VRayProxy + VRayDisplacementMod?

[Art48]

Is it possible?

I'm currently doing a scene with very many high-detail screws, scattered via mParticles on top of each other.
Now I got two problems:

1) I need to split up the particles and make each particle an actual screw in the scene that I can move around by hand. Basically baking the particles in seperate meshes and then replacing that meshes with my VRayProxy (They are only around 400 so it should be fine performance-wise)
2) I need to have displacement on every single one of the screws (All the same, all instances)

How would I go about that?

At the moment replacing the screw particles at rendertime via VRayInstancer works fine, but I need to be able to move every single screw and I need the displacement.

[vlado]

You should be able to use PFlow operators to move specific particles (screws).

As for displacement, in this case it might be best to go with the 3ds Max Displace modifier.

Best regards,
Vlado

[Art48]

I know this is no VRay question, but does anyone know how I could go about replacing all particles with a VRayProxy which I can move/rotate/scale individually then? I really would like to lose the PFlow now and act on regular objects.

As for displacement I propably will be doing that then, subdividing like crazy, displace it, then convert it to a proxy. Little PitA but doable. If you ever consider it, working displacement with particles or VRayProxies would be aweseom

[Art48]

Found a handy script here if anyone is interested: http://www.charleycarlat.com/

--By Charley Carlat
--1-29-06
--charleyc@charleycarlat.com
--Select your Distribution Objects, then run the Script and Pick your PFSource
fn pfFilt flt = (classOf flt == PF_Source)
pfSrc = pickObject message:"Pick PF Source...." filter:pfFilt
for i in 1 to pfSrc.numParticles() do
(
	pfSrc.particleIndex = i
	rnd = random 1 selection.count
	tmpObj = instance selection[rnd]
	tmpObj.material = selection[rnd].material
	tmpObj.wireColor = selection[rnd].wireColor
	tmpObj.transform = pfSrc.particleTM
)--End For

[vlado]

If you ever consider it, working displacement with particles or VRayProxies would be aweseom

Actually this works fine if you set the proxy to "show full mesh" and add a VRayDisplacementMod modifier on top. However in that case it won't be instanced and in your case the memory usage might blow up.

Best regards,
Vlado

[Art48]

Ah this is good to know, thanks.

[jose-duenas]

This has caught my attention. I did the test with "show whole mesh" option and displacement worked great.

Is there any difference using a proxy with "Preview from file (Faces)" vrs "show whole mesh" regarding resources (RAM) or speed?
How about instancing that proxy? (preview from file vrs show whole mesh)

Are there other advantages (besides vraydisplacement) by using SHOW WHOLE MESH option?

Thanks in advanced

[vlado]

Is there any difference using a proxy with "Preview from file (Faces)" vrs "show whole mesh" regarding resources (RAM) or speed?

For viewport performance, there is definitely a difference (proxies with high polygon count may slow down the viewports and the scene loading). For rendering, in case where the proxy has no modifiers on it, there is no difference in the rendering. If the proxy has modifiers on it along with the "show whole mesh" option, then it will be converted to a regular mesh and rendered as such (i.e. any delayed-loading properties will be lost).

How about instancing that proxy? (preview from file vrs show whole mesh)

It will still instance correctly in either case.

Are there other advantages (besides vraydisplacement) by using SHOW WHOLE MESH option?

You can apply other modifiers on the mesh and effectively treat the proxy as just a geometry cache without any delayed-loading properties (i.e. the whole proxy will be read in RAM at the start of a render).

Best regards,
Vlado

[jose-duenas]

Thank you Vlado. All clear now.