DistanceTex + Ramp control

[flat]

Can Ramp Tex control the fade of Distance Tex like the 3ds Max version?
(VRayDistanceTex + Ramp)
https://docs.chaos.com/display/VMAX/VRayDistanceTex

[deyan.hadzhiev]

Hi flat, it is possible to use it, although the setup is a bit different. Unfortunately the setup is also currently only available for the node materials.

Basically you need to connect the distance node to the Context port of the ramp node (with an intermediate conversion from Color to UVW). See the example below:

[deyan.hadzhiev]

Hi flat, it is possible to use it, although the setup is a bit different. Unfortunately the setup is also currently only available for the node materials.

Basically you need to connect the distance node to the Context port of the ramp node (with an intermediate conversion from Color to UVW). See the example below:

[flat]

Thank you for your advice.
I noticed that Color to UVW Node describes an application.
Here is what I wanted to know. thank you.

https://docs.chaos.com/display/VC4D/Color+to+UVW+Node

[deyan.hadzhiev]

Hi again, just as a follow up, because I forgot about the native Colorizer shader. Since we added native support for it, you can actually use it for a similar setup (which should also work for displacement). Here is an example:

[flat]

Thank you for the additional useful information!

[akos_kiss]

deyan.hadzhiev Could you explain what does the color to uvw node do in this situation? Is this something necessary or just for fast explanation sake?

I was wondering if parametric objects will be supported by the distance map in the next updates? i had to make the linked objects editable to make the distance map work.

[deyan.hadzhiev]

Hi akos_kiss, the workings of the Color to UVW node are briefly explained here, but generally in this context it is used to "drive" the vertical part of the UV coordinates for the ramp and is necessary for this setup. As a whole the Color to UVW node is used to convert any color (or grayscale) information into a UVW coordinate pair that may be used in another node's Context port.

More specifically in the case in the example - the distance node produces values from black to white, based on the distance from the geometry. This output is then converted to the V part of the UV coordinates that will be used to sample the Ramp (or Gradient) node. So values which are black (or close to black) will make the sampler use values from the bottom of the gradient, while values which are white (or close to white) will use values from the top of the gradient.

I was wondering if parametric objects will be supported by the distance map in the next updates? i had to make the linked objects editable to make the distance map work.

Currently V-Ray for Cinema 4D supports only parametric Sphere, Plain and Renderable Splines, but unfortunately the distance node implementation in V-Ray can only work with triangulated geometry. So this means you need to either make the object editable, or have it somehow produce real triangles (e.g. by disabling the "Render perfect" Sphere option). For now there are no plans on adding support for non-triangulated geometry, at least not for the next updates of V-Ray 6.

I hope this answers your questions. Don't hesitate to ask more if you need further assistance.