Can I make use of Mat files?

[remotedeveloper]

Hi,
I'm brand new to VRAY but have been using Modo for some time.
I'm struggling to get the kind of results I get with the native MODO render and that concerns me not least because I just bought VRAY and I know I'm far getting the best out of it and I'm clearly the weak link.

I was hoping that perhaps I could learn from existing mat files, is there a way I can use cray mat files in VRAY for Modod?

thanx in advance,

[Robert]

Not really. Its a 3dsmax format. Not the most complex one, but it wouldn't be easy to translate. 3dsmax Material name could be used as MaterialID, but what to do with SubMat Material? I would use PartIDs, but thats not the workflow most people do. I can explain a few tricks how adapt 3dsmax Shading in Modo, but even then we would need someone to write a tool for it.

[Robert]

oh and you can actually export it as .vrscene from 3dsmax.

[remotedeveloper]

Thanks for your response Robert, much appreciated. It sounds from what you said that direct mat use is not realistic but I could import a vrscene file and valid cray materials would come in as part of that process so I could look at how they were created that ?

It's somewhat limiting but it would at least get me going while I learn cray material techniques. Are there any vcray material libraries that are distributed as vrscene files? how are users of cray for blender, sketches, Maya etc sharing, distributing their material libraries, I guess just in native formats ?

[vladimir.nedev]

We have the .vrmat/.vismat formats for sharing between applications.
There are sites on the Internet that offer .vrmat/vismat downloads.

But right now these can only be rendered in V-Ray for MODO, you can't import them to see how they are made internally.
I will eventually add the option to import .vrmat files as part of the .vrscene import command.
Also I will convert the .vrmat library that we have to MODO material presets.
Basically the .vrmat files that we have, imported into MODO and saved as MODO presets, with a rendering done in V-Ray for MODO as thumbnail.

If you have .mat files, you could install a trial of 3ds Max, and a demo version of V-Ray for 3ds Max.
Then:
1. load the .mat library inside the 3ds Max material editor
2. assign the material to an object in the scene
3. export to .vrscene by right clicking in a viewport and choosing ".vrscene exporter"
4. in MODO, from the V-Ray menu choose "Import .vrscene" and select the .vrscene exported from 3ds Max in step 3

Greetings,
Vladimir Nedev

[remotedeveloper]

Thanx Vladimir,
Good to see you're just as helpful here as you are in the modo forums, much appreciated. Sounds like your workaround with Max will do fine and there's some more material love on its way which is great. I really starting to understand the differences in the way materials work in vray v modo native. The ability to create libraries and use other library resources will be a big bonus, looking forward to it.
thanx for you help,
Kevin/