List of Shader Mixer Tutorials and Recipes WIP please be patient as I update the list...thanks!

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  • Eustace ScrubbEustace Scrubb Posts: 2,698
    edited December 1969

    My current challenge (if anyone can solve it) is to tile an image's Alpha channel when loaded with a PNG. No success so far. Any suggestions or help would be appreciated.

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 100,941
    edited December 1969

    If you are wanting to tile the alpha differently from the main image I think you'd need two image bricks, and feed different s,t values to each.

  • Eustace ScrubbEustace Scrubb Posts: 2,698
    edited June 2017

    That's just it: I want it to tile at all. No matter what I've tried, including sending it into other S/T tileable bricks (Checkers, et cetera), the Alpha channel refuses to tile. I was hoping to do lace and lattices with single, tileable PNGs, but absolutely nothing induces the alpha channels to tile. I can halve, triple, or rotate the color channels and the alpha stays obstinately put!

    Post edited by Eustace Scrubb on
  • BejaymacBejaymac Posts: 1,889
    edited January 2014

    The problem Richard is that the Alpha output from an Image brick doesn't tile, the S & T only works on the color output.


    X-Post

    Post edited by Bejaymac on
  • ben98120000ben98120000 Posts: 469
    edited January 2014

    It tiles if you plug image alpha into surface brick opacity, not material brick opacity. Well, sort off, there was image at the middle and tiled ones together, like its displaying both tiled and non tiled image.

    But you can ignore image alpha. Plug in image color into both diffuse and opacity color of material brick and it should work with alpha channel .png. Besides, if you put .png with alpha channel into opacity strength channel of the DAZ studio default shader (surface) it will work for tiling and opacity.

    Edit: Hmm, it looks like alpha channel from.png I used was treated in DS as black color. If i put it in diffuse color, what is invisible renders black, which in opacity strength, ofc, renders invisible.

    Post edited by ben98120000 on
  • Eustace ScrubbEustace Scrubb Posts: 2,698
    edited December 1969

    Let me try one or two of those solutions: I was hoping to make it work out of just one node, but if I can't, I'll see what improvements I can undertake.

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 100,941
    edited December 1969

    That sounds like a bug report waiting to happen, then - I would expect the alpha to tile as the image tiled unless overridden.

  • ben98120000ben98120000 Posts: 469
    edited December 1969

    I was playing some more with setup on the image. It depends on how the .png was made. There are 2 options when .png with alpha channel is exported from Gimp, Save background color and Save color values for transparent pixels. If those are active and deleted color was white, than it doesnt work, its not transparent. If those are active and deleted color was black, than it works, its transparent. If those are not active, than it works with white color being deleted as well and it works with that image in opacity strength of standard DS shader.

    Clip2.jpg
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  • Eustace ScrubbEustace Scrubb Posts: 2,698
    edited December 1969

    I've been using PNG-saved renders straight from DS4.

  • AnimAnim Posts: 241
    edited December 1969

    Hi,

    it seems "forumarchive..." is offline for days now.
    Does somebody know if the information of the mentioned thread:

    "Global illumination thread contains many different recipes (In my opinion the best thread I have found so far.)"
    http://forumarchive.daz3d.com/viewtopic.php?t=114436&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight;=&sid=96d5eb909871445f0cb10923b2c07ebe

    Is available somewhere else?

    By the way I am new to DS but used to Poser and Lightwave.

    Thanks for help.

  • PendraiaPendraia Posts: 3,598
    edited December 1969

    madno said:
    Hi,

    it seems "forumarchive..." is offline for days now.
    Does somebody know if the information of the mentioned thread:

    "Global illumination thread contains many different recipes (In my opinion the best thread I have found so far.)"
    http://forumarchive.daz3d.com/viewtopic.php?t=114436&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight;=&sid=96d5eb909871445f0cb10923b2c07ebe

    Is available somewhere else?

    By the way I am new to DS but used to Poser and Lightwave.

    Thanks for help.

    I thought I had sent parts of it to onenote but unfortunately can't locate them so looks like I didn't. I had planned on writing proper tutorials for parts of that thread just haven't had chance to get to it. I hope DAZ gets the archived forum back up...
  • Eustace ScrubbEustace Scrubb Posts: 2,698
    edited February 2014

    I sent in the bug report, along with screencaptures. I haven't heard back since they acknowledged that last note, though. It's been a couple of weeks.

    Who, me? Impatient? Well, um ... actually yes. I am.
    (The settings shown in the shader screenshot do not reflect all settings tested.)

    Problem_#1.jpg
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    Problem_#3.jpg
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    Problem_#0.jpg
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    Post edited by Eustace Scrubb on
  • KeryaKerya Posts: 10,943
    edited December 1969

    Adding tiling to surface shaders that have none to begin with:
    http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/47210/#689348

  • atticanneatticanne Posts: 3,009
    edited December 1969

    I missed that, Kerya. Thanks for pointing it out.

  • PendraiaPendraia Posts: 3,598
    edited December 1969

    Thanks Vaskania...I'll have to update the first post.


    Thanks Wendy...isn't the wayback machine an awesome resource?

  • atticanneatticanne Posts: 3,009
    edited December 1969

    I'm still hoping that with the next forums DAZ will find a way to return the archives to us completely.

  • Eustace ScrubbEustace Scrubb Posts: 2,698
    edited December 1969

    Would there be much market for a "Shader Mixer Cookbook" to compile these recipes into a single resource? I'd probably try to link it into the Content Directory so that users could open it while in Studio.

  • Eustace ScrubbEustace Scrubb Posts: 2,698
    edited December 1969

    Here's a stumper: Can any of us concoct a doubly-refractive gemstone shader that works with ordinary lights and cameras (material/surface only)?

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 100,941
    edited December 1969

    What is a doubly refractive gemstone?

  • Eustace ScrubbEustace Scrubb Posts: 2,698
    edited December 2014

    What is a doubly refractive gemstone?

    Most gemstones have two indices of refraction (I know, it's really weird-sounding) but that split refraction is part of what gives them their "fire".
    Some gemstones are singly refractive; they have only one refractive index. Other gemstones - in fact, most - are doubly refractive; they have two different refractive indices. When a beam of light enters a doubly refractive gem, it is split into two beams, each travelling at a different speed and on a different path through the crystal. Birefringence is a measurement of the difference between the two refractive indices in gems that are doubly refractive, and it ranges from a low of .003 to a high of .287. Very few gemstones are singly refractive; in fact, the only well-known gems with that property are diamond, spinel and garnet.

    From GemSelect.Net, with a chart of precious and semiprecious stones and their IORs/Birefringences.

    Currently, I suspect the easiest method is with a 0-standoff geoshell to carry the secondary refraction: I just want to know if we can fit two IORs into a single shader without it going blooey on us.

    Post edited by Eustace Scrubb on
  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 100,941
    edited December 1969

    Interesting question, I've no idea - your method might work, but I suspect that you'd get the same kind of mosaic effect as you would with the diffuse on doubled-up geometry.

  • Eustace ScrubbEustace Scrubb Posts: 2,698
    edited December 2014

    Here's an example of the Geoshell method, using my Mephistopolis shaders and the Birefringence Value of Emerald (0.006). The same shader on both; only the IOR is changed.


    In the first image, both the gem and the geoshell have the same shader, one with IOR of 1.605 and the other with IOR of 1.599, with opacity for both at 6.12%

    The second shows the gem alone (IOR 1.605, opacity 6.12%) and the third, the same gem with opacity at 9.375%, a rough approximation of the first image with a single IOR.

    Refraction_9-4.jpg
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    Refraction_6-1.jpg
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    Birefringence_6-1.jpg
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    Post edited by Eustace Scrubb on
  • edited December 1969

    Thank you very much for all this Pendraia

  • JuNeJuNe Posts: 87
    edited December 1969

    Hello and thanks so much for the list and the recipes! Unfortunately, the forumarchive seems offline.

    I have a question: I do not know how to use ShaderMixer very well, but I'd like to make a volumetric light that casts a lightbeam into the scene. This lightbeam should be coloured by a texture, so I could do some "lightrays-through-stained-glass-windows" effect. Is that achievable by ShaderMixer?

  • PendraiaPendraia Posts: 3,598
    edited December 1969

    Would there be much market for a "Shader Mixer Cookbook" to compile these recipes into a single resource? I'd probably try to link it into the Content Directory so that users could open it while in Studio.Sounds wonderful...I've always meant to write the networks up in a proper tutorial format but never have sufficient time as I work full time as a teacher. I would absolutely love you to do that!

    Thank you very much for all this Pendraia

    Hello and thanks so much for the list and the recipes! Unfortunately, the forumarchive seems offline.

    I have a question: I do not know how to use ShaderMixer very well, but I'd like to make a volumetric light that casts a lightbeam into the scene. This lightbeam should be coloured by a texture, so I could do some "lightrays-through-stained-glass-windows" effect. Is that achievable by ShaderMixer?No problem Michaelmc and dragonlady_ramoth! I just wish I had more time so I could update it as there are new threads that I could list.

    In answer to you question dragonlady it probably could be done...unfortunately I'm not an expert. I haven't done much with lighting hopefully someone who does know will pop into the thread. I would suggest AoA's cameras but I'm not sure if they have been updated for 4.7 yet.

  • Eustace ScrubbEustace Scrubb Posts: 2,698
    edited March 2015

    I sent in the bug report, along with screencaptures. I haven't heard back since they acknowledged that last note, though. It's been a couple of weeks.

    Who, me? Impatient? Well, um ... actually yes. I am.
    (The settings shown in the shader screenshot do not reflect all settings tested.)

    This bug is actually corrected now, as of DAZ|Studio 4.7.0.12 at least, and on into D|S 4.8.

    Pen, I might go ahead and write that cookbook after all, at least once we get the hang of the iRay shader blocks. Or they may have to wait for Volume 2.

    Post edited by Eustace Scrubb on
  • PendraiaPendraia Posts: 3,598
    edited December 1969

    I sent in the bug report, along with screencaptures. I haven't heard back since they acknowledged that last note, though. It's been a couple of weeks.

    Who, me? Impatient? Well, um ... actually yes. I am.
    (The settings shown in the shader screenshot do not reflect all settings tested.)

    This bug is actually corrected now, as of DAZ|Studio 4.7.0.12 at least, and on into D|S 4.8.

    Pen, I might go ahead and write that cookbook after all, at least once we get the hang of the iRay shader blocks. Or they may have to wait for Volume 2.

    I would do two...one for 3Delight and one for iRay. It might confuse people otherwise.

    Not that I'm impatient...; )

    Let me know if I can do anything to help. Even if it's just proofreading or testing recipes...

  • Eustace ScrubbEustace Scrubb Posts: 2,698
    edited December 1969

    Oy! Thanks... Between RL and my current store projects, it isn't even on my plate yet.

    I think you're right about iRay needing its own book, as the blocks themselves don't even mix well. For that matter, the one I was thinking of would only be surface materials (no volume, no light, no cameras) because that's what I know so far.

  • Eustace ScrubbEustace Scrubb Posts: 2,698
    edited December 1969

    Hello and thanks so much for the list and the recipes! Unfortunately, the forumarchive seems offline.

    I have a question: I do not know how to use ShaderMixer very well, but I'd like to make a volumetric light that casts a lightbeam into the scene. This lightbeam should be coloured by a texture, so I could do some "lightrays-through-stained-glass-windows" effect. Is that achievable by ShaderMixer?


    There was a gobo-light recipe here someplace, but I haven't played much with it. It should be simple enough in the iRay renderer though.
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