Iray Uber vs PBR Skin

I'm new to Daz3D and am finding some of the different options available somewhat hard to get a grasp on. Currently, one of the biggest mysteries is the difference between the Iray Uber and PBR skin shaders. Is there a way to determine which one a specific figure is using? My understanding is that both Genesis 8.0 and 8.1 figures may use either type.

I'm sure the answers are already out there, but I haven't been able to find a discussion that seems to clearly answer my questions.

TIA

Comments

  • GordigGordig Posts: 9,905

    To figure out which shader a figure is using, select the figure, go to the surfaces pane and select a single surface, e.g. Arms or Face. At the top of the surfaces pane, it will say "shader: _____". The difference between the two is that the Iray Uber shader is a completely general shader for anything you might want to do in 3D, while the PBRSkin shader is specifically for skin, has some additional features not available in the Uber shader, and doesn't have an opacity option.

  • starboysfstarboysf Posts: 9

    Gordig said:

    To figure out which shader a figure is using, select the figure, go to the surfaces pane and select a single surface, e.g. Arms or Face. At the top of the surfaces pane, it will say "shader: _____". The difference between the two is that the Iray Uber shader is a completely general shader for anything you might want to do in 3D, while the PBRSkin shader is specifically for skin, has some additional features not available in the Uber shader, and doesn't have an opacity option.

    Thank you. That certainly helps clear things up. If a figure is using the Uber shader is it possible to switch it to PBR, and would that really make a significant difference? 

  • GordigGordig Posts: 9,905

    The shader itself is included in the default resources, so you can apply it to any surface you want. Whether it makes a significant difference, that's a matter of personal taste, as some people love PBRSkin, while others insist that Uber shader is still better. If you apply PBRSkin to a figure with Iray materials, you'll probably have to do a fair bit of tweaking to get it to look the way you want, and it will lack the micro detail maps (though you can borrow those from a different figure).

  • starboysfstarboysf Posts: 9

    Gordig said:

    The shader itself is included in the default resources, so you can apply it to any surface you want. Whether it makes a significant difference, that's a matter of personal taste, as some people love PBRSkin, while others insist that Uber shader is still better. If you apply PBRSkin to a figure with Iray materials, you'll probably have to do a fair bit of tweaking to get it to look the way you want, and it will lack the micro detail maps (though you can borrow those from a different figure).

    Where are the micro detail maps found so that they can be borrowed from other figures?  I also see there are some microtexture available from places such as texturing.xyz. Would these work as well?

  • GordigGordig Posts: 9,905

    Any 8.1 figure you own that includes PBRSkin materials probably has micro detail maps you could repurpose. As far as using micro detail maps from other sources, I haven't messed around with the shader enough to say how well they'd work. I think it was The Blurst of Times who was going through a bunch of G3 skins and converting them to PBRSkin, so they'd probably be the best one to ask, but it looks like they haven't been around for a couple months. 

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