Sorry - I've never even thought about a material for the kind of coat on a horse. That would be very tricky, I think. Maybe Tiny has some advice. She does fur.

I'll try increasing the bump value of the coat first.

Who knows...

How do you save python scripts to the palette so they don't need to be located each time?

Quote - How do you save python scripts to the palette so they don't need to be located each time?

The initial main buttons for the Python buttons window are defined in a python script. It is located in your main runtime in:

:Runtime:Python:poserScripts:mainButtons.py

Open that file in a text editor.

Find a blank one, usually #8 and #9 are blank.

To put VSS into there, change it so it looks like this:

poser.DefineScriptButton(8, ":Runtime:Python:vss:vssMainButtons.py", "VSS")

Save it.

Then use the menu item File/Reinitialize Python to refresh it.

Here's a handy shortcut to show/hide the Python Buttons. Hit Ctrl-Shift-O.

If you did it right, one of the buttons will say VSS. Press it. If you did it right, it will change to the VSS main buttons.

Mmm. I forgot to mention that is the path to use ONLY if you installed my vss folder in your main Runtime:Python folder. If you put it someplace else, you will need to use a different specification.

Quote - Mmm. I forgot to mention that is the path to use ONLY if you installed my vss folder in your main Runtime:Python folder. If you put it someplace else, you will need to use a different specification.

I guess in my case it would read "D:runtime:" then.  Thanks for the tip about saving.  It has been a hassle having to reinstall the pyhton scripts every time.  I think I would've used the excellent weirdjuice Metaforms plugins more if I'd known this trick.  Too bad hardly anyone bought those as they no longer work under Poser 7.

BTW, I've had a few PTFs when trying to switch to the mat room, but it may be because I haven't upgraded to SR3 yet.

Why doesn't the control prop show the VSS material when rendered?  I was thinking I could create materials this way and then apply them to the figure later from the library. 

I couldn't decide what the control prop itself should look like when rendered, since it really isn't part of a scene. I was even toying with the idea of making the prop look like the letters V S S. Right now the prop is just a sphere. The geometry of the prop is irrelevent, and in fact you can make a control prop out of anything at all. Even a figure.

If you want to change the rendering of the prop, you can. Open the group editor tool, add a group, select all the polygons into the group, then click the assign material button. Choose one of the template materials to be assigned to the prop as a whole. Or you could choose a subset of the polygons and assign different templates to different parts of the prop. Then you can render the prop directly and see what the materials look like.
 

I just expected the control prop to show the skin material, as that is the one that I'm most concerned with setting up correctly.  I may modify it myself, but since the PTFs seem rare, I may just continue using it with figures.

Great work btw, you've made Poser interesting to me again.  

Oh, and thanks again Hoss for telling me to check this thread again.

And, I have no idea how to set up a shader that would look like horse hair.

Which got me to thinking:  I really don't know how to set up any shader for any material.

I know, BB, that over the years, you've done all kind of magical things in the Material Room to create realistic looking textures.

So, I'm asking if you would please make a third version of your VSS. 

There would be the free "Basic" VSS, the "Extras" VSS as you have already described, and then an "Elite" VSS featuring a template shader for every texture you're wired up over the years - metals, wood, fabrics, rocks, paints - EVERYTHING!

I would be willing to pay upwards of $50 or more for such a product.

Food for thought. 

Eat well!

JD

Now I'm into sphere props. You may have seen my orbs. I'm putting the finishing touches on my environment sphere. This is a prop that directly takes spherical panoramic images, LDR or HDR. It surrounds your whole scene and is great for introducing a full sky.

Here's a test render. The reflections on the car are so much more real when you have a full sphere around your scene, instead of using a sphere map image.

Looks great!

I'm assuming that will also be in my Elite VSS package.

I was wondering what the easiest solution to my problem is.  The first thing I tried the VSS on was a P4 male based figure.  I couldn't believe how good it looked, except for seeing through the eyebrows.  I guess more modern figures have a seperate eyebrow mesh in front of the face that should be transparent.  I have to go in and turn the eyebrow transparency off for each of the older figures in the scene.

I know there are rules and templates and stuff I need to familiarise myself with.  Is it possible at this point for users to add their own keywords to the VSS rules (I think materials with words such as "gen" in them should be treated as skin also)?  I really need to look at this closer, before I go asking you to make it work differently. 

I've begun the process of creating VSS versions of each of my figures, and it is a time consuming task.  I want to keep the older figures the same in case Poser's preview render quality ever improves to the point that I can use it for animation. 

My only complaint with VSS is just the way it turns my figures all white.  I suppose that's actually a Poser complaint though.

Excuse me for noticing little details, but the sand on the feet is excellent.

moogal:

Go back a page to page 27. I posted precisely the instructions you need to make new rules. You want to make a Rule gen that connects to Copy Template Skin.

The white preview business is a Poser problem. They didn't implement all the nodes or channels in OpenGL. In particular, anything plugged into Alternate_Diffuse is ignored, which is a real pity. Diffuse_Value is also ignored.

However, I'm not sure why you see white. The skin shader connects the color map to Diffuse_Color, even though the built-in diffuse is turned off. On Poser Pro and Poser 7, this means that the preview does use the color map, if not the full shader. What version of Poser are you on?

conmtrex7:
Heheh. I must confess that was postwork.

I had assumed you'd posted it somewhere.  28 pages was just too much to read through when realised I could already be playing with the VSS itself.  It is a weekend though, so I may get to it.

So you understand the problem but it still surprises you?  Hmmm...  As far as I know, I'm only one SR behind (P7), because I was waiting to see if the initial SR3 complaints were indicative of problems I'd run into.  For what it's worth, I am told by Poser that the file is newer than expected.  Poser also asks for a texture called "no_map" that it cannot find.  (Just a hunch, but there is no such texture, is there?)  Could be a driver thing even.
 
Is there an easy way to preserve the root node settings, while still creating and connecting the cool stuff the script makes?  I love the crazy gob of noodles your script chucks out, but not how it also changes root node values like diffuse colour (which I know is not an accurate way to darken skin tones, but it is good for alien tinting), highlight size and the aforementioned transparency.  I thought I could copy before syncronising and then paste, but that seems to always unplug the child noodles which I find a bit cluttered to (quickly) plug back in.  (Actually, shouldn't they be preserved in a copy and paste?  Or do the noodles belong to the children?)  If I could figure out how to do this, it would solve my other problems.

Attached Link: VSS comparison

fivecat posted a comment to say you (bb) are still planning to release a full VSS product. I hope so.

I hope so too!

I, myself, understand the difficulties of staying focused on one particular project when there are a world of possibilities out there to explore.

Even so, please, come back to us BB!

Quote - For what it's worth, I am told by Poser that the file is newer than expected.  Poser also asks for a texture called "no_map" that it cannot find.  (Just a hunch, but there is no such texture, is there?)  Could be a driver thing even.

I've been puzzling this no_map business for a while. It appears that Poser 7 and Pro write file NO_MAP into every node, even nodes that are not image nodes. Whereas Poser 6 and older write file "" (empty quotes) into the material.

When I load a P7 or PPro material into P6, and save it again, it writes file ":NO_MAP" into every node. So it thinks there's supposed to be an image file called NO_MAP in your runtime. Strange. I think I'm going to have to fix all the materials with an external tool. I may switch to generating them all using matmatic - it knows how to make compatible materials all the way back to Poser 5.

Quote -  
Is there an easy way to preserve the root node settings, while still creating and connecting the cool stuff the script makes?  I love the crazy gob of noodles your script chucks out, but not how it also changes root node values like diffuse colour (which I know is not an accurate way to darken skin tones, but it is good for alien tinting), highlight size and the aforementioned transparency.  I thought I could copy before syncronising and then paste, but that seems to always unplug the child noodles which I find a bit cluttered to (quickly) plug back in.  (Actually, shouldn't they be preserved in a copy and paste?  Or do the noodles belong to the children?)  If I could figure out how to do this, it would solve my other problems.

I'm not sure I understand what you're trying to do. By definition, the template includes everything about the material being defined and copied, except for which image maps to use.

If VSS were to not copy certain settings, it would be impossible to actually force the target material to be what you want. For example, suppose you were going from skin to a bronze metal (because you want a statue). How would you expect that to work?

If you want the skin shader to be a certain shader, then put that shader into Template Skin. Bronze, human skin, glass, whatever you put there, it is, by definition, supposed to be copied to all the target material zones.

Could you post a screen shot of the Material Room set-up for this shader so I can study it?

Attached Link: Marble Shader

I don't think it's VSS' fault.  If you copy two linked nodes and paste, the links are preserved.  But whether you copy just the root or just a child, you have to reconnect them.  I wish that nodes retained info as to which connections were occupied, or what they were plugged into.

First I removed the AO node from VSS_Skin rule. This speed up my renders. In first picture the AO comes from an IBL. One Point light is setup for specular only. Also I tweaked the specular skin settings to get a more oiliness look.

Mazak

Mazak

And we like it, right?

Quote - And we like it, right?

Your VSS Skin tool is genius, no question.

Mazak

BB, okay, I want to take the Marble Material set-up and add it to a VSS prop in order to make a bunch of props into marble.

I have 3 snags:

1. The prop does not have separate Material Zones.  Everything is plugged into the "Preview" PoserSurface.

2.  The prop, which is a huge column-like structure has a texture map that adds a decorative design on the side of the column.  I'd want it to be marble, though.

3.  There are other props in the scene that do the same thing.  But I don't want them to be marble.

Would you please explain this one to me?

Quote - Here's my attempt at using it. David

Looking good (apart from the funny underwear :biggrin: )

Saw something similar on the vizeau website so I thought I'd try and duplicate the "suit" David

Quote - 1. The prop does not have separate Material Zones.  Everything is plugged into the "Preview" PoserSurface.

So? A rule node called "Rule preview" will match that. It will then copy whatever you tell it to copy into the preview zone. Or, "Rule *" would match any zone on the prop, including preview. Use that if you want to copy the same shader to all materials on the same prop.

Quote -
2.  The prop, which is a huge column-like structure has a texture map that adds a decorative design on the side of the column.  I'd want it to be marble, though.

Not sure of you're meaning. You do or do not want the texture map used? If you want it used, how? Is the texture map plugged into Diffuse_Color? Can you show me what you're talking about? We could include a Color Map in the shader, and hook it up in such a way that if it's there, it gets used somehow, and if it's not there, we do something else. I need to see how the color map fits into things, though. Like, if it's got actual colors, or it's just a mask, or what?

Quote -
3.  There are other props in the scene that do the same thing.  But I don't want them to be marble.

Well the way to tell the control prop that it applies to some props and not to others is via the rules in the "Apply Rules" material zones. Remember that these use the names of your props as filter data.

So if you have a bunch of Column_1, Column_2, Column_3 and you want VSS to apply to those, then make an Apply Rules rule called "Rule Column*". (without the quotes) If you also wanted Pedestal_1, Pedestal_2, etc., then you'd add another rule called "Rule Pedestal*".

If, however, you wanted Column_1 and Column_3 to apply, but not Column_2, you'd use a "Rule Column_1" and a "Rule Column_3".

Or, you could just rename Column_2 so that it isn't called Column any more.

Or, you could go around your props and name them VSSDoMe_1, VSSDoMe_2, etc. and use Rule VSSDoMe*.

I want to retain the texture, but make it look  marble.

So, in the "Apply Rules" Material zone of the VSS Prop, I added a new rule called "Rule ulfoblisk*" and deleted the "Rule ".

Of course, now that I write that, it makes me remember something about the "<" and ">" thingies.  I just can't remember what...

edit: and of course, after posting, I see that I named it incorrectly completely!  I don't need to re-type "rule" 

doohl!

Hmmm. Is that an image of stacked stones? It's hard to see what it is.

And I see the color map is being used in the Gradient_Bump channel. This is "nonsense" - it's like listening to the colors as an audio file. Do you feel like that's producing a desirable effect? I'd need a render to judge.

So am I to understand you want to use the brightness variations of that color map, but not use the actual colors - to use the marble instead?

Quote - another pic using vss...

Nice. It has a strangely "painterly" quality to it.

But the  decorative design from the map is gone.

And as far as color goes,  I'm assuming I would be able to make the marble and the design that runs through it any color I want by adjusting it in the Material Room.

*Rendered after applying your Marble material.  No adjustments to any settings.  I'm not sure what's going on with the curved top part - it looks separated.

*You have unwelded seams between the curve and the verticals, and when poser applies smoothing angle during rendering, they appear separated - since each smooths out on their own.  Welding those edges is a way of telling it that even after smoothing they need to be touching.

I turned off "smooth polygons" on the prop.

Quote - Rendered (with your indoor lights 01)

Hmm. I wonder how much of that pattern is from the bump (which is actually a color map) and if it would bring out the shapes enough without doing too much work.

After applying the marble, hook that "Bump_Map" back in the way it was. What does it look like?

I don't see an easy way to extract the filigree pattern and skulls from the granite background, since they are the same colors.

I took the map into Photoshop, desaturated, inverted, then proceeded to paint black around the decorative parts, teaked the darkness and saved as a Displacement Map.

I attached the Image_Map Node to the Bump plug with a  value 3.

Way more trouble than I wanted - but I guess you have to work hard for the good stuff.

Saved as a Bump Map and attached to Bump plug.

The shadows seem to be more correct in this version.

Excellent. Yes the carved version (second image) is much more believable, because we are used to seeing that sort of carving in stone.

By the way, you did not need to invert and re-save the image. Just change your bump or displacement from positive to negative, and it becomes a carving. For example, if you started with 3, change to -3.

Here are my first tries at VSS, it's all load an go no changes, the maps are the standard resolution Victoria 4 maps.

It looks fairly realistic to me but I'm getting a few artifacts, white dots here and there and if you zoom to full size there seems to be some very bad aliasing or "stair stepping" around the figures edges, it shows up like that in the render window, not just the PNG file.

Quote - Excellent. ...

Thank you!

Quote - By the way, you did not need to invert and re-save the image. Just change your bump or displacement from positive to negative, and it becomes a carving. For example, if you started with 3, change to -3.

I learn something new every day!

BB,
I posted this over at RDNA, but I'll also ask here in case things get lost:
I'm working on a scene with V4 on a beach. I've got the wet/oily part down, but I am looking for a way to get her feet to look like sand has stuck to them, like in real life. Other than creating a sock with transmaps and sand textures, is there a way to add a shader with masks? This way, we could make different parts of her body sandy, yet still be able to have an underlying texture set? Thanks, -Starkdog

Your question about why only dark tanned skins look realistic has another aspect to it.

Most skin textures that come with characters are smooth - human skin isn't, in 2 different ways.

Firstly, the pores on human skin add a roughness to it
Secondly, if you look at skin under a bright light, different areas of skin absorb/reflect the light at slightly different rates.

Dark tanned skin conceal both of the above, which is one of the reasons why tanned Poser skin looks more authentic.