Is there a python script available somewhere that can control all the settings in Posersurface for figure materials?
I have Jasmina Changer that can control the Diffuse_color for figure materials, but it would be very VERY useful if there was a script for everything in the PoserSurface window.

Theres a bunch of scripts for specific changes but I dont know of a master like you describe. You can copy/paste settings , or allocate one material to all materials on a figure in Poser itself.

Not sure if I'm understanding your question, but is this what you're looking for?

www.renderosity.com/mod/bcs/index.php

If I understand your question correctly, to my view there is. I use it (them) all the time. The first tool is Matmatic: you create your own Python scripts to be compiled in Matmatic to make mt5 files. Then you use VSS to distribute the resultant materials over your figures material zones. Have a look at any post by BagginsBill: his scripts are in his signature.

The preview release of VSS can also do this...

I think what Believable3D found is what I'm looking for. Thanks!

Actually guys, VSS does not do that. VSS will replace whole shaders. The script Zaycrow wants is that D3D script.

I would find that useless, because my shaders don't (can't) use the root node for much.

For example, a traditional "naive" shader with reflection as is so much used in Poser materials simply connects a Reflect node and you dial in a Reflection_Value. The D3D script might be handy to change that on a bunch of materials all at once.

But such a shader produces crapola and is not realistic. A proper Fresnel effect shader does not have the reflection strength in the Poser Surface node. The Reflection_Value would be 1 in all cases and any other value would be trouble. This is because a proper shader that respects the Fresnel effect and also respects conservation of energy would have to calculate the amount of reflection in a node, and also subtract that from the Diffuse_Value.

If you used the D3D script linked above with my materials you'd just f*** them up.

I suppose I really couldn't visualise a shader without using other than the PoserSurface node. Doing that would take too much away from the power for the material room. This script appears to allow connecting only one type of node: the imageMap. Is that correct?

Where's the fun in that?

Besides, wouldn't it be just as easy to just do that in the mat room without the script? I'm a big fan of D3D, but I fail to see the usefulness of this script, somehow... but then, I'm a bit slow.

Thousands of people do not gamma correct or use a Blinn node. For them, the skin specular is in the surface. Adjusting shine is simply a matter of changing those three surface parameters for all the skin zones. Adjusting Diffuse_Color to tint the skin is in the surface. For them, the script is a time saver. But they are just producing embarrassing classic Poser crap more quickly, IMO.
 

So you're saying I produce poser crap because of that script? Thanks a lot man!

Zaycrow take it easy.

No you don't produce crap because of that script. That was a reference not to you but to the elitists at CGSociety who think that all Poser art is crap, because most of it is crap. But some Poser art is not crap.

However, most of the non-crap takes considerably more effort with Poser. In particular, I have made extensive study of lighting and shaders, and have published thousands of tutorials and examples and tools (all free) helping Poser users produce higher quality results.

I have not looked at your work. I may think it is crap or not, but until I look I don't have an opinion.

However, I can almost guarantee you that if you used that script and I used that script, I could make it do things you can't even imagine, let alone figure out how to do it, even though I think it's limitations are pretty severe.

Are you new here? Like, you're not aware of what I do? Or that I've posted 8000 times to help people?

I don't understand some people's reactions. If a well-known chef were to answer some cooking question you had, and happened to mention that the pot you intend to use is going to limit your results, would you get pissed off?

I'm a well known material specialist. That script is going to limit your results.

At the risk of sounding like a groupie, I do invite you to have a look at some of the threads discussing not only materials but also lights and other aspects of Poser, Zaycrow. Invariably, some of the most bookmarked threads will have a well-thought-out solution by BagginsBill.

Most if not all seasoned Poser users that write to this forum hold BagginsBill's opinions / suggestions / instructions in the highest regard. If you were to try some of his materials on for size (don't leave out any steps!) you will find that your materials will pop.

Most users (including developers) don't want to go to that much trouble and that is why there is so much rubbish out there in Poserdom. People still think that if you randomly string this node into that node and get somewhat what you're after in terms of effect, you've got a valid shader. For a given set of lights, this may seem to be true. Another set of lights, and your shader suddenly looks like poo. Poser Pro with its in-built gamma-correction exposed this fact... people of course thought that something was wrong with gamma-correction and turned it off, but it was the lights or the rubbish shaders.

I'm not an expert on this at all, but having followed Bill's instructions presented in some threads, I was blown away by what can be done. And it ain't gonna happen using just the root node. Anymore than you can't make a gourmet dish using just salt and water and rice.

Quote - Poser Pro with its in-built gamma-correction exposed this fact... people of course thought that something was wrong with gamma-correction and turned it off, but it was the lights or the rubbish shaders.

Or, in some cases, they followed the instructions found in the product's READMEs.

Here's a direct copy&paste from the RDNA Terradome instructions:

"Make sure not to use 'Gamma Correction' in 'Poser Pro' as this will do odd things with the shader system."

The product itself is great and I keep on finding new ways to use what's contained in it (and I would recommend its purchase to anyone who asks) but when you find something like that lurking in the instructions that come with it, it does produce a sinking feeling.

Had a play with some of the materials in Terradome not long ago. I did material gamma-correction on my character's materials (skin /  clothing / hair ) and wanted her surrounding to be GCed as well. I don't have Poser Pro - can't afford the upgrade for the time being. But the zones shader is a fairly complex one (well, to me, it is), with textureMaps plugged into a ColorRamp and some other stuff before ending up in Diffuse_Color... and a Blinn-based specular set is added to a Phong-based set before going into the Alt_Spec channel.

Converting this to GC is going to be a challenge.

For one, I want to use CoE... so I would combine all the specular stuff and diffuse stuff to end up going in Alt_Diffuse, so I can do:
diffuseClr = Diffuse(linearClr, .85 * (1 - specStuff))

hmmmm going to try to convert this to a Python (math) equation and see where this takes me. But first, sleep. Been a hideously long day.

ETA: probably shouldn't publish those equations on here, though, should I? Don't want to get in dutch with the TD creators...

RobynsVeil:

There is a TerraDome thread over at RDNA. Post your fomulas there, and give us a thread here with a link to RDNA. I don't see how anyone could complain about that.

TerraDome makes a wonderful environment for Antonia!

LMK

I like TerraDome, too. I didn't know it said not to use GC, though. That is not advice I agree with, to say the least.

Yeah, I think it's because of the whole approach to lighting, which IIRC borrows from concepts of Render Studio, which predated IDL and GC. It's advice I ignore - I just use the "parts" and leave TerraDome's lighting presets out.

I've just GCed the materials - hope I did it right. However, I don't feel real comfortable publishing the shader: Traveler might take exception to that being published in a public forum. However, I would love for someone in the know have a look at it.

It renders up rather nicely... now that I've got my little brain around appropriate camera focal lengths for this sort of image and doing GenIBL images... it's all rather exciting!

We've hijacked this thread, and Zaycrow is probably still fuming, so all these replies are probably irritating him. RV - send me an email, and as for the rest, if we want to discuss GC materials for terrain in general, start a new thread.

Yes, we have, BB... I agree. I've kind-of moved my stuff over to RDNA under the Terradome area... and my apologies to Zaycrow.