Hi again,

Trying to get back into Blender after 2.6x has been released, but...

Can't get the proper display for texture mapping. Setting Texture display in the window header and getting black hole inst. of textured objs, not to mention any manipulators for texturing (just cubic, flat, would like to move it around and scale while seeing the result...) Tried in the manual (finally, there:<), but it says almost nothing on basic texturing / mapping and quickly skips to nodes. Tried finding some tutes, but surprisingly fnd nothing either. Any ideas? WIll be thankful..

If you're working in Cycles, it is very much about nodes.

It's unclear at this point whether your issue is with mapping or with texturing. Mapping hasn't changed, texturing has (infinitely more flexible and capable). The basics are:

-- choose Cycles Render (top near the main menu - you only do this once)
-- Edit mode: select your mesh to texture, assign a material (like in Blender Render -> Material area)
-- have a node window open
-- you might see a Use Node button in the Material Area under Surfaces: click it
-- the default material you get is a DiffuseBSDF connected to Material Output
-- in node editor, [SHIFT][A] (add) Texture -> Image_Texture
-- connect Image_Texture color (yellow) out to DiffuseBSDF color in
-- browse for your texture by clicking the Open button on the Image_Texture node

It all seems a bit complex, but really isn't (my explanation is a bit wordy... didn't want to miss anything).

Thanks, by now I`m using Internal, the scene params are already set. How do you think, is it worthy to re-set everythng and move to Cycles?

I'd be investing the time to learn Cycles, Silgrin. Blender Internal isn't being developed anymore and has grown very unwieldy and cumbersome to accomplish much in, whereas in Cycles you have new materials being developed all the time, and then, there's OSL. You'll be glad you invested the time.

There's an excellent eBook published by Packt (O'Reilly's) on Cycles materials creation as well as one (very recently released!) on lighting and rendering. They are worth every penny... guiding you through areas the forums sort-of can't (or won't).

As for my opinion on renderers?

Internal's still needed for some effects though (Cycles doesn't have everything yet, like fire/smoke), but Cycles is a better render environment in terms of how lighting is handled. Nodes for building materials in Cycles is also pretty awesome once you get your head around it. Yet some things are still faster to knock out using BI even though it may be considered depreciated in terms of future development. The original render engine also tends to be faster for animation in most cases. (Unless you're willing to turn down samples and have noisy grainy renders in Cycles.)

I'd say to learn both, and also put in practice with how scene linking works and making use of the compositor to get the best of both worlds. (You get to use the FX Cycles doesn't have, and apply them to Cycles renders.)

It's funny though, I tried Blender a few times in the past and could never get anywhere. Then saw some Cycles stuff and tried one more time with 2.68 and found the new (2.5+) UI easier to navigate, so now I'm hooked. Let's just say I find it amusing to see people come back to it and be as confused as I was when I couldn't manage to do anything more than a cube with the old UI.

---(Edit)---

One more note. Nodes in Blender Internal and Cycles are not the same. You may experience oddness or crashes trying to use same mats for both engines. What you may want to do is duplicate a scene and have different material sets made for the different render engines. Something you may want to keep track of if getting into compositing work between the two renderers available to Blender.

Quote - -- choose Cycles Render (top near the main menu - you only do this once)
-- Edit mode: select your mesh to texture, assign a material (like in Blender Render -> Material area)
-- have a node window open
-- you might see a Use Node button in the Material Area under Surfaces: click it
-- the default material you get is a DiffuseBSDF connected to Material Output
-- in node editor, [SHIFT][A] (add) Texture -> Image_Texture
-- connect Image_Texture color (yellow) out to DiffuseBSDF color in
-- browse for your texture by clicking the Open button on the Image_Texture node

Thanks a lot, and sorry for abandoning the thread for "ages";) Tried but the result is rather strange, the object (the roundish wall in the lower middle) doesn`t display any texture (normals point outside). Maybe the problem is I had no Use Nodes buton in the material options?

Quote - This bit of info might help...

OK, thx, but your scrnshot doesnt match what I have:0 Theres no node-related stuff in the material editor (pls see my shot - just a small icon missing, no node info next to the material name, and besides there`s no "use nodes" button in the Material Editor).

Hmmm, still it`s 2.69! Did I miss sth?;)

in your screenshot there is a surfaces tab and a box that says image texture

that would be where the use nodes would appear if you did not use an image as a master

you should recheck normals and use an image texture node instead of an image texture

in the node editor add a texture coordinate and set to uv (if its uv mapped ) or generated if not

connect it to the vector input on the image texture node

Attached Link: The tute

Now back to the job and trying to get HDRI working. Tried the linked tute but the effect is a bit nonsensical: I get a one-color, blue sky (as if I used single color inst. of a HDRI texture).

Help highly appreaciated.

H

I can only share what I've found out through trial and error: it seems that the node setup for me works best if I have:

texture_coordinate (generated) -> mapping (vector) -> environment_texture (color) -> background -> world_output

Then, only in perspective view (Numpad 5).

For certain sky textures in the Environmental_texture node (Color/equirectangular/single image), I find that in the Mapping node, a setting of:

Vector button ticked
Scale: x:0.5 / y:0.5 / z:5.0 

seems to show the sky better.

Quote - texture_coordinate (generated) -> mapping (vector) -> environment_texture (color) -> background -> world_output

Mapping node:

Vector button ticked
Scale: x:0.5 / y:0.5 / z:5.0 

Thanks, tried, but all the same. Even on Textured preview, as attached.

Btw, strange there are two places to choose the *.hdr: in the World panel and in the Environment Texture node. I used either World panel (as in teh tute) or both... Doesn`t make sense as for me...

You might try lock camera to view under display (I think)

Quote - You might try lock camera to view under display (I think)

Didi you mean the button next to layers? It`s already on.

see pic

(it will set up the nodes for you BUT only on the world setting as shown above )

OK, thanks. Finally SEEMS to work. A lot of things left to make sense with but anyway;) To keep things together I used:

In Nodes window header chose "Type of data to take shader from" to "World".
Added nodes: texture_coordinate (generated) -> mapping (vector) (in that node, under "Vector" tab set Scale to 0.5 x 0.5 x 0.5) -> environment_texture (color) -> background -> world_output
In 'world' panel loaded the HDRI, set Surface to "Background" and Color to "Environment texture".

And got anything better than a pink sky :biggrin:

and if you have a mirrorball image set the next "box" down to mirrorball ;-)

also if you only want the light/reflections from the hdr then under the render tab set the film to transparent (tick box )

have fun