So, I understand the basic perspective behind animated textures. But how would I assign an animated texture to a given area on a mesh? Here's an example of what I want to do? Say I have a model of Wind Waker Link and I want to give him an animated face (like in that game). How would I assign the animated texture to the face?

Also, how would I make a De Blob-style material change? In that game, buildings and other objects change color by having another color spread across them and "assimilate" the previous color. Is this possible in Poser?

Customarily we use the word "texture" to refer to one or a set of images that are used in a shader to control color, bump, opacity, etc. If you are using the word texture in that way you are asking how to use a movie as an element of a material shader instead of a still image. That would be the Movie node.

If, instead, you are saying texture when you actually mean shader, then the answer is that you animate one or more parameters of the shader which would alter the resulting render frame by frame.

For your second question, it depends how you want the "spread across them" to happen and also where the color change should be applied. If the color is already a parameter of the shader (not an image) it is quite straightforward to animate this color. But if you want it to spread selectively over some pixels but not others, or to spread in some predictable way, you'd go in one direction. If you wanted the color change to spread in a pseudo random way like ripples spreading in a pond, you'd go another way. I don't know the "De Blob" style so not sure what to tell you. Do you have a reference animation link we could look at?

There are many random-ish pattern generators in material nodes you could use to evolve the color change. I don't know which one to suggest. And there are literally millions of ways to combine them in altogether different outcomes.

bagginsbill posted at 5:31AM Fri, 12 April 2019 - #4349964

Customarily we use the word "texture" to refer to one or a set of images that are used in a shader to control color, bump, opacity, etc. If you are using the word texture in that way you are asking how to use a movie as an element of a material shader instead of a still image. That would be the Movie node.

If, instead, you are saying texture when you actually mean shader, then the answer is that you animate one or more parameters of the shader which would alter the resulting render frame by frame.

For your second question, it depends how you want the "spread across them" to happen and also where the color change should be applied. If the color is already a parameter of the shader (not an image) it is quite straightforward to animate this color. But if you want it to spread selectively over some pixels but not others, or to spread in some predictable way, you'd go in one direction. If you wanted the color change to spread in a pseudo random way like ripples spreading in a pond, you'd go another way. I don't know the "De Blob" style so not sure what to tell you. Do you have a reference animation link we could look at?

There are many random-ish pattern generators in material nodes you could use to evolve the color change. I don't know which one to suggest. And there are literally millions of ways to combine them in altogether different outcomes.

Do any tutorials exist for the manipulation of shaders in the way I'd want to do?

De Blob Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3p64V5PO_M

I have almost never watched any tutorials. Any I did watch was largely to be ready to ridicule it. I tried googling the words we're using but found nothing except one video that has been lost.

You need to learn how to make materials and there is a lot to read or watch for that.

You need to learn how to animate a parameter - I believe there are things to read or watch for that.

Then you put the two learnings together - you make a material with a parameter that controls the progression of gray to red, for example and you animate it. Like this one: Here I made a shader that has one parameter that controls a random spot pattern of red and gray. The threshold goes from 0 to 1. When it is zero everything is gray. When it is one everything is red. I made this parameter animated (changing over time) by clicking the little key icon. Then I moved my timeline to where i want the transition to start, set the threshold to .01, moved my timeline to where I want the transition to end, set the threshold to 1, and I'm done.

Here are renders of a sampling of the animated frames over time.

... and now we Do have a tutorial. Thanks BB.

:: og ::

bagginsbill posted at 1:51PM Fri, 12 April 2019 - #4349985

I have almost never watched any tutorials. Any I did watch was largely to be ready to ridicule it. I tried googling the words we're using but found nothing except one video that has been lost.

You need to learn how to make materials and there is a lot to read or watch for that.

You need to learn how to animate a parameter - I believe there are things to read or watch for that.

Then you put the two learnings together - you make a material with a parameter that controls the progression of gray to red, for example and you animate it. Like this one: Here I made a shader that has one parameter that controls a random spot pattern of red and gray. The threshold goes from 0 to 1. When it is zero everything is gray. When it is one everything is red. I made this parameter animated (changing over time) by clicking the little key icon. Then I moved my timeline to where i want the transition to start, set the threshold to .01, moved my timeline to where I want the transition to end, set the threshold to 1, and I'm done.

Here are renders of a sampling of the animated frames over time.

Exactly what I was looking for for the latter question. Thank you.

However, is there a way you can help me assign materials to specific faces on a mesh (which was my first question)?

Use the Grouping Tool, select individual polygons, click the Assign Material button, choose an existing one or create a new material by name. This lets you associate material names with individual or groups of polygons.

Once a material name is defined, you can load shaders into that material in the material room, or drag and drop onto the polygon that now belongs with that material.

Found a tutorial https://www.awn.com/vfxworld/poser-8-revealed-creating-and-applying-materials-part-3

This part:

Again, thank you for the information. However, is there a way to precisely control the size and position of movie textures on a mesh? They don't seem to scale properly on meshes for me. Scaling movie textures doesn't seem to be as easy, as say, making an image/UV map for a static image.