Hi,

How does one hook up translucency using the Physical Surface Node? I don't want to use Cycles and I'm not crazy about the Poser Root node for what I'm trying to achieve and I think the Physical Surface Node is next to try.

Would I hook into the Transparency node? Makes no sense to me as when I put any value in it the object begins to fade out so can't be right.

Thanks for the help!

Richard

IIRC, translucency is akin to specularity but don't quote me on it. Unfortunately, Physical Surface Node has no provision for a direct translucent node. What are you trying to achieve?

You need to plug in an Image node which has your transparency, and switch the transparency on. There is also a coloured transparency option. I am using the Physical Root Surface with transparency effects, so it works.

@ infinity10: RAMWolff is inquiring about translucency and its relationship to the Physical Surface Node, not transparency.

hborre posted at 9:12AM Sun, 30 August 2020 - #4398113

IIRC, translucency is akin to specularity but don't quote me on it. Unfortunately, Physical Surface Node has no provision for a direct translucent node. What are you trying to achieve?

Here's the difference between transparent and translucent: When light encounters transparent materials, almost all of it passes directly through them. Glass, for example, is transparent to all visible light. Translucent objects allow some light to travel through them. Materials like frosted glass and some plastics are called translucent.

As for the Physical Surface node in Poser, you can plug the Translucent node into the Volume node connection. In fact, in many cases with Poser, the nodes will only allow you to plug into the correct connections. Here's an example: You want to plug the Translucent node into the Physical Surface Root node. But if you'll notice all the connections are greyed out except volume.

Thanks so much Earl. That was what I think I'm looking for. So TranslucentBsdf node plugged into Volume!

You cannot plug Bsdf nodes into the Physical Surface. It has all the various node types you need built in.

Translucence is a hack, to be used with one-sided objects. For things that have a properly enclosed surface, you use scatter. And scatter is fully built into the Physical Surface node.

If you intend to use one-sided props, then you're not "physical" - such a thing is a fiction and requires the fictional "Translucence"

By the way, BSDF stands for bidirectional scattering distribution function

RAMWolff posted at 10:30AM Sun, 30 August 2020 - #4398145

Thanks so much Earl. That was what I think I'm looking for. So TranslucentBsdf node plugged into Volume!

No - that is nonsense. Like saying your recipe calls for apples roasted by burning oranges.

The volume input is for volume scattering and attenuation - i.e. the alteration of light rays as they pass through a colored medium, like oil, colored glass, or coffee, or a liquid or gas with particles suspended in it like smoke, fog, etc. The latter is a phenomenon that includes scattering but not from "solid" things.

What I'm experimenting with is skin. Since I'm still trying to figure out things in Poser and have a character that just needs really nice skin I've tried just about all I can to try to achieve as realistic as I can. I don't want to use a canned solution and I know you make some great shaders Baggins but I don't learn by just click and apply, I need to know what I'm doing but I also have an old brain so pointing me to really technical pages to read through will really mess me up! LOL So if I know of the nodes that are more designed for skin, where to plug them in and what settings are generally used will give me a BASE to work from!

bagginsbill posted at 1:14PM Sun, 30 August 2020 - #4398149

The volume input is for volume scattering and attenuation - i.e. the alteration of light rays as they pass through a colored medium, like oil, colored glass, or coffee, or a liquid or gas with particles suspended in it like smoke, fog, etc. The latter is a phenomenon that includes scattering but not from "solid" things.

Someone should tell the Poser engineers that Poser is allowing something that can't be done. Sorry Ted, I checked before I posted that image. As you can see in the screen image, the volume connection is NOT greyed out, and I had just disconnected that input to show that Poser would allow it.

bagginsbill posted at 1:28PM Sun, 30 August 2020 - #4398148

RAMWolff posted at 10:30AM Sun, 30 August 2020 - #4398145

Thanks so much Earl. That was what I think I'm looking for. So TranslucentBsdf node plugged into Volume!

No - that is nonsense. Like saying your recipe calls for apples roasted by burning oranges.

So what do I do? Believe BB, or my own lying eyes?

Sorry, EClark1894. I just checked that in the material room, the PhysicalSurface still shows all connectors available in the presence of only the TranslucentBsdf node. Reboot your system and try again.

The connectors gray out when the node is selected but it does not prevent you from connecting to other channels. Try it.

As a matter of fact, put any cycle Bsdf node and all the channels except for Volume will gray out.

SO until I can get this figured out I'm going to fudge a bit and just use the default L'Homme skin settings but what I'm noticing in those settings is a fine layer of stippling on the skin after a render. Is there a way to get rid of that? I want the skin to look natural and this makes it NOT look natural. I've only had to adjust tiny bits here and there but I did notice this with the default textures plugged in so it's in the settings themselves! I think the lighter skin maps (default) didn't show these as much but now with my Gino face plugged into the face and lips it's quite obvious!

Longer render time or your render settings need adjustment.

Here are my current settings

OK, got some acceptable render settings, the render takes a might longer but the results are acceptable! Good actually! Wish Poser had iRAY option! That would be nice!

When I say "you cannot plug X into Y" I am not telling you that you will be physically stopped from making that connection. I'm saying it won't work. You cannot get the effect you want by doing that.

The Poser engineers made a bug there - the Volume input should only let you connect volumetric effect nodes, or Mixes or Adds that only carry volumetric effect nodes.