Haven't seen this one before....looks like python has not installed correctly with P5. Can I suggest downloading one of ockham's fine scripts (like the LightPanel) from the FReestuff and try running it. If they both don't work - then it's a P5 python problem. Let me know what happens....

Message edited on: 12/21/2004 22:45

RealSkinShader works by: 1) User applies mat pose to get texturemap into the materials 2) User runs RealSkinShader, which takes the current material info and builds a new mat pose, and then applies that mat pose. If you then apply another mat pose from your pose library, the node setup is wiped. You could save your setup as a mat pose. Then write a python script to inject new texturemaps into it. That would be a relatively easy script to write.

I just checked the Python reference, and there doesn't look like any way to apply a material from python, so option 1 is not so easy after all. What you could do is create a mat pose for the different material from the save material thou - although that wouldn't be script modifyable.

Well there you go - I never would have thought of that!

Opera, good to see that your characters are real people, with real lives, and real pasts. Rather than the hollow, one-dimensional characters that you usual find around here (specially in my Gallery).

Message edited on: 12/21/2004 17:21

Nice comparison Opera. It would have been nice to have some code in there that analyses the total light in the scene, and gives a msg "WARNING: You have too much light in your scene, and your models are going to turn yellow!". What happened to the left eyebrow?

So have you tried rendering with the P4 rendered WITHOUT shadows yet?

pdxjims, someone asked me if that was possible, and I didn't think it was, so said 'No'! There is a technique (similar to yours?) used by someone at ZBrush central. It involves posing your character identical to a reference photo. Then having a program to project the reference photo onto the model and generating the texture from there. Awesome idea (although probably very lighting specific).

Anyway, to peevee's question....I'd say that realism is achieved via skill in a number of areas. RealSkinShader helps you in some of these areas - but you still need skill in the others to get great results. Good renders are make up of good lighting, the right render settings, great texturemaps and bumpmaps, a system to give the model depth (so they don't look like a maniquin) - ie. subsurface scattering, a balanced, relaxed pose, skin reflections that match real skin (Blinn for dry or Phong for wet), etc, etc, etc.

I think that the BlowYourMind image probably used Phong specularity, tinted blue, with the bump-map as the phong colour. For the white reflection zones you are pluging the reflection node into the alt_spec plug, and setting the normal specular_value to 0.

Message edited on: 12/21/2004 15:19

Interesting node network you have there. Would live to see a rendered image using it. I was never able to get realistic results from the skin node. I also did a heap of testing on the translucent plug (thinking it could be the key to sss), however deterimed that it was identical in every way to ambient! Anyway, there are 3 options here David.... 1) Save the node setup for one of the head materials, and one of the skin materials to the library. Then write a script to apply those materials to the required body parts. This is probably the easiest method by far. 2) Remap the materials in the V3 obj file so that she only has one material that covers all of SkinBody (ie. merge SkinHip, SkinTorso, SkinLeg, etc), and one material for all the head textures (SkinHead, Lips, InnerMouth, etc). This is how I test all my new node setups - but the remapping is /hard/ (but only needs to be done once). 3) Buy my script, take it appart, take the bits that create the materials, and rewire to your node setup above. Would probably take you about 24hrs of coding....but certainly doable. Hope that helps.

ParaBlueMarlin... 1) There is no noticeable increase in rendertime. 2) I really believe that you need fewer lights than normal (which also reduces rendertime). The node system 'adds light' to your texturemap in certain areas, so you don't need compensatory (is that a word?) lights. Also, as normal, if you get too much light in your scene, FireFly will give-off a yellowing of the highlight areas - which is ugly. The principals behind the script (fake sss) apply most when you have a strong main light sources (a camera flash, or the sun), and apply least in cloudy outdoor situations (where ambient occlusion occurs). From what I can tell, big light kits are designed to simulate the outdoor cloudy environment, and do not have a strong main source light, so the RealSkinShader script will provide a less-realistic result than with a strong main light source setup. Having said that, I've used it on a 15 light setup, and the results from the script still looked much better than without the script. But not (IMHO) as good as a 4 light setup. Now that I've confused the hell out of everyone, I'll move the the next topic... 3) As Richardson said, it works with any V3 or M3 textureset. But it can't convert an appauling textureset into something photoreal! Experimenting with different textures, I personally like the results gained with using maps which have a fair bit of red in them. I haven't tried it will Elle. 4) As everyone has said above, it doesn't do the eyes or fingernails. An issue uncovered yesterday....when you use the script on V2, you need to copy the node setup from the SkinHead to the Eyebrow material (since for some reason the Eyebrow material on V2 is skin, not a transmap). Works perfectly on V3/M3 and the P4/5 figures. There is also a simple script change required to get it to work with Aiko 3.0. Hope that helps.

Dammit, my cover is blown. Yes - I am KayNine - and yes, that is the source I mentioned. The code is getting a little long-in-the-tooth now, but there might be something you can salvage. The rag-doll stuff was great - imagine combining that with Poser! Unfortunately I discovered blender, and Poser, and...etc, etc.

Yes - I guess the real downside is that you can't run a python script for an existing character - only a new one via a cr2.

I've adding everything but the figure - and no go. Maybe the trigger could be when it actually loads a new figure.

Well it seems to need more than just a version and doc command....will try adding stuff...

Bummer. Would be awesome to be able to fire off python scripts via a pose, rather than the buggy python window.