This function (and the associated Get function) is not detailed in the Poser Python Methods manual included in Poser 8 but I can probably get it sussed by example from others like it.  I'll try contacting Colm at RDNA, thanks.

Quote - More good news. I fixed the arrow keys in the library GUI. They used to stop working randomly. No more!!!!

Damn, I've been working on that problem for 9 weeks.

Ooh that's cool.  I thought it was me :)

Indi.

This is the person Shaderworks?
http://www.runtimedna.com/forum/member.php?u=11265

*"I see how to do this, but I don't know if it's allowable to redistribute this script.  I didn't blink about the materials Diffuse_Value loop script I modified the other day just because it's so simple (it's only 15 lines or so) but this is a little more substantial.  Who is "Shaderworks"?"

"This function (and the associated Get function) is not detailed in the Poser Python Methods manual included in Poser 8 but I can probably get it sussed by example from others like it.  I'll try contacting Colm at RDNA, thanks."*

If changes cannot be redistributed, one could always save the changes as a textfile, and give instructions on where to insert the changes. I don't mind doing for myself what I can, but I do not know how to program in Python.

LMK

is it now very complicated to use python for samples? 

Quote - > Quote - Is there already a Python script that exposes the Shadow Samples.

Could it be added easily to an existing script (such as the Render Control Panel)?

LMK

There is a P8 included script for making a new lighting control panel. I think this could be added pretty easily to it.

It is in the menu Scripts/Partners/ShaderWorks/Light Panel

It could also be added to the Scripts/Partners/Dimenion3D/Render Firefly

that would be fantastic.

ShaderWorks is semidieu, not Colm.

The parameter code is not kParmCodeLITESHADOWSAMPLES and I'm not interested enough to try to guess.  I can make it one-way easily enough (you can set it without examining what it was before you ran the script).

It's not a parameter. You don't use SetParameter, you use SetShadowSamples(x). To read the value, you use ShadowSamples().

we set this for every light or can we decide? 

Quote - ShaderWorks is semidieu, not Colm.

This person?
http://www.runtimedna.com/forum/member.php?u=53652
Thanks.

Quote - It's not a parameter. You don't use SetParameter, you use SetShadowSamples(x). To read the value, you use ShadowSamples().

err, oops, thanks.

come on .

post this already he he he he :) 

Bagginsbill, are these functions in the current distribution of Poser 10199, or are they only in your early copy of SR1?  I'm expecting I can get the value of a light's shadow samples by something like so:

shadsamples= l.ShadowSamples()

(where l is a loop value that refers to the current actor in the loop)

However the interpreter chokes on this:
shadsamples= l.ShadowSamples()
AttributeError: ShadowSamples

It seems either I have the syntax wrong or this attribute isn't exposed to the python interpreter.

Quote - This is the person Shaderworks?
http://www.runtimedna.com/forum/member.php?u=11265

semidieu is ShaderWorks...
http://www.runtimedna.com/forum/member.php?u=53652

Thanks, I will mail him.

You know, it may be an addition after release. I'm running a preview of SR1, and Stefan only told me about this after release. I suspect that's why there's nothing about it in the product.

To be sure, run the script from Menu/Python Shell.

Pick the name of a light you have, and type:

dir(poser.Scene().Actor("nameOfYourLightHere"))

The dir listing will display all the methods on this light. If you don't see SetShadowSamples in there, then you don't have it.

This is my dir listing

['AddKeyFrame', 'AlignmentRotationXYZ', 'AltGeomFileName', 'AmbientOcclusion', 'AmbientOcclusionBias', 'AmbientOcclusionDistance', 'AmbientOcclusionStrength', 'AtmosphereStrength', 'BackfaceCull', 'Base', 'Bends', 'CastsShadows', 'Children', 'ClearLocalTransformCallback', 'ClearVertexCallback', 'CreaseAngle', 'CreateHairGroup', 'CreateValueParameter', 'Delete', 'DeleteKeyFrame', 'DisplacementBounds', 'DisplayStyle', 'DropToFloor', 'EndPoint', 'GeomFileName', 'Geometry', 'HairGroup', 'InternalName', 'IsBase', 'IsBodyPart', 'IsCamera', 'IsDeformer', 'IsHairProp', 'IsLight', 'IsProp', 'IsZone', 'ItsFigure', 'JointVertexWeights', 'LightAttenType', 'LightOn', 'LightType', 'LoadMaterialCollection', 'LocalDisplacement', 'LocalMatrix', 'LocalQuaternion', 'MarkGeomChanged', 'Material', 'Materials', 'Memorize', 'Name', 'NextKeyFrame', 'NumHairGroups', 'OnOff', 'Orientation', 'Origin', 'Parameter', 'ParameterByCode', 'Parameters', 'Parent', 'PointAt', 'PrevKeyFrame', 'RayTraceShadows', 'RemoveValueParameter', 'Reset', 'Restore', 'SaveMaterialCollection', 'ScaleMatrix', 'SetAlignmentRotationXYZ', 'SetAmbientOcclusion', 'SetAmbientOcclusionBias', 'SetAmbientOcclusionDistance', 'SetAmbientOcclusionStrength', 'SetAtmosphereStrength', 'SetBackfaceCull', 'SetBends', 'SetCastsShadows', 'SetCreaseAngle', 'SetDisplacementBounds', 'SetDisplayStyle', 'SetEndPoint', 'SetGeometry', 'SetIncludeInBoundingBox', 'SetLightAttenType', 'SetLightOn', 'SetLightType', 'SetLocalTransformCallback', 'SetName', 'SetOnOff', 'SetOrientation', 'SetOrigin', 'SetParameter', 'SetParent', 'SetRangeConstant', 'SetRangeLinear', 'SetRangeSpline', 'SetRayTraceShadows', 'SetShadingRate', 'SetShadow', 'SetShadowBiasMax', 'SetShadowBiasMin', 'SetShadowBlurRadius', 'SetShadowSamples', 'SetSmoothPolys', 'SetSplineBreak', 'SetStatic', 'SetVertexCallback', 'SetVisible', 'SetVisibleInReflections', 'SetVisibleInRender', 'ShadingRate', 'Shadow', 'ShadowBiasMax', 'ShadowBiasMin', 'ShadowBlurRadius', 'ShadowSamples', 'SmoothPolys', 'SpawnTarget', 'SpawnTargetFromGeometry', 'Static', 'TwistVertexWeights', 'ValueParameter', 'ValueParameters', 'Visible', 'VisibleInReflections', 'VisibleInRender', 'WeldGoalActors', 'WeldGoals', 'WorldDisplacement', 'WorldMatrix', 'WorldQuaternion', 'Zones']

Yeah I only have:
... 'Shadow', 'ShadowBiasMax', 'ShadowBiasMin', 'ShadowBlurRadius', ...

so it doesn't seem to be exposed.  Well, I guess we will wait until the SR is available.

if you fix the artifacts and add samples to SP1 then you are all amazing . and then poser 8 becomes a lot more.

Quote - Yeah I only have:
... 'Shadow', 'ShadowBiasMax', 'ShadowBiasMin', 'ShadowBlurRadius', ...

so it doesn't seem to be exposed.  Well, I guess we will wait until the SR is available.

until today  i didnt care so much about SP1. but now? huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh. i am shaking :) 

This will be a nice feature to have, for sure.

imagine how much time it takes to set up 5 lights to get smooth shadows. and it needs to generate 5 shadows.
here? only samples.

This is with samples=19. Render time = 90 seconds. (No IDL, just IBL+AO)

You are still getting that 1px garbage at the border of the image (not related to the point you're making about shadow blur), that really needs to be fixed in the final version of the SR.

Here is samples=100, with IDL as well. The skin shader is a GC 2.2 shader and I made no adjustments, so it doesn't look as good as it should.

IC=50
ILQ=25

Render time 504 seconds.

its a big diffrence. thank god that we will have samples. thaaaaaaaaaaaank god

can you render the same image with 50 samples? i want to see something.

Quote - Yeah 1 pix garbage. I'll pound Stefan until he submits. ;-)

Here is samples=100, with IDL as well. **The skin shader is a GC 2.2 shader and I made no adjustments, so it doesn't look as good as it should.
**

try lowering the intensity to 0,7 or 0,6.

[Pout] :(

I guess we will have to await the SR1 release. Though I for one would not refuse a "hotfix".

LMK

Sample Size=5
5 seconds

Like the sample radius for indirect lighting settings, I presume this is pixel radius again?

Eh? it's number of samples, I think. Same idea as IDL Samples - it's how many extra rays to shoot.

Good question. BB's description made it sound more like a pure number a la Samples, not Sample Size. And, btw, I never understood how Irradiance Caching is supposed to work for AO anyway.

Whichway

[Dang, not quick enough.]

That 1 pixel business on the edge is definitely a sometime thing. I just posted a Poser 8 IDL render in my Gallery here and no such effect. In fact, I haven't seen it for a few days. My worst case, which persists, is where the backdrop is a single, very large square, with no polygonal subdivision, i.e., just four vertices. Then I even get the second thread's first render block to come back totally transparent!

Whichway

I've been getting the random black second bucket too! I see it when pointing at the ground.

If you can somehow get it where the shadow is sharp near where the ball touches the floor, then blurs more with distance, you'd have a very convincing area light fake.
Can the new Python in Poser 8 (wxPython?) be used to do something like that or even to make new light types?

I'm not sure if the Python is on the level of an SDK or less powerful.

Speaking of which, why don't they make an SDK for Poser already?

Quote - If you can somehow get it where the shadow is sharp near where the ball touches the floor, then blurs more with distance, you'd have a very convincing area light fake.

Mike, look closer at my last set of posts. The ball is on the ground. Shadow blur near the ball is much narrower than at the apex. This has always been the case with Poser RT shadows. It is why we use them more. But the grain was always a problem. Now it isn't.

I'll do a cylinder next to show it more clearly.

That looks better, much better.
But the shadows on the ball don't look right, in terms of distance, like it seems there should be more shadow under the ball than there is.

Quote - If you can somehow get it where the shadow is sharp near where the ball touches the floor, then blurs more with distance, you'd have a very convincing area light fake.

This is the major advantage of raytraced shadows with blur vs. depth mapped shadows (where the whole shadow is uniformly blurry).  The reason the ball's looks the way you notice is that he's rendering with a purely raytraced shadow, and no form of ambient occlusion or GI.

BRTS = Blurred Ray Traced Shadows
ISF = Inverse Square Falloff
IDL = Indirect Diffuse Lighting
HSVETM = Hue, Saturation, Value Exponential Tone Mapping

Render time 1 minute.

he used a very extreme angle on the light.

but he did good because he needed to show how the samples work.

Quote - Here is a tall cylinder.

yes yes yes

i need this . when is SP1 going to be realesed?  lets say month. november? is november a realistic date?