Messages

1

[Max] I need help! / Re: Image is looking nice in vfb but not in PS.

« on: 2024-09-27, 17:50:35 »

In Photoshop select Edit > Color Settings > Color Management Policies:
Preserve Embedded Profiles

Drag in your render it should look the same as the frame buffer. No need to change or apply a color profile.

2

General CG Discussion / Re: low poly trees

« on: 2024-09-13, 20:45:08 »

Wont make a difference if you are using instances and/or scatter.

For example ive attached 1 tree from maxtree, 128k polygons. 14gb ram

Second example 240 instances of that tree, 14gb ram.

Third example, 40,000 instances. 16gb ram (most likely due to light calculations - which would accumulate with low poly anyway)

3

[Max] Corona Goodies - User Contributions / Re: Corona to GLB

« on: 2024-09-11, 11:41:42 »

for my needs I'm trying to set up a very basic template with a simple white background

This one by google has a white background (same thing, drag/drop)
https://modelviewer.dev/editor/

I don't suppose you know of any resources online for some basic templates for the viewer we can download and tweak?

Not that I know of, I use babylon, the google one and Windows 3D viewer. Between all 3 it gets the job done.

Babylon sandbox has the most amount of tools for checking technical aspects, you can also switch the background to a more grey style (bottom right corner).

4

[Max] Corona Goodies - User Contributions / Re: Corona to GLB

« on: 2024-09-11, 11:20:51 »

No worries Tom.

alexyork, the "Export GLB File(s)" button exports your glb to your directory of choice, from there you drag/drop it into the babylon page. You shouldnt need to do any uploading to webhosting etc, I often test my exports by doing the exact same thing (as per my youtube video).

Drag and drop your .glb file here (anywhere on the page):
https://sandbox.babylonjs.com/

You can also test it locally by double clicking on the glb file and opening it in Windows 3D Viewer

5

[Max] Corona Goodies - User Contributions / Re: Corona to GLB

« on: 2024-09-10, 18:07:12 »

You're welcome alexyork.

Version 2.0:
- Fixes for the asset tracker when finding bitmaps (doesnt repath missing assets)
- Flags missing assets for the user to find and repath in the listener/popup window.

6

[Max] Corona Goodies - User Contributions / Re: Corona to GLB

« on: 2024-09-10, 10:32:54 »

Hi Tom,

You're welcome. Basically GLTF/GLB is a real-time 3D file which allows you to embed it into webpages, some game engines also support it so its a one click import with materials instead of having to remake all the materials in the engine. Its suppose to be the 'jpg' of the 3D world, so anyone (including non technical people) can open your 3D file and spin it around natively on their OS, view it on their phone in VR/AR etc.

Yes the script basically has a few functions, first of all convert Corona Physical or Vray materials to GLTF Materials for 3dsmax. It can also search for textures in the directory such as Occlusion since you would have to otherwise do this manually (if you have 'Find Missing Bitmaps' enabled), or if you forgot to plug in some bitmaps but they are in the directory with the others as the requirement for GLB is minimum BaseColor, Rough, Metal, Occlusion, Normal. Last of all it comes with an Export button which to me is a bit more useful than the built-in exporter in 3dsmax since you have 3 options of exporting or testing.

3dsmax 2023 should have GLTF, if its not supported in your max version you will get a popup warning when running this so something else must be the issue (such as Corona Legacy material maybe).

This is just an evolution of my previous Vray to GLB script. This version now supports Corona Physical and comes with a UI. I also fixed a bunch of bugs for this one and that script is now obsolete. If you are curious about the GLTF workflow you can check out the video I made for it awhile back, it explains the ins and outs of it but obviously that script is now this one moving forward.

7

[Max] I need help! / Re: Corona .glTF conversion

« on: 2024-09-09, 10:55:30 »

Yes thats correct, this script is for those who currently use PBR textures and want to convert from Corona Physical to GLTF Material and export. This is not a paid script, its just an option and what I use in my workflow. Feel free to use what is best for your workflow since I wont be doing color correct conversions or legacy materials etc.

Good point about the transmission, sheen & clearcoat, thanks for the suggestion.

8

[Max] I need help! / Re: Corona .glTF conversion

« on: 2024-09-07, 13:47:00 »

Its available now, you can give it a shot.

https://forum.corona-renderer.com/index.php?topic=43502.msg227679#msg227679

9

[Max] Corona Goodies - User Contributions / Corona to GLB

« on: 2024-09-07, 13:45:57 »

Corona Vray to GLB is a free script that converts either Corona Physical or Vray Materials to GLTF Materials. This is designed for the Metal PBR Workflow.
Download here
(For those not used to github, once you press on this link, top right corner press the three dots "..." and press Download)

Install:
- Drag the script into your 3dsmax viewport.
- Customize > Customize User Interface > Toolbars > Category: Vella > Automate CoronaVrayToGLB
- Drag this toolbar button somewhere in your UI/Toolbars

Supported textures:
- Diffuse/Base Color/Albedo
- Roughness
- Metal
- Occlusion
- Emission/Self Illumination
- Alpha/Opacity
- Normal

UI:


UI Notes:
TLDR - These notes are also available in the tooltips

- Export GLB Directory <BUTTON>: The "..." button allows you to pick the directory to save your .glb files.

- Find Missing Bitmaps: A material must contain at least one bitmap (eg. Sofa_Diffuse.png), if all other "Supported textures" are found in the same directory as that bitmap it will path all these for you into the GLTF material. For example Sofa_Occlusion or Sofa_Roughness etc.
- Rename GLTF Maps: If your Maps have names like Map #1 it will rename these for you in the GLTF material according to the type eg "Base Color" or "Roughness" etc. This will also replace any name you have set so be aware.
- Remove GLB log file: Deletes the .log file that gets exported with the .glb file.
- Remove Subdivision Modifiers: Deletes Turbosmooth, Opensubdiv, Meshsmooth modifiers.
- Collapse Multi-Sub Materials: WARNING: I advise you do not enable this as its very specific to my workflow (unless you find it useful for some reason). What it does is take the sub material with the highest texture count and uses that material for the GLTF.
- Hide Warning Popups: You will often get a messagebox popup about missing textures such as Metal or if it fails to find your Occlusion textures in the directory. If you are happy with your workflow and would rather not be pestered about this then this button is for you.

- Convert Materials (selected): Checkbox ON for selected objects, Checkbox OFF for everything in the scene.
- Convert Materials <BUTTON>: Converts Corona/Vray materials to GLTF Material. This also applies to the "Settings" above including Subdivision Modifiers and Multi-Subs.

- Export Selected (Individual): Exports all the selected objects as individual files such as Box001.glb Box002.glb etc.
- Export Selected (Combined): Exports all the selected objects as one .glb file (you set the name which will appear after selecting the checkbox, dont add .glb to the end of the filename (unless double filename extensions is your jam!)
- Export All (Scene): Same as Exported Selected (Combined) however applies to the entire scene, selections are ignored.
- Export GLB File(s) <BUTTON>: Exports .glb file(s) to your selected directory. Double check your materials are correct first. Undo if necessary.

- Save Settings as Default <BUTTON>: Remembers all your current settings for future, including your export directory.
- Restore Original Settings <BUTTON>: Loads default/original settings.

GLTF Material Notes:
- Replaces CoronaBitmap with path only, doesnt copy settings to the bitmap such as UV coords etc. May be a future implementation but GLB files work best when you are using unwrapped 0-1 UV space bitmaps with no specific offsets/cropping/rotation/etc. Happy to receive feedback on this otherwise.
- GLTF values will be default to 1.0 for all bitmaps (as the bitmap should drive the settings, not values)
- Alpha will be set to mask mode if you have Opacity/Alpha textures. If your working with a glass material set this to blend instead.
- Gamma is set to 1.0 for all bitmaps except the Base Color and Emission which uses 2.2
- Render Engine: If Corona is selected then Corona Physical Materials are converted. If Vray is selected then Vray Materials are converted. Not both at the same time.

Find Missing Bitmap Rules:
- Example: My_Bitmap_Diffuse.jpg
- "My_Bitmap" is the prefix, this must match your other textures you want to auto-find such as My_Bitmap_Roughness, My_Bitmap_Occlusion etc.
- The suffix is "_Diffuse" or "-Diffuse" (leading hyphen or underscore).
- The bitmap search is not case sensitive and matches partial words, this means DIFF is the same as diff or diffuse.
- You can match the suffix to any of the following: "Diff", "Base", "BaseColor", "Color", "Albe", "Alph", "Opac", "Metal", "Rough", "AO", "Occlus", "AmbientO", "Emiss", "SelfIllum", "Norm" (Also happy to get feedback on common/production acronyms)

Example:




Version 1.0:
- This is just an alpha version to get it out into the wild, feel free to play with it, break it, give me your feedback.
- If you get an error message the UI will stop working so you will have to close/re-open it. Then let me know about it.
- Save your scenes before using it, undo is not always stable but you can try it (might crash with larger scenes).
- As always, have fun!

10

[Max] I need help! / Re: Corona .glTF conversion

« on: 2024-09-06, 19:21:20 »

FYI Ill be releasing a Corona to GLB script soon, just doing some last tweaks on it. Stay tuned ;)

It will only support Corona Physical and Vray material's (PBR workflow) so if you need Legacy than the script above might be your best bet.

11

[C4D] I need help! / Re: Disney Specular and IOR

« on: 2024-09-02, 13:37:51 »

That's what I asked about. That is, in advance, I have to make something like a procedural Mix map, where I specify in advance the exact Disney Specular color (calculated, for exact conversion to IOR) for this or that part of the dielectric. But the task can become more difficult if it is not just some Dirt texture, but for example a wood texture, where different fibers should have different reflection strength.

You can do this many ways, you could use the Corona Legacy and adjust the reflection strength for fibers, or do the same thing using a roughness texture in the Physical material. You could use an IOR texture or a clear coat. You could use composite layers or layered materials with masks if you really want.

In regards to your other questions regarding Specular, Disney have some papers that explain it better than I can.

https://media.disneyanimation.com/uploads/production/publication_asset/48/asset/s2012_pbs_disney_brdf_notes_v3.pdf

https://sayan1an.github.io/pdfs/references/disneyBrdf.pdf (someones homework, but its interesting)

edit:
Also if you want a concise explanation of specular, metallic, ior etc you can read this. There are other interesting articles from the link @burnin posted.
https://marmoset.co/posts/physically-based-rendering-and-you-can-too/#energy

My advice is take the information from this article and test it yourself either in Toolbag or with a shader that has both specular/metal workflows (in 3dsmax you can use the Arnold material for example). This way you can compare apples with apples while you test your proposed workflow.

12

[C4D] I need help! / Re: Disney Specular and IOR

« on: 2024-08-27, 21:55:08 »

After CoronaMtl where always used texture for Reflection.

Then why not just use the Corona Legacy Mtl? If that has the functionality you require then you are good to go. Its not going anywhere in the near future.

The Corona Physical Mtl is just simply an adaption to PBR - its an option. You dont have to use it. But moving forward PBR is a 'standard' and the easiest way to move between different applications or DCCs. There is always pros and cons to each workflow, but the main pro in this case is portability.

Here, I solved it only by reducing the IOR. But it seems that if you use a texture, it could turn out better. Well, that's in theory. I understand that the difference may be very small, but it was interesting to learn the various points that are related to it.

You can use whatever method works best for your scenario. Often people in production tend to lean towards what is fastest and easiest to comprehend and implement. You can always go down the rabbit hole on all/every situation but the Corona Philosophy has always been "What is the easy option for the artist" (This is my own phrase, since I cannot remember theirs). You can take from that what you wish, if its correct or not, if there is a better way, but they are doing their best to at least try to make it simplified and also give you the option to use previous workarounds or workflows. Its always the devil you know or the one you dont, so choose wisely.

13

[C4D] I need help! / Re: Disney Specular and IOR

« on: 2024-08-27, 19:40:40 »

But if the mirror image is too large, then you just need to numerically reduce the IOR and that's it?

Its difficult to understand what you mean with this terminology, for example what is "mirror image"? If I were to guess your intent and by mirror you mean refectance at f0 (which is typically 0.04 for dialetrics) then yes you are correct you adjust the IOR value to suit.

if you turn on the Disney specular mode, you can more accurately emphasize the depth, and more precisely adjust this ability of specularity, and thereby add new details. Is everything correct?

Again same issue in regards to terminology, what is "emphasize depth", "add new details"? If I were to guess what you mean I would say - yes you have more control over the values instead of a simple metal/non-metal switch, however you also need more technical knowledge and be careful not to break the energy conservation rule. Also if you read my article on "Down the Rabbit Hole" you would see what little difference this makes... unless that kind of thing keeps you up at night.

Not using Substance, is there an alternative to creating this exact texture for the Disney Specular mode in Corona Physical? and is it possible to create it from an existing texture for Reflection or Diffuse/Albedo, but in 3d Max itself, for example, in the process of work? Without using third-party programs?

Yes. If you understand the formulas and have a good reference chart then you can just use color nodes or expressions (to remap between a 0-1 if required). I've explained this in detail on my article I mentioned previously. Ive also included the formulas you need for your expressions if you dont want to use Python (3rd party stuff).

My question to you is, what are you specially trying to accomplish? What is your need for this workflow? Maybe then we could give you some better solutions.

14

[C4D] I need help! / Re: Disney Specular and IOR

« on: 2024-08-26, 19:11:30 »

Its quite a deep topic, but for the sake of simplicity moving forward I would use the Metallic/Roughness method (default for Corona Physical) to be honest.

If you do want to use the Specular method regarding some textures you have on file then just put them into the appropriate material slots. In regards to the IOR you can read an in-depth topic I went into "Down The Rabbit Hole" on how you convert IOR to specular and bake them into your textures.

If you want to learn more about how Specular works I suggest you read the PBR guide (attached for convenience since I cannot find it online anymore - btw its missing pictures since I had to get it off the wayback machine.

Also if you really want you can also use my Bitmap2PBR plugin I made to do all these conversions for you, I made it quite a few years back but for the sake of learning you could use it if it really interests you (its a paid plugin but it converts a diffuse bitmap to PBR, Specular or Roughness or both). I dont use it myself anymore since I just stick with the Metal/Roughness workflow (and I wont be updating the plugin). FYI the plugin only takes a diffuse texture, and/or a metal mask bitmap, nothing else so if that doesnt help I dont suggest buying it.

15

[Max] I need help! / Re: Corona Material Problem

« on: 2024-08-24, 10:51:02 »

I THINK romullus means this: