Messages

1

[Max] Bug Reporting / Re: amount of lights and viewport/max performance

« on: 2022-05-06, 23:05:31 »

It could be 3ds max problem more than anything else - some helper types are known to slow down viewports.

As Tom says, lights can be hidden in the viewports and still render with the 'Render hidden lights' option checked in Corona's renderer setting.

2

[Max] Bug Reporting / Re: amount of lights and viewport/max performance

« on: 2022-05-06, 14:36:14 »

You might consider using geometry with LightMtl instead. You can still do things like different light colors with MultiMap and CoronaColor distributed by instance, MatID etc, set directionality, advanced ray switches... you'll have to switch them on/off using the material editor, but it might be easier on the viewport performance. In fact, it's something I prefer over having hundreds of light objects in the scene as pretty much all the same controls exist in LightMtl (except for a light target object).

3

[Max] I need help! / Re: Advice for 28K rendering issues

« on: 2022-04-21, 20:35:59 »

I don't think your client really understands the requirements, in my opinion

Exactly this. I cant imagine theres a printer out there that is printing 300dpi images that are multiple meters across.
Youre absolutely correct that most clients dont understand that a 70-150dpi image seen from 20 ft away is going to look more than fine when its billboard sized.

All offset printing is done in 2400 dpi internally. Big inkjet printers usually work from 1200 dpi upwards. Viewing distance is what's important, for billboards you can get away with a few thousand pixels per side because the raster is coarse (roughly 30, 40 dpi will be enough). But viewing distance can require high res if needed, it all depends.

4

[C4D] I need help! / Re: Problem Water droplets Caustics effect

« on: 2022-04-05, 20:06:11 »

The light blue example looks like it could've been photoshopped.
The other two have one big difference wrt to your setup - a reflective surface that reflects the environment. If you're going for exactly the same effect, try to set up your scene in a way that mimics the source as closely as possible, only then can you really tell if it's a problem with the renderer.
Also, I'd always be careful with examples from stock image libraries. They're often photoshopped or have heavy post production, it's much more reliable to shoot something for yourself, that way you can also tell what the lighting/setup looked like exactly.

5

General CG Discussion / Re: icon 3dsmax 2022

« on: 2022-03-14, 10:35:53 »

Maybe ungregister or register the Max thumbnail dll?
https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/3ds-max/troubleshooting/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/How-to-view-a-3ds-Max-thumbnail-preview-in-Windows-File-Explorer.html

Awesome, thank you for the link. I installed the security patch for max 2021 so it registered them back in but good to have the link for sure.´

OP, this probably solves your issue too since we now know where to look in the registry.

6

[Max] I need help! / Re: Glass banding

« on: 2022-03-09, 18:00:31 »

Tried the file, nothing wrong here.
I get it now - you mean the stripes? These are total reflections, the edge keeps being reflected internally off and off again until it finally fades.
Chamfer and smoothing - if you set 'Smooth chamfers only' and check 'smooth to adjacent' it will look exactly like the rounded edges version.

Not sure what else to say. If you think Corona does it wrong, try using a different renderer to check against - if it looks the same, it's just how rays work.

7

[Max] I need help! / Re: Glass banding

« on: 2022-03-09, 16:03:59 »

Chamfer applies smoothing groups to the entire object, try to tell it to smooth chamfers only and tick on 'smooth to adjacent', this is the more correct approach anyway.
Also, make sure your glass object doesn't overlap with the object/plane below it. Overlapping faces will result in artifacts.

8

[Max] Bug Reporting / Re: HDRI/Environment sampling causing Shadow artefacts

« on: 2022-03-01, 12:25:44 »

That's why I said you should provide your repro scene so people/devs have the right setup.

I can confirm it - with tiny holes I'm seeing it, too. Sun and Crescent shape with LightMtl still work fine, but the HDR produces a rectangular light spot.

A workaround you probably thought about yourself already would be to clamp the HDR (so the HDR only produces ambient light but not sunlight) and place a Corona Sun in the same spot. I guess probably wanted to avoid that, it's making it all more cumbersome.

9

[Max] Bug Reporting / Re: HDRI/Environment sampling causing Shadow artefacts

« on: 2022-03-01, 11:30:58 »

By environment sampler I meant the 'Adaptive Light solver', sorry for the confusion.

I tested this here, too, with a Corona Sun, an HDR (8Kx4K, Bitmap and CBitmap with both spherical and dome mode) and even a crescent shape with a Light Mtl, all aligned to produce the shadow in the same exact spot. Two holes in a box, one round, the other square shaped, same size... it works correctly, even the crescent shape producing (almost) same result for both holes, correctly picking up the light source shape.

I wonder if this has to do with units (mine are set to meters) but why should it matter.
Also, as this has helped others in similar weird cases, maybe reset Corona settings.

Other than that, I have no idea, a dev might have some more insight here.

I could imagine having your repro scene that produces wrong results would be good to have for others to test.

10

[Max] Bug Reporting / Re: HDRI/Environment sampling causing Shadow artefacts

« on: 2022-02-28, 19:35:33 »

Things you could try is to disable adaptive enviro sampler, or check whether different filter setting in the bitmap/HDR map help.

11

[Max] Bug Reporting / Re: HDRI/Environment sampling causing Shadow artefacts

« on: 2022-02-28, 17:45:25 »

I guess the cause is a low-res HDR and what you see there is the effect of a pixel (or a rectangular area) being the main light source. Similar to how a camera works, the window acts as a lens and the shadows produce the blurry effect based on the shape of the light source, which is a circle. Similar to how shadow highlights get a crescent shape during a sun eclipse. So probably not a bug but rather the effect of accurate light simulation, and a low res HDR.

12

General CG Discussion / Re: icon 3dsmax 2022

« on: 2022-02-22, 11:34:19 »

I see. There is a way but you won't like it - uninstall Max.
Seriously, it looks like the scene preview in icons is a registry flag. Even if you have multiple Max versions installed and uninstall one of them the scene preview is gone even though you still have other Max versions installed.
I guess this means that when uninstalling Max a registry flag is removed, but what it is and where to look for it - no idea. If you find out, let me know because I'm looking for a way to get them back without uninstalling and reinstalling Max.

13

General CG Discussion / Re: icon 3dsmax 2022

« on: 2022-02-21, 11:55:44 »

Preferences > Files > Uncheck 'Save Viewport Thumbnail Image'

14

[Max] I need help! / Re: 3ds max projection mapping

« on: 2022-02-20, 17:38:59 »

Yes, this would be camera mapping. You set a camera's position and orientation to where the viewer would be positioned, and assign a Camera Map modifier to the geometry. That way, the viewport and render will display the map as projected from the projection camera.
Another camera can then move freely and the image still projects from the projection camera.

Some problems with this - Your geometry needs to be subdivided in order to get distortion-free mapping in the viewport... but there always will be some distortion.
2 ways to overcome this:
1) Use a Camera Map per Pixel and nest the projection bitmap in there. Specify a camera, that's it. This will make the projection distortion-free, but only in rendering.
2) Use OSL's Projection Map, but that's only available with Max 2019+. This one should display correctly in the viewports (without the Camera Map modifier on the geometry) and should render correctly, too.

If you need to supply the individual elements to the printer you'll have to either bake the map (not sure how hassle-free baking will be and if it works well with OSL...), or to render each facade element individually from an ortho camera placed and oriented towards each respective facade element.

Hope this helps.

15

[C4D] General Discussion / Re: Shadowcatcher shadows different from solid to compositing

« on: 2022-02-15, 13:47:41 »

Not sure how you're comping them but one problem is that when you're working in anything else than 32bits and multiplying shadows, multiply is a subtractive mode, meaning it only subtracts values (darkening) but not adding any values (GI lighting). I just throw an adjustment layer on top of the shadow (levels for example) and increase mid-tones, this mostly helps.