Anima 3D People + Corona = incorrect gamma

[aaouviz]

This is more of a rant than anything else....

Now that Chaos owns AXYZ, can they maybe ensure that when I use Anima people I don't constantly get the incorrect gamma on Normal maps error when rendering with Corona?

For some reason even when I use the Corona converter to fix these the issue is not resolved...

Any ideas how to deal with this? Am I doing something wrong?

[maru]

Hi, can you clarify what exactly you mean? Is it:
- getting the "wrong gamma" warning but the image actually renders correct
or
- getting the "wrong gamma" warning and the image renders incorrectly
?

We will perform some internal tests, but if you could share a sample scene with us, that would greatly help us: https://support.chaos.com/hc/en-us/requests/new

Thanks in advance!

[aaouviz]

Thanks for the swift reply Maru.

Please see this screen recording: should be easy to replicate if you have access to the anima people?
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/64o37rr7bfq5b190e6hop/2023-08-31-12-57-51.mp4?rlkey=0jn4ozcyetkia5p0nvhmlh6w4&dl=0

The material looks OK... I guess?

I see now that it's importing not as a Corona material... I guess this is the culprit.

I know it's not your area, but any idea if I can be importing the people with Corona materials?

Edit: it seems converting the material with Corona Converter seems to make everything work as expected. So I guess with this step there isn't really any issue...

[arqrenderz]

The problem is AXYZ, every time you reload the anima scene it came with the same bad materials, bad normals, they SHOULD invest some time redoing their materials, at least some good reflection and roughness...

[aaouviz]

The problem is AXYZ, every time you reload the anima scene it came with the same bad materials, bad normals, they SHOULD invest some time redoing their materials, at least some good reflection and roughness...

Yeah... I was afraid of this

[Avi]

Hi,

We investigated the issue and found that the error seems to occur during the "Drop" process for Anima models in 3ds Max.

The problem occurs if you don't complete the "Drop" process correctly, which results in the models retaining their standard textures rather than switching to native Corona shaders.

To clarify, here are the two different procedures:

Incorrect Process (as investigated):

• Drag & drop the model.
• Left Mouse Button (LMB) click on the scene to place the model.
• Hit the "Esc" key to exit the drop process.

Expected Correct Process:

• Drag & drop the model.
• Left Mouse Button (LMB) click on the scene to place the model.
• Right Mouse Button (RMB) click to finish the drop process.

Try using the Right Mouse Button to finalize the "Drop" process instead of hitting "Esc". This should resolve the issue you're facing.

Anima team is also working on a more robust Drop process that may be available soon to the users.

[aaouviz]

Thanks!

It's a bit fiddly, but it seems to work.

One thing; there is a missing step, of sorts:

Drag+drop, Left click for place, left click for rotation, then right click

Bu upon further testing on my end it seems that this still only works as expected if the model is already downloaded. If it's a new download, any click variation will still import the wrong material type... I'll keep testing but it seems if I import 'correctly' a new model it uses standard material. If I import that very same model again once it's already downloaded with the 'correct' click procedure it works as expected and imports with Corona Material...

[3dboomerang]

How about the anima 4D animated people? Im using the same subscription for making an animation and I was just thinking they look really bad up close, the textures look "off"

[Avi]

Hi,

If you are doing a close up shot then it would be recommended to use posed models as 4D animated models are optimized for mid-distance viewing only, which is why you might find the textures appearing a bit "off" when looked at up close. But a workaround for you could be to use some motion blur to get rid of any visible artifacts if your camera is getting close to those 4D Models.

[3dboomerang]

Yeah I assumed the same. The pre-animated 4D people where supposed to be better though.. But nyeh.. Just wanted to check if these textures on the animated models are simply "off" as in bad, of if there was a wrong normal map or something else going on perhaps.

[aaouviz]

So, after some digging it seems this is a relatively easy fix. Just select the anima character parent object, and press the 'Rebuild Material' button. It should then use the correct Corona materials on all the people :)