Indigo Renderer Forum

Mate as you know to get good render results we need good texture maps. If I use large maps in the SU model the material browser as per normal slows down to billyo and the model itself generally becomes doggy and slow! Particularly when the colour map (is that what is termed here "Albedo"?) bump map and specularity map (is that what is termed here "Exponent"? just trying to work these terms out - cheers!) all need to be included in the model and thats before anthing blended.

My workflow in maxwell as an example is to build the MXM (maxwell material) with hi resolution maps and link to this from a low resolution map from SU that is used to position the UV's. I generate the low res map in Photoshop using the "save for the web" feature. This way I can end up with a lower file size yet same pixel dimension map (say sub 200kb) and then render with a 2Mb full res map on export.

I there a way to achieve the same in Skindigo???

Btw mate I've been trying to get the hang of blended materials setting different uv's for each map and just cant get used to the workflow there at all. I've worked through your tut three times and each time seem to get messed up with the coords of the blended mats. I really do like the way you can position each map but seem to get lost in the workflow. I do get a little lost during the tut with regards to assignment of UV set particularly when it comes to getting the brick bump applied to each material set.

I think this workflow could be improved yet at this stage I dont have any great suggestions.

Must say I do have concerns to the viability of this blended material system when coords are lost during editing of geometry!!!!

I need to invesitage further too the use a saved materials and the possibilities there with regards to what I mentioned above.

I also still need to work through the terminology used in the plugin (and indigo) as I still find it a bit strange in comparsion to the normal standards, which is really what scared me off perusing a workflow with indigo previously!

With seeing the considerable improvements in the plugin I'm excited about getting back into Indigo. You've really done wonders with the plugin mate!

Richard,

I realize that the workflow for multiple uv sets is a bit clunky but keep playing around with it. It should start to make sense.

As for the high rez texture maps, I think there is a workaround method. By default, Skindigo exports all of your maps to a folder called TX_default (stored in your Indigo directory). Take a look at this folder after you export a scene. Hint: Use 'Export Scene as...' to export to a custom filename and location.

You will notice that all of your textures are exported as JPEGS and that they are named the same as the SketchUp material name.

To replace these textures with your high-rez textures:
1) rename all of your high-rez textures to be the same as the SU material name and convert them to jpeg.
2) copy the high-rez textures to the TX_ folder that SkIndigo has created
3) Open Indigo.exe and manually load the IGS file that SkIndigo exported. This is why you should use 'Export Scene as...' Now you know where the IGS is and where your textures are.
4) Of course, if you export your scene again after copying in the high-rez textures, they will be replaced with the low-rez textures and you will have to start over.

It's not a great solution but it would get the job done. Maybe there's another way but i can't think of anything else right now.

Thanks Whaat

Simple work around!

I have to say that despite my above point on of the things that I do love about Indigo and the way you have set up the exporter is that colour editing of textures in SU is also exported. Makes it so much easier in many many ways!!!!!

Cheers again mate!