Are Some Features Only Accessible Through The Plugins?

[AxiomCG]

Is it true that there are some features in Indigo that are only accessible through the plugin? I am using Blendigo, and in the past I have a habit of exporting a scene into a render engine and texturing/lighting it there. However I am getting the impression that in indigo you can only set light layers and apply saved materials via the plugin?


Is this true?


If this is true then I would appropriate it if someone could please confirm my suspicions. If it is not true, then could someone please explain how to set up light layers and/or upload a saved material using only the engine itself and not the plugin?

[StompinTom]

Is it true that there are some features in Indigo that are only accessible through the plugin? I am using Blendigo, and in the past I have a habit of exporting a scene into a render engine and texturing/lighting it there. However I am getting the impression that in indigo you can only set light layers and apply saved materials via the plugin?


Is this true?


If this is true then I would appropriate it if someone could please confirm my suspicions. If it is not true, then could someone please explain how to set up light layers and/or upload a saved material using only the engine itself and not the plugin?

Everything is available through editing the scene file. All Blendigo does is write a scene file which you can edit to your heart's content. There may be some things that aren't exposed during rendering from the Indigo interface, that's true. Having changes in the Indigo UI affect changes in your 3d program (two-way) would be even better.

[Headroom]

As StompinTom has already mentioned most exporters - including Blendigo - export the scene description into an XML file that is fairly easy to read and modify.

Many of the material settings etc. once exported can be adjusted through the Indigo GUI. However for light layers it is usually most practical to set them up in Blendigo and assign light sources to them.

Adjusting and fine tuning can then be done in the Indigo GUI.

[FakeShamus]

Adding light layers within the Indigo GUI would be a nice addition, I have to say.
The other thing you mention, loading saved materials, is already possible. You can choose to import a saved material and then assign it to any object in your scene.

[AxiomCG]

Adding light layers within the Indigo GUI would be a nice addition, I have to say.
The other thing you mention, loading saved materials, is already possible. You can choose to import a saved material and then assign it to any object in your scene.

How do you do that exactly in the render engine itself? The "local library" does not have a search function. Even after I find the file path that the materials are supposed to be in (I presume that I have the right one representing local library) they are still not visible.


If I could at least do that in the engine itself it would be very helpful. So far I can only apply a material via the plug in. If someone can explain to me how this is done in the engine without using the plug in I would be grateful.

[FakeShamus]

you download the material you want to use (or create a new one and save it somewhere as an .igm) and then from the Indigo file menu you select File -> import material. from there you use the "assign material" tool to click on the object you want to apply it to.

I've never really used the local library function much, but it also allows you to add a material to your scene directly from the materials list you find there.

[AxiomCG]

Fantastic.... thank you so much

[FakeShamus]

no problem...
along these lines I think it's a reasonable request to ask for a custom local materials library that the user could specify. I keep all my saved materials in their own folder, it works well enough, but it would be nice to have Indigo download database materials to that same folder and combine them with materials I have generated for myself. would love to have the browse-able list format of the materials library for all of my materials, not just the downloaded ones.

[CTZn]

no problem...
along these lines I think it's a reasonable request to ask for a custom local materials library that the user could specify. I keep all my saved materials in their own folder, it works well enough, but it would be nice to have Indigo download database materials to that same folder and combine them with materials I have generated for myself. would love to have the browse-able list format of the materials library for all of my materials, not just the downloaded ones.

I would use this option. Multiple custom paths (list) would be tidier. I'm currently not using the local library, because I too have a custom folder where I'm saving my materials and keep forgetting about the feature.