Please help me with Indigo Materials and textures

scatman · Post by **scatman** » Thu Sep 20, 2012 12:00 pm

I've only been able to apply a texture (or maybe it was an indigo material from the library) once, and I don't know how I did it.

I'm currently using Blender 2.63a (64bit), blendigo-2.6-3.2.14.2, and Indigo Renderer v3.2.14, Windows 64-bit build. I've been up and down this forum and in Google looking for a tutorial on how to apply a texture in Indigo/blendigo. The closest thing I found to a tutorial was with an older version of blendigo.

Thus far, I either cause Indigo to crash (not open at all). Sometimes when I try to use the .igm files from the Indigo material database I get the following error from the Blender System Console:
ERROR: Writing to ID classes in this context is not allowed: Material.002, Material datablock, error setting indigo_material external.material_name
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Other times I get the following error when I try to use the .igm files:
error while building scene: Error while loading phong material 'glossy_wood': Failed to load texture 'C:\render\..\blendeRender\materials\IndigoMaterials\IGM's\PACKED_0_Dark-walnuteuropean.jpg': Could not find file 'C:\render\..\blendeRender\materials\IndigoMaterials\IGM's\PACKED_0_Dark-walnuteuropean.jpg'.
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or I get the following error when I try to use the .pigm files:
Error while building scene: ObjectExcep: Error with material 9: Mesh has no UVs (model UID: 13)
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and forget about using a .jpg as a texture...Indigo won't even open.

I now know how to do uv mapping, but only if I use blender's internal renderer or the Cycles renderer. On the rare occasion that I do get the Indigo renderer to open without error messages while trying to apply textures or materials...the texture that I think I'm applying doesn't appear.

Is there a step by step tutorial somewhere for:
1. applying textures (like .jpgs) to objects in blendigo/Indigo
2. applying materials from the Indigo Material database to objects in blendigo/Indigo

just pressin' buttons,
scatman

Headroom · Post by **Headroom** » Thu Sep 20, 2012 2:32 pm

Fire up Blender 2.63a

Click on the default cube and hit TAB to enter edit mode.

Select the edges you want marked as seams

CTRL-E select "Mark seams" form menu.

Change Screen Layout from "Default" to "UV Editing" . On the right you see the cube with the seams marked, the left UV editing window is still empty

With the mouse pointer in the right area press "A" to select all and then press "U" and select "Unwrap" from the menu. Now you see the UV map on the left.

Now open an image "ALT-O" (jpg, PGM, tif, etc.) and it will show up "under" your UV mapped mesh on the left side. You can now move, stretch, scale your UV map to fit your needs.

Change the Screen Layout back from "UV editing" to "Default"

Press "A" to change from "Edit Mode" to "Object Mode" (optional --> Press "ALT-Z for an Ahhhh... effect

In the "Properties" panel click on the "Texture" button. Create a new one by clicking on the "+" button or simply select/highlight the already existing one (I believe by default there is already one with the name "Tex" defined). Perhaps rename it to "ScatTex"

Click into the "image" selection field. The image that you used earlier in the UV editor should be presented to you for selection. Go ahead and select it.

In the "Properties" panel click on the "Material" button. Change the default name of the material to something meaningful, "ScatMat" perhaps

Change "Material Color" from "Color" to "Texture"

Click into the "Texture" selection field and you should be presented with at least the texture that you just created in the steps before. Select it.

The next step may be optional, however it is good practice to do it anyway.

Click into the ""UV set" selection field and select the Uv map presented to you. This is the name that the UV map was given when you UV mapped the default cube earlier. You can change that name in the "Mesh" panel, but make sure you re-assign it in the Material panel after renaming it.

S A V E Y O U R W O R K

Go into the "render" panel and click on"Image"

Now your cube should render with the applied texture.

All the above assumes the default scene with default Blendigo settings and that "Render engine" is already set to "Indigo" and that you have the correct path set to it etc.

scatman · Post by **scatman** » Fri Sep 21, 2012 4:12 am

Thanks Headroom for helping me.

I was following your instructions step by step until the following step:

Click into the "image" selection field. The image that you used earlier in the UV editor should be presented to you for selection. Go ahead and select it.

Where is this "image" selection field? Are you talking about the drop down menu in the Texture section of the Properties panel? Are you talking about the drop down menu beside the word "Type" in the Texture section of the Properties panel?

Chris Bethea

Headroom · Post by **Headroom** » Fri Sep 21, 2012 6:33 am

I am talking about the yet empty field with the label "image" to the left of it. It's empty because you have not chosen an image yet.

The " type" selection refers to a texture type and only refers to Blender internal ( or Cycles) textures and has no effect on what you'll see in Indigo.

scatman · Post by **scatman** » Fri Sep 21, 2012 9:34 am

Duh, I found the "image" selection field...sorry 'bout that.

I was able to follow your instructions and get it to work...once while at work! I tried repeatedly again with a flat plane, but was unable to get it to work. In fact, most times Indigo would immediately close after opening.

Here at home thought, thus far I'm still getting the following error while trying to texture map a cube:
Error while building scene: ObjectExcep: Error with material 9: Mesh has no UVs (model UID: 13)

I'm still trying though.

Thanks,
Chris Bethea

scatman · Post by **scatman** » Sat Sep 22, 2012 9:03 am

Thanks again [Max}Headroom.

Again the fault lies with me. I think I kept messing up because I was skipping the following step:

Press "A" to change from "Edit Mode" to "Object Mode"

I've been able to .jpg textures repeatedly at home now.

Now I'm going to try to figure out how to apply Indigo Materials from the database...I assume it's similar, but instead of applying a texture (.jpg) and then a material, I'll just apply an "External" material type from the Indigo Render Material Settings.

scatman

Headroom · Post by **Headroom** » Sat Sep 22, 2012 10:27 am

Yes, you have to select an external material either .igm or .pigm.
However, many of the external materials also require you to have your mesh UV mapped!

sowly · Post by **sowly** » Fri Dec 06, 2013 5:27 am

Hi,

I know it's an old topic, but yesterday I had the same exact problem, and thanks to you guys I could resolved it.

But I just have one more question, concerning the .igm and .pigm materials.
When I apply them to an object (cube or UV sphere), the render in Indigo is working properly but for materials with displacement, it's working weird (on my UV sphere for example).
I join an image for you to see.

@Scatman, did you ever had this problem with you .igm/.pigm files ?
@Headroom, do you know why it's acting like this ?

Thanks,

Sowly