? using metals from the mat dbase

[Jeff Hammond]

how do i load them and have them applied to my model?

i can use all the other materials and i can use the metal presets but i can't figure out how to use metals from the database..

thanks


(skindigo/mac)

[Meelis]

Hi

1st u unpack them with 7zip (or what u have)
Then u open igm with text editor and find in the end <name>**********</name> (or indigo material editor can show u the name)
In your 3d modeler program u add material to object with name **********
Then u go to exporter and select material ********** and select external and find **********.igm

[Jeff Hammond]

well, i think skindigo is set up to do all that for you (and frankly, if that's how it works for other exporters then it needs to be changed.. people aren't going to be hyped on buying indigo only to find out they have to open files in a text editor, read this, copy that, move here, etc.. when all of that should be automated)

skindigo has an option for linked IGM but if i do that with a metal, i get this error when trying to render..

Error: SceneLoaderExcep: Error while parsing DiffuseTransmitter material: ComplexIORExcep: ComplexIORDataSetExcep: Failed to open file 'nkdata\cu.nk' for reading. (In element 'phong', around line 5, column 5)

[Meelis]

Have u tried reloading material.
If u create material u do it in text editor anyway, but sure u can do something with material editor (it's automated or isn't it).

[Jeff Hammond]

actually, i can load the material (brass.igm) in the same way i load other materials..

thing is, it just makes a new material in the sketchup material list that's black (and it renders black too if i apply it to the geometry). the material doesn't look like i expect it to but even then, i'd still have to go back and apply this material to all the face i already have designated for brass.

with all the other types of materials, i load them and they replace the existing material/color.. (for instance, i can color everything i want to be brick a green color then in skindigo, load a brick material for the green and all of the green will be replaced with the brick both in the sketchup drawing and the render)

i dunno, i'm obviously doing something wrong but i can't figure out what it is.. i just expect everything to work the same but i guess it doesn't.. i'll link to this thread in the sketchup forum and see if whaat can tell me what to do.

thanks for helping out.

[Jeff Hammond]

Have u tried reloading material.
If u create material u do it in text editor anyway, but sure u can do something with material editor (it's automated or isn't it).

oh, and maybe i'm not being so clear about my question.. i put the main question in the thread's title but didn't really say it again in the top post..

i'm not asking how to use materials from the database.. i can already do that.. it's just the metals in particular that i'm having problems with and if i try to load them in the same way as i do all the other materials then nothing happens.

[Meelis]

I don't know sketchup, but maybe u have double faces or intersecting faces.
Is the object uv mapped. Try to assign uv index. Even if u don't have texture on object the shaders do need uv mapping.

[Whaat]

Hi Jeff,

Try installing this version of SkIndigo for the Mac:
http://www.indigorenderer.com/forum/vie ... 20&start=0

(ZIP file at the bottom of the post).

I thinked I fixed this problem with loading Metals materials on Mac.

[Jeff Hammond]

hey whaat,
thanks for chiming in

unfortunately, that's the skindigo version i'm using (and just in case you have some sort of commission deal with glare, that's the version that made me buy indigo ) after using that one, i could use the material database from a non-programmer point of view.. it wasn't until recently that i tried using a metal..

the preset metals that you have in skindigo do work and i'll just get by with those for now.

i know you don't want to but if you get a chance, can you fire up that macbook you have laying around to see for yourself? or, see what i'm doing wrong?

thanks
jeff

[Whaat]

Jeff,

I am guessing that you found a bug. It should be fixed for the next beta release. Thanks for posting it!

[Jeff Hammond]

ok, cool
thanks