help with basic material creation for 0.7

[oodmb]

recently, there was a blender build out with python nodes. i dont know if it still exist or if they abandoned the idea, but it might be worth checking out. i did a little playing around with the scripts and got absolutly nowhere except creating a red diffuse node (yay!). the api for the python nodes was not that complicated. the data from this build is not being included in blender 2.43 mostly because i supspect it was never finished. however, it seems as though the recent blental builds included the python node system. possibly, if one were to make an indigo export script that included scripts for python nodes, not ones that worked in the blender render engine of course, just as a way taging models and materials for export.

[Jananton]

Hello All,

Interesting thread. I'm momentairely only using v.0.6, so I'm quite unaware of all the new material options in the new v, 0.7 version.

On the discussion about if nodes are available via python, it seems they are already there in 2.42a There is a script, for landscaping, that uses nodes to create landscapes. It's called InnerWorld.

I could not find a link to it at the moment, but it's certainly something to look at on how nodes could be used with python ihmo.

Greetings from puzzled Amsterdam,

Jan

[zsouthboy]

I'm going to be thinking this one through for the next few days.

I'm surprised at how far your version of the exporter has come already, Wedge, and that you say your proficiency as a programmer is low. (I think you don't give yourself enough credit)

My first thought, re: material problems is to ask the user when the intention is not clear.

Naming convention could also be a clue. RedScatter.forward.sss, BlueReflect.phong, etc.

Python looks easy enough to deal with, but I might have to simply invoke a separate program (written in java, for portability... tho I guess Win32 is all indigo is on anyway..hmm.) to run a "Wizard" interface for materials, preview the scene, adjust the (approximate) gain for light sources, etc.

Again, hmm.

[oodmb]

the idea of python nodes is not to allow acess to nodes within the python script, but to allow a node that is a python script, a custom node.

[Jananton]

the idea of python nodes is not to allow acess to nodes within the python script, but to allow a node that is a python script, a custom node.

You didn't quote anything, so I don't really know if this is a reaction to what I wrote, but if it is, InnerWorld exactly does that. They are custom nodes that offer the building blocks to create a terrain mesh...

I haven't looked at the code well enough yet to determine if the author used some classes build in in the Blender python distro, or if he did create them from scratch. From what I've seen, I presume the latter, since nodes in blender like material and composite have a little more sophisticated feel to it...

Anyhow, as said, worth a look...

Greetings from nighttime Amsterdam,

Jan

[oodmb]

cool script. its use of nodes would be much easier to intigrate than what i was thinking.

the python nodes i was refering to in the pynodes build are a system of intigrating custom shader nodes for use in the render pipeline into blender's internal node system.

http://mediawiki.blender.org/index.php/ ... ev/PyNodes

[zuegs]

Hi all
I was thinking too about the material integration in blender... i looked on the nodes system of blender and i was not sure how we could represent indigo materials in a induitive way... because a blender material node is part of the rendering system and i don't want recode the indigo shaders in blender
I played a bit around with python and build a indigo-material-editor proto. Here a first preview on the "diffuse", "phong", "specular" and "blend" page:

Will also include SSS soon and other stuff curently missing. The indigo material settings are stored together with blender materials in the ".blend" file.
I think this could solve some current material problems for v0.7 until blender node stuff is fully functional and hyper flexibel

regards zuegs

[manitwo]

one wish: could you add alpha-mapping? ... yes it could be done with mat-blending ... but it would be much more user-friendly if the exporter could do the work for us.

[Big Fan]

edited to remove all

[Jananton]

Hi all
[snip pic dedicated material editor]
I think this could solve some current material problems for v0.7 until blender node stuff is fully functional and hyper flexibel

I think this is defenitly the better approach for now, since the node stuff seems still not available via the python interface in the 2.43rc2 candidate. As I noticed today, when trying this out typing 'import Blender.Node' to build my own node class...

On a different note, maybe more something for a blender user forum, but without any real documentation, the advantage of that whole node stuff in blender, especially the material part, completely eludes me.. Composite for post production of a rendering result, ok. I would use Gimp for that, but if it can be done directly, no problem. On the material side the only advantage I can think of is combining two or more materials, including their textures, so is that it or am I missing something here...

As said, nice idea, although I haven't looked at indigo 0.7 yet...

Greetings from nighttime Amsterdam,

Jan

[afecelis]

friggin' cool! Nice approach for 0.7 but I think 0.6 and its simplicity will always have a special place in our hearts, hehehehehe.

But definitely the way to go.

[Jananton]

friggin' cool! Nice approach for 0.7 but I think 0.6 and its simplicity will always have a special place in our hearts, hehehehehe.

But definitely the way to go.

Ah, you're getting quite philosophical over here, and in respect to programming you're right on the mark. There's always a delicate balancing act between keeping it clear and simple, and what the goal was of the develloper in the first place. As with many things, the human mind eagers for all options possible, but rationality and simplicity instead should previal to be a virtue, depending on the ultimate goal. In other words, go for it, but keep it as simple as possible...

Oh really, did I type that...

Greetings from nighttime Amsterdam,

Jan

[oodmb]

the advantages are limitless to the shader nodes in blender. with shader nodes, every aspect of a material can be changed, how it reacts to light under different angles and different powers, how a texture realy effects it.
recently somebody discovered how to do fake sss in blender, this was able to be refined to have layers with nodes. there are ways to make transparent objects glow on the edges and only the edges so that they look like x-rays. there are ways to effect the transparency only from certain normals, realy it extends the functionality of the blender shader system.

[Jananton]

the advantages are limitless to the shader nodes in blender. with shader nodes, every aspect of a material can be changed, how it reacts to light under different angles and different powers, how a texture realy effects it.

Hmm, it must be me then , I've searched and searched for documentation on that blender node stuff, but came up quite empty handed, certainly in the material part. Apart from some very simple tutorials that hardly touch the surface I presume.

Maybe there's more now, the last time I searched was a little after when 2.42a came out...

Btw, where does sss stand for That abreveration seems to pop up in a lot of places these days...

Greetings from nighttime Amsterdam,

Jan

[tungee]

Geilllllllllll!
coool , good bye C4d! .