Trying to Understand the Painted Shader - Which View to Paint In?

Started by D.A. Bentley (SuddenPlanet), November 10, 2017, 08:03:49 PM

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D.A. Bentley (SuddenPlanet)

I'm sure there is a simple explanation but there are so many threads on the Painted Shader, it's hard to find an answer to my question in the jumble.

Basically I want to know why painting a mask in the top-down tiny Preview Window doesn't do anything?  It seems you have to paint the mask in the 3D View for it to work as a mask to blend the edges of a heightfield into the fractal terrain.  So when I right-click on the tiny Preview Window to select "Open in New Window" and start a Painted Shader session there, what is it doing, or affecting?


SILENCER


D.A. Bentley (SuddenPlanet)

Quote from: SILENCER on November 10, 2017, 08:54:10 PM
You'll have to do it in the 3D view, as I believe the painted shader is actually a 3D effect.

http://www.planetside.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Painted_Shader_Guide

I actually read both Wiki pages on the Painted Shader already, and nothing explains why you can start a Painted Shader session in the Preview Window.  Thats my main question.  Is there any purpose?  Why have the button there to start a session if it's not useful?

Dune

I don't understand the problem, actually. Painting with the painted shader works in 3D mode and can be executed in the main preview window, where you can manouvre around to have the best 'canvas' for painting. The button is right above it.

Btw. I'm not Planeside, but I know they don't like png's to be posted (too large).

D.A. Bentley (SuddenPlanet)

Dune, thanks for the heads up on PNG's.  I didn't notice how big they were until you pointed it out.

I know how to use the Painted Shader in the 3D Main Preview using the button right above it, but I still don't understand why there is an identical button to start a Painted Shader session in the Top Down, kind of 2D view (whats the official name of that view?).  I just don't know the terminology for that little/tiny preview where you can see your shading result as you click on different node layers to the left of that view.  I usually right-click and select "Open in new Window" to get a bigger view to see the preview, and move my camera around.

*** I'm just wondering in what case(s) would you start a Painted Shader session in that window (2D/Top Down Preview) rather than directly in the main 3D Preview window (RTP Window). ***

The reason I ask is because I tried to paint a mask, like an Alpha Channel mask on a Painted Shader node, which was connected to my heightfield to mask it's edges to create a soft blend, but it didn't work as expected.  I had to paint directly on my heightfield in the 3D view while in a Painted Shader session initiated from the 3D View, which seems weird to me.  Maybe my mind is just not thinking properly about how this works, but I intuitively look at the Painted Shader node as a Grayscale Mask/Alpha Channel Image (like a 4th channel for Transparency in a TGA file for example).  Are my paint strokes being stored in the Painted Shader, or on the Heightfield?

If none of this makes sense, if you/someone can just answer my main question in between the "***" I will be happy.  :)

Matt

You can paint in the Heightfield Preview or Shader Preview, and it should work. Can you post an example TGD where it's not?

Matt
Just because milk is white doesn't mean that clouds are made of milk.

D.A. Bentley (SuddenPlanet)

OK, now I feel stupid.  I just figured out why it didn't work for me the first time.  Actually I know it was working before now, but I just couldn't see the result of my mask because I had a huge chunk of terrain, and my Painted Shader size was set to only 1km.  I just discovered how to zoom out to make the shader size bigger.  I zoomed out to make the Painted Shader 64km, and then it was big enough to see.  Thanks for helping me work through this everyone.   

bobbystahr

something borrowed,
something Blue.
Ring out the Old.
Bring in the New
Bobby Stahr, Paracosmologist

Matt

I'm glad you got that working. Sometimes it helps to know something is possible before you can solve the problem  :)
Just because milk is white doesn't mean that clouds are made of milk.

Dune

I never use that window, so I didn't even notice the second button, hence the confusion  ;)