Quote from: Doug on July 23, 2025, 09:31:28 PMIs there any way to convert .png files to VUE .mat files?
I think that's a really fair question, I can easily see how the concept of material presets could become confusing if you're used to working with shader nodes like in TerraGen.
But first I need to draw 2 disclaimer cards... While I'm pretty confident that I got a solid understanding of the TerraGen basics... I still got plenty to learn. Thing is, as for Vue... I already need to correct myself (previous comment?) because as it turns out I have
a lot of uses for Vue but even so... still a Vue newbie at this point.
Back to the .mat files... Not trying to be funny (!) but the answer is yes,
and no....
You won't be "mass converting" files because it simply doesn't work that way. A PNG file is essentially a (raster) image aka a 2D image and/or representation, most often used for textures. Which -
as far as I can tell - is a concept that TerraGen doesn't use as software like Vue does.
So... a texture is usually a pattern (like that in an image file (such as your PNG file?)) which gets used as a "coat" to 'cover' a mesh. How to cover a mesh? That's where so called
UV maps come in: a UV map is essentially a 2D representation of a 3D object.
Lemme show an example...
^ This is ZBrush, a "3D editor" if you will. I basically added a 3D cube and then told ZBrush to take it apart and create a UV map for me. Fun fact about ZBrush: as you can see above it
literally took the cube apart. Now, this is a big deal because if you want to apply some kind of specific looks to the cube then all you have to do is load the above image ("template"?) into a graphics editor like, say, Gimp or my personal favorite of PaintShop Pro and then you just start working on it, and as long as you stay within the above boundaries you'll be able to apply patterns or colors to that cube.
I know I haven't answered your question yet, but trust me: this is related, we're getting there.
Notice the orange color? Notice the mention of "MatCap Red wax" on the left side?
That is courtesy of the so called material preset.
Generally speaking a material preset determines how an 3D object ("mesh") behaves within a scenery, I'm now mostly talking about how the surface of such a mesh behaves with regards to light sources. An object made out of metal is bound to reflect
a lot more light than one made from, say, plastic or glass. So: a material preset determines how a mesh
behaves. A texture then determines how the object (or: its surface) will look like.
Trust me: this is important to know.
Now onto Vue.
No, you can't "just" convert a TIFF image to a material preset, simply because the image is basically a 2D representation which lacks all the extra data that is required for it to be a material preset.
However....
Warning: I customized my Vue workspace, so this may not fully look like yours. Nothing too drastic: I basically swapped the scene pane ("world browser") with the object properties. So basically: bottom
left right is top
left right within the default workspace. (oh dear, left wasn't right
?).
Now: Vue has a material editor which allows you to change the looks of the object you're working on. In my above example I added a cube (just like I did within ZBrush) and then opened the material editor by clicking "edit material" (see my highlight on the far right side of my screenshot).
By default Vue uses procedural colors, but there's nothing stopping you to change that to a "mapped image". Of course, the main problem then is that if you apply an image then it'll simply get 'plastered' and repeated on the surface of your mesh. Could be what you were looking for of course, but... maybe not?
Then we get to option #2 => "Edit Graph" (highlighted above on the left side):
(notice the repeating fish pattern on the cube?)
If you use the "Edit graph" option (see previous screenshot) then you'll get into a node network which is somewhat comparable to that of TerraGen. And just like with TerraGen this "Vue node network" will provide a lot more advanced options that provide much more direct control over how you'd like to use the 2D image and apply it onto a (3D) mesh.
This is basically your key into "converting" ("using") a PNG (raster) image file and turn it 'into' a material preset.
Ey... no one said this would be easy!
Still... Vue does have some
insane scripting ("macro") options that may allow a mass conversion but... that's
way beyond my Vue expertise at this point.
I hope this answered your question.
PS
(unrelated)
Fun fact: Vue also provides support for procedural terrains. And yet I am
still very much determined to get my own TerraGen license soon enough. Once again software which provides a certain feature (like procedural terrains) amongst dozens of other features -
generally speaking - can't compete with software that was designed from the ground up with that one specific feature in mind. I'm saying "once again" because I have the same experiences with the (digital) audio industry (which is passion of mine).
Anyway... time for me to click post
