TG Final won't open my mtl files

neuspadrin · May 10, 2009, 12:20:50 AM

Quote from: Phoenixf2b on May 10, 2009, 12:01:06 AM
right now all I am trying is making a sphere in Max and exporting it as an .obj and trying to import that into a new terragen file. Trying to keep it as simple as possible since I am trying to learn. Do you know what settings are needed in max to export as an .obj?

Sorry I'm just a poor college student

Don't have that kinda expensive software.

Perhaps someone else here can help. Even if it does export obj it might not be a way that terragen reads properly. Really the best thing to do is always run things through poseray to doublely make sure it works on terragen as it seems to almost always fix issues.

Phoenixf2b · May 10, 2009, 12:23:58 AM

I am playing around with Poseray now, and I am noticing that when I use the material editor in Max and apply a color or map pattern to it, it's getting stripped when I bring it INTO Poseray. Poseray is importing everything as a whitish/silver finish. do I have to do all of the mapping and textures in Poseray?

neuspadrin · May 10, 2009, 12:26:35 AM

Its possible. I dont understand everything fully but 3ds max materials might not be compatible with a obj material and such and thus impossible to really transform and read.

/shrug.

If you are modeling in 3ds max then I'd suggest just model in there, then texture in poseray and then send it to an obj for tg.

Phoenixf2b · May 10, 2009, 12:38:04 AM

the unfortunate thing about that is that Poseray can't to a lick of texturing and mapping that Max can. I have some models that I ultimately want to use but I cannot remap them in Poseray.

Does anyone know how to maintain maps and textures in Poseray?

neuspadrin · May 10, 2009, 12:42:34 AM

Texture baking? I believe the term is? Doesn't it just basically render the textures to an image to be used in other programs thinking about it now? Perhaps that will do it?

Phoenixf2b · May 10, 2009, 01:00:09 AM

Well it's a step closer. After I texture bake the material, I bring it into Poseray and it applies it, but so far it's not applying it properly. I will have to play around and get familiar with poseray to make sure I am using it correctly. Thank you for the help

bobbystahr · May 10, 2009, 01:31:36 AM

Have you explored the U/V Tab in PoseRay's Material editor? I find it very useful as my modeling app, Imagine3D doesn't do U/V mapping. I've found cubic solves most problems I have, but I do use cylidrical for cylinders and spherical for spheres. The trick is after you've selected the mapping mode you have to click the Update button and it draws the map in the white area. I then go back to the material and if it hasn't updated in the preview I do the Update again and it always works.. ...

neuspadrin · May 10, 2009, 01:44:04 AM

Basically agreeing with bobbystahr. When you have textures that don't match up it's usually something to do with UV, and you mess around with those settings to get it placed right. I don't know much specifics I just kinda know thats where the issue comes from and thats how to usually fix it.

Oshyan · May 10, 2009, 02:26:18 AM

As far as I know TG2 doesn't actually load simple colors from an OBJ. It needs a texture. It also does not import material properties like transparency, reflectivity, etc. So that may be why colors you specify aren't coming in. You can easily specify colors in TG2 however.

- Oshyan

Phoenixf2b · May 10, 2009, 10:40:27 PM

The Poseray materials section seems rather limited. I have a very simple box shape, with a baked textured of just the wooden sides. Very basic model, about as basic as can be and it still won't apply right in Poseray. I try cubic, planar, sphere, cylindrical, and neither of them apply it right.

bobbystahr · May 11, 2009, 05:02:46 PM

Well as promised, here's a WIP of the Tin Garage and My Truck...again, thanks for all the help.. ...

Hetzen · May 11, 2009, 05:27:27 PM

Quote from: Phoenixf2b on May 10, 2009, 10:40:27 PM
The Poseray materials section seems rather limited. I have a very simple box shape, with a baked textured of just the wooden sides. Very basic model, about as basic as can be and it still won't apply right in Poseray. I try cubic, planar, sphere, cylindrical, and neither of them apply it right.

Have you looked into Un-Wrap UV's modifier in Max? Once you have that understood, you'll be able to output exact textures to the object UV's, and TG should be able to read them straight in as export .obj's from max.

Hetzen · May 11, 2009, 05:36:31 PM

Quote from: bobbystahr on May 11, 2009, 05:02:46 PM
Well as promised, here's a WIP of the Tin Garage and My Truck...again, thanks for all the help.. ...

I think you need to get a better grasp on texturing if you're going to use this model as the scene focus. Nothing wrong with the model itself, but you've got stretched maps and a lot of repetition in the texture. The great thing with TG, is that you can use a bitmap to create real displacements, which would help a lot with your image adding more real depth to your wood paneling along the grooves for example, or tread on your tyres. In fact, what really shows off CG models are all the subtle shadows that displacement through either geometry or maps give, with or without colour from diffuse maps.

bobbystahr · May 11, 2009, 11:45:59 PM

Quote from: Hetzen on May 11, 2009, 05:36:31 PM
Quote from: bobbystahr on May 11, 2009, 05:02:46 PM
Well as promised, here's a WIP of the Tin Garage and My Truck...again, thanks for all the help.. ...

I think you need to get a better grasp on texturing if you're going to use this model as the scene focus. Nothing wrong with the model itself, but you've got stretched maps and a lot of repetition in the texture. The great thing with TG, is that you can use a bitmap to create real displacements, which would help a lot with your image adding more real depth to your wood paneling along the grooves for example, or tread on your tyres. In fact, what really shows off CG models are all the subtle shadows that displacement through either geometry or maps give, with or without colour from diffuse maps.

RE: my grasp on texturing is certainly in need of improving but as I've worked mainly in Imagine3D since the late 90's and it had no U/V mapping I know nada. The facility provided by PoseRay is the closest I've come to getting U/V mapping happening so far.
RE: displacement...I am aware and generally use it well but as I had been having a hard time earlier in this thread even getting the parts list to show in TG I considered this a major success.
I, as a graduate of the Imagine3D app [it's no longer with us], from the start have preferred using procedural textures, but as a math dislexic, high school drop out from the '60's, was fortunate to have Imagines native .itx textures available. These were entirely procedural and there was over 100 native with Worley's Essense textures as well having their genesis in Imagine as 3rd party add on, and the RJJ series later, so I'm spoiled and even tho I have tried Functions etc. the math whacks me up side the head and I go back to maps which TG does indeed use well. So to get back to the point, I agree, the garage in particular could use displacement. Other than breaking the wheels into 2 parts, tread and side walls, so they could be textured seperately I'm at a loss as to how I would map bump to the tyres.
Thanks for your constructive comments Hetzen..it's appreciated.. ..

bobbystahr · May 13, 2009, 10:23:23 AM

Here's a further update of this experiment. All models except the veg by me. Sidewalks and road displaced with paint shaders and image mapped. You'll noticed this time I have displaced various surfaces...note about repeating tiles...the only place I could find obvious repeats is where they belong, above the Garage door. This is a tin covered garage circa 1940 and that part was often a 'repeating' tile...twas done on purpose. I have attempted to reproduce the 'tin siding' with limited success...I need a better bump map of the correct type of siding to really pull this off short of actually modeling the 'boards' individually.. ...