How to ensure fake stones don't overlap or merge colors?

Started by yesmine, March 28, 2014, 08:31:51 PM

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yesmine

Is there a way to ensure that fake stones do not overlap? This is making me crazy because I've seen numerous images with stones of different sizes in which none glaringly overlap or sit on top of each other, but for the life of me I can't figure out how to keep them off each other (if..big if..they aren't all individual objects or everything is masked.)

Merging them using 'highest (raise)' works to a degree but seems to flatten the small ones leaving mostly the large stones. Strangely, when merging them, invariably the colors of the small ones still show on the large stones like polka-dots of colors where the small stones would have been..ug. I've tried daisy-chaining them, hooking the outputs from one to the input of the other (saw that in another .tgd), and that's better but I end up with the small ones on top of large ones or stuck to their sides.

If someone would please educate me on how to have the populations not stack on top of each other, and still keep each of them showing as separate stones, may you have treasures in heaven :)
Thanks.

inkydigit

Hi yesmine, have you tried to use the preceding fake stone layer as a mask (inverted) for the next layer.... merge these two, and then use the output of that merge shader as the (inverted) mask for the next ...and so on etc etc...?

(I think using highest raise here also helps)...
check here for other techniques maybe?
http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,4443.msg48792.html#msg48792
cheers
Jason
:)

Dune

I doubt if that'll work; the edges of the mask would be very sharp, thus easily creating exploding stones. And if you inverse, then add, and inverse again, the first one will be inversed the wrong way back, so to speak.

bobbystahr

Well as an inveterate experimenter and having never thought of this I thought I'd give'er a try...here's the result. The FS's were made large to small, 50,40,30,20 sizes IIRC and merged with a default Merge shader (nothing adjusted).
something borrowed,
something Blue.
Ring out the Old.
Bring in the New
Bobby Stahr, Paracosmologist

bobbystahr

here's the set up with no Surface layer blender
something borrowed,
something Blue.
Ring out the Old.
Bring in the New
Bobby Stahr, Paracosmologist

Dune

Merging in the stones like that (straight from base colors) might cause problems, IMHO, though I haven't ventured into such setup. I always add them as a child to a surface layer.

bobbystahr

Quote from: Dune on March 30, 2014, 05:03:58 AM
Merging in the stones like that (straight from base colors) might cause problems, IMHO, though I haven't ventured into such setup. I always add them as a child to a surface layer.
I do as well but that was a proposed set up I'd not played with and couldn't resist messing about with...prefer the child option myself but the masking feature is wonderful for keeping vegetation from poking through Fake stones. Also good for planting veg on the Fake stone to create moss....
something borrowed,
something Blue.
Ring out the Old.
Bring in the New
Bobby Stahr, Paracosmologist

Dune

You can always draw a line from the stones to a color adjust shader, increase whiteness to very high, and use that as mask, whatever setup.

bobbystahr

Quote from: Dune on March 30, 2014, 01:52:17 PM
You can always draw a line from the stones to a color adjust shader, increase whiteness to very high, and use that as mask, whatever setup.
will remember that yet again, heh heh heh, often don't need to but really did once and it was handy...I think I was using the FSs as a pop mask for trees....
something borrowed,
something Blue.
Ring out the Old.
Bring in the New
Bobby Stahr, Paracosmologist