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Author Topic: Forest color/forest material - over custom objects  (Read 3211 times)

CO2263

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Forest color/forest material - over custom objects
« on: June 12, 2013, 03:34:21 PM »
Hello,
Is there any possibility to apply forest color map or forest material over non-forest objects?
Hope it's not a limitation or could be solved in the future.

Thanks

iToo

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Re: Forest color/forest material - over custom objects
« Reply #1 on: June 12, 2013, 04:18:07 PM »
Sorry, it is not possible. Each Forest item owns an unique ID that is used as random seed for the tint/textures. Out of Forest this value doesn't exist, and Forest Color cannot work.

In the case of random by Element (leaves), there are additional problems, because Forest keeps internally data about the geometric structure of the plant, that is required for the tinting process.

Carlos Quintero
iToo Software

CO2263

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Re: Forest color/forest material - over custom objects
« Reply #2 on: June 12, 2013, 06:51:05 PM »
any way to add this ID to the object with external script or something?
would be great to have random colors for cars or buildings or something else...

iToo

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Re: Forest color/forest material - over custom objects
« Reply #3 on: June 13, 2013, 12:01:02 PM »
We will take a look to it, but should be limited to tint by Item, not element.

Alternatively, you would use a Forest object in Custom Edit mode, only as a container.  You also will get other benefits, as the Point-cloud mode.

Carlos Quintero
iToo Software

CO2263

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Re: Forest color/forest material - over custom objects
« Reply #4 on: June 14, 2013, 11:32:18 AM »
I think by item would be good enough!

Forest doesn't work with groups, so custom edit mode is quite limited for me.
For instance - I have 10 trucks, and I need to randomize colors of cabs and bodies.

Thx

iToo

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Re: Forest color/forest material - over custom objects
« Reply #5 on: June 14, 2013, 12:32:13 PM »
In Forest 4 there is support for groups. Just assign them selecting by name (picking in the scene takes individual objects).
Carlos Quintero
iToo Software

CO2263

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Re: Forest color/forest material - over custom objects
« Reply #6 on: June 16, 2013, 05:17:09 PM »
Oh, that's great! didn't know about this point
Thanks!

CO2263

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Re: Forest color/forest material - over custom objects
« Reply #7 on: July 12, 2013, 11:08:00 PM »
I tried groups with custom mode, here is the result
it messed up different parts and also materials (maybe there were too many objects in each group)

Also I tested with trees when leaves and trunk were put in a group - then it works quite well
BUT collision cannot be turned ON, once its on then you have a problem - trunk and leaves use collision rule though they are in the same group

iToo

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Re: Forest color/forest material - over custom objects
« Reply #8 on: July 13, 2013, 12:25:16 AM »
Ok, i see. The support for groups in Forest is specially designed to create clumps of plants. Once scattered the items are handled as individual elements, using their own pivot and collision properties. So, probably it's not the best method to be used here.

If you want to handle each car (or tree) as an unique element, the suggested procedure is attach all parts in an unique mesh. Since Forest Color is used at texture level, should not be problems to create one or more color variations in the multi-sub material, generated from the attaching process.
Carlos Quintero
iToo Software

CO2263

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Re: Forest color/forest material - over custom objects
« Reply #9 on: July 13, 2013, 10:40:15 AM »
Yes, I did attach all car parts after some tests
For trees its not the best solution using groups but sometime there is no way to attach all into single mesh (some evermotion threes initially have separate trunk and separate leaves already converted to proxy)
but still I can use tree groups with no collision, just need to check density parameter
thx

CO2263

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Re: Forest color/forest material - over custom objects
« Reply #10 on: November 20, 2013, 08:09:31 AM »
Hi
again this feature is very welcome
(mostly I'm doing realty estates with 200-300 houses)
would be nice to have at least some modifier, so forest could apply random colors to non-forest objects
hope it's possible

thx

iToo

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Re: Forest color/forest material - over custom objects
« Reply #11 on: November 20, 2013, 09:45:31 AM »
What about using a different randomize plugin for these elements (if they never are going to be used with Forest), as VRayMultiSubTex ? Mental Ray also includes an equivalent texture map.

Carlos Quintero
iToo Software

CO2263

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Re: Forest color/forest material - over custom objects
« Reply #12 on: November 20, 2013, 01:39:57 PM »
VrayMultiSubTex - doesn't work for me (if I did everything right)
I don't want to apply random IDs to geometery manually and I need to keep instances.
Pls see below, the simplest test (lets imagine those are cars on a street or curtains in a house)
I like forest flexibility
I saw staff - like people doing brickwalls or parquet with railclone
Why not using forestcolor possibilities for non-forest objects? (I'm almost sure its possible to implement)

Thx

iToo

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Re: Forest color/forest material - over custom objects
« Reply #13 on: November 20, 2013, 08:22:08 PM »
Ok, we'll look what we can do. Not all features can be supported (as tint by element), but perhaps we can implement the most important.
Carlos Quintero
iToo Software

CO2263

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Re: Forest color/forest material - over custom objects
« Reply #14 on: November 21, 2013, 07:50:21 AM »
thanks a lot !