Wanted: Ditools grass help/tut plz

[rirad]

Splines never show up in the render. You need to convert the splines into some real geometry or use a postFX. Different methods can be used.
You could drag the splinegen in a polygen (generates polygons from spline objects), or use the SplineDrawpostFX (in the postFX part).
Other possibilities are to use sweepNURBS, SolidSpline Pro or any other metod to visualize splines.

[adb]

sorry, can some one explain this in noob terms as i don't follow, so far i have tried creating a Splinegen and then creating a polygon sphere, then making the SplineGen the parent of the Sphere. When i do this, i see some "exploding" splines but these dont render and i dont know how to convert these to polys

cheers

[flingster]

http://www.flingster.com/cgtalk/ditools/digrass.c4d
8.5 file...contains 4 example...no shader info..so you'll have to do that.
contains...nurbs example...solidsplines(would need plug to see),polygen, postfx...than rirad mentions...might even would with free version.
hope this helps...:shrug:

[adb]

ummmmm.......:blush: i still dont understand, could some one just explain the simplist method to me, i.e using the SplineGen function without the need for any other function.

BTW i am using the c4d 8.2 demo with Ditools 1.01 demo if this makes any difference

thanks again

[rirad]

The splinegen plugin is nothing more than other standard cinema spline generator (like the helix or corcle one).
A spline is not a "real" object. It is only a collection of points connected by a line. A spline does not contain polygons and therefor also no normals. Since both are required by the render engine to calculate the surface and the shading of the surface, splines can not be rendered.
So You won't be able to render splines without other methods.

So, if a spline needs to be rendered there are two options:
1: Attach polygon data to a spline. (read the manual about splines and NURBS (sweep NURBS in general)
2: Draw splines as post FX (read the manual about postFX).

In DiTools, there is another plugin called DiPolygen. This plugin hides the splines and created small polygon planes at the position where splines were located. These polygons can be rendered. (create a hierarchy like this dipolygen/displinegen/sphere).
One other plugin is a postFX plugin (You can find this in the option tab of the render settings dialog). The SpDrawFX traces splines after rendering the image. Since this is a postFX, no "real" geometry is required.

There are more options to display spline also from within cinema itself.
One option is to use the sweepNURBS (again read the manual). This plugin converts the spline in some sort of tube containing polygons (thus is can be rendered)
Also with the new Sketch and Toon module, it should be possible to render splines as a postFX. However, it seems that right now spline generator objects like DiSplinegen are not supported yet. That would mean you first have to convert the DiSplinegen object to a true spline object by selecting DiSplinegen and press "c" (convert).

There are also other plugins that can turn splines to renderable geometry objects. The most well know is solid splines pro (www.tools4d.com).

I can't explain it better than this. If it's still not clear, read the manual about splines and sweepnurbs. First try to render simple standard splines. If that works, try to get the DiSplinegen rendering working.

Also look for postFX and dipolygen example files. You can download the example files from www.remotion.de.vu.

(remember that the spline generators are not always recognised by other cinema 4D objects, if you convert the displinegen object to a true spline object all should work).

I hope this helps.

[flingster]

added a fifth example....dipainter.
i'm not sure why you don't understand the example.

but hey..
follow this word for word.
add a null.
make a new material
in colour channel...add noise shader.
drag the material on the null.(in object manager)

next create your sphere.
drag null under your sphere in the object manager...so the sphere is the parent of the null....now the null is going to help in controlling you splines...if you want of course.

go to plugins and choose displinegen
drop the sphere into splinegen...
displinegen is the parent off the sphere now in object manager...
and you should see as you say white spline explosion in the editor.

add a sweepnurb
add a circle spline
(edit spline to be...plane xy...and 5m radius).

drop displingen into the sweepnurb...then drop the circle into the sweep in that order...

you now have a spikey ball...

you could also highlight the displinegen in the object manager...and click on make this object editable.(or C on the keyboard)...now you have an actual spline you can edit...

hope this is clear enough for ya bud...

:shrug:

[adb]

hi, thanks for all your help, you will be pleased to know that i now get it

cheers all

[adb]

:) LAST QUESTION - I PROMISE, so to make the splines look like blades of grass do i have to shape the actual spline that is used in the sweep nurb, in this case just a standard circle spline.

I guess it needs to start thicker at the bottom and gradually get thinner, how would i do this?

thanks

[flingster]

ok..for a blade of grass...just use a different shaped spline...eg flatter...
if you want tapered stuff..then maybe something like dicloner is better for ya...with a loftnurb...eg big + small circle in a loft...but beware you're starting to increase the poly counts...
if you have a look in that file there is a dicloner example..with painter...but could also just displine get to get splines i guess...
the grass blades could be tapered in any number of ways...loft/sweep/extrude nurbs...read the manual on those my advice.
:shrug:

probably draw your spline...then drop it into an extrude or something..to give one blade...or if you want depth to it...use two circles (or four sided polygon spline) in a loft..then adjust size...then clone that.

[flingster]

forgot most basic...could just add points and make a polygon shaped looking grass...then diclone.
:p

[adb]

im hoping to create something like this

http://www.rendern.net/users/remotion/gal/SplineDraw1.jpg

any tips

ty

[eworc]

Create a plane or landscape object, etc.
Change width and height segments to say 100.
Size object.
Change to object to polgon.
Change to point edit mode.
Use ReSelector plugin to pick random points.
Use matrix extrude command. Tweak settings.
Looks like grass to me and could be a simple way to get the effect you want.

Hope this helps.

Bill

[flingster]

yup...just do it any of the methods above i mentioned and it is so easy...my tip is (read manuals on nurbs bits)...and make poly...
then use my example file.:shrug:

[eworc]

Let me try posting this again.

Make a plane or landscape object.
Change the width and height segments to say 100.
Size object then turn it into a polygon.
Go to point edit mode.
Use ReSelector plugin to pick random points.
Use matrix extrude command and tweak settings.
Looks like grass to me, especially with a good camera angle.

[flingster]

eworc..the reason you message doesn't show up immediately is when you are a new member your posts are vetted by the admins and this can cause a delay for obvious reasons...so just bare with it bud..its only initially...and its in our interest to keep spammers and trolls off the forum...:thumbsup:

ooh and matrix extrude is definitely another way...cool also cos of variance settings..but could be poly heavy also.

(shave and haircut or hair dept should all also be able to do it but OT so we'll leave that for another post.)

[adb]

cheers again

[e1two]

Hi,


I like the matrix extrude method. Nice and quick.
But then how do you get it to animate?

e1

[eworc]

flingster,

Thanks for updating me on the post delay. My fault for not reading the site faq, etc.

[flingster]

Originally posted by e1two
Hi,


I like the matrix extrude method. Nice and quick.
But then how do you get it to animate?

e1

you don't...

(mind you that said i think dpack has some sort of matrix extrude which would be animatable at least with more control..could also be controlled by poly selections which is nice.)

been playing with s&h grass...funky..but rendertimes up.


:applause:

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