AlexK
07-20-2004, 12:54 PM
Hello out there,
I was wondering if the is a material that would output just shadow information. You know for layered rendering purposes. I render my character and have this Shadow Material applied to my floor. Messiah then puts out an image with the character on black, but with visible shadows on the floor in the alpha channel. Does this make sense to you? Something like Maya's "Use Background" material.
Maybe a quote from the Maya docs clarifies my question:
The Use Background shader allows you to mix computer-generated objects with scanned images in a seamless way. An object with a Use Background shader does not show up in the scene; wherever that material is, you just see the background image of the scene. However, shadows can fall on the material, and if it is made shiny, it can reflect other computer-generated objects.
For example, let's say you scan in a picture of a tree, and put that on an image plane. You can then create a tube to "stand in" for this tree in the scene. Position it so that it lines up with the tree, and assign a Use Background shader to it. When you render, you will not see the tube. Rather, you will see the tree in the background image. But if a computer-generated object should cast a shadow on the tube, it will appear to be cast on the tree. And if a computer-generated object should pass behind the tube, it will sppear to be passing behind the tree in the background image.
Is this possible in Messiah? Maybe a self made shader flow? Or is this something that has to be coded? If so, Thomas maybe you could integrate it to your shaders collection soon to be released?
I was wondering if the is a material that would output just shadow information. You know for layered rendering purposes. I render my character and have this Shadow Material applied to my floor. Messiah then puts out an image with the character on black, but with visible shadows on the floor in the alpha channel. Does this make sense to you? Something like Maya's "Use Background" material.
Maybe a quote from the Maya docs clarifies my question:
The Use Background shader allows you to mix computer-generated objects with scanned images in a seamless way. An object with a Use Background shader does not show up in the scene; wherever that material is, you just see the background image of the scene. However, shadows can fall on the material, and if it is made shiny, it can reflect other computer-generated objects.
For example, let's say you scan in a picture of a tree, and put that on an image plane. You can then create a tube to "stand in" for this tree in the scene. Position it so that it lines up with the tree, and assign a Use Background shader to it. When you render, you will not see the tube. Rather, you will see the tree in the background image. But if a computer-generated object should cast a shadow on the tube, it will appear to be cast on the tree. And if a computer-generated object should pass behind the tube, it will sppear to be passing behind the tree in the background image.
Is this possible in Messiah? Maybe a self made shader flow? Or is this something that has to be coded? If so, Thomas maybe you could integrate it to your shaders collection soon to be released?