CGTalk - GI_Joe version 2.0

Ckerr812

11-10-2002, 09:14 PM

Originally posted by Sieb
sweet! but your site is down :) How much better is it compared to the Mental Ray GI?

Well, I am not a mental ray "expert", but this script is much faster, you can bake the Shadows (big plus), and most of all the interactive renderer works with this script.

Also Mental Ray can't render subd's, can't use any post production scripts, can't render software particels., can't render fluid dynamics, can't render any glows, paint effects, or fur. All those options alone make it worth my time to use it over mental ray :)

stunndman

11-10-2002, 09:35 PM

MR's GI can do things GI Joe can - but GI Joe can't do what MR's GI can - i don't think it makes much sense comparing the two

anyway - GI Joe is a great lighting solution and i'm using it since day one - i am looking forward to explore the new version

noisewar

11-11-2002, 01:23 AM

pixho you rule, i want to pay you for your freeware. your stuff is always badass... but one small thing. Got any tips on getting bakin shadows to work? the script never manages to find the directory I put in, and I've tried every combination of slashes under the sun!

Great work man!

Stahlberg

11-11-2002, 02:38 AM

Thanks, Emmanuel, your script is the only 'outside' resource for Maya rendering I've ever used. It's better than all the other free lighting stuff out there, and as for the not-so-free stuff, well I haven't been able to get hold of it so far. :)

swag

11-11-2002, 04:14 AM

<<<pixho>>> thanx for that early xmas gift :bounce:

Sieb

11-11-2002, 05:07 AM

I just tried using GI Joe with Mental Ray renderer instead Maya's.. Don't, it gets confused half way through, saying it can't find some code, then spits out a crappy render. I expected as much but just a warning. :)

pixho

11-11-2002, 09:29 AM

Hi again,

Thanks a lot for your comments!!! ;-)

Steven: Glad to hear again from you!! ;-)
How are you doing!!??? The weather isn't too wet!!??
I've been contacted by A|W to make a msterclass in Paris during the 3rd december, and I hope I could show something about skin shading (this will give me the occsasion to show at last the renders you've seen... ;-))

noisewar:

You shouldn't have to enter the whole bake directory path (no / or \ )
Just enter the directory name, and hit the getFiles button.
By default, the GI_Joe looks at the current project, and so, looks directly into the sourceimages/baked_shadows/your_dir_name_for the bakedShadows...

Hope this helps..

Emmanuel

ps: I'll add some little images to illustrate where the script creates the user_named bake directory

JulianJohnson

11-11-2002, 10:21 AM

thx very very much for your new script Emmanuel, GI_Joe is my second favourite script of all time, my first is your subSurfIllum script :thumbsup: .
And good luck with your master class sounds cool.

kassun

11-11-2002, 07:58 PM

I installed the script and lights file in my script dir, then put the icon where it said to put it. I edited the file with the path but I keep getting errors. I have tried this several times but no luck. Any asistance would be apppreciated :). My maya folder is:-
c:/program files/aliaswavefront/maya4.5/scripts - this is maya's home dir where everything is located.

thanks,
Kassun

graphiouz

11-11-2002, 08:04 PM

you need to add 'GIJoe.lights', like this
c:/program files/aliaswavefront/maya4.5/scripts/GIJoe.lights

great Pixho you made not just me happy! but all within the maya community happy!
:wavey:

kassun

11-11-2002, 08:37 PM

Got it to open up, but when i select create I get the following error :(

Error: Error: File not found.: C:Program FilesAliasWavefrontMaya4.5scripts/GIJoe.lights.

i have checked and everything is where it's supposed to be.

kassun

graphiouz

11-11-2002, 08:51 PM

flip the / \
C:\blabla\blabla\ => C:/blabla/blabla

bTW, shouldnt your dir be like:
C:\Documents and Settings\username\My dokument\maya\4.5\scripts
?

kassun

11-11-2002, 08:55 PM

Thanks alot for the help!!:bounce: graphiouz, it works now

kassun

peanut

11-11-2002, 09:31 PM

Edit: nevermind works great now

good job to you pixho ... great ! :D

Stahlberg

11-12-2002, 06:25 AM

Hi Emmanuel, yeah it's the rainy season here... not so much rain as I'd thought but still... and the thunder, yikes!

Just noticed the rampColor.mel on your site, what a little thing of beauty that is! :) It's as if you took the idea behind the translucency-fake I sent you and cleaned it up and made it simpler and better and smoother and more controllable... great! I just used it to improve my skin shader.

fango

11-12-2002, 07:16 PM

thanks pixho, your website is a goldmine !

(btw i m french and i was surprised not to see a french version of your website, i was wondering if i missed it or something) Just tried GI_Joe v2, it s so smooth. you re a credit to the community :thumbsup:

pixho

11-12-2002, 07:31 PM

Ben ouais, pas de french version sur pixho, ca nous fait bosser l'anglais!! ;-)

Hey again Steven,

Glad you like the rampColor!! ;-)
I'm waiting for a little image of your skin shader now!! ;-)

Cheers

Emmanuel

Stahlberg

11-13-2002, 07:59 AM

Ok, here: 2 tests on an old model, using your Spherelight plus a single stronger spotlight, and the rampColor.mel (in the ambience and specularity). The only difference is in the Spherelight ramp, and on the right the shadow-color was reddish.

http://www.androidblues.com/skintest9.jpg

pixho

11-13-2002, 08:15 AM

just a word: WOW!!!

She looks so real!!

I really like the speculars, makes her so alive.

The shadows are much softer and realistic too!!

Once again, you're a champion, eeehaaa!!! ;-0

Emmanuel

fango

11-13-2002, 08:20 AM

steven's work was what got me into 3d (slapping myself and giving up my office space job for better tomorrows) , by reading his posts in this message board i am learning a huge lot :bounce:

(oy pixho : c'est ahurissant combien ton site est utile pour le debutant en CG, si ca peu aider la communaute franco , moi, j'veux bien te le traduire ton site :P )

brianellebracht

11-13-2002, 12:37 PM

Wow thats amazing. You have great stuff, I to have been using GI_Joe since day one, Now that I got my new computer, dual 2.4's, it renders incredibly fast. THanks,
Brian Ellebracht

Here is an image rendered with GI_Joe

http://www.cgtalk.com/attachment.php?s=&postid=251577

AroundTheFur

11-13-2002, 11:30 PM

ugh, i followed instructions but i can only get the script to work if i open the included scene file, other wise executing the script gives me this message :
Error: No object matches name: SDir256_group
or SDir64_group and so on, any ideas?

pixho

11-14-2002, 08:46 AM

Hi,

did you edit the script and set your script path directory in line 57??

You need to add the path so that the GI_Joe looks at the GI_Joe.lights in the correct directly location (fo ex.: C:/AW/Maya4.0/scripts/others) or a custom dir path (d:/maya/my_scripts...)

Check this because the error message you got is typically when the script didn't find the GI_Joe.lights

Emmanuel

adldesigner

11-14-2002, 09:36 AM

I´ve used GI_Joe with excellent results with Maya 4.0
Thanks for that Emmanuel!
Is this new version compatible with 4.5?

Stalhberg, never thought I´d actually get to see you posting. Your art is amazing, although I´m pretty sure you´re gtting tired of hearing that all the time. I would love to know if you´ve actually tried to go into Sub´Ds or are you using Nurbs?

Stahlberg

11-14-2002, 09:52 AM

pixho - thanks, great to hear from the shadermeister himself!
fango - merci! :)
adldesigner - thanks - I use almost only Subd's now for everything I model. (Email me if you want to know more so we don't hijack this thread - stahlber@yahoo.com) :)

fango

11-14-2002, 11:24 AM

adldesigner, GI_Joe 2.0 works perfectly with 4.5 :applause:

adldesigner

11-14-2002, 12:34 PM

It does? Excellent news! I´m going to download that new version then! I´m trying to keep my computer free of garbage scripts and everything, but this is one script I´ve always liked. Thanks for the replies guys!

Regards from Venezuela!

mixolydian

11-14-2002, 12:42 PM

All I can say is that you are brilliant Emmanuel. Here is the very first render in Maya 4.0 using GI_Joe, I only tweaked the controls a bit figuring I would generate some crazy fiasco and have to adjust it repeatadly, but I ended up with this. And fast on a dual 1.7GHz! If you want any money for your work I will gladly send it to you. Thank you so much! Xmas came early.

AroundTheFur

11-14-2002, 03:54 PM

pixho, i have basically two maya directories, ones on my c drive(C:\AW\Maya4.0\) and ones in my documents (C:\DocumentandSettings\default\Documents\maya\). i put it in the documents one with cps, and changed the path accordingly in the mel script, and then tried it in the main dir, flipping the brackets as well, with no luck still. i guess i should probably try again. but any other thoughts? thanks, the script is really cool.

mixolydian

11-14-2002, 04:35 PM

same thing happened to me.

I initially took the instructions word for word and couldn't get it up because I was calling it from the script editor. Try sourcing the script, executing it (script editor), then go over to the command panel and call "GI_Joe" from there... should do it.

pixho

11-14-2002, 05:15 PM

Hi guys,

well, do you have a maya.env file?
If not, create one (with notepad) and specify your script path like so:

MAYA_SCRIPT_PATH=C:\DocumentandSettings\default\Documents\maya\scripts (you need to include 'scripts' in the path)
Then save your maya.env into your maya install dir (if I remember well, correct me if I'm wrong)

However, I suggest you to create another script dir on a more 'easy to understand by Maya' location (actually, the "\", and " " (spaces) are really a pain) in defining paths for Maya.

This said, I hope it'll work

Emmanuel

fango

11-14-2002, 06:04 PM

pixho, thanks for writing the GI_Joe script (and all the little beauties you hide on your website) AND give tech support for it :buttrock:

bakkaboy

11-14-2002, 07:04 PM

Heip anyone!

I still cannot get this script to work!! :bounce: I'm dyin to use this baby. I've done everything that i'm supposed to;

open the script, edit the directory path, save it, resource it, execute, type in GI_Joe; in the cmd line, i get the GI preload, but when i hit "go create", i get the

// Error: line 102: File not found.: Macintosh HD/Users/Shared/AliasWavefront/maya/4.5/scripts/GIJoe.lights // message.

both the scene & script are in the same dir path. heeeeellllllppppp i'm melting down....

Emmanuel, thanks for replying to my email (sallygirl666)

Dirk_P_Ho

11-14-2002, 07:23 PM

Got the same problem, the almighty error, do you have to add the lights before you run the source or the script? or any time?

adding the lights, is it just a matter of typing:
c:/Documents and Settings/Dirk/My Documents/maya/4.5/scripts/GIJoe.lights
in the script editor??

***UPDATE***

odd....the script works in a simple scene with a spere on a plane, but doesnt work in any existing scene i wanna use...I so sad :cry:

***UPDATE AGAIN***

now it wont work at all :)

pixho

11-14-2002, 07:44 PM

ok, ok ok ok STOP!!!

The GI_Joe.lights is the scene automatically loaded by the script, so you don't have to type anything regarding this scene.

I can't help more than that: all I know is that some paths like:
C:/program files/... are really a pain to manage because " " (spaces) are not handle correctly by the script nor Maya.

I suggest all of you who are experiencing loading prbs with the script (for WINDOWS), to create a script dir in another location than in program files (default Maya install dir) or document & settings.

Maybe try this: create a Maya_script dir in c:/ or another drive.
Right click on your computer's icon (I don't know the english term for 'Poste de Travail' (I run on a french version of XP))
Anyway, edit the properties of your computer, select the advanced tab, and click on environment variables.

When the env variable window pops up, create the following variable:
MAYA_SCRIPT_PATH
and its value is the path of the newly created script_dir.

Close the windows, edit the script and add the new path.
Restart Maya, in the script editor, type 'source GI_Joe' (this will force Maya to source and 'know' the script)
Once it's done (nothing happens when you source a script), type 'GI_Joe', the pre-load window should pop up, click on Go create and the scene should be loaded...

I'm sorry if I'm not that clear but all I know, I repeat, is that maya doesn't like 'common' windows paths such as 'program files' or documentAndSettings...

I hope this will help you, and I hope if it doesn't that some other users who speak better english will explain this path prb correctly.

Emmanuel

Dirk_P_Ho

11-14-2002, 08:39 PM

GREAT! THANK YOU SO MUCH PIXHO!!

works beautifully :thumbsup:

Dirk_P_Ho

11-14-2002, 11:10 PM

K, been using Gi Joe here and messing around with the settings for a few hours now, but i dont seem to be getting any shadows. You can see GI type effects out at the edges of the planes but by the vehicles its virtually non existant. Default settings killed my textures and completely whited out the image.

The Skylight color is down to about .5 or the default and the intensity is at .3. Ground intensity is at .05.

Any ideas guys???

Thanks

Ckerr812

11-14-2002, 11:27 PM

Dirk, I don't mean to be a dick or anything, but maybe start another thread about this, poor emmanuel is being very kind in answering all these questions and pretty much all the answers are on his website on the documents page with GI_Joe, including how to add shadows and how to edit the script and what every single slider and attribute does.

Edit: but I would say by looking at that it's to dark so maybe a brighter colour on the sky map, and also for the shadow, just click the option for shadows on.