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Daitoku
10-03-2006, 05:23 PM
Here is an interesting puzzle. Formerly this job was done in Maya with python scripting to make it go smoothly. How can it be done in C4D

A client of mine, a fabric manufacturer, asked if I could render a single frame but change the texture each time. They come out with new fabrics every quarter and a streamlined solution is my goal.

Here is an example of the picture I will be changing the texture on, and the texture swatches I will be given.

http://www.rgbdesignstudio.com/chair_ext.jpg

http://www.rgbdesignstudio.com/swatch.gif

My only thought right now is to change the name of the files to a create an image sequence but this would add a lot of work as they would have to be renamed afterwards to match an xml file for the flash interface.

Thanks,

Eric
Srek
10-03-2006, 05:32 PM
You can use Xpresso to animate the texture file name in a bitmap shader.
Using a condition node conencted to a time node (frame) you can easily render this as an animation where each frame uses a different texturefile.
Cheers
Björn
Daitoku
10-03-2006, 05:41 PM
Can I get xpresso to check a folder in the finder (on mac here), and create one frame per file in the folder?
Srek
10-03-2006, 05:50 PM
No, i think this would require a real plugin. Why is it important that the files are saved in a different folder then the project folder?

Cheers
Björn
Daitoku
10-03-2006, 06:27 PM
The save location does not matter, forgive me if I was unclear.

The main challenge will be taking the 200+ swatches and rendering them onto the 3D models in the pictures. Since the only thing changing will be the swatch I was hoping to automate the process so I want C4D to look at the folder, read that there are 212 swatch files and then render out 212 pictures.

As an aside there are 4 categories and they change every quarter so I am actually looking at 500-1000 final pictures, thus the request for help.
Srek
10-03-2006, 08:06 PM
In this case it is pretty easy if you are able to simply give the bitmap files in question incrementing numbers, preferably starting with 0 (Texture0.tif, Texture1.tif, etc.)
Then the Xpresso setup boils down to some realy primitive stuff
Hope this helps
Björn
Per-Anders
10-03-2006, 09:27 PM
If it's jsut the color changing then i would have thought the easiest way would be to make a movie or frame sequence out of all the textures and load that into your color channel, then just render.
Srek
10-04-2006, 05:57 AM
If it's jsut the color changing then i would have thought the easiest way would be to make a movie or frame sequence out of all the textures and load that into your color channel, then just render.
Hm, somehow i have the feeling i just solved something realy simple and straight forward with 100% to much Xpresso :)
Daitoku, go with Pers suggestion, you can even leave out the movie assembling. CINEMA 4D will accept a series of numbered images as an animated texture just fine.
Cheers
Björn
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10-04-2006, 05:57 AM
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