bluring the rim of an object (and not in post)

[sentry65]

Ok, I'm a step closer

If I render out a frame of my scene with everything using a neutral material like a default lambart, then use that map as an input to the depth of field - it works

However now I need a shader that will only render out the edges/rim of objects kinda like a toon shader.

[NickolasYounker]

:confused: I'm not sure if I'm qualifiedto answer this but I'm going to try some directions.first off...(I'm using a square poly face to describe to use as an example) Is this blur a flat blur off the edges or a volumetric blur which permiates from every direction of the edge? Does the blur have depth?

[NickolasYounker]

Have you tried taking a ramp( black, being the middle.. and white being the outer edge) black=0,white=1(this might be in reverse b=1,w=0::I always get them mixed up..I'm not a math wiz) Anyway... write a script appling the script to the D.O.F.(Depth of Field)
If ramp=0,DOF=0(blur of 0),
If ramp=1,DOF=3(blur of 3).

[NickolasYounker]

now this isn't the right script but, it is a direction.( rather than appling it to the DOF..what about to the multipass or a volumetric gas of the same color to simulate a blur) SOMEBODY FIX SOME OF THIS>

[Deepray]

Well.. you can try to make 2 render layers... one with the "normal" image from one scene, and another with the same scene, with a B&W toonshader... white for the edges, or siluette, and black for the other. You can use this second layer like a mask for a bluf fx y postproducction...

[sentry65]

thanks guys,

so far I've tried the toon shader method - actually none of them worked, but one that was actually a plug in .exe stand alone program I got at highend3d.com - it can detect edges, and I can thicken those edges via bluring and multiplying, and use as a blur mask.

problem though is I'm really only interested in the outer edge of the "would be alpha" (meaning if you were to render the object by itself) and not edges within the alpha of each model.

So, I guess what I'm trying to do is have maya create an alpha for each object, detect flat 2d edges within the frame (being able to control width would be nice) and then it would composite that all together and that's what it would render out. Then that could be used as a post blur mask. I'm just not sure maya can easily detect edges.

I'm not the greatest at scripting and this is currently beyond my ability of scripting, but I agree a sort of UV ramp that would be black in the center most part of an object and then a white outline around the edges of the individual object alphas

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