misss tests

[bizdizzle]

Thanks Master Zap!!!

I didn’t know about the rapid scanline option. The motion blur seems so much faster with that option ticked! I guess that’s why it’s called “rapid” :). I’m trying it out on a sequence right now. I think this will work. Thank you so much again. You’ve answered my prayers!

Los

[malibubob]

im just getting into this shader and i keep getting this error! i have look and searched the thread but it is huge and what i have found no one ever gives an answer.

please someone point me in the right direction!!!

API 0.0 error 301101: while defining texture “mentalrayTexture1”: mentalrayTexture1: only writable textures may have [x y z] specifiers
API 0.0 error 301099: while defining texture “mentalrayTexture1”: failed to open texture file /BIN/works_in_progress/sin_city/marv/ssstexture
IMG 0.0 error 101003: /BIN/works_in_progress/sin_city/marv/ssstexture: can’t open file for reading (The system cannot find the file specified.)
API 0.0 error 301090: undefined ctexture symbol “mentalrayTexture1”
API 0.0 error 301105: undefined color texture “mentalrayTexture1”
API 0.0 error 301090: undefined ctexture symbol “mentalrayTexture1”
API 0.0 error 301105: undefined color texture “mentalrayTexture1”

[MasterZap]

I didn’t know about the rapid scanline option. The motion blur seems so much faster with that option ticked! I guess that’s why it’s called “rapid” :).

Something like that, yes

I’m trying it out on a sequence right now. I think this will work. Thank you so much again. You’ve answered my prayers!

Los

Happy this helps you.

I’m still somewhat puzzled, though, I’ve done some tests and have been unable to duplicate the issue you see… hmmm…

/Z

[MasterZap]

im just getting into this shader and i keep getting this error! i have look and searched the thread but it is huge and what i have found no one ever gives an answer.

please someone point me in the right direction!!!

API 0.0 error 301101: while defining texture “mentalrayTexture1”: mentalrayTexture1: only writable textures may have [x y z] specifiers

Are you using the old “alias bonus tools” version? It includes a new .mel script for the mentalrayTexture node which MUST be used instead of the original one. The issue is with the “local” flag which gets the wrong value, and which cannot be turned off (or was it on, don’t remember) when “writable” is checked.

/Z

[malibubob]

edit got it to work thanx zap

[oreanimate]

i was checkin out that fast_sss shader for mental ray and have been lookin for something like this for a while. i was wonderin where could i get this shader? i didn’t see any downloads of the actual shader just the pics of what it was capable of. apologies if i overlooked it.

[luma_clark]

Ok! That’s it! I can’t take it any longer!

For all of you guys that still can’t get it working, follow these steps:

1. Install the MR shaders/scripts/icons etc as instructed in the readme file.
2. You shouldn’t need to edit that AE template script file that Phoenix mentioned because a modified one comes in the package and you already installed it with the other scripts.
3. Start Maya.
4. Create one/some objects.
5. Create a light and get the scene looking how you want it for the final render (with just the Lambert1 shader still applied).
6. Select the object you want the fast SSS shader applied to.
7. Right click on it in the viewport and go to Materials > Assign New Material > Misss_fast_simple_maya.

That’s the shader I’ve been using so we’ll just use that for now. It’s good. If you do a render now, you’ll just get a funny tan coloured shader. Leave all the settings the way they are. In fact, do a render now and ‘keep’ the image so you can compare later and see that everything works.

8. Open out the Lightmap section of the shader.
9. Click on the texture applying button next to the lightmap slot.

It will automatically create the ‘mentalrayTexture’ shader that you need and open it’s properties.

10. On the mentalrayTexture attributes, tick the Writable checkbox.
11. Change the File Size Depth to 32 bits.

You MUST change it to 32 bits for it to work.

12. Change the lightmap resolution to double the width of your render resolution, and to the same height as your render resolution.

For example, if you’re going to render at 640x480 your lightmap should be 1280x480.

13. In the Image Name slot, type “\mySuperSSS” or something like that (but without the quotes).

You do NOT give a file extension as Mental Ray uses whatever it’s lightmap file format is (extensionless). You MUST start the name with either a \ (UNIX style) or with C:\ etc because that’s just the way it goes, you can’t just type in a filename with no path. Going on my example, “\mySuperSSS” will create a lightmap file with no extension at C:\mySuperSSS. But don’t look for it yet (even if you render) because we aren’t finished yet.

14. Navigate your way to the Shading Group node of the Misss_fast_simple_maya (so you can see all the MR shader slots).

15. Click on the texture-applying button next to the ‘Light Map Shader’ slot.

16. Apply a Misss_fast_lmap_maya shader. It will take you to the attributes of it.

Notice that there’s a “Include indirect lighting” checkbox at the top, tick that later if you want to add Final Gather to the SSS effect.

17. Open out the Lightmap Write section.

18. Into the lightmap slot, type “mentalrayTexture1” and press enter.

It just connects this shader to the mentalrayTexture shader, so if the name of your mentalrayTexture shader is different just type that instead. Alternatively you could drag and drop the mentalrayTexture shader onto that slot to achieve the same effect.

19. Render! That’s it!

At first you might not notice a difference because with the default settings of the SSS shader the effect isn’t mind-blowingly better. But if you compare that render to your original that you ‘kept’ in the Render View, you should see a difference.

Now if you went and looked at the lightmap location on your hard drive (eg C:\mySuperSSS) you should see that saved file. You can view it using the imf_disp program if you like but it’s not that exciting, hehe.

Have fun!! After some playing around and with the addition of Final Gather I ended up with this:

---

EDIT: I made some corrections according to Super Francesca.

hi. i can’t seem to follow your instructions. you said go to the lightmap section and add a texture there. fine. i get the mrtexture node. but where is this “light map shader” you refer to later? i cannot find it.

please help.

thanks,

luma

[MasterZap]

hi. i can’t seem to follow your instructions. you said go to the lightmap section and add a texture there. fine. i get the mrtexture node. but where is this “light map shader” you refer to later? i cannot find it.

please help.

thanks,

luma

I don’t know if it helps you, but have you downloaded the replacement createAndAssignShader.mel from this page?

The original file is in Maya6.*/scripts/startup if I recall correctly … back up your original createAndAssignShader.mel and drop in the replacement one above. THen just right-click any object and choose New Material “misss_fast_skin_maya” or “misss_fast_simple_maya” materials and the rest of what is necessary is automagically wired up for you, no need for that long long tutorial

/Z

[luma_clark]

I don’t know if it helps you, but have you downloaded the replacement createAndAssignShader.mel from this page?

The original file is in Maya6.*/scripts/startup if I recall correctly … back up your original createAndAssignShader.mel and drop in the replacement one above. THen just right-click any object and choose New Material “misss_fast_skin_maya” or “misss_fast_simple_maya” materials and the rest of what is necessary is automagically wired up for you, no need for that long long tutorial

/Z

i guess i could do that, but i’d also like to know exactly how to do it. i guess i can reverse engineer it. thanks so much.

peace,

luma

[MasterZap]

i guess i could do that, but i’d also like to know exactly how to do it. i guess i can reverse engineer it. thanks so much.

peace,

luma

Well first you can look at the shader graph that gets actually generated… and then you can “use the source, luke”. Actually, the relevant bit is right here:

 
	// Skin shader special case
	if ( $type == "misss_fast_skin_maya" || $type == "misss_fast_simple_maya") 
	{
		string $lmap;
		string $mrTexture[];
		string $result;
		// Important: Turn on 'Export with Shading Engine'
		// or maya bump2d or bump3d nodes won't filter correctly
		setAttr( $sg + ".miExportShadingEngine") 1;
 
		// Create a companion lightmap shader node
		$lmap	 = createNode("misss_fast_lmap_maya");
		// Connect it to the shading group
		connectAttr -f ($lmap + ".message") ($sg + ".miLightMapShader");
		$mrTexture = `ls -typ mentalrayTexture`;
		if (size($mrTexture)) {
			$result = `promptDialog -message "Lightmaps can be shared, which saves memory.
Objects sharing lightmaps scatter light into
eachother (which may or may not be desirable).

Should the existing lightmap be used?" -text $mrTexture[0] -button "Use existing" -button "Create new"`;
		}
		if ($result == "Use existing") {
			$mrTexture[0] = `promptDialog -query -text`;
			connectAttr -f ($mrTexture[0] + ".message") ($material + ".lightmap");
		}
		else
		{
			// Create an actual lightmap (writable texture) and attach to the material shader
			mentalrayTextureNodeCreate ($material + ".lightmap");
			// Funnily, we need to use this call to know which name it got
			$mrTexture = listConnections($material + ".lightmap");
		}
 
		// Attach the lightmap (writable texture) also the the lightmap shader
		connectAttr -f ($mrTexture[0] + ".message") ($lmap + ".lightmap");
 
		// Set some plausible default values
		setAttr ($mrTexture[0] + ".miWritable") 1; // MUST be writable
		expression -s ($mrTexture[0] + ".miWidth = miDefaultFramebuffer.width * 2");
		expression -s ($mrTexture[0] + ".miHeight = miDefaultFramebuffer.height");
		setAttr ($mrTexture[0] + ".miDepth") 4;	// MUST be 4 (32 bits)
		// Interestingly, we do not need to actually give it a filename. 
		// mental ray makes it a RAM texture
	}

This is stuff that is all hidden “under the hood” when using the “material phenomena” version of the shader, but maya 6 doesn’t support material phenomena yet, hence the somewhat more roundabout workflow.

/Z

[luma_clark]

I don’t know if it helps you, but have you downloaded the replacement createAndAssignShader.mel from this page?

The original file is in Maya6.*/scripts/startup if I recall correctly … back up your original createAndAssignShader.mel and drop in the replacement one above. THen just right-click any object and choose New Material “misss_fast_skin_maya” or “misss_fast_simple_maya” materials and the rest of what is necessary is automagically wired up for you, no need for that long long tutorial

/Z

okay. i got it. i didn’t know about the shading group node. thanks, luma

[GatorNic]

You could try putting the color in “overall_diffuse” instead of “unscattered diffuse” and “epidermal”. Technically this is the same as if you would have set the texture to all of unscattered diffuse, epidermal, subdermal and back…

Yeah I read that in your tutorial so I was trying to stay away from that. I did have some luck by keeping the diffuse weight at the same level (because increasing just makes it super bright, because the map is in the diffuse color slot) and upping the level of the Overall color past a value if 1 to 1.1, 1.2 or something like that.

I have found that putting a slightly blurred veiny-fleshy texture in my subdermal layer has worked wonders for a “better look”.

You could also make a special "overall" texture which contains any specific "hard details" you really want shown.

Wow, that sounds pretty cool.  Thanks for the great advice I will give that a try!

[mattcioffi]

just an update on da chimp – happy misss-ing

here’s the zbrush thread http://206.145.80.239/zbc/showthread.php?t=25291

cheers

[JWRodegher]

Now that monkey is lookin great.

Well, I´ve spent the last 12 hours or so and I´m glad to say I got my my SSS working! The render is looking ok, just a couple of things that will need some more tweeking here and there, u know…

But there is one little thing I´ve solved earlier that´s giving me a headache. There is just NO way mr is gonna give me my alpha channel. It´s gone. All I see are the holes of the eyes. When I got this problem for the first time, I just checked the option somebody mention a pages ago (render globals/mray tab/custom entities/pass custom alpha channel) and it was all good…but now the alpha seems to be gone again and this option is still checked, any ideas what could be causin this?

[sadaphule]

HI,

I am new here. I am trying to follow the tutorial. But i could not got result.
when i aply the fast skin shader to object and render to it the scene is black, alpha also not coming. and there is red cros coming on the shading group sample image ( in atribute editer)

can sombody help me?

prashant

[MasterZap]

just an update on da chimp – happy misss-ing

Holy Moly

If you thought the old chimp was great, this is greatness squared.

There is some issue w. the whites of it’s eyes being black, tho…(?)

FANTASTIC!

/Z

[mattcioffi]

thanks Master Zap

Holy Moly

There is some issue w. the whites of it’s eyes being black, tho…(?)

/Z

i think they’re black on real chimps or atleast really dark - but i only have dvd rez pics. maybe they could be a little less black. i attached a pic. i’ll check my dvd again. they also have some sort of second eyelid thingy i think. didn’t add that yet.

i have a slightly off topic question about mr surface approximation stuff for you Master Zap. in maya 6.5, when you have a subdiv approx attached to your mesh mr will ignore any disp approx. is this how it’s suppose to work?

cheers

[MasterZap]

thanks Master Zap

i think they’re black on real chimps or atleast really dark - but i only have dvd rez pics. maybe they could be a little less black. i attached a pic. i’ll check my dvd again. they also have some sort of second eyelid thingy i think. didn’t add that yet.

Yeah my cat does the 2nd eyelid thingy too, that’s cool.

While I thought they actually had a white of some sort, my real issue is that it seems the “whites” of the eyes are 0,0,0 black, with no specular highlight or nutti’n. Like a null shader…

i have a slightly off topic question about mr surface approximation stuff for you Master Zap. in maya 6.5, when you have a subdiv approx attached to your mesh mr will ignore any disp approx. is this how it’s suppose to work?

cheers
Oh, honestly - I don’t know! I can ask around…

/Z

[mattcioffi]

Yeah my cat does the 2nd eyelid thingy too, that’s cool.

hahaha. when i was a kid i thought my cat lost his eye - he fell asleep with one eye open.

While I thought they actually had a white of some sort, my real issue is that it seems the “whites” of the eyes are 0,0,0 black, with no specular highlight or nutti’n. Like a null shader…

cool – thanks. some more tlc needed there. will try more diffuse and soft wide spec… interesting thing: that first post with the spooky yellow eyes – the iris was reflecting the cornea by mistake - haha.

Oh, honestly - I don’t know! I can ask around…

dooooooooooood – that would be awesome. i posted a question on the mr forum and it was avoided like the plague:)

cheers

[popol]

great work mattcioffi !!
i prefer the last skin aspect but this one is very cool!

about the eye they 're too dark, check this pics maybe that can help
http://www.gratis-spil.dk/epostkort/chimpanse.jpg

http://philsland.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/singe_ben.jpg