Category: development

Let me introduce a plugin I wrote for 3ds Max during our last big-as-size render.
It is called P.S.R. (PlaySys Split Render) and is a great tool to render images with amazing size. The idea behing is really simple and partially used by some renderers like Mental Ray, final Render or V-ray: it splits the entire render in sub-pieces and then processes them as single images (subdivided again by the buckets of the renderer in use).
We had to render some images with a size of 7500×5000 for a total of 37.500.000 pixels (37,5 Megapixels) and this saves the entire production…next script I must write has to convert pixels in €! 🙂

HOW IT WORKS
The script’s user interface will detect automatically the renderer and the size you have to process. The first parameter to setup is the fraction of the image, in the picture it is 3, so it means 3X and 3Y so 9 sub-images.
Automatically, based on the render size and the fractions, the script will calculate the size of the sub-image:213×160.

By default I use a tolerance of 25 percent of the image. This tolerance is a little overlap of the sub-images, and is really important to obtain a seamless connection beetween sub-images.

Always depending on the fraction number, you’ll have a number of buttons called Matrix#, theese buttons can show you a preview of the rendered sub-image and, checking the Auto flag, when you press a Matrix# button, it fires up the renderer.

Like lot of my scripts, this can look a little unuseful, but if you have to manage an entire workflow with human-electronic resources, this can save time and money…expecially because avoid crash of big scenes.
…oh, and it integrates with Maxwell~Render 😉

 I have yet a list of improvements to do:

• First in the image area you see in the middle you will have the entire image, so I will render in a VFB and keep the full quality image in that area. You will have the possibility to reopen it, execute a new sub-image or save the image in a layered PSD Photoshop file;
• I want to add a “Batch” command that executes all the renders in sequence;
• I have to design a new User Interface that let the team use an N fraction, not only 1, 2^2 or 3^2 sub-images (yeah, I have to remove the 1^2 size ;))
• I have to insert instructions and maybe I will append a rollout with a lite version of DMRB, my previous semi-realtime renderer;

We will use this tool internally at PlaySys, but I have not to exclude the idea to share it in future. Before of that, I will speak about it and other pipeline and workflow improvement strategies in my next book.

We finished a new Autodesk‘s 3ds Max script that allow us to batch create textures, assign materials, hide objects, set properties, renders scene, add channels , and save in RPF file (plus .png).
it could appear unuseful if you have to render 3 or 4 times in a day, but for some projects we should need to create lot of renders (in the current one about 58.000) and it would become a mess without this script.

So, I’m glad to introduce our new friend: PLAYSYS | B.M.R.

The workflow is really simple:
– prepare your 3D models in the scene
– prepare the texture you’ll need to apply
– select the render settings
– press the “Create” button

the utility will do the remaining things, mixing 3ds Max possibilities with BMR’s functions. After a little you will find all your renders ready to be used. The utility will name the images with: $filename_$object_$texture_#progressivenumber.extension

Some time ago I wrote some notes about Sub Surface Scattering in mentalRay. Here I post some screens of the material I used in my turntable test, using Knoss’s Arak model.

As you can see the shader is quite complex, so start exploring this simple one and take time to understand how parameters works.

Here is a schematic description of the maps I used

The next one i a new scheme that can give better results. At the moment I’m still working on this structure. I have to prepare new textures for the Subdermal and Epidermal channels, but I will do them for a new model I’m working on.
Enjoy

Here is the material I used. You’ll have to substitute the two required textures with your own, btw, theese are only for displacement and bump. Feel free to use it and share.

DACS is the acronym for “D3v Anti Crash Saver” and is a little utility I wrote on 23th December 2005 (I always have a log inside my project folders ;)) and that prevents the common damage of scenes, caused by a crash of Autodesk 3ds Max.
Who uses this 3D package for knows for sure how frustrating it is to re-work on a scene because a crash deleted it. In fact, while 3ds Max crashes, the scene is damaged and the file will contain a little chunk of the entire work; this happens about 1 time on 10 crashes.
After this, when you try to reopen your file, 3ds Max says that it is corrupted and the data are completely lost.

There are 3 solutions to this problem:
– Do a frequent backup of your folder and files
– Increment your scene version with a progressive number
– Use my DACS 😉

The utility consists on a simple script of 3 Kb and it is loaded in the common way from the MAXScript menu. You can use the StartupScript folder too. In the previous image you can see how it appears when loaded.
As you can see, it automatically finds the file name and the path of your project. This script was written before that Autodesk introduces the new folder structure, similar to the one adopted in the old versions of  Maya. This means that DACS saves the files in the same folder of the project (this is yet in my TODO list).

At this point you can start working safely: my script will inform you about the time from the latest save and when you press the button “Save Files” it will save your file plus two additional files, completely identical.
If your system crashes or the light goes away or the operative system gets stuck, DACS will maintain the integrity of the scenes, at least one of them 😉

Many thanks to Giorgia Foresta that spent time correcting my terrible english!

DMRB means D3v Multi Render Basket and is a little script I wrote about 3 years ago.
The idea behind comes from Lightwave’s fPrime, a quick semi-realtime renderer that is fully integrable in the 3D package and permits to render with almost anything doable inside it.
DMRB uses the default renderer to compute the image so, if you are working with mentalRay you can benefit of all it’s features such as Sub Surface Scattering, Final Gather, Global Illumination, Caustics, and so on.
Of course if you use other internal third party renderers (Scanline, VRay, FinalRender, Brazil) it still works fine!

In the video below you can see it with a very simple scene, that permits me to show it’s usefullness.
Note that it is very different than the ActiveShade because DMRB shows the entire result, without optimizations (btw, some can be enabled on the panel) and again, it works with all the major renderer.