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Layers and TS
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Layers and TS // Archive: Tech Forum
Post by rjeff // Oct 22, 2007, 8:42am
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rjeff
Total Posts: 1260
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Ok I have a question. I have not worked with this at all. I just want to know before I start if I have a grasp on it. Say a I do a texture in Photoshop that has 3 layers. Can I save that texture as a .psd file will TS import all the layers as they were in PS? |
Post by Emmanuel // Oct 22, 2007, 8:45am
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Emmanuel
Total Posts: 439
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This is not possible at the moment.
But may I ask why you need to get your bitmaps on separate layers in trueSpace ? |
Post by rjeff // Oct 22, 2007, 8:57am
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rjeff
Total Posts: 1260
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well for example. If I wanted to do a metalic paint I would need to turn the specularity up on the flakes. If I had the flakes on a seperate layer then I could adjust them and not paint layers. There could be other uses as well. |
Post by jamesmc // Oct 22, 2007, 9:35am
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jamesmc
Total Posts: 2566
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You can add different layers for texture surfaces, but not as "scene" layers. You will need to do that in the Material Editor.
Once you save your file in PSD format, you can use the channels or layers in PhotoShop to create special maps to make the different blends in the Material Editor.
You can even make a Luminance layer and Shadow Layer if you are not getting the "just right: look you need on an object.
HDR is more for adding luminance and you can change the look of an entire scene with it. HDR is blend of two or more of the same image and saved to the HDR format.
Using the transparency blend, you could add highlights to "hair" for example or just make a overlay of a pattern that changes the look of the object.
Bump and displacement blends are fun to play with as well.
Here's the pic of the Model sided material editor and where you can drag and drop different "blends" to change the look of your image. |
Post by rjeff // Oct 22, 2007, 9:39am
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rjeff
Total Posts: 1260
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Well can TS read PS images with transparency and all? |
Post by jamesmc // Oct 22, 2007, 10:25am
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jamesmc
Total Posts: 2566
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Well can TS read PS images with transparency and all?
Absolutely!
Here's a quick example. I painted a cube with the caligari logo and saved it in a PSD file format. I took one of the levels in Photoshop of that saved file and painted a red dot in the middle. (see images below)
I think went back into tS and opened up the scene, eyedroppered the material on the cube to ensure I had the same material, then I added a layer.
I drug my transparent PNG (32 bit file) on to where it says color and chose the ALPHA Blend (bottom choice where shown in image below) and placed the PNG with 32 bit (8 bits for the Alpha channel) What happens is that only the red dot shows up, because there was no background in the PNG file.
I show in the images below a before and after in the tS7.5 scene. The cube before the the PNG transparent layer was applied.
Forgot to add that that little cube can be made to disappear as well, just turn off that layer in photoshop before you save the file as a png so the only thing that shows is the red dot. |
Post by TomG // Oct 22, 2007, 11:09am
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TomG
Total Posts: 3397
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Hi,
No, it doesnt read PSDs. tS7 can export them (as can tS6.6 if you add the iPak). To blend the layers as you mention is best done with separate images (otherwise tS wouldnt know what layer was intended for what use).
HTH!
Tom |
Post by jamesmc // Oct 22, 2007, 11:47am
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jamesmc
Total Posts: 2566
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Oops didn't catch that about PSD file format coming back into tS.
True, one can only use file formats that tS recognizes as inputs.
What I did in the example is saved a portion of the exported PSD as a transparent PNG and then blended it.
When making something like a cracked wall, I will add a bump level map, then add the cracks as a transparent map. |
Post by TomG // Oct 22, 2007, 12:25pm
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TomG
Total Posts: 3397
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This is true though - tS can load an image that features an alpha channel, so 32 bit PNG and TGA can be used, which are effectively image and transparency all in one.
Or you can use separate images for transparency too, so there are many ways to usefully blend between layers in a material etc.
But, no way to use PSD with layers.
HTH!
Tom |
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