Rendering 3D max hair to 2.5d tileable texture?

maxivz

Hello guys, i am facing a problem i dont know how to overcome, i have been trying to create a 2d grass from a 2.5d perspective.
So i already got my hair material to look like grass and all that stuff, but whats killing me is how to render the grass.
I tried render to texture with a big offset to the side in the projector but that does not work.
Anybody has an idea how i could achive this?
Here is an exapmle of the kind of angle i would need

Eric Chadwick

You want an isometric render? Like these?
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mWcWTTQDKNA/UPvsO4TvZ2I/AAAAAAAAAMY/P1jZGBjm5rM/s1600/Terrain_tileset.png

maxivz

kind off, the camera angle i posted was way to exagerated just the show off the concept. i would need the camera slightly offsetted.

Eric Chadwick

I don't see what the problem is. Why not just render this angle, save to an image format with alpha. You don't need Render To Texture.

maxivz

The problem is that i wanted it to be animated, i was going to save 30 frames and make and animated sprite to apply it to a square tileable mesh, so i could have cheap grass that looks fine from a distance

Eric Chadwick

Use an isometric camera. Render the sequence. Put your tiling plane behind the original grass model, so it is in line with the camera. Add a UVW Mapping modifier, and align the gizmo to the camera. Done.

maxivz

Is it possible to render hair and fur on an ortographic view? all my ties have failed, or i am doing something wrong or its not possible

Eric Chadwick

Hmm, so maybe you can fake it, by moving the camera really far away, and using a really small FOV?

maxivz

I guess ill go for poly grass and give it a try at animating it with some wind reactors, will be more simple, thanks for the help Eric Chadwick!