Add Custom Material with PBR Calibration
I'd like the ability to calibrate my custom materials when I import them using the "Add Custom Material" option, so I can leverage Quixel's reflectance calibration tools in dDo, instead of making my own gloss map.
For example, in nDo, I can create a normal, ao, cavity, specular, and height map from a photograph. The critical map that's missing is gloss. Rather than looking-up real-world values and creating a gloss map by hand in Photoshop, I'd like to leverage dDo's PBR reflectance calibration when I'm loading my maps. So, I load all my textures in the "Add Custom Material" screen (Albedo, Normal, AO, Specular, Height) except for Gloss. Then, I'd like to select the material reflectance type from a drop down list to calibrate, and have dDo create the gloss / reflectance values for me. The same way reflectance values are set when creating a new empty layer in dDo.
Aside from the benefit of saving time when creating textures, I can export the material to UE4, with the metalness and roughness values imbedded. If I want to use the texture in CryEngine or Unity, the Spec and Gloss values will also be accurate. Currently, this is possible with the supplied Smart Materials and MegaScans.
On the dDo Wiki "Materials" page (link below), there's a button called "Make PBR..." on the bottom left of the Add Custom Material window, under the imported maps list. That button doesn't appear in version 1.4. Is that the feature I'm looking for?
If this feature exists, please enlighten me. If not, what's a current workaround when creating custom materials and using reflectance calibration? If I load my textures into a new project to use the "Save Smart Material from the Active Layer or Group", I can't calibrate the reflectance values of the "Texture Base" layer that's automatically generated when I import my base maps (albedo, normal, specular, height, ao). Only a mask can change the layer's behavior.
Thanks for your feedback.
Materials page on dDo's wiki: [URL="[URL]http://quixel.se/usermanual/quixelsuite/doku.php?id=ddo_materials#materials[/URL]"][/url]http://quixel.se/usermanual/quixelsuite/doku.php?id=ddo_materials#materials
For example, in nDo, I can create a normal, ao, cavity, specular, and height map from a photograph. The critical map that's missing is gloss. Rather than looking-up real-world values and creating a gloss map by hand in Photoshop, I'd like to leverage dDo's PBR reflectance calibration when I'm loading my maps. So, I load all my textures in the "Add Custom Material" screen (Albedo, Normal, AO, Specular, Height) except for Gloss. Then, I'd like to select the material reflectance type from a drop down list to calibrate, and have dDo create the gloss / reflectance values for me. The same way reflectance values are set when creating a new empty layer in dDo.
Aside from the benefit of saving time when creating textures, I can export the material to UE4, with the metalness and roughness values imbedded. If I want to use the texture in CryEngine or Unity, the Spec and Gloss values will also be accurate. Currently, this is possible with the supplied Smart Materials and MegaScans.
On the dDo Wiki "Materials" page (link below), there's a button called "Make PBR..." on the bottom left of the Add Custom Material window, under the imported maps list. That button doesn't appear in version 1.4. Is that the feature I'm looking for?
If this feature exists, please enlighten me. If not, what's a current workaround when creating custom materials and using reflectance calibration? If I load my textures into a new project to use the "Save Smart Material from the Active Layer or Group", I can't calibrate the reflectance values of the "Texture Base" layer that's automatically generated when I import my base maps (albedo, normal, specular, height, ao). Only a mask can change the layer's behavior.
Thanks for your feedback.
Materials page on dDo's wiki: [URL="[URL]http://quixel.se/usermanual/quixelsuite/doku.php?id=ddo_materials#materials[/URL]"][/url]http://quixel.se/usermanual/quixelsuite/doku.php?id=ddo_materials#materials
Replies
Thank you very much for your feedback!
Thanks for your reply. I'll look forward to these types of features. Keep up the great work. You and your team have developed some excellent tools.
For now, when generating PBR materials from photographs, we can consult the reflectance values per material in your XML files (/PhysicsLookup) for some good suggestions. Then, manually set the reflectance values using the color picker for albedo, spec, and gloss in the Add Custom Material window. It appears those flat reflectance colors are overlaid on our custom textures, and can bring bitmaps to fairly close PBR calibrated values. That'll work for now.
One bug worth mentioning, because it's related, and I don't want to begin another thread: the "Add Custom Material" function doesn't fully complete it's task when it's launched from dDo "before" a new dDo project is created. The problem occurs after the custom maps are loaded, and the "Add Material" buttom is pressed. A custom material .XML file is generated in the user designated directory (probably within the script/presets/Materials folder, and the .PAT file is generated using the provided maps (and placed in the appropriate script/patterns directory). The XML file references the PAT file properly, the PAT file contains the custom maps, and all reflectance values and blend modes are correct in the XML file. That's good. BUT, no icons (thumbnails) are created with a snapshot of the custom material, which should be saved in the same directory as the custom material XML file (usually named: MaterialName_32.jpg, MaterialName_128.jpg, MaterialName_512.jpg). Therefore, when I attempt to load that custom material from within dDo, it doesn't appear in the material browser, so it can't be loaded into my projects.
The workaround, for now, is to create a new or blank dDo project, then call the "Add Custom Material" function from the top row of icons (or drop-down menu), and all works well. The XML file, PAT file and associated custom material icons (thumbnails) are all created, and the material can be accessed from the Material Browser alongside the provided MegaScans, and loaded into a dDo project properly.
I've verified this with Suite version 1.4, Photoshop CC and CS6, Windows 8.1, with a fresh re-install of the Suite. Java runtime is up-to-date, also. Perhaps you can duplicate the problem.
Hope this makes sense, and helps. Keep up the good work.