Making mask on a per material basis
polycounter lvl 12
I had a conversation with someone about texturing. The individual is not into 3D but he is fascinated by the technical aspects of games. I demonstrated my process. I have 1 folder per material with a mask on the folder which i create with a lasso tool. For example, if I were to texture a wheel, I would have a folder for metal and a folder for rubber with a silhouette of the hubcap and the tire itself as a mask.
After I started showing him stuff through a hangout session he proposed the idea that it would be neat if the mask in each folder would automatically be created based on the materials i assign each high poly object in Maya. For example, the tire and the hubcap would have two separate Lamberts but they would render out as different mask (perhaps on a per channel basis to save space). I don't know what you guys think but I really think this is a good idea. So much so that it's difficult to believe that someone has not made a plugin or a proprietary program that does something like that.
Has anyone developed such a tool? If not, do you guys think this idea would work?
After I started showing him stuff through a hangout session he proposed the idea that it would be neat if the mask in each folder would automatically be created based on the materials i assign each high poly object in Maya. For example, the tire and the hubcap would have two separate Lamberts but they would render out as different mask (perhaps on a per channel basis to save space). I don't know what you guys think but I really think this is a good idea. So much so that it's difficult to believe that someone has not made a plugin or a proprietary program that does something like that.
Has anyone developed such a tool? If not, do you guys think this idea would work?
Replies
It's not truly automatic but it's close enough. It only takes a couple minutes to set up color ID masks in most modern applications.
Quixel has a picture on their site that shows color masking:
As far as I know it's pretty much part of a standard work flow when using software like Substance, DDO, and Photoshop.
I have enough information to look into this myself but I'll call back if any assistance is needed. I also have to re-stream my workflow.
Even if you're not using dDo or Substance, they are a great help, as you can automate separation in photoshop in a variety of ways. If you use specific colors (RGB, CMY, etc) you can use scripts to automate. Otherwise, you can use the select by color function in photoshop to get your base mask.
This tutorial is old and outdated, but it covers the basic concept of rgb masks: http://www.marmoset.co/toolbag/learn/materials