PixaFlux - PBR Texture Composer - Open Beta Testing
polycounter lvl 8
Hello,
We're happy to announce a new Beta version of PixaFlux.
These are some of the features we have added recently:
* PBR Viewport (Albedo Normal Roughness Metalness Occlusion) with direct and ambient illumination.
* Native support and tools for normal images. (Convert Modify Blend)
* New nodes for normal image sculpting. (Relief Grow Shrink Relax)
These are some of the node based image editor features:
* Parametric Non Destructive Workflow with super fast iteration.
* Image's size, position and pixel format can vary as it flows through the node graph.
* Combine raster and vector images on the same node graph
* Image Deformation.
And this is our next milestone:
* Share shapes among multiple nodes.
If you are interested in helping us Beta Test PixaFlux please download the latest version from our website. Please send us your comments and feedback. For more information about PixaFlux visit the wiki or watch our videos on YouTube.
We'll keep posting news and releases on this thread.
PixaFlux.com YouTube Google+ Facebook Twitter
Thank you!
PixaFlux.com YouTube Google+ Facebook Twitter
Thank you!
Replies
- To Normal node.
YouTube video with new release features.
Thank you!
There is a new PixaFlux release (2016-12-20).
Since the last post we have added a lot of new nodes and tools:
For the next release we're working on more nodes to bake multiple geometry properties to images and masks to use in your texture compositions.
We are always open to questions and suggestions.
Thank you!
There is a new PixaFlux release (2017-01-15).
We have a new exciting node that bakes a normal map that softens the hard edges of your models!
This is the list of new features.
New Nodes
New Features
- Viewport Model Debug Shader.
- Gradient Editor in Gradient node and Gradient Map node.
We are always open to questions and suggestions.Thank you!
Also please, borrow node approach from Blender , node groups and bypass M button
Thank you for testing PixaFlux! We have always been considering improving the Transform gizmo to something like a bounding box the size of the image, with 9 points that you can drag, and each point has its own action (translate, rotate, scale). We'll probably implement it soon!
What do you mean with "borrow node approach from Blender , node groups and bypass M button"?
Thank you!
As for 9 points I rather need an ability to scale bitmaps around precisely placed center of transform , like Photoshop with scale input fields.
The smoothing node seems very interesting (could be a nice time saver !) but the model loader doesn't seem to load hard edges/smoothing group properly, thus making the node not usable. Here is a comparison with what Autodesk FBXViewer displays for the same OBJ test model :
Some notes on small details :
- No need to make the [+] button of the 3d viewport window right-clickable, this is confusing since [+] elements are usually universally left clickable. I kept trying to left click on it and had to look up the help files just to understand how to interact with this button and that obviously should not be the case.
- The Select buttons for light direction in the viewport options don't seem to function.
- The 3d viewport should be open by default.
- There are some improvements to be made for node manipulation/linking. At the moment clicking and dragging things is quite finicky because it is hard to tell what is clickable and what is not.
- The 3d viewport should support hdri images.
- Pease do not make the camera "jump" when rotating the camera around and above the model. Adopt the universally accepted Maya viewport controls and behavior instead.
Good luck !
[Edit] Ha actually, checking out the box and rod example seems to show that hard edges are actually not required for the smoothing node, since the box shows up like this in FBXViewer :
Maybe this is all 100% relying on UV islands instead ?
Thank you for your suggestions gnoop!
Currently in PixaFlux all nodes support only image for input type, but the nodes have an internal policy of what to do if two input images have a different type. For example, if you mix a RGB and a Mono image, the Mono image is mixed as an RGB image.
Yes, something like the Photoshop manipulator is what we're developing now!
It seems to me that FBX Review doesn't support OBJ smoothing groups. If you open the box.obj file in a text editor, you'll notice that it doesn't have a vn (vertex normals) list, an in the faces list you'll see the 's (number)' lines indicating the smoothing groups. PixaFlux support both, vertex normals and smoothing groups, but it's possible that by mistake the vertex normals right now are somehow linked to the UV mesh in our 3D mesh library... We'll check!
We'll do some extra tests with vertex normals and come back to you!
About your suggestions... They all make a lot of sense, thank you.. We'll try to implement some of them for the next release (some others, like HDRI and the maya orbit are a little bit harder and would take a bit longer to develop!).
Thank you for your suggestions
The best is to tackle the topic the other way around, without using jargon... so basically : An edge that is definitely set to hard, may appear soft in Pixaflux. Now that might actually be irrelevant if the goal of the Ixaflux smooth node is to only operate on UV islands. BUT if it is also supposed to operate on hard edges, then yeah there is a bug since the loader definitely skips them.
Now all that said ... Since any hard edge on a normalmapped model also needs to be split in the UVs (and I did so on my example) ... there might be another issue at hand here, since some of my hard edges (which also had their UVs split) appeared as soft.
So all things considered that's a bit of a multifaceted issue. I hope this helps !
Could you please send me your model, or some other model with the same issue? I would like to understand what's going on to fix the issue.
Thank you!!
- Stamp Node.
- Billow Noise Node.
- Ridge Multi Noise Node.
- Voronoi Noise Node.
- Random Noise Node.
- Transform Frame Manipulator.
- Blur Node with seamless boundary condition.
Hello RealityFix,
Yes, we have plans to integrate PixaFlux on game engines and 3D applications like 3dsmax or Maya, but these are long-term plans. In the near future we'll focus on providing more compositing tools and nodes, and simplifying the current workflow.
Thank you for your interest!
We'll think about it. This is a really good idea but it might require a lot of time and resources.
Thank you!
Thank you for your comments and feedback. We have done some research on how to use the GPU and OpenCL for image processing, but we haven't implemented anything in PixaFlux yet. We know this would be a great improvement, and we'll start identifying the most common processes and porting them to OpenCL. We're working on a new set of nodes for the next release, and as soon as we finish that we'll start porting some of the nodes and common processes to OpenCL.
Best Regards!
There is a new PixaFlux release (2017-12-12).
In this release we're introducing the Zig Zag Tiles node, which generates seamless zig zag tile textures from multiple image inputs.
We've also uploaded a new Common Tiles video tutorial to YouTube:
We're also announcing our first contest: PBR Texturing with PixaFlux. You can participate for a chance to win US$100.oo.
Please let us know if you have any comments, questions or suggestions here or in our new PixaFlux Freshdesk support page.
Thank you!
PixaFlux
The issue Pior had at first i also ran into. After disabling smoothing groups and only enabling vertex normals in maya's OBJ export I got it to import the model like it displayed maya.
Ill play around with it some more and make note of things I'd want to see improve when i got more hands on time with this tool.
Also quick one, when installing this Windows gave me a warning about unknown publisher and what not... i'd try to resolve asap imo.
So far I can see 2 major problems with PixaFlux when it comes to normals.
First of all it is in only 8bit. I couldnt find any options to generate 16bit images out of pixaflux. This is an issue as it will cause banding/stepping.
http://polycount.com/discussion/148303/of-bit-depths-banding-and-normal-maps/p1
if generating 16bit in Pixaflux is too heavy/takes too long, etc. Please consider having the previews be 8bit, and have an option to export at 16bit as a tickbox or something in the Writer node.
For now to get something without the banding artefacts I manually introduce some noise to emulate dithering.
I basically create a perlin noise > render2d texture> Mix Normals. Would be nice if something like this could be a tickbox in the SmoothNormals node.
Secondly.. it doesnt look like you are using mikktspace for the tangent basis? Now I am not 100% sure on this, but that fact that I found an old post by you on the blenderartist forums where you mentioned that you had no idea with mikktspace is, worries me.
Ive added an example image of the issues i encountered with my quick test.
1. My low poly object. This is what I load into PixaFlux.
2. The same model with an Smooth Normals generates from PixaFlux and converted in PixaFlux, using 3 Mesh Normal Angle nodes (for X Y and Z direction) and a join Channels node. (quick not: would be great to have a single node to switch from TSN to OSN or vice versa)
Notice the vertical lines on the bottom part of the cilinder. I believe this is an 8bit depth issue.
3. Same model, with a Smooth Normals from PixaFlux as the default TSN. The same artefacts as the OSN.
4. There are normal map seams on the TSN version of the model. This is wat makes me think it is not calibrated with mikktspace.
5. The banding artefacts (cause of 8bit?) are in the model viewer in Pixaflux as well.
6. The generated smooth normals from PixaFlux, with the contrast increased, to show all the artefacts better.
7. An OSN out of pixaflux, with the contrast increased as well.
I understand what you are saying.
However I remember Handplanes OSN to TSN tool allowed you to select tangent engine.
And this only had the OSN and the low poly.
The OSN I exported doesnt have the seams btw.
From what I assume of PixaFlux, is that it does most of the calculations as OSN and outputs a TSN.
So somewhere along the line it is converting stuff.
Thank you for testing PixaFlux, your suggestions and comments are extremely important for us.
Internally PixaFlux works with float 32 bits per channel. When the images are exported they are converted to 8 bits per channels. We can add a new image exporter that support 16 or 32 bits per channel. Do you know what file formats would be best suited for this? OpenEXR?
That would be possible but we rather try first the other two issues (tangent space and image export).
No, PixaFlux is not using mikktspace for the tangent basis. We've been reading the paper and source code and we can implement this feature too.
Yes, great idea.
PixaFlux is indeed baking the normals generated by the smooth normals algorithm.
Sure... do you have any suggestions? Right now we're finishing a new hard edges tool that can generate small chamfers around the hard edges of the model, which also simulate very cleanly a smoother edge. This node works with the mesh topology so there are no accidental leaking of normals on very tight spaces.
Thank you again for all your comments!
PixaFlux
There is a new PixaFlux release (2019-02-02).
Since the last time I posted on this forum we have implemented a ton of stuff:
Major New Feature
- Custom reusable nodes. Create your own nodes.
New FeaturesNew Nodes
Thank you everybody for your support!
@pixaeiro The latest version isn't opening. It just crashes.
@der Noticed u use pixaflux, have u had this issue with the app not opening and crashing?
2020 03 22 - Revision 0.0.0.3238
http://pixaflux.com/history.php
Seems the vulkan engine was incorporated into the next release moving forward. Do I need to install vulkan sdk or something like that?
We've added a new node to PixaFlux that generates sprites with shape and color, and renders complex parametric multi-texture images. The sprite creation is executed by a very simple but powerful Lua script that connects nodes with functions and values to generate complex patterns.
PixaFlux's Sprite It node.
We've also added a new tutorial that shows how to generate this simple texture:
Sprite It Tutorial Dots
In the following weeks we'll be adding more noise patterns, pbr material textures and tutorials.
Thank you!