Is there anything I can do about the CPU usage? Just having it idle in the background (the skybox isn't moving) will suck up 70-85% of both cores of my 2.4GHz CPU. I'd like to have it sitting open so I can texture in the background and then reload my maps from time to time to see my progress. I'm not sure why its cpu usage is so high, but it will noticeably slow down everything else I try to do.
I've used it extensively while texturing without any problems. Make sure its not visible somewhere else(like on a 2nd monitor) while you're tying to do your work. I know it takes up most of your CPU when it is actuve, but when you're using a different app it shouldn't be so bad.
Somehow it wont work for me. I installed both openAL and the PhysX driver. The program maximizes and then crashes with a windows error. DX 10, Radeon 4850, Quad Core, 2 GB RAM. Could the CPU be causing the problem? I´ve had trouble with programs that lacked Quad Core support in the past.
I too just want to give a big thanks for this awesome tool. I threw in some of my stuff and was amazed how easy and intuitive it was. I love the skyboxes and how nice it lights the models!
Is it hard to make your own skyboxes and put them in there?
Erm, I wanted to give this a try but I really don't find it very easy. I just want my model to look nice? I can't get anything else than this: http://i41.tinypic.com/25gf0qh.jpg
I don't want to sound like a huge noob, but normally I have no problems with this sort of stuff at all..
Looks like your mesh has a lot of issues. Have you run it through an STL Check in max to see if there's bad geo? Have you gotten rid of all the non quad/tris? Are you displaying it with one of the 'simple' shaders in marmoset if you don't have a normalmap on it? Have you tuned the shadow distance in the render tab to get the shadows working a bit better?
First time I hear my mesh has issues... It works fine with shaders in Max and it works perfectly in Unreal engine 3. Either the Max 2009 .obj exporter does some bad stuff, or Marmoset loads them wrong ?
Hmm perhaps check your smooth groups, make sure the stack is collapsed and you're exporting as an editable mesh. I found I had better results turning off the 'smooth groups' checkbox in the obj exporter, but I'm still not clear on why there's a checkbox for both normals AND smooth groups, since my understanding was that max just used smooth groups to represent vertex/face normals.
Are you sure there are no ngons or unwelded verts?
First time I hear my mesh has issues... It works fine with shaders in Max and it works perfectly in Unreal engine 3. Either the Max 2009 .obj exporter does some bad stuff, or Marmoset loads them wrong ?
Looks like you exported from max without normals, look in the export options for OBJ and make sure normals, texture co-ords, etc are turned on.
Somehow it wont work for me. I installed both openAL and the PhysX driver. The program maximizes and then crashes with a windows error. DX 10, Radeon 4850, Quad Core, 2 GB RAM. Could the CPU be causing the problem? I´ve had trouble with programs that lacked Quad Core support in the past.
Doubtful, i'm running a q6600 quad core here without any issues. What OS? Maybe its a vista issue or something?
It works fine here on Vista 64. Could it be an ATI issue? Do the physX drivers even work with an ATI card?
BTW EQ, you were right about minimizing the toolbag dropping the proc usage. I thought simply having it covered up by other windows would be enough, but I guess it needs to be actually minimized. Works great now.
It explains how the image based light/shadow system works and outlines how to make a shadow source skybox and convolute it (using HDRShop anyway). I've been meaning to write up documentation for using our Sky Editor. Its our home-brew convolution tool that batches the 247-step HDRShop process into one button .
I'm loving toolbag! However I am getting a strange error with only some models.
When I try to load certain meshes toolbag crashes and the console window displays this message. I tried to import all the pieces to a model I recently did and only the characters head came through. Older models also import fine.
I'm loving toolbag! However I am getting a strange error with only some models.
When I try to load certain meshes toolbag crashes and the console window displays this message. I tried to import all the pieces to a model I recently did and only the characters head came through. Older models also import fine.
If you read the tutorial it will tell you that you need to keep your paths relative. Which means all of your models/textures need to be nested inside of /base/. So /base/Models/doorArch.obj is how it should look.
You're getting an error that will not let you open the file at all? I'm not sure why that would happen, it should just tell you about it an continue to load. Well regardless using a relative path will fix it, so it shouldn't be an issue.
You're getting an error that will not let you open the file at all? I'm not sure why that would happen, it should just tell you about it an continue to load. Well regardless using a relative path will fix it, so it shouldn't be an issue.
Yeah, it would crash toolbag as well. I tried it with the model in the /base folder and it crashed again. I then tried a different model and it loaded fine from both its absolute path (from my F drive) and as well as from /base.
I can't figure this out because it will only crash on specific models, while others work perfectly without any issues.
It explains how the image based light/shadow system works and outlines how to make a shadow source skybox and convolute it (using HDRShop anyway). I've been meaning to write up documentation for using our Sky Editor. Its our home-brew convolution tool that batches the 247-step HDRShop process into one button .
Yeah, it would crash toolbag as well. I tried it with the model in the /base folder and it crashed again. I then tried a different model and it loaded fine from both its absolute path (from my F drive) and as well as from /base.
I can't figure this out because it will only crash on specific models, while others work perfectly without any issues.
Oh ok, well the path thing is probably not the cause of the crash in that case, double check the model and make sure it has uvs, normals, etc.
I have to be doing something wrong but I can't seem to adjust the resolution of the window, I edited the .cfg but the window doesn't change. What am I doing wrong?
I have to be doing something wrong but I can't seem to adjust the resolution of the window, I edited the .cfg but the window doesn't change. What am I doing wrong?
Yep. Make sure you close the program, edit the config, save and open it back up. If you edit before you close, it may be saving its settings as it closes, thus reverting your changes.
Appreciate the help. For some reason I had two different user.cfg files and one was in a completely different folder. Long story short; all is well and thanks for the help/sweet viewer.
Running on iMAc bootcamp, no luck to try particle editor, when I click, it crashed. And sometimes the shadow gets jaggy when I rotate the sun, but as free app, couldn't complain much :P
Hey titus, awesome! These work? it would be awesome if you could do a write up on your process, how you managed to get these into toolbag ect so we have a nice little guide for others to do the same.
Also i'll upload an official link in the main thread, so people dont have to use rapidshare.
Hey titus, awesome! These work? it would be awesome if you could do a write up on your process, how you managed to get these into toolbag ect so we have a nice little guide for others to do the same.
Also i'll upload an official link in the main thread, so people dont have to use rapidshare.
Ok ! i'll try to write it ASAP :icon3: . And sorry for rapidshare link, i didn't knew about it :poly134:
Nice work, Titus! How'd you make them? Did you use HDR shop or the Skylight Editor? I can probably even fix your shadows for you, they look funky if you noticed, because the light direction in the .env file isn't pointing to the brightest light source. We used to have a way to pick it in Toolbag but it looks busted right now.
Step 1: Get some HDRI image
(For Sunlight DIM in future)
Step 2: Open it in Photoshop and remove all lightning in the image (use stamp tool or other, but don't convert it to 8 or 16 bit per channel)
(For Shadow DIM in future)
Step 3: Run the HDRIshop and convert HDRIs images into CubeMap(verticalCross)
then:
Save "Crosses" into Portable FloatMap - file format ( like example : "night_03_temp_light.pfm", "night_03_temp_shadow.pfm" into new folder in the " \\Toolbag\base\sky\" , i named it "night_03" ), + save "Cross" with lightning into TGA - "night_03_skybox_ldr.tga" then open this file in Photoshop and resave it without compression, 24 bit, Don't make this for image without lightning.
Be sure they must be 3072x4096 pixels
Step 4 : Run the ToolBag -> Skylight editor
a)Load night_03_temp_light.pfm sky and press the save button after you load it (save as night_03_skybox_ldr_shuffled.pfm, after save - open it in HDRIshop and save as TGA, then open this tga file in Photoshop and resave it without compression, 24 bit , Don't make this for image without lightning)
Also we can change or correct our Skybox image (gamma, brighness, contrast etc. if we need)
Export:
output resolution - size of Sunlight DIMs/Shadow DIMs cubemaps (i use 64x64x6), bigger size = better but increase time of calculation
Subdivision - number of lights that toolbag gets from our PFM (before HDRI) image, more subdivs = better quality (i use 12 subd)
Skin - Also you can tune up your lighning for Skin Shader (optional)
After all parameters tuning - press the Export DIM and SIM... button, and toolbag asks you the file name for saving, just type only name (examlpe : night_03.pfm) , toolbag adds suffixes automatically. For shadow files the same procedure ( but examlpe : night_03_shadow.pfm).
Step 5: Ok we had a Sunlight DIM|SIM/Shadow DIM|SIM cubemaps. But we should to create - Environment.txt file
Here is content of this file (You can copy/Paste it):
Step 6 : And at the end in you Skybox folder should stay only this files
all another files you should to delete.
and here is the result:
:poly142:Many thanks:poly142:!!
PS: Sorry for my english :poly122:
PSPS: Skylight editor needs some improvements, like LightDirection, fog color/density/limit editing parameters and chance to save it to txt file :poly141: IMHO
Thank you for those sky environments . I am having that same issue with my mesh, where the normals are fucked up, and hard edged. I have 1 smoothing group applied, and I made the textures seamless in mudbox.
Maybe I need to normalize my normal map?
I also took a box and applied a sphere modifier to it so it would be all quads instead of having the poles at the top, so I could have next to no stretching in my UV's. I;m not sure if this causes an issue?
Thank you for those sky environments . I am having that same issue with my mesh, where the normals are fucked up, and hard edged. I have 1 smoothing group applied, and I made the textures seamless in mudbox.
Maybe I need to normalize my normal map?
I also took a box and applied a sphere modifier to it so it would be all quads instead of having the poles at the top, so I could have next to no stretching in my UV's. I;m not sure if this causes an issue?
thanks,
make sure your obj exporter has the "normals" tick checked.
Yes, it did. It seems that the smoothing isssue doesn't happen if I use the PhongSimpleEnvironment channel or the SkinSimple.....so idk what's up.... I also have a similar issue when viewing it in Unreal Ed 3, but there not as apparent. Here's a screenshot...
You need to have a normal map to use the non simple shaders. You can load a simple flat blue image(127,127,255) as your normal map if you do not have one.
Is it a normal map straight from max? For some reason toolbag hates TGAs from max, so it may not be loading it at all. Just load it up in PS and resave it if it is.
Its saved as a TGA from photoshop. I also made sure to normalize my normal map just in case... I think it has something to do with my smoothing groups possibly, but idk...
Love the tool It's just in time for my new portfolio. I'll ask my question and hope it hasn't been asked already in this long thread!
The website mentions stuff like refraction but I can't find where you have this option? Do you mean refraction like making meshes have crystal like effects, or more in the distorting particle effect sense?
Again awesome tool I'll be sure to keep your credit in all finished renders.
The website mentions stuff like refraction but I can't find where you have this option? Do you mean refraction like making meshes have crystal like effects, or more in the distorting particle effect sense?
Good question! Refraction and glass materials are supported however not editable in Toolbag since we didn't get around to exposing all material features, just the most commonly used ones. You'll have to edit the material files by hand for this one.
Open the .mat file in notepad and change the material type from EnvironmentPhong to ComplexRefraction. This lighting model supports Diffuse, Specular, and Normal maps and is rendered as a second pass over everything else. The way the alpha and glass opacity are determined is a little weird. The opacity of the glass is determined by the specular map alpha channel, and in addition to this, regular alpha blending and testing is done with the alpha channel from the diffuse map. The shader works as follows:
Replies
Is it hard to make your own skyboxes and put them in there?
http://i41.tinypic.com/25gf0qh.jpg
I don't want to sound like a huge noob, but normally I have no problems with this sort of stuff at all..
Are you sure there are no ngons or unwelded verts?
- Try to export into obj with this settings (3dmax 2009)
- Try to select PhongEnv shader in tool bag and put plain normal map
-Try to scale your model in toolbag to 0.01 or something seems to this numbers )) maybe it help
Looks like you exported from max without normals, look in the export options for OBJ and make sure normals, texture co-ords, etc are turned on.
Doubtful, i'm running a q6600 quad core here without any issues. What OS? Maybe its a vista issue or something?
BTW EQ, you were right about minimizing the toolbag dropping the proc usage. I thought simply having it covered up by other windows would be enough, but I guess it needs to be actually minimized. Works great now.
Funny you should ask, I was just digging through my old blog posts and found this guy:
http://reinot.blogspot.com/2005/09/dim-shadows.html
It explains how the image based light/shadow system works and outlines how to make a shadow source skybox and convolute it (using HDRShop anyway). I've been meaning to write up documentation for using our Sky Editor. Its our home-brew convolution tool that batches the 247-step HDRShop process into one button
When I try to load certain meshes toolbag crashes and the console window displays this message. I tried to import all the pieces to a model I recently did and only the characters head came through. Older models also import fine.
If you read the tutorial it will tell you that you need to keep your paths relative. Which means all of your models/textures need to be nested inside of /base/. So /base/Models/doorArch.obj is how it should look.
Yeah, it would crash toolbag as well. I tried it with the model in the /base folder and it crashed again. I then tried a different model and it loaded fine from both its absolute path (from my F drive) and as well as from /base.
I can't figure this out because it will only crash on specific models, while others work perfectly without any issues.
Bingo, deactivated Catalyst AI and now it works just fine. Cant wait to mess around with it. How to create .mat files btw.
e./ It crashes whenever i try to change the channel mode. Using *.tga files.
yay many thanks for this :thumbup:
Oh ok, well the path thing is probably not the cause of the crash in that case, double check the model and make sure it has uvs, normals, etc.
like this.
wonderful model viewer thing btw guys
Yep. Make sure you close the program, edit the config, save and open it back up. If you edit before you close, it may be saving its settings as it closes, thus reverting your changes.
Running on iMAc bootcamp, no luck to try particle editor, when I click, it crashed. And sometimes the shadow gets jaggy when I rotate the sun, but as free app, couldn't complain much :P
Will there be additional env map?
PS: i made it from some of free HDRI images
Also i'll upload an official link in the main thread, so people dont have to use rapidshare.
Ok ! i'll try to write it ASAP :icon3: . And sorry for rapidshare link, i didn't knew about it :poly134:
This tutorial based on this theory :poly124: thanks monkeyscience for the link.
Step 1: Get some HDRI image
(For Sunlight DIM in future)
Step 2: Open it in Photoshop and remove all lightning in the image (use stamp tool or other, but don't convert it to 8 or 16 bit per channel)
(For Shadow DIM in future)
Step 3: Run the HDRIshop and convert HDRIs images into CubeMap(verticalCross)
then:
Save "Crosses" into Portable FloatMap - file format ( like example : "night_03_temp_light.pfm", "night_03_temp_shadow.pfm" into new folder in the " \\Toolbag\base\sky\" , i named it "night_03" ), + save "Cross" with lightning into TGA - "night_03_skybox_ldr.tga" then open this file in Photoshop and resave it without compression, 24 bit, Don't make this for image without lightning.
Be sure they must be 3072x4096 pixels
Step 4 : Run the ToolBag -> Skylight editor
a)Load night_03_temp_light.pfm sky and press the save button after you load it (save as night_03_skybox_ldr_shuffled.pfm, after save - open it in HDRIshop and save as TGA, then open this tga file in Photoshop and resave it without compression, 24 bit , Don't make this for image without lightning)
Also we can change or correct our Skybox image (gamma, brighness, contrast etc. if we need)
Export:
output resolution - size of Sunlight DIMs/Shadow DIMs cubemaps (i use 64x64x6), bigger size = better but increase time of calculation
Subdivision - number of lights that toolbag gets from our PFM (before HDRI) image, more subdivs = better quality (i use 12 subd)
Skin - Also you can tune up your lighning for Skin Shader (optional)
After all parameters tuning - press the Export DIM and SIM... button, and toolbag asks you the file name for saving, just type only name (examlpe : night_03.pfm) , toolbag adds suffixes automatically. For shadow files the same procedure ( but examlpe : night_03_shadow.pfm).
Step 5: Ok we had a Sunlight DIM|SIM/Shadow DIM|SIM cubemaps. But we should to create - Environment.txt file
Here is content of this file (You can copy/Paste it):
Step 6 : And at the end in you Skybox folder should stay only this files
all another files you should to delete.
and here is the result:
:poly142:Many thanks:poly142:!!
PS: Sorry for my english :poly122:
PSPS: Skylight editor needs some improvements, like LightDirection, fog color/density/limit editing parameters and chance to save it to txt file :poly141: IMHO
http://www.johnyontehspot.com/toolbag/skies.zip
i tried it first off and got the missing OAL.dll thing
then insatlled OAL, then physx, then updated gfx drivers
then i got the above msg
and no, im not using some weird jew operating system
Maybe I need to normalize my normal map?
I also took a box and applied a sphere modifier to it so it would be all quads instead of having the poles at the top, so I could have next to no stretching in my UV's. I;m not sure if this causes an issue?
thanks,
make sure your obj exporter has the "normals" tick checked.
Edit: Well i found if I apply my diff and normal there are no seams, but as soon as I apply my spec map (it's seamless) seams show up....
The website mentions stuff like refraction but I can't find where you have this option? Do you mean refraction like making meshes have crystal like effects, or more in the distorting particle effect sense?
Again awesome tool I'll be sure to keep your credit in all finished renders.
Good question! Refraction and glass materials are supported however not editable in Toolbag since we didn't get around to exposing all material features, just the most commonly used ones. You'll have to edit the material files by hand for this one.
Open the .mat file in notepad and change the material type from EnvironmentPhong to ComplexRefraction. This lighting model supports Diffuse, Specular, and Normal maps and is rendered as a second pass over everything else. The way the alpha and glass opacity are determined is a little weird. The opacity of the glass is determined by the specular map alpha channel, and in addition to this, regular alpha blending and testing is done with the alpha channel from the diffuse map. The shader works as follows:
fragmentColor.rgb = MIX( diffuseTex.rgb, refractionResult.rgb, specularTex.a );
fragmentColor.a = diffuseTex.a;
This way you can use the same material and textures to make the glass in a window pane but mask off normal, opaque surfaces for the window frame.