Just started using the toolbag but for some reason I am getting a wierd error when I import a model. This is my low poly model with no normal map. What is that huge discoloured area?
EDIT: Fixed it! All this time I was wondering why it was happening then just after I post I realize its just an unwelded vert! ha
Hey guys, sorry I can't provide more info than this (and if it's already been answered) but I just updated to 1.02 and now I can't load any of my existing .tbag scene files from previous versions.
When I try to open them I get the open dialog, select the file and then the program just hangs. After a few minutes it crashes and pops up about a runtime error. I've tried it with various different scenes to see if it was unique to each but it seems like it crashes no matter which old scene files I try load. Just to test I saved a scene file from the current version and tried loading it. Loading one I just saved worked fine.
Considering buying Marmoset, but I have a few questions...
Has anyone set up any reasonable size scenes in it, like maybe a city block or something? - can't find any examples anywhere of environment assets/scenes!
And can it display vertex blending or smilar? i.e. so I can blend between tiling textures for floors or walls.
Has anyone set up any reasonable size scenes in it, like maybe a city block or something? - can't find any examples anywhere of environment assets/scenes!
Sure, as long as the scene is imported as one mesh, just about any "size" should work.
Hey guys, sorry I can't provide more info than this (and if it's already been answered) but I just updated to 1.02 and now I can't load any of my existing .tbag scene files from previous versions.
There was one release (and I can't remember which now) where backwards compatibility for scene files was not retained It may well be 1.02. It could be that your old scene files are not compatible with the new version.
Know that moving forward we're making every effort to avoid this with the upcoming 1.03 release (which is due out "soon" btw).
There is a "double layer" shader that can use a texture map to blend between two layers of normal/diffuse/spec, which sounds like what you're after.
The building tool multi-material system should work too. Correct me if i'm wrong, but this was first tested with vertex painting in maya, before we had the tool to paint it(Also, creature feep, add in vertex painting stuff lolol).
Theoretically, if you paint a vertex map in maya, you could use it with that material.
I just got Marmoset yesterday and tried to import my latest model into it. I tried it both as a OBJ file and as a FBX file. The FBX seemed to have less of those white areas than the OBJ did. All the verts are welded so it's not like the poster above's issue with the knife. When I turn on "use world-space normals" it seems to fix it but at the same time it washes out the specularity and I'm not using object/world-space normals. What's going on here?
Also how do I change the screenshot settings? Is there even a way to do it?
This usually happens when one or more verts in your UVs are welded incorrectly, IE: two verts close together in 3d are welded in 2d, the mesh normals get all fucked up when you do that. This tends to happen when your weld threshold is set to high.
Okay that's MUCH better. Turns out that I did have some weird unwelded verts floating around in there. Exporting it as a OBJ still gives me trouble but as a FBX it comes out just fine. Thanks again EQ!
Oh, not a terribly important thing but I noticed that it's impossible for me to run marmoset and max at the same time. Marmoset basically crawls and is so slow it's unable to process anything. Anyone might know why this is the case or have a similar problem?
But.. all of a sudden..anytime I take a Screen Shot I get this wonderfulness.
Does this mean my Marmoset is corrupt as hell and I need to reinstall? This is because I'm playing Oblivion instead of modeling isn't it..
Yes, we've seen this recently as well. Something has changed in driver-land, and screenshots are coming out with bad gamma correction applied. We have fixed this in 1.03 (due any time now, promise!). If you guys can sit tight for a short while it will be resolved soon.
Ladies & Gents, Toolbag v1.03 is out now. It's a free update for trial users and registered licensees. Judging by the most frequent bugs reported here, you will all be happy to know alpha-to-coverage IS supported in screenshots now and the recent graphic driver/screenshot gamma issues should be resolved for both NVIDIA & ATI cards.
If you already have a license go ahead and download/install the new 1.03 trial and you'll have the updates. No further activation will be necessary.
For trial users, v1.03 will reset your trial period to another full 30 days. w00t.
Is there a good alternative to using the complex refractionmaterial to make glass? I was hoping that dynamic lights would work with that material in this update.
I love the toolbag, and i'm planning on buying it as soon as able, but I was using the trial version and kept coming up with a weird issue. When I import my model (.obj format) from maya, half the time it just doesn't show up, and the other half the time it gives me weird stuff like this:
Strange vertices that are shooting off in random directions. There's nothing wrong with the model in maya or when I bring it into 3dmax either, not sure what is causing this. Anyone have any ideas? Is it just problems with my graphics card, an aging geforce 7950 gt?
Does anyone know what causes this problem? I'm getting the same experience.
@Mike5424: Looks like your laptop does not like the dynamic light shader which gets layered over a portion of the screen. Send toolbag@8monkeylabs.com your hardware info and *.log for further help.
@Ironbearxl and Metalliandi: There are no tentative plans to write more Stooge exporters right now. The FBX and OBJ file support should cover all Toolbag features except animation. If we take up improving the animation tools in the future, we'll be sure to revisit the idea of writing more Stooge exporters.
@beartraps: Not sure what you mean by reflection support. If you are talking about custom reflection maps, check out the Sky Tool in the Toolbag main menu. It is a way to create custom skies and lighting environments to boot, including everything you'll see reflecting off of specular objects. We have worked very hard to make this tool simple and accessible, and encourage all y'all to try your hand at making custom skies.
What's new in Toolbag 1.03 you may ask? Well let me draw you a picture...
Displacement Mapping! Hardware tessellation and displacement textures are now featured for DX11 capable video cards.
Anisotropy! The anisotropy material model is now easier to use with a singular "direction" slider and dynamic light support. Great for rendering hair and brushed-steel space marines.
The Skin Shader(!) is constantly being worked on. It now features better dynamic light translucency and improved color ramps.
Super-sampled, super-huge screenshots! Screenshot rendering has been rewritten to render straight from the screen in ultra-high resolutions. What-you-see-is-what-you-get, not even ATI drivers can stop you now! As an added benefit, we can super-sample each screenshot pixel up to 25 times and get 5x5 SSAA.
Alpha-to-Coverage Screenshots (omg nowai!) Our new screenshot code allows any graphics card with ATOC support to render screenshots with blended, order-independent hair.
And these features are just for starters! 103 comes with loads of new features, fixes, and tweaks. Check out the full change log and grab your new 30-day trial at http://www.8monkeylabs.com/archives/1257
i noticed the screen shot function grabs the alpha as well. just that the output seems a little strange - somehow the outlines of alphamasks make it into the image as darker pixels? that might introduce all sorts of errors when the alpha is used for masking.
btw. it would be immensely helpful if the depth/z mask could also be output as a greyscale for compositing.
Hey Everyone! I was looking on the 8monkeys site and I saw that they have speedtree integration for grass.... Does anyone know how this works or how to go about it?
This is a really great tool and i'm sure I may make more use out of this in future, however it's true that there are some other capable solutions out there for free. However I would probably put a price tag on this of about $35-$40 myself.
@Ironbearxl and Metalliandi: There are no tentative plans to write more Stooge exporters right now. The FBX and OBJ file support should cover all Toolbag features except animation. If we take up improving the animation tools in the future, we'll be sure to revisit the idea of writing more Stooge exporters.
Hi there, I am new to Toolbag and I need some help with exporting my mesh from Maya 2011.
I loaded the StoogeExporter plugin and the MEL script but when I tried to export my mesh, the .mesh format doesn't show up as an exporting option. I've tried searching the internet for solutions but haven't found any yet. Help greatly appreciated! Really want to try Toolbag for my demo reel. Thanks!
OoOHhh, finally alpha to coverage renders, very nice addition. The new Main menu options are always handy, my only continued issue is that any lag still transfers into the turntable videos. Any chugs make the resulting video jump (i'm chalking this up to a sucky computer).
Awesome new features on a great product though, thanks!
On my, to buy when i need to impress, list. Definatly a future investment. I take it if i bought a license at this stage you would'nt fob me off at a later one so i'd have to rebuy a license?
Hi there, I am new to Toolbag and I need some help with exporting my mesh from Maya 2011.
I loaded the StoogeExporter plugin and the MEL script but when I tried to export my mesh, the .mesh format doesn't show up as an exporting option. I've tried searching the internet for solutions but haven't found any yet. Help greatly appreciated! Really want to try Toolbag for my demo reel. Thanks!
Lee.X
The Stooge Exporter does not add any new file types to Maya's export list, it needs to be run directly as a script. An export dialog should pop up with lots of options and an output file path. Check out the ToolbagUserManual.pdf for details.
@beartraps: Not sure what you mean by reflection support. If you are talking about custom reflection maps, check out the Sky Tool in the Toolbag main menu. It is a way to create custom skies and lighting environments to boot, including everything you'll see reflecting off of specular objects. We have worked very hard to make this tool simple and accessible, and encourage all y'all to try your hand at making custom skies.
I guess I was hoping to see a slot for a grayscale reflection control map and a slider that can be used to adjust reflection intensity of the sky. Either way, I love this tool and I hope you guys can port it to OSX, thanks!
I guess I was hoping to see a slot for a grayscale reflection control map and a slider that can be used to adjust reflection intensity of the sky. Either way, I love this tool and I hope you guys can port it to OSX, thanks!
Shouldn't this be automatically tied into the Specular Intensity and Sharpness anyway? Im not sure you would want different values really. Though it might be nice for extra control.
You can get some pretty nice reflectivity as is, but it would be nice to get some higher resolution reflections (maybe down to the res. of the sky?)
Whats the most effective way to render out movies from Marmoset at around 720p quality? I'm working on turntables for my characters but the record movie function in Marmoset is a bit slow (probably my computer but I dont have any other option). I've also tried to camtasia it but it still turns out kinda clunky and once I compress it the colors get all jacked up.
Whats the most effective way to render out movies from Marmoset at around 720p quality? I'm working on turntables for my characters but the record movie function in Marmoset is a bit slow (probably my computer but I dont have any other option). I've also tried to camtasia it but it still turns out kinda clunky and once I compress it the colors get all jacked up.
Fraps is prob. your best bet for realtime capture really, though Camtasia should be fine too.
What settings are you using for Camtasia?
You want something like a 15-30 fps capture, with a key frame every 80 frames and the Techsmith lossless codec set to better compression.
You want prob. want to be exporting as MP4 for the best size/quality ratio and you can adjust the quality slider until you get something you like
Shouldn't this be automatically tied into the Specular Intensity and Sharpness anyway? Im not sure you would want different values really. Though it might be nice for extra control.
You can get some pretty nice reflectivity as is, but it would be nice to get some higher resolution reflections (maybe down to the res. of the sky?)
Metalliandy is correct, specular = reflection in Toolbag (and irl). We used to have a setting to pipe the sky box directly into the specular equation, but it was removed for a slew of technical reasons. Might be cool to bring back in 104 .
Whats the most effective way to render out movies from Marmoset at around 720p quality? I'm working on turntables for my characters but the record movie function in Marmoset is a bit slow (probably my computer but I dont have any other option). I've also tried to camtasia it but it still turns out kinda clunky and once I compress it the colors get all jacked up.
Toolbag video rendering performance is very hard-drive limited right now. We output uncompressed video and that can quickly get into gigs of data being written while recording. I would recommend writing to the fastest harddrive you have, ideally one that isn't the scratch drive for windows virtual memory. Or you could use Fraps, which does a bit of on-the-fly compression. There's going to be a performance hit though, even with Fraps.
Toolbag video rendering performance is very hard-drive limited right now. We output uncompressed video and that can quickly get into gigs of data being written while recording. I would recommend writing to the fastest harddrive you have, ideally one that isn't the scratch drive for windows virtual memory. Or you could use Fraps, which does a bit of on-the-fly compression. There's going to be a performance hit though, even with Fraps.
I would love it if you guys would consider an image sequence output too
I would love it if you guys would consider an image sequence output too
Several people have requested this, how come? Is a sequence of images easier to work with than raw video somehow? The recording performance would not improve as TGA frames would be uncompressed bloat-mongers just like our AVI frames are now.
Several people have requested this, how come? Is a sequence of images easier to work with than raw video somehow? The recording performance would not improve as TGA frames would be uncompressed bloat-mongers just like our AVI frames are now.
Just off the top of my head, I can think of a few things that would make raw TGAs more useful than AVI. The main thing, really, is having alpha channels present in every frame. This would make it easier to do various video editing tricks, like adding new backgrounds or even comping models into scenes depending on what you want to do with the stuff.
Replies
EDIT: Fixed it! All this time I was wondering why it was happening then just after I post I realize its just an unwelded vert! ha
When I try to open them I get the open dialog, select the file and then the program just hangs. After a few minutes it crashes and pops up about a runtime error. I've tried it with various different scenes to see if it was unique to each but it seems like it crashes no matter which old scene files I try load. Just to test I saved a scene file from the current version and tried loading it. Loading one I just saved worked fine.
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.
Has anyone set up any reasonable size scenes in it, like maybe a city block or something? - can't find any examples anywhere of environment assets/scenes!
And can it display vertex blending or smilar? i.e. so I can blend between tiling textures for floors or walls.
Thanks
Sure, as long as the scene is imported as one mesh, just about any "size" should work.
There is a "double layer" shader that can use a texture map to blend between two layers of normal/diffuse/spec, which sounds like what you're after.
There was one release (and I can't remember which now) where backwards compatibility for scene files was not retained
Know that moving forward we're making every effort to avoid this with the upcoming 1.03 release (which is due out "soon" btw).
The building tool multi-material system should work too. Correct me if i'm wrong, but this was first tested with vertex painting in maya, before we had the tool to paint it(Also, creature feep, add in vertex painting stuff lolol).
Theoretically, if you paint a vertex map in maya, you could use it with that material.
I just got Marmoset yesterday and tried to import my latest model into it. I tried it both as a OBJ file and as a FBX file. The FBX seemed to have less of those white areas than the OBJ did. All the verts are welded so it's not like the poster above's issue with the knife. When I turn on "use world-space normals" it seems to fix it but at the same time it washes out the specularity and I'm not using object/world-space normals. What's going on here?
Also how do I change the screenshot settings? Is there even a way to do it?
Oh, not a terribly important thing but I noticed that it's impossible for me to run marmoset and max at the same time. Marmoset basically crawls and is so slow it's unable to process anything. Anyone might know why this is the case or have a similar problem?
But.. all of a sudden..anytime I take a Screen Shot I get this wonderfulness.
Does this mean my Marmoset is corrupt as hell and I need to reinstall? This is because I'm playing Oblivion instead of modeling isn't it.
I also just uninstalled and Reinstalled. Still same issue.
Yes, we've seen this recently as well. Something has changed in driver-land, and screenshots are coming out with bad gamma correction applied. We have fixed this in 1.03 (due any time now, promise!). If you guys can sit tight for a short while it will be resolved soon.
PS Toolbag is more fun than Oblivion
Great to hear
If you already have a license go ahead and download/install the new 1.03 trial and you'll have the updates. No further activation will be necessary.
For trial users, v1.03 will reset your trial period to another full 30 days. w00t.
Here's the full announcement: http://www.8monkeylabs.com/archives/1257
Does anyone know what causes this problem? I'm getting the same experience.
It looks like an export error to me. Try exporting as another format like FBX and see if that works
@Ironbearxl and Metalliandi: There are no tentative plans to write more Stooge exporters right now. The FBX and OBJ file support should cover all Toolbag features except animation. If we take up improving the animation tools in the future, we'll be sure to revisit the idea of writing more Stooge exporters.
@beartraps: Not sure what you mean by reflection support. If you are talking about custom reflection maps, check out the Sky Tool in the Toolbag main menu. It is a way to create custom skies and lighting environments to boot, including everything you'll see reflecting off of specular objects. We have worked very hard to make this tool simple and accessible, and encourage all y'all to try your hand at making custom skies.
Displacement Mapping! Hardware tessellation and displacement textures are now featured for DX11 capable video cards.
Anisotropy! The anisotropy material model is now easier to use with a singular "direction" slider and dynamic light support. Great for rendering hair and brushed-steel space marines.
The Skin Shader(!) is constantly being worked on. It now features better dynamic light translucency and improved color ramps.
Super-sampled, super-huge screenshots! Screenshot rendering has been rewritten to render straight from the screen in ultra-high resolutions. What-you-see-is-what-you-get, not even ATI drivers can stop you now! As an added benefit, we can super-sample each screenshot pixel up to 25 times and get 5x5 SSAA.
Alpha-to-Coverage Screenshots (omg nowai!) Our new screenshot code allows any graphics card with ATOC support to render screenshots with blended, order-independent hair.
And these features are just for starters! 103 comes with loads of new features, fixes, and tweaks. Check out the full change log and grab your new 30-day trial at http://www.8monkeylabs.com/archives/1257
btw. it would be immensely helpful if the depth/z mask could also be output as a greyscale for compositing.
screenshot from 1.03 that highlights the issue:
never mind the WIP-ness of the asset.
Thanks!
Good job guys. Impressive and slick tool.
Good to know
Cheers!
That is some awesome WIP-ness my friend, post the full pic! Pity about the alpha edges, we'll have to take a look into it :-/.
I loaded the StoogeExporter plugin and the MEL script but when I tried to export my mesh, the .mesh format doesn't show up as an exporting option. I've tried searching the internet for solutions but haven't found any yet. Help greatly appreciated! Really want to try Toolbag for my demo reel. Thanks!
Lee.X
this fixed the problem. thank you
Awesome new features on a great product though, thanks!
Edit;
Haha
Jhonny and i were on the same wavelength XD
All the updates have been free so far
The Stooge Exporter does not add any new file types to Maya's export list, it needs to be run directly as a script. An export dialog should pop up with lots of options and an output file path. Check out the ToolbagUserManual.pdf for details.
I guess I was hoping to see a slot for a grayscale reflection control map and a slider that can be used to adjust reflection intensity of the sky. Either way, I love this tool and I hope you guys can port it to OSX, thanks!
Shouldn't this be automatically tied into the Specular Intensity and Sharpness anyway? Im not sure you would want different values really. Though it might be nice for extra control.
You can get some pretty nice reflectivity as is, but it would be nice to get some higher resolution reflections (maybe down to the res. of the sky?)
Fraps is prob. your best bet for realtime capture really, though Camtasia should be fine too.
What settings are you using for Camtasia?
You want something like a 15-30 fps capture, with a key frame every 80 frames and the Techsmith lossless codec set to better compression.
You want prob. want to be exporting as MP4 for the best size/quality ratio and you can adjust the quality slider until you get something you like
What settings are you currently using for export?
Metalliandy is correct, specular = reflection in Toolbag (and irl). We used to have a setting to pipe the sky box directly into the specular equation, but it was removed for a slew of technical reasons. Might be cool to bring back in 104
Toolbag video rendering performance is very hard-drive limited right now. We output uncompressed video and that can quickly get into gigs of data being written while recording. I would recommend writing to the fastest harddrive you have, ideally one that isn't the scratch drive for windows virtual memory. Or you could use Fraps, which does a bit of on-the-fly compression. There's going to be a performance hit though, even with Fraps.
Several people have requested this, how come? Is a sequence of images easier to work with than raw video somehow? The recording performance would not improve as TGA frames would be uncompressed bloat-mongers just like our AVI frames are now.
Just off the top of my head, I can think of a few things that would make raw TGAs more useful than AVI. The main thing, really, is having alpha channels present in every frame. This would make it easier to do various video editing tricks, like adding new backgrounds or even comping models into scenes depending on what you want to do with the stuff.