Funny. I was just showing this to Zeus (PC user, not real Zeus) and mentioned how you guys should charge for this so you're incentivised to update it more frequently, and then I walk back to my desk and see the $50 price tag.
$50 is a great price for a competent model viewer.
You most certainly can. However, you cannot manipulate those 2 meshes independently in the Toolbag viewport. There are 2 different approaches you could take:
1) Export those 2 meshes as one file, yet as different mesh chunks. Once loaded in Toolbag, just apply each chunk it's own unique material.
OR...
2) Load 1 of the meshes into Toolbag as usual, setup materials, etc...then under the View->Reference menu palette, load the second mesh as a 'Ref (Reference) Mesh'. The reference mesh will need pre-assigned materials though, because you won't be able to dynamically edit/assign materials on a mesh that is loaded as a 'ref mesh'.
You most certainly can. However, you cannot manipulate those 2 meshes independently in the Toolbag viewport. There are 2 different approaches you could take:
1) Export those 2 meshes as one file, yet as different mesh chunks. Once loaded in Toolbag, just apply each chunk it's own unique material.
OR...
2) Load 1 of the meshes into Toolbag as usual, setup materials, etc...then under the View->Reference menu palette, load the second mesh as a 'Ref (Reference) Mesh'. The reference mesh will need pre-assigned materials though, because you won't be able to dynamically edit/assign materials on a mesh that is loaded as a 'ref mesh'.
I have mixed feelings about the new pricetag.
On one hand I don't mind paying for it if it does what's intended, and means finally some updates.
However if it lacks popular features or has any shortcomings (if I want glow, I don't want to do any walkarounds if I pay for the renderer) it will quickly be discarded and not bought.
I don't know what to make of the 20 days trial, what happens when the trial time ends ?
I always end up being too busy to try stuff out and the trial expires ...
You guys just had to release this thing now... I have a clients project I'm procrastinating on right now to play with this haha. guess ill be burning the midnight oil tonight hehe.
There's some really nice additions to this like the ability to render out separate channels that will be really nice if you want to play around with compositing different effects.
the ability to add lights is something i have been dreaming of with this program for sometime. no longer will i have to composite to different renders to fake multiple light sources.
it would be really fantastic to be able to load custom .fx shaders, and to be able to tweak the color of the SSS. after that i think you guys have a really solid model viewer.
at $50 though I think you guys have limited your market to only people who are working professionals, or people who are attempting to break into the business. I don't think casual artists are going to be as willing to shell out that much money for such a limited software especially when there's free solutions like UDK, xnormal, and custom view port shaders. I think a better price point is $20. Personally I know I'm going to wait until you guys either drop the price or add a lot more features.
I ended up shelling out the $50 last night (we had pay reviews yesterday, so I figured as an artist this was a better way to celebrate than get drunk), and so far it's been pretty great.
Your copy protection rubs me the wrong way, though. I understand you guys want to make it difficult for people to pirate this, but realistically it's going to end up on gfx torrent sites within a week anyway with DRM busted, and those guys will use it freely while I'll probably run into trouble if I replace a hard drive, or reinstall Windows and have to jump through hoops.
Just an FYI, the december 2009 ATI driver for the HD 4xxx series returns an access violation (win 7 64 bit). The updated driver fixes this, so if you're getting these problems you should get the latest files for your card.
Sweet work, it's come a long way from the early versions!
One thing to fix is the alpha map on the 8monkey logo. When you take a screenshot and load it in PS, it has a solid square alpha map which looks bad if you decide to change the background color.
ohhh pretty!....I have been meaning to check out marmoset for a while now. I wish I had done it earlier. anyway, must go....I have sliders to play with
Yo, I'm seriously having no luck getting the new marmorset to run on my 64 bit machine. is there an install for 64 bit?
There is not a 64-bit version available at this time, but the 32-bit version should run without a hitch on a 64-bit machine. We've personally tested it on both 64-bit laptops and desktops.
Feel free to send us your hardware/system specs, and any possible .log files that Toolbag may have spit out when trying to run, and we'd be more than happy to debug it for you.
Hi guys
Im testing out the new version of marmoset and the stooge exporter with maya 2009
I run the stooge mel script, load it up, check write tangents, rig, bone weight & skeleton. then hit export. export window pops up, with "best guess" as file format.
this is where im lost, what am i supposed to export it as ? iv tried writing just any filename and hit export, but i get the following error:
@JohnnyRaptor: it looks like you have the MEL script (which just provides the interface) but not the actual plugin. Make sure the .mll plugin file is in your plug-ins directory, and that it is set to load in Maya (go to Window>Settings/Preferences>Plug-in Manager and make sure "loaded" and "auto load" are both checked for the stooge export plugin).
We've just gone live with the first point update to Toolbag, version 1.01. Here's what's new in this version:
Additions:
* 2 Layer Phong material (blend between 2 layers of diffuse, normal and spec)
* FBX file loader (mesh only)
* RLE compressed TGA files are now supported
* Sky light brightness slider
* Double sided lighting
Fixes:
* Light editing controls now work with the field of view setting
* Improved z-projection settings, should dramatically reduce z-fighting in some meshes
* Refraction material fixes, wireframe display and texture editing
* Better default material (matte gray instead of pink wireframe)
This is a free update to all users, trial or registered. Simply download the new installer from our page (http://www.8monkeylabs.com/toolbag), and you're ready to rock. If you are a trial user, this will reset your trial to a new 20 day session to give you some more time to try it out.
A few other things as well. First, we have some videos up on the page demoing some of the features, and just generally making the thing look sexy. Check em out. Also, we are running a sale for the next few weeks, we'll be knocking off 20% for anyone who buys a key during that time (about 10 bucks off).
We've been happy with the reception Toolbag has met :-) We hope you guys are liking it. We plan to keep fielding suggestions from the community and keeping the ball rolling on that front with fixes and additions. If you like Toolbag, tell your friends! We don't have a big marketing budget or anything so it's going to be mostly word of mouth. We want to see our baby grow, of course, and the more users we have the more love we can justify giving it :-)
I've been using the old Toolbag with no problems. And today I got the new trial but all models are black. I can load a model and create mats and apply textures but nothing shows up but the black colored siluett of the modell.
I have a laptop Zepto Znote 6214W with GeForce Go 7600 and Win XP 32 bit. Anything I'm doing wrong with the new toolbag or is it my graphics?
Just got a chance to try it out. Awesome improvements! I'm planning on buy my copy real soon.
Couple of questions:
Is there a way to flick the light rotation like you could in the old version, so it keeps rotating the light?
Also, it would be great if the emissive had options for the bloom right there. Basically, I can see that its possible to get a glow effect with both the use of an emissive map and turning up the bloom options. All I'm saying is it would be cool if it was a little easier in the UI.
Again, great work, and I'm so glad all the options people have been asking for are here with this release.
@bloodmoon: It's probably your graphics driver. Does the toolbag_error.log have anything in it?
There is some text in there but I can't say whats the actual error message. I updated my laptop graphic drivers and got it working for now. I'll se if all functions work with these drivers. ^^ Really liking the new UI and controls.
I realy like this new version to, i will buy a copy when i get the money for it
BradMyers82: In one of the tabs you have 3 sliders where one of the says "Sky Rotation" i think, the more you move it to the right the faster it rotates
Hmmm, I wonder, to make rendering marmoset is really good, but beyond that, what toolbag provides really interested in bringing to buy? I use it very little, so I misunderstand its use ...
In short: what it's worth buying a version?
Hmmm, I wonder, to make rendering marmoset is really good, but beyond that, what toolbag provides really interested in bringing to buy? I use it very little, so I misunderstand its use ...
In short: what it's worth buying a version?
I think perhaps downloading the evaluation copy and using it for yourself can answer that question better than anyone else could.
Simply? It looks like I have to use the shopping cart system again? Hassle, guys. Hassle :P
EDIT: Is anyone else experiencing screen tearing and choppy rotation now when using the mesh turntable function in 1.01? I loaded up the character I've been working on for the past few days, and it's not as butter smooth as it was in 1.00.
I sorted it by hiding the taskbar. It seems that now if I maximise Toolbag so it gets overlapped by the Windows 7 Start button (which extends up 10px or so above the taskbar), the turntable wouldn't rotate smoothly.
When I hid the taskbar, I can again maximise Toolbag and have butter smooth turntable rotations
Running Win7 x64 using a 295 GTX with 257.21 drivers.
How exactly do i use alphas on phongsimpleenvironment?
It should work with the same process as the regular PhongEnvironment. It uses the alpha channel of the diffuse texture, and set your 'Blend Mode' from the dropdown list as well as your 'Alpha Threshold'.
@jeffdr - I was wondering if maybe you guys could show some examples of how the new features you guys added work on models. your help files that came with the software don't really say anything about what the new materials can do.
Well, the new material is fairly straightforward. It uses a grayscale map on UV channel 2 to blend between two layers of diffuse, specular, and normal maps. To get a mesh with two uv channels, you need to use either the .mesh exporter from maya, or an fbx file from your favorite modeling app (the obj file format does not support more than 1 uv set).
@ironbearxl: yes, maybe. It's all about the tangents on your mesh matching the tangents used for baking. If you use a .mesh in xNormal you are more likely to get a closer match than using a .obj file (obj files do not contain tangents, so any app that loads one has to generate them its self).
I dont suppose you good chaps are planning on creating an option where a user could save the interface settings (FOV, DOF, Normal Swizzle, Sky Lighting type, Sky brightness etc.) and have them load upon start are you?
Replies
$50 is a great price for a competent model viewer.
You most certainly can. However, you cannot manipulate those 2 meshes independently in the Toolbag viewport. There are 2 different approaches you could take:
1) Export those 2 meshes as one file, yet as different mesh chunks. Once loaded in Toolbag, just apply each chunk it's own unique material.
OR...
2) Load 1 of the meshes into Toolbag as usual, setup materials, etc...then under the View->Reference menu palette, load the second mesh as a 'Ref (Reference) Mesh'. The reference mesh will need pre-assigned materials though, because you won't be able to dynamically edit/assign materials on a mesh that is loaded as a 'ref mesh'.
Thanks a lot man :thumbup:
I have mixed feelings about the new pricetag.
On one hand I don't mind paying for it if it does what's intended, and means finally some updates.
However if it lacks popular features or has any shortcomings (if I want glow, I don't want to do any walkarounds if I pay for the renderer) it will quickly be discarded and not bought.
I don't know what to make of the 20 days trial, what happens when the trial time ends ?
I always end up being too busy to try stuff out and the trial expires ...
There's some really nice additions to this like the ability to render out separate channels that will be really nice if you want to play around with compositing different effects.
the ability to add lights is something i have been dreaming of with this program for sometime. no longer will i have to composite to different renders to fake multiple light sources.
it would be really fantastic to be able to load custom .fx shaders, and to be able to tweak the color of the SSS. after that i think you guys have a really solid model viewer.
at $50 though I think you guys have limited your market to only people who are working professionals, or people who are attempting to break into the business. I don't think casual artists are going to be as willing to shell out that much money for such a limited software especially when there's free solutions like UDK, xnormal, and custom view port shaders. I think a better price point is $20. Personally I know I'm going to wait until you guys either drop the price or add a lot more features.
Your copy protection rubs me the wrong way, though. I understand you guys want to make it difficult for people to pirate this, but realistically it's going to end up on gfx torrent sites within a week anyway with DRM busted, and those guys will use it freely while I'll probably run into trouble if I replace a hard drive, or reinstall Windows and have to jump through hoops.
Sweet work, it's come a long way from the early versions!
One thing to fix is the alpha map on the 8monkey logo. When you take a screenshot and load it in PS, it has a solid square alpha map which looks bad if you decide to change the background color.
edit: almighty_gir, toolbag is from 8 monkey labs, 3point shader from 3point studios. Both are independent companies.
There is not a 64-bit version available at this time, but the 32-bit version should run without a hitch on a 64-bit machine. We've personally tested it on both 64-bit laptops and desktops.
Feel free to send us your hardware/system specs, and any possible .log files that Toolbag may have spit out when trying to run, and we'd be more than happy to debug it for you.
Send to: toolbag@8monkeylabs.com
Im testing out the new version of marmoset and the stooge exporter with maya 2009
I run the stooge mel script, load it up, check write tangents, rig, bone weight & skeleton. then hit export. export window pops up, with "best guess" as file format.
this is where im lost, what am i supposed to export it as ? iv tried writing just any filename and hit export, but i get the following error:
fileBrowser("onExport","Export","",1);
getAttr defaultRenderGlobals.outf;
// Result: 7 //
getAttr defaultRenderGlobals.imfkey;
onExport "C:/Workspace/Transformers/Marmoset_Test/Dance" "";
stoogeExport -bones -oldtangentmethod -o "C:/Workspace/Transformers/Marmoset_Test/Dance" // Error: Cannot find procedure "stoogeExport". //
// Result: 1 //
any help would be appreciated!
besides that, new version looks freakn badass, specially if you can get animation to work in it! hot damn!
We've just gone live with the first point update to Toolbag, version 1.01. Here's what's new in this version:
Additions:
* 2 Layer Phong material (blend between 2 layers of diffuse, normal and spec)
* FBX file loader (mesh only)
* RLE compressed TGA files are now supported
* Sky light brightness slider
* Double sided lighting
Fixes:
* Light editing controls now work with the field of view setting
* Improved z-projection settings, should dramatically reduce z-fighting in some meshes
* Refraction material fixes, wireframe display and texture editing
* Better default material (matte gray instead of pink wireframe)
This is a free update to all users, trial or registered. Simply download the new installer from our page (http://www.8monkeylabs.com/toolbag), and you're ready to rock. If you are a trial user, this will reset your trial to a new 20 day session to give you some more time to try it out.
A few other things as well. First, we have some videos up on the page demoing some of the features, and just generally making the thing look sexy. Check em out. Also, we are running a sale for the next few weeks, we'll be knocking off 20% for anyone who buys a key during that time (about 10 bucks off).
We've been happy with the reception Toolbag has met :-) We hope you guys are liking it. We plan to keep fielding suggestions from the community and keeping the ball rolling on that front with fixes and additions. If you like Toolbag, tell your friends! We don't have a big marketing budget or anything so it's going to be mostly word of mouth. We want to see our baby grow, of course, and the more users we have the more love we can justify giving it :-)
Cheers,
8monkey
I have a laptop Zepto Znote 6214W with GeForce Go 7600 and Win XP 32 bit. Anything I'm doing wrong with the new toolbag or is it my graphics?
Thanks for the awesome tool guys
Couple of questions:
Is there a way to flick the light rotation like you could in the old version, so it keeps rotating the light?
Also, it would be great if the emissive had options for the bloom right there. Basically, I can see that its possible to get a glow effect with both the use of an emissive map and turning up the bloom options. All I'm saying is it would be cool if it was a little easier in the UI.
Again, great work, and I'm so glad all the options people have been asking for are here with this release.
There is some text in there but I can't say whats the actual error message. I updated my laptop graphic drivers and got it working for now. I'll se if all functions work with these drivers. ^^ Really liking the new UI and controls.
BradMyers82: In one of the tabs you have 3 sliders where one of the says "Sky Rotation" i think, the more you move it to the right the faster it rotates
In short: what it's worth buying a version?
I think perhaps downloading the evaluation copy and using it for yourself can answer that question better than anyone else could.
great job and keep up!!
Simply? It looks like I have to use the shopping cart system again? Hassle, guys. Hassle :P
EDIT: Is anyone else experiencing screen tearing and choppy rotation now when using the mesh turntable function in 1.01? I loaded up the character I've been working on for the past few days, and it's not as butter smooth as it was in 1.00.
I'm lovin the new and improved toolbag so far!
When I hid the taskbar, I can again maximise Toolbag and have butter smooth turntable rotations
Running Win7 x64 using a 295 GTX with 257.21 drivers.
It should work with the same process as the regular PhongEnvironment. It uses the alpha channel of the diffuse texture, and set your 'Blend Mode' from the dropdown list as well as your 'Alpha Threshold'.
I love the new Toolbag
I have happened across an issue where there is a seam with no shadowing at the base where two meshes intersect.
Any ideas?
Thanks again guys!
Cheers mate!
I dont suppose you good chaps are planning on creating an option where a user could save the interface settings (FOV, DOF, Normal Swizzle, Sky Lighting type, Sky brightness etc.) and have them load upon start are you?