p3d.in has a question for you!

ZanQdo · Jul 2012

Hi there, I'm Daniel from p3d.in, the online 3d model viewer.

I have a question I would really appreciate some help with

For specular maps we currently just modulate the intensity using the texture as a gray-scale map. However we want to add support for specular color maps.

The thing is there are two options to do this:

1. keep specular intensity and color maps separate. Intensity map would always be grayscale and color map would be plain colors

2. use a single color map to also modulate the intensity. In this case the map would look like both intensity and color maps multiplied together, and the result would look the same in p3d.in

I come from a software that allows for any type of combination so is there a standard for this or is it a matter of personal preference?

I'm opening a poll here with the two options!

thank you very much

Daniel
p3d.in

leslievdb · Jul 2012

unified please, also tnx for the great service

and now that we have you here could i make a request for matcap support? http://www.pixologic.com/zbrush/downloadcenter/library/
Ive seen a lot of sculptors upload their decimated zbrush models and it would be great if there was matcap support for displaying these since they usually dont have any textures applied to them.

anyway tnx again daniel

blankslatejoe · Jul 2012

the spec color and spec intensity can be the same map--that will leave you with less textures overall, and the information for intensity is pretty much the same as a color value, really. Instead of a separate map that drives intensity all you really need is a single float value (specular strength) that sets what max intensity a white pixel corresponds to for that shader. That's pretty much the standard in games.

If you are going to add a second map at all, make it a spec gloss map (a contrast/specular highlight tightness map)!

passerby · Jul 2012

have the intensity unified, and maybe add gloss(specular exponet) support in the alpha channel of that same map,

Bigjohn · Jul 2012

With game dev the advantage of using a greyscale spec map is that we can stick it in the alpha channel of some texture. The diffuse, or sometimes the normal map even. But if we need specular color, then we need a whole new RGB texture anyway, so it doesn't make sense in that case to still use the alpha channel of the diffuse for specular strength. If I'm using all 3 channels of a new texture, I might as well include the intensity in that, and then use the alpha channel for something else.

So, yeah, unified all the way.

Dataday · Jul 2012

The only thing keeping me from using a service like p3d.in (india) is what I read in its EULA. Maybe its just me but the idea of having information gathering cookies placed on my computer just to use a 3d model viewer online seems like too much. The whole privacy section just leaves too much leeway in data gathering.

passerby · Jul 2012

dataday, the cookies gathering information are set by that site, from cookies that the site set.

the privacy bit just has to be mentioned do to some new laws in the EU.

almost every website, uses cookies to set and retrieve information and variables.

Bigjohn · Jul 2012

Also, just throwing out there, don't know if this is a legitimate request, but it would be awesome if it were possible to install the viewer on our own sites too. Like if there was some kind of package, like the way the various shadowboxes work, that we could install on our own sites and then use from our own servers. It would alleviate a lot of the privacy concerns, as well as make sure it always works and I don't have to rely on your server being up.

But maybe that's not the kind of project this is and I'm full of shit

ZanQdo · Jul 2012

Hi all, thanks form your valuable feedback. A lot of the things you ask for are planned indeed! I personally can't wait to get a lot more texture maps like glossy, alpha, glow. Also matcaps will be great.

Speaking of alpha maps, i guess we face a similar question here. Either to use a single RGBA image or a separate gray-scale for alphas. Maybe we will just support both

Dataday wrote: »

The only thing keeping me from using a service like p3d.in (india)

Oh funny, we're not from India! I just liked the nice short "in" extension as in in/out

Bigjohn · Jul 2012

For that, I believe a nice format will be a diffuse RGBA, where the alpha is for transparency, and also a specular RGBA, where the alpha is for glossiness.

ceebee · Jul 2012

^^ This guy has it the way I'd typically work. That would be rad. If you can do RGBA with Super PNGs or something that would work.

ZanQdo · Jul 2012

Yeap, that's not too hard. Just wondering if also a separate alpha map is a good idea, but you game artists(?) seem to prefer less texture maps it seems!

ceebee · Jul 2012

Yeah, less texture maps = less files open at once = easier to work with and export out all at once. Oh and I'm not sure if you can do 8-bit transparency but if 1-bit is the only option it'd be cool to have support for explicit 1-bit alphas to smooth out the edges.

I second the idea above about being able to have the model viewer posted on external sites hosted on your own host as well if this is possible.

ZacD · Jul 2012

I agree with Ceebee and Bigjohn

ZanQdo · Jul 2012

OK it's decided then, thank you very much!

Dataday · Jul 2012

passerby wrote: »

dataday, the cookies gathering information are set by that site, from cookies that the site set.

the privacy bit just has to be mentioned do to some new laws in the EU.

almost every website, uses cookies to set and retrieve information and variables.

Oh I am not implying that other websites do not use cookies, obviously they do. I am commenting more on the choice of wording in the EULA. I'm not making a big deal out of it just that its holding me back at the moment.

@zanQdo,

I am merely pointing out which region the .in is associated with. Not sure how that is "funny".

sltrOlsson · Jul 2012

I wonder what standard you are using for the normalmaps? Is it Max?

ZanQdo · Jul 2012

sltrOlsson wrote: »

I wonder what standard you are using for the normalmaps? Is it Max?

Well I don't know of a name but it's this one

Most 3D software use this. However if you find one that doesn't we can add a special mode for it

Daniel

Swizzle · Jul 2012

Spec color and intensity on the same map is usually a little easier to work with, but it can lead to problems if you need a high spec value that's not white. Having the ability to use a spec intensity and spec color map or a combined intensity/color map with a radio button to select what you're using would be the best bet.

Combine that with a separate spec sharpness map and you've got yourself all the spec controls you need.

ZanQdo · Jul 2012

Thank you swizzle, we will try to offer both solutions, but first i think we can "fix" the single map approach

About normal maps, we have decided to add some presets to deal with some 3D software that creates different normal maps. If you find any normal map that seems to give weird results please contact us at the support mail

cheers!

sltrOlsson · Jul 2012

ZanQdo wrote: »

Well I don't know of a name but it's this one

Most 3D software use this. However if you find one that doesn't we can add a special mode for it

Daniel

So that's Max standard

Thx, good to know..

ZanQdo · Aug 2012

Not sure if you guys noticed but specular colors already work (for a couple weeks now)

Can I ask something else from you? I'm needing a couple of really cool models for testing new features and making a video for the new release this Friday. If anyone is willing to lend us some model please poke me at daniel@p3d.in

This models will also be part of our test suite. Of course we won't share them with any third party and we will give credit to you as usual

I don't want to spoil the new features so I'll give the details in private!

thank you!

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