Where is the LuxRender Console via Luxus ?

nowefg

I tried Luxus for the first time last evening, and found it frustrating. Expected within reasonable limits any new software, but, beyond that:

I have Reality 2, but haven't used it much, because Lux renders take a comparatively very long time to resolve on my machine, and I'm not a photographer or looking to mimic photos in my art.

That said, one thing I was surprised to find in Luxus is that when it opens the window called LuxRender Console, it's not actually the Lux console. It's just a window with code scrolling on it; no way to adjust light RGB, or gain, or camera settings, while the render is in progress. That on-the-fly adjustability is Lux's stellar attraction. I can change the lighting as the render is in progress.

Perhaps I'm not using Luxus correctly--given the lack of offline documentation, I wouldn't be surprised if so.

As it seems now, in terms of functionality, Luxus doesn't get me to the LuxRender Console at all, it substitutes a non-UI info window for LuxRender's Console as I find it when getting there through Reality 2. All Luxus does is show me scrolling lines of code that I don't have any interest in, and can't interface with. It also has no elapsed time indicator, or any other non-programmer-useful information about what's happening. I've always assumed that the LuxRender Console as it shows up via Reality 2--with the Lux logo right there in plain sight-- is the actual console for LuxRender. If not, if it's a Reality 2 specific LuxRender console, than Reality beats Luxus many, many times over.

Granted, I didn't pay much for Luxus; about half what I paid for Reality 2, but it seems to be much less than half in terms of real-time functionality, which is one of the stellar points of Lux.

If I work at it, I figure I'll be able to sort out the "howto," but talk about a drag on creativity. Waste of valuable time, at this point. Given how long Lux renders take to be even reasonable--hours, that is--not being able to work with the render in progress is an order-of-magnitude step backward.

Reasonable next-step questions, for me: is there any documentation; is it available offline; ( a simple Read-me would be a courtesy, I thought, after searching for Luxus in Daz, and finally finding it in the Render Engine setting of what has always been only the 3Delight renderer. Reality is accessed via the render tab as a separate option; kept thinking that simple procedural aspect would be part of Luxus, too.) That's Daz!

JimmyC_2009

You have to set 'Use Luxrender GUI' to On, that will bring up the Luxrender interface that you are used to.

There is a PDF manual for Luxus, and I can't find the link, I wll get it for you.

Male-M3dia

Luxus is integrated into DS4, so what you need is on the render settings window. Turning the Luxrender GUI on from there will display your render. (Maybe this needs to be turned on as a default) A lot of the settings are so integrated into the surface tab so it eliminates the clunky back and forth you had to do with Reality when setting materials or adjusting a scene.

So far I'm finding there actually more you have access to in luxrender via the Luxus plugin and things that don't have the gui or preset are still accessible without waiting for a program update.

nowefg

Thank you, JimmyC !

for that heads-up. I'll look for the set GUI on setting, because Luxus makes no sense without it. If you do find the pdf link, that would be outstanding.

(A note to Spherical-- users shouldn't be having to search behind your back for how to use your product. I don't have online access at

home, where I use Daz and your products. Open Notepad, scratch down a few lines about starting out, and include that in the Daz installer.

I'm very appreciative of the forum communities for supporting one another when product venders don't, but you're selling a product that

we're paying YOU for.)

Thanks again, JimmyC !

mjc1016

nowefg said:

I tried Luxus for the first time last evening, and found it frustrating. Expected within reasonable limits any new software, but, beyond that:

I have Reality 2, but haven't used it much, because Lux renders take a comparatively very long time to resolve on my machine, and I'm not a photographer or looking to mimic photos in my art.

That said, one thing I was surprised to find in Luxus is that when it opens the window called LuxRender Console, it's not actually the Lux console. It's just a window with code scrolling on it; no way to adjust light RGB, or gain, or camera settings, while the render is in progress. That on-the-fly adjustability is Lux's stellar attraction. I can change the lighting as the render is in progress.

Perhaps I'm not using Luxus correctly--given the lack of offline documentation, I wouldn't be surprised if so.

As it seems now, in terms of functionality, Luxus doesn't get me to the LuxRender Console at all, it substitutes a non-UI info window for LuxRender's Console as I find it when getting there through Reality 2. All Luxus does is show me scrolling lines of code that I don't have any interest in, and can't interface with. It also has no elapsed time indicator, or any other non-programmer-useful information about what's happening. I've always assumed that the LuxRender Console as it shows up via Reality 2--with the Lux logo right there in plain sight-- is the actual console for LuxRender. If not, if it's a Reality 2 specific LuxRender console, than Reality beats Luxus many, many times over.

Granted, I didn't pay much for Luxus; about half what I paid for Reality 2, but it seems to be much less than half in terms of real-time functionality, which is one of the stellar points of Lux.

If I work at it, I figure I'll be able to sort out the "howto," but talk about a drag on creativity. Waste of valuable time, at this point. Given how long Lux renders take to be even reasonable--hours, that is--not being able to work with the render in progress is an order-of-magnitude step backward.

Reasonable next-step questions, for me: is there any documentation; is it available offline; ( a simple Read-me would be a courtesy, I thought, after searching for Luxus in Daz, and finally finding it in the Render Engine setting of what has always been only the 3Delight renderer. Reality is accessed via the render tab as a separate option; kept thinking that simple procedural aspect would be part of Luxus, too.) That's Daz!

You have your terms mixed up...that 'non-UI info window' IS the console mode...think 'command line'. What you are wanting is the GUI mode.

If Reality is referring to the GUI as 'Console' then it is wrong to do so...

As for documentation, look here...

http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/read_me/index/15891/start

Part way down the page is a link to the PDF manual.

JimmyC_2009

@nowefg
You are most welcome.

This is probably the same link to the PDF, but a direct one, thanks for posting that mjc1016, I am going to keep a note of it this time ;)

http://docs.daz3d.com/lib/exe/fetch.php/public/read_me/index/15891/15891_luxus-manual.pdf

mjc1016

nowefg said:

Thank you, JimmyC !

for that heads-up. I'll look for the set GUI on setting, because Luxus makes no sense without it. If you do find the pdf link, that would be outstanding.

(A note to Spherical-- users shouldn't be having to search behind your back for how to use your product. I don't have online access at

home, where I use Daz and your products. Open Notepad, scratch down a few lines about starting out, and include that in the Daz installer.

I'm very appreciative of the forum communities for supporting one another when product venders don't, but you're selling a product that

we're paying YOU for.)

Thanks again, JimmyC !

That's not entirely any PA's fault...it is DAZ itself that is having the ReadMe's and documentation, for the most part online...

nowefg

Thank you, Male-M3dia and mjc1016, and again JimmyC !

for the clarifications. When I think "console," I think "control area," the area where the buttons are, like at NASA, all those engineers sitting

at consoles, moving sliders, turning knobs, watching screens--monitoring and controlling things. As the non-UI window opens via Luxus,

it's labeled console, but it's just a window, it has no controls, I can't enter command lines, and it doesn't allude to the hidden presence of

a function GUI. Given what's given, I didn't twig to the idea that Luxus must have a UI, just not turned on.

From a basic ease of use pov, Male-M3dia's got it right, the user-controls area should be default. I don't think I need to see the "console;"

and would rather get the GUI, and have to turn on the console if I need to look at it.

I'll track that link. Thanks for posting it.

nowefg

One last note from me on this topic: BINGO !

I just tracked that link to what looks like a great intro pdf on how to use Luxus, and I sure appreciate that y'all posted it here.

Wasted a couple of hours last night, and got nowhere useful without a starting reference like this pdf.

mjc1016, I almost appreciate what you're pointing at, there, but if the product were mine, and Daz said I COULDN'T support my

customers... besides, I know I have gotten products from Daz that include a pdf., or a readme. Granted, most of the Daz readme's tell me

nothing useful at all, but they could be used in the traditional way. I found the Luxus lights, and shaders via their info jpgs under the

appropriate folder. A few more info jpgs would cost nothing and help a lot. So it's not all Daz acting like a nutty aunt, either.

mjc1016

nowefg said:

One last note from me on this topic: BINGO !

I just tracked that link to what looks like a great intro pdf on how to use Luxus, and I sure appreciate that y'all posted it here.

Wasted a couple of hours last night, and got nowhere useful without a starting reference like this pdf.

mjc1016, I almost appreciate what you're pointing at, there, but if the product were mine, and Daz said I COULDN'T support my

customers... besides, I know I have gotten products from Daz that include a pdf., or a readme. Granted, most of the Daz readme's tell me

nothing useful at all, but they could be used in the traditional way. I found the Luxus lights, and shaders via their info jpgs under the

appropriate folder. A few more info jpgs would cost nothing and help a lot. So it's not all Daz acting like a nutty aunt, either.

The stuff with ReadMe's included is older content (although even that's disappearing)...the new way is online documentation..

Not that I agree with that idea, but that's the way it is...and since I'm not a PA (yet) I can't say how much leeway there is on including additional documentation. I think there's a way to access the documentation through the DIM...but it probably requires being connected, too...I don't think it keeps a local cache.

Male-M3dia

nowefg said:

One last note from me on this topic: BINGO !

I just tracked that link to what looks like a great intro pdf on how to use Luxus, and I sure appreciate that y'all posted it here.

Wasted a couple of hours last night, and got nowhere useful without a starting reference like this pdf.

mjc1016, I almost appreciate what you're pointing at, there, but if the product were mine, and Daz said I COULDN'T support my

customers... besides, I know I have gotten products from Daz that include a pdf., or a readme. Granted, most of the Daz readme's tell me

nothing useful at all, but they could be used in the traditional way. I found the Luxus lights, and shaders via their info jpgs under the

appropriate folder. A few more info jpgs would cost nothing and help a lot. So it's not all Daz acting like a nutty aunt, either.

Actually the link for the pdf was on readme page that pops up. However if you don't have internet access you wouldn't have saw it, so really the only way around that is to offer another executable with just the pdf. And to be honest, if this was your product, yeah, the pdf would have been delivered the same way. ;)

Mistara

my production rig isn't on the internet, either. it's more stable that way.

there's a free utility called cutepdf that i use to write non-pdf readmes to a pdf to transfer to my non-internet rig.

http://www.cutepdf.com/

BryonSpeller

As for documentation, look here...

http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/read_me/index/15891/start

Part way down the page is a link to the PDF manual.

Thanks, this info did it.

Kerya

I don't like the Online Readme's either - I am always going to the Readme center and download the Readme's at once when I buy something.
http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/read_me/index/start

On the other hand: since the plugin is an exe and there is a "View Readme" to be checked at the end of the installation process ...

mjc1016

Kerya said:

On the other hand: since the plugin is an exe and there is a "View Readme" to be checked at the end of the installation process ...

The current behavior for that...open your browser and connect to the online readme. I'm not sure what it does if you aren't online.

Kerya

It opens the browser and you can copy the link in a text file for use when online again.