Applying labels/logos in LuxRender. Anyone know how?

TGS808

This is a simple to do, easy task using UV mapping, the native options in Carrara's shader tree and the photo real renderer but I have not been able to figure out how to do it using LuxSurfaces in the shader tree and LuxRender. And there seems to be no documentation demonstrating how it's done. Surely this is possible, right? Anyone know how?

All I was able to find was a tutorial showing how to do it in Blender. It doesn't help me but in case my post wasn't clear, this is what I mean...

http://www.luxrender.net/wiki/LuxBlend_tutorial:_image_textures_and_mix_materials

Thanks!

stem_athome

To add a texture map.

Top shader = Lux surface
Material = Lux Matte
Diffuse = Texture Map (>Add texture as you would for carrara)

TGS808

Steve athome said:

To add a texture map.

Top shader = Lux surface
Material = Lux Matte
Diffuse = Texture Map (>Add texture as you would for carrara)

Thanks for the answer. That's not exactly what I wanted to do but it did put me on the right path and now I've got what I want. What I did (wanted to do) was…

Top shader=Lux Surface
Material= Lux Mix (from the Lux Materials menu, not the Lux Textures menu though that would probably work too)
Material 1= Any of the options from the Lux Materials menu (Lux Matte, Glossy, etc…)
Material 2= Any of the options from the Lux Materials menu (Lux Matte, Glossy, etc…)
Amount= Texture map. The map is black and white. White for where the logo will show, black to hide where it won't.

In this case "Amount" functions like "Opacity Mask" on the standard Carrara shader tree. This will work for single color logos. If I want to mask around something that has more than one color I'll have to figure out another way. Now I think I might be able to. If not, I'll be back to ask again. :-)

Thanks again!!

3DAGE

Hi Gigashadow :)

This is the price you pay for not using carrara's own render engine,.. :)

The "Shader and Lighting system" is "different" for each renderer you use, and because there is no "universally accepted" shader system, this means that you'll need to rebuild shaders to work thier best in your chosen render engine.

The "Layer" shader options and shader projections are specific to Carrara,. they "fake" the UV's allowing you to easily place a label, or logo onto an object.

Normally,. (in other 3D programs) this would be done by exporting your models UV Layout (wire-frame template) then adding your labels / logo's, usinf an image editor, saving the results (without the wire-frame)
this image would then be loaded into your Diffuse (colour) channel or used as a blender in a mix.

So, bottom line,..
You need to create the texture map with the logo's, since the render engine shaders system cannot support or translate, the Shader type you're using.

Hope that make sense :)

TGS808

3DAGE said:

Hi Gigashadow :)

This is the price you pay for not using carrara's own render engine,.. :)

Oh, I have no issues with Carrara's own engine. It's always been good to me. But I've been getting some really nice results in Lux and it's nice to have another toy/tool to play with. ;-)

The good news is I figured out how to do what I wanted in Lux! It was easier than I thought. :-)

TGS808

3DAGE said:

The "Shader and Lighting system" is "different" for each renderer you use, and because there is no "universally accepted" shader system, this means that you'll need to rebuild shaders to work thier best in your chosen render engine.

Yeah, no kidding. That's why I asked. I know how to do it in Carrara but Lux is different so I asked how to do it in Lux, not for an explanation of different systems and why what works in one doesn't work in another. You did not offer a way for me to do it in Lux.

The "Layer" shader options and shader projections are specific to Carrara,. they "fake" the UV's allowing you to easily place a label, or logo onto an object.

Also, something I (and likely everyone else here) already know(s). And again, has nothing to do with the question I asked.

Normally,. (in other 3D programs) this would be done by exporting your models UV Layout (wire-frame template) then adding your labels / logo's, usinf an image editor, saving the results (without the wire-frame)
this image would then be loaded into your Diffuse (colour) channel or used as a blender in a mix.

Yeah, this is how it is done in Carrara. And again, something I already know and didn't need to have explained. I asked how to do it in Lux using Carrara's shader system and again you offer no explanation of that.

So, bottom line,..
You need to create the texture map with the logo's, since the render engine shaders system cannot support or translate, the Shader type you're using.

Of course I need to create a texture map. I know that. That wasn't the question. The question was how to make those maps work in Lux. You refer to the shader type I'm "using". I'm not sure how you'd even know what that was as I never said.

Hope that make sense :)

It made sense but your answer didn't say anything at all pertaining to the question I asked and it didn't help at all. I said I knew how to do it in Carrara and asked very specifically how to do it in Lux. You in no way addressed or answered my question. You typed out a whole bunch of words about generic 3D "stuff" but ended up saying nothing. Take a look at the response that "Steve at home" gave a full two and a half hours before you decided to chime in. Did you read that before you posted? That's a useful response. He actually answered the question I asked rather than try teach me a generic lesson about shaders as if I was a first year design student who's never seen a 3D program before. I know this is not the type of thing people are used to around here and I was gonna let it go but your response was so condescending and useless I decided it had to be said.

So, bottom line…
If you don't have the answer to the question that was asked, don't submit a response.

3DAGE

HI GigaShadow

My apologies for not giving you a more comprehensive answer.

In any shader system,. you'd have a few different ways to achieve this.

Option one is to Bake out your Carrara shader (including the logo) as a texture map (using the Baker plugin).

Option two, (if you don't have "Baker") is to create a single texture map with the logo placed onto that image in an image editor (photoshop etc)
You would use the UV template, which can be exported from the Vertex modeller,. and use that as a Guide to create a texture map with the logo in place.

Option three would be to have create separate texture maps with the logo,. in colour,. and positioned so that it will apply correctly
At the same time, you'd also create an Alpha map (B/W) to use as a Blend in a Lux Mx

you'd then create a "Mixer" (Lux mix) of two channels with a blend,.
the Paint or underlying colour, in one channel,. the Logo (colour) texture map in the other channel,. and the black and white mask texture map as the Blend between the two.

the Mask should reveal the colour Logo on top off the underlying colour

I hope that makes more sense

evilproducer

GigaShadow said:

3DAGE said:

The "Shader and Lighting system" is "different" for each renderer you use, and because there is no "universally accepted" shader system, this means that you'll need to rebuild shaders to work thier best in your chosen render engine.

Yeah, no kidding. That's why I asked. I know how to do it in Carrara but Lux is different so I asked how to do it in Lux, not for an explanation of different systems and why what works in one doesn't work in another. You did not offer a way for me to do it in Lux.

The "Layer" shader options and shader projections are specific to Carrara,. they "fake" the UV's allowing you to easily place a label, or logo onto an object.

Also, something I (and likely everyone else here) already know(s). And again, has nothing to do with the question I asked.

Normally,. (in other 3D programs) this would be done by exporting your models UV Layout (wire-frame template) then adding your labels / logo's, usinf an image editor, saving the results (without the wire-frame)
this image would then be loaded into your Diffuse (colour) channel or used as a blender in a mix.

Yeah, this is how it is done in Carrara. And again, something I already know and didn't need to have explained. I asked how to do it in Lux using Carrara's shader system and again you offer no explanation of that.

So, bottom line,..
You need to create the texture map with the logo's, since the render engine shaders system cannot support or translate, the Shader type you're using.

Of course I need to create a texture map. I know that. That wasn't the question. The question was how to make those maps work in Lux. You refer to the shader type I'm "using". I'm not sure how you'd even know what that was as I never said.

Hope that make sense :)

It made sense but your answer didn't say anything at all pertaining to the question I asked and it didn't help at all. I said I knew how to do it in Carrara and asked very specifically how to do it in Lux. You in no way addressed or answered my question. You typed out a whole bunch of words about generic 3D "stuff" but ended up saying nothing. Take a look at the response that "Steve at home" gave a full two and a half hours before you decided to chime in. Did you read that before you posted? That's a useful response. He actually answered the question I asked rather than try teach me a generic lesson about shaders as if I was a first year design student who's never seen a 3D program before. I know this is not the type of thing people are used to around here and I was gonna let it go but your response was so condescending and useless I decided it had to be said.

So, bottom line…
If you don't have the answer to the question that was asked, don't submit a response.

Andy is to nice to say anything, but I'm not.

You were abrasive and rude in your response to someone who was trying to help you. Someone not paid to help you I might add.

When someone asks a question in the forum, the person responding does not necessarily know the skill level of the user in Carrara or any other program. Sometimes this can lead to oversimplified answers. Instead of taking offense and posting that response, you could have simply said, that you were aware of the things Andy mentioned, and ask how to do those things in Lux, which you eventually did, albeit to get to that point, you have to wade through your offensive response to Andy. Simply cutting the rest of the BS in your response and restating the question would have required less work formulating your response, and presumably would get you your answer much more quickly.

MarkIsSleepy

GigaShadow said:

Top shader=Lux Surface
Material= Lux Mix (from the Lux Materials menu, not the Lux Textures menu though that would probably work too)
Material 1= Any of the options from the Lux Materials menu (Lux Matte, Glossy, etc…)
Material 2= Any of the options from the Lux Materials menu (Lux Matte, Glossy, etc…)
Amount= Texture map. The map is black and white. White for where the logo will show, black to hide where it won't.

In this case "Amount" functions like "Opacity Mask" on the standard Carrara shader tree. This will work for single color logos. If I want to mask around something that has more than one color I'll have to figure out another way. Now I think I might be able to. If not, I'll be back to ask again. :-)

Glad you figured this out - I wanted to answer since I just figured this out myself a few days ago but I saw your question while I was at work and forgot about it by the time I got home. I'm not sure exactly what you mean by having to mask for multi-color logos though - wouldn't the whole logo all be in one image? Can't you just load the whole multi-color image as a Texture in the Diffuse of Material 1 or Material 2? If not then I believe you can keep nesting things just like in a normal Carrara Shader too, so either or both of Material 1 and Material 2 could be another Lux Mix and you just keep nesting as much as you need to to construct the entire logo in (for example) Material 1 and Material 2 is the setup for whatever the logo is on.

Just FYI, the basic technique you discovered is also the way to set-up trans maps for hair and eyelashes in luxus - set Material 1 to Lux Null and Material 2 to your hair setup material and put the alpha map in the Amount. You may need to open up the alpha map in an image editor first and make sure it's sharp and as close to true black and white as possible for the best result.