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define wrote:forgot to include the sketchup-file. here it is.
best
klaus

Still no attachment ? Perhaps you need to 'zip' it....
Anyway......... 'alpha-channels' etc for Sketchup HAVE been discussed [outside of the forum] and they might be a future option - but NOT immediately!

hello TIG,

thx for your answer.

Here's another attempt with a zipped-skp-file.

I visited the refractivesoftware-site a few minutes ago
and one of the gallery-show-examples struck me.

Its a scene with something that does look like buttons on a car-console.
The creator successfully mapped graphical elements - looks like decals.
There must be a workaround I guess.
Would you have any advice for me as to how to achieve this with the actual version of octane.
I tried hard...but since there is no doku available I could'nd figure out as yet how to manage
these effects.
I will ofcourse ask the creator of that image too (don't remember his name - have to go back to pick it up)

hopefully the file will be in the enclosure now.


best

klaus

Define

Thanks...
Your .SKP contains a .PNG "image" with background transparency.
It is glued to the surface of a face [as you placed it].
I suggest you un-glue it and move it a few mm in front of the face so the two faces' textures don't overlap/conflict.
However, when exported to Octane the transparency 'alpha-channel' in the .PNG comes over with its original color... 'black'.
Transparency in PNGs isn't supported by Octane Render [YET?]
You also need to make the image span across a whole surface to avoid seeing the 'joints'.
You need to trick SUp/Image-editor into using the 'same color' for the main SUp face and the image's 'background' to avoid the transparency pitfall...
You also might need to make a separate file - say "Image1BUMP.png" - to use as the 'bump-map' ?

See these other discussions too... viewtopic.php?f=23&t=2207&p=21467&hilit=png+transparency#p21467
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=363&p=17555&hilit=png+transparency#p17555
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1756&p=17434&hilit=png+transparency#p17434
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1334&p=13307&hilit=png+transparency#p13307

Hi TIG,

I'm looking forward to octane having alpha-channel-support.

the links have been quite inlightening - especially kudos entry.

I did some experiments with '3dcoat' and 'rhino5beta' which
look promising too (exporting obj's with baked in decals).
tomorrow I will even give 'truespace 7.1' a try, since I
remember some nice UV-baking features that showed up there.
there must be ways to go...as we can admire in the octane-gallery.

still wonder how the fellows at 'twilight-render' managed to handle
those glued png's from within sketchup.
It works perfectly...if only it was as fast as octane

I think for the meantime I'll pick up my update on keyshot 2 for my actual
job. Else its going to get uncomfortable.

thx again

klaus

is this version working with 2.3?
For me exporting works but the camera view is all weird! Hum like a TV with problems to connect channels (banding). ther must be a parameter not well imported but I cant find where to tweak it manualy...

Tig - Thanks so much for the great Octane Exporter !

The FixReversedFaceMaterials script assumes that the material was assigned to a reversed face.
This probably a common issue when modeling in Sketchup, but not in my case (and probably others)
I am using a BIM program that assigns the material to the correct face, but exports the 3d model with some faces reversed, so when importing into Sketchup. Tig's script doesn't work for me at all.
I have tried many other scripts, and I find the Automatic Face Reverser by Didier Bur to be the most effective.
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtop ... 323&t=5333
http://rhin.crai.archi.fr/rubylibraryde ... php?id=460

My tool FixReversedFaceMaterials was originally made to address a particular problem experienced when Exporting a sloppily made model - i.e. reversing faces and swapping their back-materials onto their front-face, whilst retaining the UV-mapping...

The problem with simply reversing faces manually [or with a script] is that the material that was on the back-face [but wrongly oriented and looking 'outwards'] ends up looking the 'wrong way'. If it's been UV-mapped it will now also be the wrong way round ? This might be fine if you haven't yet 'Textured' your model - but it's a proper mess if you have...

I have not published the more recent updates for my FixReversedFaceMaterials tools on this Forum because I didn't think them so relevant to this 'Octane Render Exporter'... BUT if you visit the SketchUcation.com Plugins Forum [ http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtop ... 34#p264134 ] you'll see that it has now evolved into four distinct tools...

1. Fix Reversed Face Materials - reverses selected faces, filtered for those that have back-materials but no front-materials, and then puts those back-materials, correctly UV-mapped, onto their now front-faces; with the now back-faces having no material.

2. Fix Reversed Face Materials [Forced] - reverses selected faces, filtered for those that have back-materials but irrespective of their front-materials, and puts those back-materials, correctly UV-mapped, onto their now front-faces; the now back-faces having no material.

3. Reverse Faces and Materials - reverses selected faces, and then swaps their front-materials with their back-materials, with both materials remaining correctly UV-mapped, so they look the same but are now on the swapped over faces.***

4. Delete Back-Materials - removes any materials from the back-faces of selected faces - this is used to minimize textures in a model.

***3. Might do what you want IF the faces are pretextured, BUT you must manually select the faces to be processed...

TIG,

I have a problem with the SU exporter. When i use Render Frame I get the following error:

Windows cannot find 'octane.cmd'. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again.


regards,

Guy

GuyWydouw wrote:...I have a problem with the SU exporter. When i use 'Render Frame' I get the following error:
Windows cannot find 'octane.cmd'. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again...

This is a brand new problem - congratulations!
The way the 'Exporter' works is that a temporary 'octane.cmd' file is made, based on the settings you have entered in the dialog when you press the 'Render Frame' button.
That temporary 'octane.cmd' file goes into the folder that's specified for the 'project-path'.
If that folder doesn't exist [either because you have recently deleted it or it wasn't ever made] you should get an error-message about that - so that shouldn't be the problem...
So let's assume that the folder is there... the temporary 'octane.cmd' should get written and then 'run' [actually it uses UI.openURL("...project_path\octane.cmd")].
The error-message that you report suggests that the 'octane.cmd' file isn't being made, so then the 'run' command can't find it ?
OR perhaps it finds it but can't 'open' [=run] it ?
Do you have appropriate access-rights to write new files to the folder you have specified [you should! - I suggest that perhaps you make a new folder on your Desktop, specify its path and try again - then this folder must then be 'yours' and fully accessible ?].
Lack of permissions could stop this temporary 'cmd' file from getting made [and it'd also block the required project.ocs file being made too] ???
OR is there a file in that folder called 'octane.cmd' already that can't be 'read' ??? If some = weirdness.........
Can you post a snap-shot of your folder[s]...

I just tried it in SketchUp 8, and some of the labels on the UI controls seem to be missing. The export seems to work okay still, though.