Change Octane Light direction based on sel. render camera?

[MrFurious]

Is there any way in Modo somehow automate the Octane light direction depending on which render camera is selected, for example I have 3 cameras in my scene but each camera requires the sun to be at a different location.

Thanks,
Dino.

[face_off]

I'm sure there is a way to do this, but unsure on the exact workflow. The sun coords are taken from the directional light specified in the Environment. So the trick would be to have multiple Environments, each connected to a different light, and somehow enable each environment according to the camera in use. A Modo-Guru would be able to provide better advice.

Paul

[MrFurious]

Thanks Paul great suggestion. I tried this and there's some strange behavior happening with Octane, although this seems to work well for the native renderer.

it's as if Octane doesn't recognize if there's a second environment material. I setup a second environment material using a second light as the Sun Light. But even if this second material is enabled and the original one disabled, Octane still uses the sun light from the first Environment material regardless. Even if that Env Material is disabled.

[face_off]

it's as if Octane doesn't recognize if there's a second environment material. I setup a second environment material using a second light as the Sun Light. But even if this second material is enabled and the original one disabled, Octane still uses the sun light from the first Environment material regardless. Even if that Env Material is disabled.

I will try to push a fix for that into the next release (due this weekend).

Paul

[face_off]

I have added the following to the next release....

- The plugin now updates the Octane daylight position when the assigned Modo Environment Sun Light is changed

However I'm not sure it will solve your issue. Modo only allows one directional light to be designated as the Sun Light, so setting a Sun Light in one Environment Material will set it in all the others. I was able to trick Modo into thinking there was two, but I think this is a Modo bug, and bad things happened after that.

Paul

[MrFurious]

You're right, Modo has no way I could find to change the Sun Light other than to manually select it in the environment texture, this isn't even available as a modifiable channel. Also no luck with multiple environment textures but I found a great way to do this by dynamically parenting the sun light to 'proxy' directional lights. (was up 'till all hours of the morning learning modo's nodal system) Works extremely well! I can upload my assembly if you're interested or if anyone else would like to be able to do this.

Thanks for your efforts Paul.

[MrFurious]

- The plugin now updates the Octane daylight position when the assigned Modo Environment Sun Light is changed

I think your plugin does this already? If there's only a single environment texture with a sun light assigned it works flawlessly with the current build.

[face_off]

I think your plugin does this already? If there's only a single environment texture with a sun light assigned it works flawlessly with the current build.

The current version is not auto-updating is you change which of the directional lights is being used as the Sun Light. That is fixed in the next release.

Paul