OBJ Export

[BillyRaygun]

I'm trying to understand one thing. When I export as an OBJ file, every surface and/or object I want to be a different material in Octane, needs to have it's own material already assigned in the modeling program?

Is that right?

[kubo]

yeap, it needs a material assigment and it's uv map too if needed, then in octane you can tweak the material in real time.

[BillyRaygun]

Ok. So basically, I do all my setup work in the modeler. Mapping, materials etc? This is fine but in my industry, I need to have surfaces with images, like a movie poster. Do I actually map the graphic to the surface in the modeler, or just map the coordinates, then apply the graphic in Octane?

[kubo]

well you could assign a material with no texture and just add an uv map, and then in octane tune the material and add the a texture, but I guess it's easier to set a material's uv coordinates seeing that the picture fits right, and then export it to octane to fine tune it (specularity and so on)

[BillyRaygun]

Thanks Kubo.

With all due respect to Octane, is the work flow of Octane duplicating efforts? I'm just trying to wrap my head around the program. I think it is pretty cool and very easy to make changes on the fly. I'm just trying to understand the logic and/or though process of having to setup materials and textures in the modeler first.

Is this just the limitations of the demo/beta? I guess the more I understand the more helpful it will be for me to switch over to a Mac Book Pro from a PC and change from Vray to Octane.

Billy Raygun

[kubo]

no, it's not duplicating, keep in mind that Octane is an external renderer, it does not model nor map for you. The neat thing is you can tune your materials in real time seeing really how they will look with no fuss and no way of getting it wrong. Usually my workflow is I model and assign very simple materials, either colors, or if needed to be mapped a simple image to help me map correctly, then I export it to octane where I can easily build up that simple setup to a more complex and interesting one using nodes, meanwhile seeing how it looks, moving around to find "that shot" and playing with the light till everything feels perfect.
Before, modeling used to be half the time spent on a project, now everything has changed, trial and error on textures and lighting and test renders have disappeared, it's really really fun. Try it and you'll see.