How to use Material Conversion Tool?

[3dreamstudios]

I have a need to use the automatic material conversion tool but am not having luck getting anything from it. I have objects setup with regular LW Layers. Mainly Diffuse simple layers. I have tried pressing Mat. Conversion button when object selected, surface in Surface Editor selected and nothing happens.

I'm sure it's user error. Anyone help?

[3dreamstudios]

Ah it seems it was working. But two workflow things.

It did not turn on the NODE checkbox. If you dive into the nodes the material nodes are there. It might be good to add a checkbox on the Mat Conversion dialog to make Nodes Default texture (check the box) as an option or in the dialog add that Nodes will need to be CHECKED once finished.

[3dworks]

if i remember correctly, juanjo cannot do it because of a LW SDK limitation... but as a general tip: you can activate nodes with a mass selction as well: select all surfaces in surface editor together, then just click on checkbox!

cheers

markus

[3dreamstudios]

if i remember correctly, juanjo cannot do it because of a LW SDK limitation... but as a general tip: you can activate nodes with a mass selction as well: select all surfaces in surface editor together, then just click on checkbox!

cheers

markus

Ah I see. I did find that you can select all the surfaces at once and that certainly helps. Shame SDK is so shut off from the outside world! Maybe NEXT... I bet it's out by 2020...lol.

[juanjgon]

Hi,

Yes, this is an SDK limitation. There is no way to enable this flag using the available functions. Sorry. The mass selection workaround is the only solution currently.

Thanks,
-Juanjo

[3dreamstudios]

Hi,

Yes, this is an SDK limitation. There is no way to enable this flag using the available functions. Sorry. The mass selection workaround is the only solution currently.

Thanks,
-Juanjo

No problem. You work with what they give you! I would suggest a small type NOTE that mentions the need to enable the Node Check Box as a UI clarification/help though. It played with this new feature a few times before I knew it was even doing anything. I wasn't sure if I needed to select objects, surfaces etc. Then I checked the box and found the materials had been converted.

[pryzm]

Bringing this up again. Is there a special way to invoke this tool? It seems to work and then not work. I've tried different ways (select one material, select all materials, select materials for just one object/all objects, select automatic, select diffuse/glossy/specular) and it never seems to work all the time.

Is there a workflow that is consistent to get this tool to work?

thanks,

bruce

[3dreamstudios]

I found this too, but I think it's user error (at least for me it was) It only works on the SELECTED OBJECT not SURFACES in the surface editor.

So to better understand (as I think I've figured out) You'll need to have the OBJECT selected then invoke command. I then open surface editor and highlight all the surfaces of that OBJECT and check the NODE box. This gives pretty good results to begin working with NODE materials for Octane.

Hope that helps.

[juanjgon]

Yes, this tools works on the selected objects, converting all the materials inside the all selected objects.

Thanks,
-Juanjo

[pryzm]

Ahh, okay. Okay, I'll give that a shot. That might need some updating in the user manual (unless I missed it somewhere)

Thanks!