UNOFFICIAL plugin for 3ds Max 2010+

[face]

Well, if nobody answers about "to have or not to have distinct still and animation render-projects?", I thought a bit, and found my mind about this.
I think that animation of material change from frame to frame - it is animation too... And in some cases, you have to set different materials to the same object in different frames. E.g. if I have to animate chameleon that changes its skin color in 1 second - I need to set to all 25 frames different .ocs files with different materials on chameleons skin... And I will need to edit all these frames manually in Octane, and only then start animation of entire sequence...
So, plugin must not only store different render-projects (.ocs files) for still render and for animation render, it even must to have an ability to store different render-projects to different frames of animation... And animation render process must decide: if for current frame it is no special .ocs file - then get an .ocs from a nearest previous frame.
Will add this algorithm in one of next versions...

I don´t know max, but for texture sequences or color changes, in Softimage i can render out for every mesh a baked texture, which has for every frame the same image-name.
The same would work for material changes. You fade the color from black to white and use the baked texture as an input of a material mix node.
Maybe an attempt...

face

[JimStar]

Thank you for this tip! I got some understanding...
But I think that what I decided to add in a new version may have application in work with animation? I mean "to have an optional ability to attach an own .ocs file to some of frames"...


PS. I have almost done that in 1.55...

[retmia]

Thanks for the explanation on how to setup the plugin!

About the poll, I'll try to explain my logic :

Now that I use octane, I really no longer see the point to work with the 3DS Max renderer. I just setup some basic shader in it (named colors) and then go to octane and do all the shading and lighting work here. It is its the biggest advantage to me ( I hope I will soon be able to say that I also love octane's real speed, because for now the scene loading time is often as long as rendering it [...] which doubles the render times - But you're working on it and that's more than gorgeous:! )

By using that method I always go back and forth between the two, to add some objects, to move some others [...] to try diferent points of view, to place shadows, reflections [...] That's why it seemed logic to me to use still frame before making an animation, as I use it to setup the scene at differents points in time.

When all that is done, then I can go render the animation!

[JimStar]

Thanks for the explanation on how to setup the plugin!

About the poll, I'll try to explain my logic :

Now that I use octane, I really no longer see the point to work with the 3DS Max renderer. I just setup some basic shader in it (named colors) and then go to octane and do all the shading and lighting work here. It is its the biggest advantage to me ( I hope I will soon be able to say that I also love octane's real speed, because for now the scene loading time is often as long as rendering it [...] which doubles the render times - But you're working on it and that's more than gorgeous:! )

By using that method I always go back and forth between the two, to add some objects, to move some others [...] to try diferent points of view, to place shadows, reflections [...] That's why it seemed logic to me to use still frame before making an animation, as I use it to setup the scene at differents points in time.

When all that is done, then I can go render the animation!

And this logic was already discussed here - and for that I added two buttons next to "frame sequence": the right button (">") sets it to full sequence, and with left button ("<") you can set the sequence to one first frame only and can go "back and forth" and edit it as you doing it in "still render" ("Edit first frame" must be checked), it will be only one frame opened and rendered.
It is an ideologigal thing, I intentionally do that way, to use the power of "rollouts" in Max: if you not use something - just CLOSE that rollout to it not be an eyesore. So, if you make animation only, you must NOT use still rendering at all and just close it.

And the process will be as follows:
1. Set the sequence to "From first to first frame" with button "<"
2. Press "Full render" (with setting "Close Octane before render" set and "Keep animation cache" not set)
3. Edit what you need
4. Save Octane-project
5. Close Octane if you want, otherwise it will be closed automatically before start next render
6. Edit geometry in Max
7. GOTO 2.

[JimStar]

1.60 done.

[Jaberwocky]

Thanks Jim

I'll have a play.

[Elvissuperstar007]

video tutorial on working with plug-in!

[JimStar]

1.70...

[tonycho]

Wow, the fastest update i ever know
Great Jim

[JimStar]

Bugfixes in 1.71...