environment background with Alpha

Maxon Cinema 4D (Export script developed by abstrax, Integrated Plugin developed by aoktar)

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Flcc
Licensed Customer
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Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2014 11:16 pm

Switching to 2.21.1, I can't keep my environment background anymore while having my Alpha still... I need this feature many times a day here at work.
I know i can do it with render pass object id etc... but it's mainly for final render.
I see on the forum someone talk about a "keep environment" button in kernel setting but it seem I don't have it, or I can't find it.
how do I fix this ?

Thanks
Wondows 7 ; C4D R15 ; Octane 2.21.1
Flcc
Licensed Customer
Posts: 25
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2014 11:16 pm

Hi
Can someone just tell me if i'm missing something or if it is just the normal new behavior of version 2.21.1.
Or if the question is not clear due to my bad english.
Wondows 7 ; C4D R15 ; Octane 2.21.1
dbalzer
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Hi,

I've started using Octane 2.1x and the way it behaves is that your background image will show up in LV when you enable Alpha channel in Kernel settings. When you render it make sure to disable visible in render option and your render will keep the alpha channel so you can put your image behind in post again OR give your objects an Octane object tag and enable render layer mask IDs in Octane render settings. In that way you'll have a fully comped render output and the alpha channels for your objects at the same time.
Windows 8.1/Cinema4D R16/1x GTX 980Ti + external GPU expander with 2x GTX 980Ti's and 2x GTX 970's
Flcc
Licensed Customer
Posts: 25
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2014 11:16 pm

Thank for the response.
But I don't speak about Background Object, but about Background environment such as Octane Daylight or Octane HDRI
In my previous version 2.16 if I Activate alpha channel in Kernel Setting and C4D Save Setting, When I render I get an image with the Background environment AND alpha. Now I still have alpha but in LiveViewer or Picture Viewer I have a black Background.
For the final render it's not a problem, but for the intermediate work it's really annoying.
Wondows 7 ; C4D R15 ; Octane 2.21.1
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aoktar
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What do you see when you disable "show alpha" in LV? We have lot of options for playing by users.
Octane For Cinema 4D developer / 3d generalist

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Flcc
Licensed Customer
Posts: 25
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2014 11:16 pm

Hi Aoktar
When I disable "show alpha" in the LV settings I get black color in place of the environment Background.
If I enable I get the transparency Checkboard.
Wondows 7 ; C4D R15 ; Octane 2.21.1
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abstrax
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Flcc wrote:Switching to 2.21.1, I can't keep my environment background anymore while having my Alpha still... I need this feature many times a day here at work.
I know i can do it with render pass object id etc... but it's mainly for final render.
I see on the forum someone talk about a "keep environment" button in kernel setting but it seem I don't have it, or I can't find it.
how do I fix this ?

Thanks
It has been removed a while ago. What are you r trying to do? To have a proper separation between foreground and background you enable the alpha channel and render a separate environment pass. The environment pass will contain your background/environment.
In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is. - Yogi Berra
Flcc
Licensed Customer
Posts: 25
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2014 11:16 pm

I Know that.
I don't speak about final renders but intermediate phase of work. In all renderers i use before (And in my previous version of Octane) I can activate alpha AND see my environment Background (daylight or HDRI). Now i much choose between Alpha or Environment. I Know I can uses passes, layer etc...
But for common work its not really convenient.
Wondows 7 ; C4D R15 ; Octane 2.21.1
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abstrax
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Flcc wrote:I Know that.
I don't speak about final renders but intermediate phase of work. In all renderers i use before (And in my previous version of Octane) I can activate alpha AND see my environment Background (daylight or HDRI). Now i much choose between Alpha or Environment. I Know I can uses passes, layer etc...
But for common work its not really convenient.
Why do you use alpha in intermediate renderings at all, if you don't do composites? Or better: What do you want to do and what are the steps you do?
In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is. - Yogi Berra
Flcc
Licensed Customer
Posts: 25
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2014 11:16 pm

Because it's my workflow. In all renderer i've used before (vray, mental-Ray, max scan line, maya software, AR, even renderman), activate alpha channel don't disable the render of the environment background in the viewer.

In my intermediate rendering I need to see the whole image (seems obvious).
So I do a bunch of test rendering and in the picture viewer I choose some image to save, then I do a simple compositing, or chromatic correction, the more often on the background. Except that now (since I work with BG visualization, thus without alpha) the chosen images have not their Alpha.

As i say before I can live with that, but with this behavior I have to anticipate when a rendering will be saved or not.

Sorry, the problem seem very simple, may be my english is not very clear.
What I want to know is if it's really the new behavior or if I'm missing a setting somewhere.
Wondows 7 ; C4D R15 ; Octane 2.21.1
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