Decal limit?

[Slipin Lizard]

Is there a limit to the number of decals I can apply to a model? I'm doing a model of a music keyboard, and its pretty decal intensive. I've reached a point where I can still apply more decals, but they will not show up in the render.

[MMZ_TimeLord]

I don't believe there is a limit, but someone from Hash (Martin) would have to answer that for sure.

 

It could be that your realtime rendering is set to limit the frame rate time.

 

Check this in your 'Tools->Options' under the 'Global' tab. Make sure that the 'Interrupt drawing' setting has the 'Limit max drawing time' unchecked.

[robcat2075]

How/where are you applying them?

 

Can you show a screen cap of them not appearing?

[Slipin Lizard]

Thanks for the suggestions. The limit max drawing time was not checked in the options. Still the same problem. I can apply the decal to the model, and see it applied in the modeling window, but it doesn't show up in the final render.

 

I currently have 20 decals applied to a flat surface. Decal 21 is a no go. I'm not going to get into posting screen captures for two reasons: 1) there's nothing to "see" the decals are there in the modeling window, and in Choreography, but don't show up when I render it out. Keep in mind, I've successfully applied 20 decals, so I understand the basics of how to do it. 2) the computer I use on the internet is not the one I work on, so its a bit of a pain in the butt to transfer screen captures.

 

I'm going to do a test on a different model, and see if there is a limit to the number of decals I can apply to a single surface.

 

Again, thanks for trying.

[heyvern]

Is this 21 images?

 

Or 21 decals?

 

I would say there is no "stated" limit on decals. But there is a limit on what your computer can handle. Each image or decal requires memory... at some point you reach a "hypothetical" limit. It would be different for each user.

 

-----------------------

 

Try to see if there is a way to combine some of those decals. If you are stamping the same image over and over... put them in one decal.

 

If you are are stamping multiple different images... see if you can combine several images into one image and stamp with one decal.

 

If the decals are in a small area... and you are scaling the decal down a tremendous amount... scale the image down in your paint application. A larger image uses more resources in AM.

 

21 decals... that is a LOT of decals. It would be easier to manage if these could be combined in some way.

 

Vernon "!" Zehr

[oakchas]

I am currently building a keyboard type object with ~43 decals and more to go... each is currently a separate graphic file... I am not running into this problem... But, I do intend to combine them into one (or at least just a few) graphic file(s) to save space in the PWS if nothing else.

 

now I have to try to look at tutes to try to figure out how to combine the files and stamp just the portion I need onto each distinct key.

[helimox]

I had a problem when I was decaling a cartoon leopard- each spot was individually stamped on. they were small files but there were probably 200 of them. After decaling each spot on one side I deformed the mesh in an action to flatten it out , saved the action and rendered the frame. I would then use that render as a stamp to replace the many individual stamps. When you do this your decals will look deformed in the action and the render but because you stamp the consolidated decal on deformed mesh in the action it will look fine when you go back to the model window.

[Slipin Lizard]

Thanks everyone... Vern, yeah, I would like to consolidate the decals, but because the Illustrator and AM Master dimensions don't even come close to matching up, its very difficult if not impossible to do. Problem is, the decals are more than cosmetic, they are labeling button functions and such. But ideally, I would have made the entire "decaling" in Illustrator, so that I could simply apply it as one decal in AM.

 

Its good to know other people are using more decals without difficulty. At least I know its not a program limitation. I tried using stamps in areas where there were multiples of the same decal, and this resulted in some really weird smearing effects, almost like when a CP is wildly out of place. I think what I'll do is transfer the project to another computer and see if it reaches a limit. If not, then it probably just means like Vern said, that its too much for the comp to process. Funny thing is the model came out really nice, its just decaling that is taking all the time now.

 

Again, thanks to everyone for your input, it really helps. I better go watch the Super Bowl!

[oakchas]

Since I was doing sorta the same thing... And couldn't think of a reasonable solution to all those decals on all those buttons... What would happen if you did this:

 

1. in model window, hide all unnecessary cp's/splines

2. render to file Wireframe only to however big a targa file you need (to match Illustrator)...

3. use it as a layer in Illustrator as template to place the switch labels, etc. either delete the spline/cp layer and save layer with labels as a targa with alpha...

 

Back in A:M load the model with all the same Cps visible as you renderd. apply decal.

 

 

Maybe this won't work... I won't be able to try it til tomorrow...

 

there may be another step between 1&2

 

If you copy all of the unhidden cps/splines and paste just them to a new model window, that would be all there was to render.... wireframe or no....

 

Iduuno.... I'm just thinking out loud...

[oakchas]

SL,

 

I've tried the method I described above... It does not work well enough... the labels come out fuzzy on close up.