How do I view Darktree Materials In the library

[Zolakaya]

Hi folks -

 

I'm on version 13 - Love the Darktree textures, but I'll be darned if I can get them to show up in my library. I'm able to create additional libraries and modify existing texture libraries.

 

Any ideas?

 

Thanks,

Zola

 

[Rodney]

Zola,

As far as I can tell Libraries don't support shortcuts to Darktrees (.dtst).

The Materials tab only supports .MAT files and none of the other tabs would seem to support them either.

 

It won't be a suitable substitute but if you just have to have a part of them in the Library you could apply them to a plane and render them out as an image for use as decals. Libraries do support image files via the Images tab.

[Zolakaya]

You are very kind to respond to my question - Thank you.

 

So, gosh, that's a bummer!

 

I could have sworn a saw a screen shot from the 'Two' project where they were picking Dark Tree matierals from a library... Hmph.

<EDIT

Found the image -

 

 

 

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showt...ary+texture+two

 

Doesn't that look like they've got themselves a dsts on display in their library there?

End Edit >

 

 

So, any suggestions on how to preview them prior to insertion into your project? Seems like a truckload of work to fake a library by rendering images of all the dsts - especially when the mat's they represent won't be accessable through drag and drop of the little rendered dealbob. NOT that it wasn't a most excelent idea.

 

I'll continue to cling to hope that there is some magical solution we haven't discovered yet.

 

Sincerely,

Z

[arkaos]

Darktrees, unfortunately, only show up under the material type after to changed if to a darksim type.

 

I recommend you do not get emotionally attached to the darktree materials, though. They render

slower than snails crawling across molasses. The best use of them, is as Rodney stated, render them

to a flat plane and use that image as a bases for UV texturing of your model (decals/stamps).

 

If I want to use a particular darktree on a background prop, I just use the material itself.

Any characters or character clothing I use them as decals to improve render quality and time.

 

I hope this information is useful to you.

[Rodney]

Zola,

I had in my mind Will Sutton's Darktree library (in A:M even!) when I posted.

I ran a test to see if I could add them to a Library and couldn't.

I was stuck in a logic trap where I knew you could but... couldn't.

In short... I was wrong.

 

As near as I can tell you will need to do the following to get Darktrees into your Library.

Install Darktree's AMSimbiont application. (This will require you to restart A:M. It may claim you need to restart your computer but I don't think you do.)

Create a new material

Change the Attribute to Darksim>AMSimbiont

Add that material to your Library

 

It should be noted that you'll have to create the Preview Image for any Libary shortcut that doesn't have one already.

 

Sorry... VERY SORRY... for the misinformation.

Hope this makes up for it a little.

 

Rodney

[Zolakaya]

Rodney,

 

This is fabulous news, thank you for your diligence and effort to exlain! Your assistance is sincerely appreciated.

 

Fundamentally, I'm quite hungry for materials of any sort and am interested in aquiring the EnhanceDT in combo with my existing EnhanceAM set of mat's to expand my pallete of textures - It appears that these are the primary available sources of Mat's for AM yeah?

 

It looks like it will be quite a bit of work to get all of the ehanceDT textures built into my library, but for more mat's I'll take it.

 

I do see the issue with the preview - Any tips by chance on attaching the preview to the library link after this task is completed?

 

Arkaos, et.al.,

 

Render time is less of an issue to me than quality- I'm mostly developing stills for print. That being said, lower render times is always nice. What's your opinion on U/V texturing mapping vs Material utilization?

 

Thanks again to both of you for your help here.

 

Respectfully,

Zola

[arkaos]

Rodney,

 

Arkaos, et.al.,

 

Render time is less of an issue to me than quality- I'm mostly developing stills for print. That being said, lower render times is always nice. What's your opinion on U/V texturing mapping vs Material utilization?

 

Thanks again to both of you for your help here.

 

Respectfully,

Zola

 

If producing stills is your goal and render time not a big concern, than using materials would be a great way to go. In areas were you need a little more

control (like faces) and other body areas, UV is your biggest asset. A:M has a robust decal/stamp setup that allows you to layer decals to control

surface attributes like color, displacement, normals, transparency, etc. You can get fine control and high levels of detail by using the uv system.

[ssappington]

Don't forget, the Simbiont Plug-in is now part of A:M.... (no need to install it separately, and it's also cross-platform)

[Rodney]

Don't forget, the Simbiont Plug-in is now part of A:M.... (no need to install it separately, and it's also cross-platform)

 

Whoops. Forgot that part.

Hope installing didn't break anything.

 

Thanks Steve.

[Zolakaya]

Got it! Roger dodger. Thanks again for all for your help!

[zandoriastudios]

I actually went through the process of making A:M materials by changing the attribute to DarkSim, then rendering a preview image. Then I made a Library file for TWO that had all of the darktrees, and also a bunch of Bitmap Plus materials (using Marlin Studios textures). All of that data is part of SVN, so if you are working on TWO, then you have access to it.