Applying a spherical decal

[Gerry]

I'm trying to decal the entire surface of an eyeball using the "spherical" setting and I obviously don't know what I'm doing! I played around with the settings but didn't improve it. Can someone point me to a tutorial on this or explain it a little?

[robcat2075]

I'm trying to decal the entire surface of an eyeball using the "spherical" setting and I obviously don't know what I'm doing! I played around with the settings but didn't improve it. Can someone point me to a tutorial on this or explain it a little?

 

Can you show the bad result?

 

A spherical map wraps around an object rather like a Mercator map would fit onto a globe.

 

Your target shape needs to be centered on 0 on the X and Z axi when you do the apply. If it's a body part that normally isn't, make an action that moves it there and apply in the action.

[Gerry]

Okay, having it centered like that explains a lot. I'll try it again.

[HomeSlice]

Also, a spherical map needs to be twice as wide as it is tall. Other ratios will work, but not as well in my experience.

[jakerupert]

Hoorayh, thanks to this thread I managed to apply a sperical map correctly for the first time.

 

Still I have some probably stupid questions. Robcat explained:

 

>Your target shape needs to be centered on 0 on the X and Z axi when you do the apply.

 

Then the y pivots value is also 0 right, so I do set it to 0 on all three axises, correct?

 

- When I tried the same with cylindrial, it worked like a charm also.

 

Do you best always apply from the frontview then?

[robcat2075]

Then the y pivots value is also 0 right, so I do set it to 0 on all three axises, correct?

 

The decal takes its vertical placement from however you place it on the screen. The object doesn't have to be centered vertically on Y=0

 

 

 

 

 

Do you best always apply from the frontview then?

I've never tried the others.

 

 

 

I've been physically moving the group to be centered on X and Z. I just eyeballed it.

[jakerupert]

Well Robcat thanks a lot!

 

I always knew, when I would just wait long enough, one day with the help of this fabulous forum I also would get an understanding

of this finally.

 

Another related question I am still struggeling with is the alignment of a material with a certain object:

 

Would I take the pivotvalues x,y,z of the group and insert these into the transform x,y,z values of the material

to achieve this, for instance for a woodstructure to show up correctly?

 

Or do you have to "apply" it in an action with object set to x,z= 0 as well?

 

(Is this important for matcap-materials as well?)

 

(Sorry to kidnap this thread now, but I guess it had ended anyhow...)

[robcat2075]

Would I take the pivotvalues x,y,z of the group and insert these into the transform x,y,z values of the material

to achieve this, for instance for a woodstructure to show up correctly?

 

That will work and is probably faster than what I was doing which was dragging and sliding on the translate values while watching a progressive render.

 

When you paste your values it's better to paste them into the instance of the material in the group rather than in the original material.

 

Or do you have to "apply" it in an action with object set to x,z= 0 as well?

 

As far as I know, there's no way to apply a material to a group while in an Action (or a Pose) like you can a decal. That would very powerful if we could distort a model in a pose and apply a material.

 

(Is this important for matcap-materials as well?)

 

I don't think placement is important for matcap since it doesn't have 3D details like combiner materials do. Let me know if I'm wrong.