Speed Tree + Max9 sun/sky render

[GGJason]

I'm having the problem of my speed tree's being over exposed / too bright during render time.

 

I'm using Log exposure control, so I know that's the reason for it happening, but is there a way to exclude the trees when using the daylight system with MR sun / sky?

 

I've been told no, but maybe ther eis a workaround that someone knows?

 

Any help is appreciated....thanks

[cloaked_spectre]

yeah, just right click on on the object/ properties/mental ray tab/ uncheck those boxes.....

[GGJason]

Ok so that would turn them off to ALL light completely right?

 

Is there a way to exclude them from my daylight system and create a direct light source with lower values to light them instead?

[cloaked_spectre]

no, that excludes them from the global illumination ....which floods them with photons making them washed out....

[GGJason]

Aaaahh thank you very much for the explanation.

[GGJason]

One last thing to bug you with....

 

I know you said the photons make it washed out / over bright, but since I am using log exposure control, wouldn't that be the case here? Not the photons?

[cloaked_spectre]

i'm not sure....i just know that i've had that problem in the past with textures, especially ground planes and billboard trees......I'll have to defer that to the render masters around here......(?)

[GGJason]

Just tried turning all the illumination options off and they are still bright. I'm guessing it has to do with the exposure control and only the exp contr. It's weird that the global options like that don't effect the speed trees.

[Justin Hunt]

Not having used Speedtrees before, can the tree texture be loaded into the material editor?

 

If so turn the material output down, or convert them to Arch& design materials and drop the diffuse level

 

HTH

 

JHV

[GGJason]

Nope, that's the problem I am finding with using them right now. I have no way of adjusting the output on the maps themselves. Speed tree uses planes / clipmaps when rendering though, which is why I don't understand where the maps are stored. I've searched through the directory and found nothing. Also emailing their tech support doesn't help much, because they never respond.

[GGJason]

I take that back! I found TGA files in the directory, but you don't actually apply the material to the tree...it picks from each directory the tree / maps you want.

 

How would I go about adjusting these in photoshop the same way as adjusting the RGB output in max?

[GGJason]

I finally got a reply from the tech support. Looks like there is a way to fix the speed tree materials in max.

 

here is the response

"What you’re seeing is indeed a treatment of the RGB output for the SpeedTree textures. This was something we tried (to make trees match CAD better in MAX) with version 4.0. Version 4.1 is coming out soon, and these “overbrights” have been removed from the MAX workflow. There shouldn’t be any difference between a SpeedTree’s textures and a regular texture, you just have to expose it. Click on a SpeedTree with the eyedropper tool from the material editor, and the material should appear in the material editor. You should then be able to decrease the RGB output appropriately."

 

Thanks for all the help.