Universal materials

[darkodobric]

Hello everyone,

 

I have to model a gallery for a company, and make materials/textures for my models, for architects to use them in their workflow. However I am stuck. Is there a way to make a material that will work in all softwares/engines. I need it to particularly work in sketchUp and I dont know a way to achieve it, cuz vray materials simply doesnt convert good.

I tried workflow of making textures for diff, gloss, spec, and other, but they are requesting the model to be automatically textured and material applied when they import it in their scene.

 

I dont know if its even possible that you make material with loaded textures like .3ds format that will work only in sketchup not to mention to work in all softwares possbile.

 

Some suggestions please...ITS URGENT!!!

[Francisco Penaloza]

Welp, the person who requested that from you really does not understand how 3d softwares work.

First of all there is not such thing. You can export mesh from one software to other through compatible format such fbx, collada, OBJ and others that will maintain basic compatibility of materials but it is not a one click solution and Depending of your company workflow and software this may or not work.

Having said this Sketchup is the most basic material around. You can't control other properties such glossines because they do not exist inside skechup.

If you and other architects are using VRay for sketchup, then, there should no be any problem sharing objects and meshes. VRay materials will stay. There is in the work a standard VRay material that should be compatible between 3d softwarea such, Rhino, Skechup, 3d max and so but it is not fully deployed yet. You may want to check Chaos group website for more updated info.

Edited September 18, 2016 by fco3d

[darkodobric]

Thank you very much Francisco. I first thought that THERE WAS a way around it. I am beginner and so wasnt confident about it. They want like basic material applied. Basic colors and such. How do you suggest to do that, and what should I tell them? I was unwrapping every model, and was making colored textures which were like basically one color for specular or difuse, the maximum of 3 flat colors on uv islands, to reconstruct the material parameters. Without any variation, bump or worned edges. I promised making textures for the models, but they insisted on making simple material no bump no color variation, not a single sign of realism, and then whats the point of unwrapping and making textures and wasting my time on these tight deadlines.

What should I do and what should I tell them. This is my first job so I am not quite sure. I am confident with my skills but I am not confident with emplyers, thats something new for me

[Francisco Penaloza]

Well what you will learn on time is most of the time clients don't know what they need, they thing they know what they want, but not what they really need.

Specifically to your question it would be hard for me to give you a straight answer, before I understand their workflow, what software they use, do they want to do renderings them self?

Do you work with Sketchup? or you are Max user??

If they only use sketchup, then there is nothing to prepare, what you see is what you get, you could put textures in the models, but that will be only one texture, that all.

 

If they use V-Ray(Which in my opinion is wrong for a person who does not want to spend time learning the software)

If they use V-Ray then you could prepare the other textures, but unwraping??? in Sketchup?? is that even possible???

Sketchup texturing is so simple, you could do it in other application but it is worth the time??

in resume, what they really hope to do?

[darkodobric]

Right. I didnt mention that. Here is what the project is about. I use 3ds max and vray, and I can do textures in Mari.

Basically, their gallery needs to have a 3D version. Models will be used by architects, to use them in their work, and models should be modeled in right dimensions they provided me, and "it would be nice to have a basic color" as they requested. Architects use different softwares, 3ds max, or other. They told me that most use sketchup so the compatibility should be mostly towards the sketchup.

So its okay. Model itself CAN be used in all softwares, but the materials are impossible. I am sending them .fbx, .3ds, .max and .obj. And I tested them in maya and cinema4d. But as you told me, it is impossible for materials to be the same, so thats what I will tell them.

They should know that it is impossible.

For the parts with wood its okay to prepare textures to be unwrapped and textured without seams, but the ones that are only metal surface I dont see why should I waste time preparing those "textures" which are just basic color.

 

I have a question for you about .3ds format however. I am having issues with size. When I import .3ds format in my scene it is HUGE.

.fbx and .obj are accurate in dimensions but .3ds appears 10 times or so bigger in size.

You know how to fix that, or is it the .3ds format that is bad ?

[RyderSK]

There were many attempts at doing this, but you know how it is with standards, you have 20, introduce one universal, and end up with 21 standards...

 

FBX got as close to universal scene transport as could, but it's proprietary. Allembic is non-proprietary but too VFX focused. Collada is all cool and open-source but dead.

As materials go, nVidia tried some universal shader language but we don't even have software sticking to the same terminology of parameters. Just look at PBR.

 

Maybe in next 5 years ? It will definitely get there. It will be FBX and some extended PBR convention but first those still kicking legs need to die. Then we will have universal software agnostic (3dsMax/Maya/Blender/Mari/etc...) and engine agnostic (Vray/Corona/Renderman/Arnold/etc...) scene transfer. At least as some mesh plus shaders go ( +/- point cache animation )

 

Currently you just have to find the best way between two particular apps, optionally with some convertor tool/script.

[darkodobric]

Thanks dude. Very appreciated. Well they didnt specify the render, I dont know to which to convert. They'll get what they get.

 

What about .3ds format? I mentioned it kinda looks very enlarged and not to scale. You had that issue?

[Francisco Penaloza]

They need to tell you all software they use and what render engine, you can not be guessing that, is like going to the car mechanic without telling them what type and model car you have ha ha ha.

 

Short answer, NO, it can't be done, at best, you can use FBX or Collada or OBJ and keep textures, some difference with transparent objects and that's all.

If they use REVIT, then it may be more easy because then you setup with Autodesk materials.

IF they use sketchup, well nothing to setup, just put a texture or color and call it good.

If they are paying good, then setup one object for each Software version they have.

Scale is not about the file format, but just the scale of your modeling software compared to the software you use.

Default in Max are inches. in USA that's fine, everywhere else centimeters, milliliters or meters are used, so you need to model accordingly.

Default in REVIT and Sketchup are feet, of course all this can be adjusted, but you need to check that.

[darkodobric]

Thanks Francisco. I will put colors or textures and call it good. We agreed on price for just modeling. Later they suggested puting colors or materials. So, thats what they'll get, basic color for basic price ha ha