RpTreeMaker - new version Dec 12, 2008

Al Hart

Al, Here is the alpha map I used and were I put it. Vray runs from within sketchup, but you add the alpha map in the transparency channel from within vray.

Also, the reflections are not working in Vray.

Hope that helps.

I will try putting the tree image on the back of the tree as well, and we can see if that helps with reflection.

If I make an alpha map, do you want me to store it on the disk somewhere, or in SketchUp somewhere?

EarthMover

I guess it would make the most sense to just output the alpha channel in the same location that the tree image is saved to. Also, there is no naming contingency in Vray, so the saved name could be anything you choose.

Al Hart

@earthmover said:

I guess it would make the most sense to just output the alpha channel in the same location that the tree image is saved to. Also, there is no naming contingency in Vray, so the saved name could be anything you choose.

The tree textures are stored initially on the disk in your temporary folder, however they would be hard to find, and not easy to get to later if you open an older model.

Here is one idea.

a. I add a hidden edge to the tree component which has a material which is the alpha channel map.

b. You can go to SketchUp / Materials / Model and right click on the "dummy" material for the alpha channel

c. After the right click, and click Export Texture image to save the image somewhere and send it to V-ray.

Al Hart

Try this model.

The tree has materials on both sides - so it should work OK in the mirror.

The tree has the alpha clipmask stored on a material on the tree itself (the material with the tree itself white), so you should be able to select the clipmask from the materials window and save the image.

clipmask material saved in SketchUp model

tree with material on both sides and clipmask

EarthMover

Al,

Reflections are working in Vray now. Alpha map also worked fine.

Thanks again

RP Treetest Vray_reflection2.jpg

juju

Al, thanks for what seems like an extremely useful app and for free on top of that!

On another note - I've tried downloading the RpTreeMaker a few times already, ZIP arrives corrupt or server is reset. I was wondering if anybody else seem to be having trouble with downloading the app?

Al Hart

Give it another try at: RpTreeMaker HL12tm

I was able to download it OK today.

Perhaps someone else can try.

tomasz

Hi Al,
Thank you for a brilliant tool.
I have rendered the group of trees in Kerkythea.
I had to modify one thing in your model. Image map is applied to Back Face instead of Front.

I have an idea. Al, would it be possible to export full 3D model from your app as well.
What I am thinking of is having a 2D tree in SU and then full 3D model in a rendering application as instanced object! It would be an excellent feature.

I have already implemented it in SU2KT where there is a hidden, high polygon component and a simplified proxy just for SU. Maxwell, Fryrender, Indigo, Kerkythea and other application users would be extremely happy to see it.

Cheers
Tomasz

Trees rendered in Kerkythea. PNG applied to front faces as well.

SU2KT sample - left side=proxy, right side=rendering

juju

@al hart said:

Give it another try at: RpTreeMaker HL12tm

I was able to download it OK today.

Perhaps someone else can try.

Hi Al, thanks for the reply. I was finally able to download the app, the transfer went dead a few times but I got it DL'ed and extracted fine. Seems like the trouble must have been on my end seeing that nobody else seem to be having trouble.

Now, to try the app out!

Al Hart

@unknownuser said:

Hi Al,
Thank you for a brilliant tool.
I have rendered the group of trees in Kerkythea.
I had to modify one thing in your model. Image map is applied to Back Face instead of Front.

I have an idea. Al, would it be possible to export full 3D model from your app as well.
What I am thinking of is having a 2D tree in SU and then full 3D model in a rendering application as instanced object! It would be an excellent feature.

I have already implemented it in SU2KT where there is a hidden, high polygon component and a simplified proxy just for SU. Maxwell, Fryrender, Indigo, Kerkythea and other application users would be extremely happy to see it.

Cheers
Tomasz

Tomasz, I had attempted to put the image map on bot sides of the tree.

Take the attached tree, and return it to me with any changes you needed to make to get it to work with KT.

tree with texture image on both sides
SKP model with two-sided face tree, and image palm tree.
(The attached tree also has a palm tree created as an image, rather than a face. Let me know if that works with KT as well.)

Also, send me a sample of a KT compatible proxy object. RpTools has a tool which creates proxy objects. I have attached one. Let me know what changes I need to make to make it compatible with KT.

Proxy component from RpTools
Sample Proxy Object created with RpTools.

Currently, we use two layers - Proxy HI-POLY and Proxy LOW-POLY to let the user switch between displays. Does KY use a different scheme to store the proxy information?

We are looking at an option to create 3D trees, but haven't had a chance to do it yet.

EarthMover

Al,

Have you considered the idea of creating a .png to .skp converter to add to your line of RP tools? It seems you already have the coding done for a tool like this. Hypothetically, this tool would allow the user to import a .png, or .tif transparent file and the converter would spit out a .skp file with the shadow mask applied. Also adding a alpha mask output would be invaluable for certain rendering users.

Al Hart

@earthmover said:

Al,

Have you considered the idea of creating a .png to .skp converter to add to your line of RP tools? It seems you already have the coding done for a tool like this. Hypothetically, this tool would allow the user to import a .png, or .tif transparent file and the converter would spit out a .skp file with the shadow mask applied. Also adding a alpha mask output would be invaluable for certain rendering users.

That would be a good addition to RpTools.

I wanted to get holes working, but I hadn't gotten around to it yet. (Its the same algorithm - but applied again to the holes). I decided to release the RpTreeMaker version without holes. As I write this I can't decide whether to wait for holes or not.

Also, RpTools already has a tool which converts a color (range of colors) in your image into an alpha channel. So it would be easy to grab the background color of images which are not alpha transparent and use them as well.

EarthMover

Al,

When you say "holes", do you mean in the shadow mask?

Al Hart

@earthmover said:

Al,

When you say "holes", do you mean in the shadow mask?

Holes in the tree, which should also create holes in the shadow mask so light can pass through the tree.

Anssi

Thank you very much AL,

What a versatile tool this has become!

Anssi

tomasz

@al hart said:

Also, send me a sample of a KT compatible proxy object. RpTools has a tool which creates proxy objects. I have attached one. Let me know what changes I need to make to make it compatible with KT.
...
We are looking at an option to create 3D trees, but haven't had a chance to do it yet.

Hi Al,
Thanks for models and new version. Will try it and come back with comments.

I have done proxy objects in SU2KT following way: There are two components Tree1 and Tree1_HIGHPOLY.
The highpoly has an attibute set pointing to lowpoly (component name):

highpoly_definition.set_attribute("su2kt","high_poly",su_lowpoly_comp.definition.name)

That is mainly it.
It lets an user to place components on whatever layer they want.

I am glad you consider exporting 3D trees is a future!

Al Hart

@unknownuser said:

I have done proxy objects in SU2KT following way: There are two components Tree1 and Tree1_HIGHPOLY.
The highpoly has an attibute set pointing to lowpoly (component name):

highpoly_definition.set_attribute("su2kt","high_poly",su_lowpoly_comp.definition.name)

Doesn't this have the problem that if a user selects Purge then one of the components disappears - or does the user place both in the drawing and turn off one of the layers,

Does the low poly component point the high polu component as well?

We wound putting the High Poly and Low poly geometry in the same component (option A), or having the low poly component include an instance of the high-poly component in a layer (option B)

me3mar

FIRST OF ALL THANKS SOOOOO MUCH FOR THE GREAT TOOL,

i would like to ask about rendering with vray, is there a specific way to do it ? i just tried and got a black shadow surrounding the whole tree, is there any trick to do ?
thanks in advance

me3mar

i just found it out , sorry

Al Hart

@unknownuser said:

Al, I had downloaded the RpTreeMaker - The one big problem I see with it, is that the trees don't cast shadows (or have I missed a step?). Please let me know if I am doing something wrong, or if you get that fixed.

The latest version should cast shadows in SketchUp. We added a shadow mask to cast shadows.