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    [Plugin] Color by Z (Updated August 27th, 2009)

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    • K Offline
      kwistenbiebel
      last edited by

      @pixero said:

      I've experimented with something similar in the past but gave up because I didnt find a way of getting a smooth gradient. Colors are applied to every polygon and not the UV values. Also it resulted in a "LOT" of color swatches in the material browser. Is there a way of applying colors but not having them added to the materials? And is there a way of using the UV values to get a smooth gradient?

      Yes, that is exactly what the new SU 7 feature 'Make unique texture' does. It makes one big gradient texture to project on your geometry.
      If you go to the other plugin thread by chris (Random Color Select), he demonstrates this feauture in his proof of concept video in the first post.

      Since I don't use SU 7 (various reasons, the handicapped component browser is one of them), I truely miss that 'make texture unique' option. 😕

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      • D Offline
        Daniel S
        last edited by

        SU7 has an option called Combine Textures (The Combine Textures menu item combines separate textures on adjacent co-planar faces into a single larger texture. This feature also, optionally, removes edges between co-planar faces to reduce the polygon count for the model as a whole. Context-click on multiple selected parallel faces, with at least one face having a texture, and select Combine Textures to create a texture which is unique to that set of faces.)
        This is a great tool, but it will be more usefull if it`s extended into curved surfaces. This Color by Z or the Tools On Surface are examples of plugins that will be benefit.

        Daniel S

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        • PixeroP Offline
          Pixero
          last edited by

          I still don't get a smooth gradient. 😕

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          • Chris FullmerC Offline
            Chris Fullmer
            last edited by

            The way to get a smooth gradient is to make a material in photoshop that is a big smooth gradient. Then bring it into your model and turn it so it is standing vertical next to your model. Set it to "Projected". THen select all of the land for it to be applied to and apply it to your model. You'll get all faces nicely mapped with a single image.

            I just don't know how to do all that in one clean ruby unfortunately. So painting each face its own material is the closest I can get for now 😄

            gradient z color.jpg

            And with the combine textures bit....theres a HUGE downside to that. While it works great in that video I did, it only works on planar faces. So to get it to work on something like this, I would need to create a flat version of my terrain mesh, then apply all my materials to it, then run combine textures, then re-apply the new textuire onto my non-flattened terrain. So thats not terribly smooth either.

            But it is what it is. Hopefully this script will be helpful for someone 😄

            Chris

            Lately you've been tan, suspicious for the winter.
            All my Plugins I've written

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            • PixeroP Offline
              Pixero
              last edited by

              The script idea I played with was to apply different colors based on slope and the side projected gradient doesnt work for that. 😞
              Texturing is another area in SU we could wish for improvements in.

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              • Chris FullmerC Offline
                Chris Fullmer
                last edited by

                Ahh, tis true! If you wanted to do slopes as gradients, then you're out of luck. The only possible workaround I can think of is to use the subdivide scrip to subdivide faces into a tone of smaller faces. Then apply a single color to each face. Then somehow turn the whole thing into a single material and re-apply it to the pre-subdivided mesh. But I have a feeling that is 1. beyond the scope of Ruby and 2. probably just not very efficient and would be better suited for another 3d modeler? Maybe someone like Al's team could write an entirely separate app that reads the SU model and does all that work with the UV and gradients, and then sticks the model back into SU.

                Chris

                Lately you've been tan, suspicious for the winter.
                All my Plugins I've written

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                • JClementsJ Offline
                  JClements
                  last edited by

                  Hi Chris, again.

                  Other ideas:

                  1. enable the script to "remember" the settings last used during the same SU session.
                  2. save the settings in to a library (each "style" would be saved a record in a text file).
                  3. call up the color wheel dialog

                  And OMG, is Mt Hood going following in the foot steps of Mt St. Helens?
                  Mt Hood gone Active Vulcanic AGAIN.jpg

                  EDIT: 14 Feb 09
                  Here is the skp , Chris. It may be that I didn't input the same values for the two terrains. It is geolocated, it will take you back to Mt. Hood in GE.


                  Mt Hood gone Active Vulcanic AGAIN.skp

                  John | Illustrator | Beaverton, Oregon

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                  • JClementsJ Offline
                    JClements
                    last edited by

                    Chris, .skp was added to my previous posting.

                    John | Illustrator | Beaverton, Oregon

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                    • Chris FullmerC Offline
                      Chris Fullmer
                      last edited by

                      Cool, thanks John. I see it now. There is some overlapping geometry that I couldn't see in the image. That accounts for the coloration working the way it is. Thanks John!

                      Chris

                      Lately you've been tan, suspicious for the winter.
                      All my Plugins I've written

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                      • X Offline
                        xrok1
                        last edited by

                        maybe a better direction for this would be to create a plug that creates 'real' gradient textures based on the height of geo in a scene. they could then be projected manually or auto matically based on a plane that is created with a similiar prcess to a section plane?

                        “There are three classes of people: those who see. Those who see when they are shown. Those who do not see.”

                        http://www.Twilightrender.com try it!

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                        • Chris FullmerC Offline
                          Chris Fullmer
                          last edited by

                          THats a nice arrow their John. It took me a while to find it on the image, but once I clicked on the image to expand it, it all made sense. Very nice. And your mountain looks great too! It works out really nice with white at the top that changes quickly into a brown and works its way down to give a nice snow capped mountain appearance 😄

                          Chris

                          Lately you've been tan, suspicious for the winter.
                          All my Plugins I've written

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                          • X Offline
                            xrok1
                            last edited by

                            @daniel s said:

                            SU7 has an option called Combine Textures (The Combine Textures menu item combines separate textures on adjacent co-planar faces into a single larger texture. This feature also, optionally, removes edges between co-planar faces to reduce the polygon count for the model as a whole. Context-click on multiple selected parallel faces, with at least one face having a texture, and select Combine Textures to create a texture which is unique to that set of faces.)
                            This is a great tool, but it will be more usefull if it`s extended into curved surfaces. This Color by Z or the Tools On Surface are examples of plugins that will be benefit.

                            Daniel S

                            how can you get to this tool? i can't find it, tried RC menu?

                            “There are three classes of people: those who see. Those who see when they are shown. Those who do not see.”

                            http://www.Twilightrender.com try it!

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                            • Chris FullmerC Offline
                              Chris Fullmer
                              last edited by

                              Here's a video on using combine textures.

                              [flash=727,635:2s0w7uxd]http://www.chrisfullmer.com/chrisfullmer/forums/combine_textures.swf[/flash:2s0w7uxd]

                              Chris

                              Lately you've been tan, suspicious for the winter.
                              All my Plugins I've written

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                              • X Offline
                                xrok1
                                last edited by

                                thats sweet. thank you very much for that. coincidentally you just answer a another question, i was trying to figure out how to make a painted wall texture for skindigo, but i couldn't figure out how get SK to UV map surfaces with just white material on it so i could apply displacement. now after watching your vid i figure i can just make unique my material then it should be uv'ed.

                                thank you

                                “There are three classes of people: those who see. Those who see when they are shown. Those who do not see.”

                                http://www.Twilightrender.com try it!

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                                • L Offline
                                  linea
                                  last edited by

                                  Good idea Chris, thanks

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                                  • urgenU Offline
                                    urgen
                                    last edited by

                                    ...nice idea Chris! 👍 😄

                                    --pupil forever...------

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                                    • soloS Offline
                                      solo
                                      last edited by

                                      Cool and thanks, this should come in handy.


                                      http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/6384/colorfulkk4.jpg

                                      http://www.solos-art.com

                                      If you see a toilet in your dreams do not use it.

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                                      • JClementsJ Offline
                                        JClements
                                        last edited by

                                        It never occurred to me to project a gradient color onto a terrain, great idea.

                                        Mt Hood gone Active Vulcanic AGAIN 2.jpg

                                        However, I do project gradient transparency along with gradient color onto a single surface to make arrow-shaped objects and "swooshes" that indicate direction or motion.

                                        Gradient Arrow in SKP.jpg


                                        Mt Hood gone Active Vulcanic AGAIN 2.skp


                                        Gradient Arrow.skp

                                        John | Illustrator | Beaverton, Oregon

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                                        • Chris FullmerC Offline
                                          Chris Fullmer
                                          last edited by

                                          Solo, was that made with the plugin or with the image gradient method?

                                          Chris

                                          Lately you've been tan, suspicious for the winter.
                                          All my Plugins I've written

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                                          • GaieusG Offline
                                            Gaieus
                                            last edited by

                                            Hi Chris and all,

                                            I haven't been able to drop by the Ruby Dept for days so I might be a bit late... Do you know however Didier's "paint_altitude_faces.rb" by any chance? It works kind of similar (only with the gradients of the same colour):
                                            http://www.crai.archi.fr/RubyLibraryDepot/Ruby/em_ren_page.htm
                                            There's also a demonstration video supplied.

                                            All in all, yours is a very cool plugin with this texture gradient! 👍

                                            Gai...

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