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Just FYI, Darkling Simulations has had a user material repository for many years.

Oh come now.

I can tell you right now that a lot of thought went into these material testing scenes and it wasn't a blatent rip off of Thomas' matlab scene. I had the pleasure in helping Russell and Jeff with the site / mat labs a bit and can tell you that they worked very hard on setting up a unique scene and site for something like this.

A mental ray material repository has been in the works for a long long time.

Wow, this material testing object/scene is really great, more accomplish than the one of Thomas.

It's not that similar. Built upon the same principles it seems, but any good test scene is, even the Simball scene. I've seen blatant ripoffs before. This is not one of them.

I like the way the widget demonstrates the effect of roughness in dielectrics on objects of varying distance. I guess that's called something, but I don't know what it is. Diffusion?

Frances wrote:I like the way the widget demonstrates the effect of roughness in dielectrics on objects of varying distance. I guess that's called something, but I don't know what it is. Diffusion?

+1
it's also what i like in this object. It's a very important characteristic that is missing in Thomas simball. Maybe Thomas could work on a V2

A copy is allowed if it is better than the original, at least to my mind. Nobody invents anything, we all copy from various sources and make more or less sophisticated mixes.

If you like them you can download them in many formats.

It is not a copy at all. It also seems like a well designed one.

hey guys .. did i judge anything .. ?


i think it's a great thing! this sort of measuring materials with common known settings it's the best possibe.

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the absolute first lesson to become a better artist is being able to copy an ancient master. the question about who copied who is kinda independent the result seems better ?

especially the technical knowledge is awesome on all fora i visit an i enjoy profiting of it !

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You are right; if it's better or not is not really important; copying is our way of learning. Still there are copies that are not what they should be like one posted in other thread that was exactly Thomas' Simball but read "Mental Ray" instead of "Maxwell Render".

The base looks like a great idea to me too. (already downloaded to test with Maxwell. )

Yes, "material repository" is not a new idea. But is this matlab scene before or after Simball?

tom wrote:Yes, "material repository" is not a new idea. But is this matlab scene before or after Simball?

No doubt about it that Thomas' scene started a new 'idea' in the CG community and a big thanks to him! Just like someone started the whole idea of CG in general and improved on it over the years. Same situation eh?

JCAddy wrote:

tom wrote:Yes, "material repository" is not a new idea. But is this matlab scene before or after Simball?

No doubt about it that Thomas' scene started a new 'idea' in the CG community and a big thanks to him! Just like someone started the whole idea of CG in general and improved on it over the years. Same situation eh?

I don't think it was so much of a new idea in the community, but the solution to an issue that all cg communities have always had - the material sample object not being representative of many important properties of a material. Not only is it a solution, but it is a very efficient one. The mr widget is very complex and nearly in danger of looking like a platypus (a duck designed by committee).

So to make it clear, it's OK material database is not a new idea, nor a material test object. But when it comes to *originality*, it's very obvious Thomas' scene has been a source of inspiration to many other products in the scene and this IS surely one of them. Because, no matter what change you do and think it's something else, the major characteristic *ball-in-a-jacket* is preserved and it's what makes Thomas' scene unique as an inventor. My point...