[Ernesto]

Hello,

I am using some of the materials downloaded from your wweb site.
Specially the Emiters materials as fires or electric sparks, which are created using an EMITER.mxi file as well as a colour map with white background and two black and white masks, one with black background and the other with a white background.

Here you have a sample of these kind of materials i am trying to use:

And here you can download it:
http://resources.maxwellrender.com/download.php?id=1470

Those materials are Emiters but only partially, being transparent in the area where it is not emiter.

Here you have another case, which is created in the exact same way as the previous.


The problem I am experiencing presents in the particular case in which another light source (emiter material) is seen through the transparent area in the mentioned material. It seems that in such particular case, the transparent part of the mentioned material gets partially dark.
As soon as the light source (behind the mentioned material) is switched off, everything seems to work ok again.

I have been trying to solve this for two month, without success.

Now I am doubting that the materials that I downloaded from your site, are right, and I wonder if there is another way to create a partially emiter material, which would be partially transparent?
I tried the wizard using ClipMap material, but I couldn´t choose an emiter map.

Ah! One more thing: I am using the material assigned to a single face 3d model. I haven´t tried to use a double sided 3d model, because it would double the effect, and I didn´t wanted that.

Thanks in advance.

ernesto

[eric nixon]

Those materials are wrong, they have an extra lammbert bsdf which shouldnt be there, remove that bsdf and weightmaps, leaving just a 'ghost' bsdf and the emitter, should be fine. (EDIT; was mistakenly referring to maxwell2, dont know about 1.7 sorry)

[Ernesto]

Oh thanks Eric,

I will try your solution, and will tell you how it worked!
Thanks a lot!

To the Maxwell team:
If those materials are wrong, you should correct them, to avoid confounding other people!

Thanks Again!

Ernesto

[Ernesto]

Eric, perhaps i need some more help with this...
Here I found this material, that apparently was created in the same way as the others, but, it is diferent.

Personal Note:
I am sorry I cannot fully understand the logic of Maxwell materials, although I have been using it for more than 4 Years. (I wish I could find a good explanation or tutorial so that I stop loosing so much time, trying to create the right materials for not fully understanding the logic) I have read the Offitial manual, over and over again, and sometimes I understand one thing and some other times I undertand something diferent. Of course I try and try, but it takes so long that most of the times I simply get lost, and have to start again... So if anyone knows a GOOD tutorial for Dummies like me, I will be more than happy to study it!

Here you are, the name is Force-Field

And can be downloaded from here: http://resources.maxwellrender.com/download.php?id=3924

Here I am posting an image showing its construction, that is NOT the same as the two previous, but apparently it has the extra BSDF layer too.



So...
1) I do not know which BSDF layer to remove.
2) I do not know which is the right configuration: as Force-Field or as the two Previous materials.

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Ernesto

[Ernesto]

Here I am posting the construction of the first material, just for comparison.




As I told you it is not the same at alll!
:0

[Ernesto]

I am sorry Eric, but your idea didn´t worked, at least in this material:
Well, I tried to remove the "extra" layer as you suggested. As I didn´t knew which one, I tried both things one at a time, but none of them worked out. So, it seems that there is something else with this material, that I cannot understand...

Here I am showing the construction of the material I am working with:


The colour map is not seen here, and it would be the blue sparks in a white background, which is set in transmitance in the 3rd window.


In following posts I will show how it looks in each situation, with the hope anybody could find what is wrong here...
Ernesto

[Ernesto]

Here I did some tests to show the problem:

In the first image, you can see the sparks effect using the previous material on a poligonal disc which is invisible.

In the second image, you can see a second emiter (invisible) arround the half sphere (the poligonal model is invisible)
In the third image, we have both emiters, but now the poligonal disc is not transparent but dark grey, you can see the strong light that comes out the joints, giving you an idea of the lack of transparency in the poligonal disc with the sparks material assigned.

Any idea?

ernesto

[zdeno]

1. select poligonal disc which is invisible with sparks effects
2. Object parameters - Display - Hidden from GI - check

try this and inform or share scene if it is possible

[Ernesto]

Thanks Zdeno!

These are the curent settings:



I do not have a "Hidden from GI" but Hidden from Camera

If I check the first box, the poligonal disc dissapears from the rendered scene.
I can provide the scene of course. I wonder in which format? I am working in Maya, but can export it to MXS.
Thanks again!

Ernesto

[zdeno]

funny looks like there is already GI turned off .
send me scene in .mxs format to rafalzdanowicz@interia.pl

but first open scene in maxwellstudio and use File - pack and go
to save all textures needed

[Ernesto]

funny looks like there is already GI turned off .
send me scene in .mxs format to rafalzdanowicz@interia.pl

but first open scene in maxwellstudio and use File - pack and go
to save all textures needed

Thank you so much Zdeno!
I have just sent the scene, and textures.
Good luck!

Ernesto

[zdeno]

I know it sounds stupid (opposite what I said before) You have to make this poligonal disc visible to GI so uncheck HIDDEN TO GLOBAL ILLUM. in Maxwell Render section from your printscreen

[Ernesto]

Dear Zdeno,

Here you are the result:

You are a genius! I could have never suspected that such box should have been unchecked!
I tried to chage almost everything but that...

Thank You for your great help!
Now, evidently you understand this much better than myself...
So let me ask a final favour, if possible:
Can you explain me the reason for this logic?
In other words why in this special case we should unchecke HIDDEN TO GLOBAL ILLUM???

Anyway thanks again!!!!

Ernesto

[Ernesto]

Here you are the whole thing:



The first image is with all lights on, and the second with enviromental light only.

Ernesto

[Ernesto]

Here i am posting a detail showing the electric spark effect:



In the second image, there are some shadows of the sparks material.
This means that the material is not a PURE EMMITER, but has some solid properties.



In this other image, it is more clear that the electric sparks material is blocking some of the light from the central ball.
The realistic behaviour should show a more intense light in the areas where the two unmaterial or pure emiter light sources superimpose.
I wonder what can I do, to improve the material, so that it will behave more realistically?

Ernesto