Nik [ Sunday, 13 March 2022, 05:03 PM ]
Post subject: Two Ways To Make Stuff Glow...
I'm usually happy making lights etc glow using 'super-ambient', but there is an undocumented limit. The surface brightness does <b><i>not </i></b>increase if dialled beyond a dozen or so. This is not a problem if you have 'luminaires' with a large surface area, like ceiling-panel lights. It is a nuisance if skinny 'strip-lights', exasperating if pendant bulbs or wall sconces. The latter may need lonnnng renders to accumulate enough virtual photons...
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( Else, Plan_B, hiding new Poser point-source lights within... )
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Oddly, none of the Poser gurus seem prepared to discuss this limit. I get feeling 'super-ambient' facility may be a 'legacy' feature, or an accidental oopsie like 'cross-talk' that proved useful. And, in subsequent versions, may be quietly deprecated then lost...
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The second route is to pull-on your mail shark-suit, buckle your weight-belt, check your twin SCUBA tanks and pony-bottle, plunge into Cycles...
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IMHO, Pp_11's Cycles UI makes using it hard work. Lists should be alphabetic beyond first few 'handy' options. There should be a 'directory', and there really, <b><i>really </i></b>should be a <b><i>map</i></b>.
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Okay, rant over.
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After brisk discussion at Rendo', and ingestion of <b><i>sufficient </i></b>caffeine via several mugs of 'Builders Tea', I've learned the basics of how to get 'Emission' working.
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There are two 'gotchas'-- Okay, three.
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First, 'Cycles' is <b><i>much </i></b>more powerful and complex, this is but the 'kindergarten wall'.
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Second, Cycles UI is <b><i>seriously </i></b>unfriendly, see rant above.
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Third, the FX only shows up when you render in Superfly. So, lots of test-renders.
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Okay, you need two test-subjects. I'll use the default prop 'box', usually found in Poser Primitives between 'Bowl' and 'Cane'.
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Load one into scene, move it along a few feet. Load or duplicate another. Position handy...
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<b>First way</b>: Super-ambient
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Go to Material room, click on first prop box in mini-window or object list.
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Select 'advanced' tab. Should now show 'Poser Surface' list.
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Set 'Ambient Color' to taste, usually a light hue.
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Set 'Ambient Value' in range 1~~10, which should bring up a nice glow.
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<b>Second way</b>: Cycles' Emission (very basic)
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Go to Material room, click on second prop box in mini-window or object list.
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Select 'advanced' tab.
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To right of 'Poser Surface' list, there should be an empty gray area between list and too-skinny scroll-bar.
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Right-click there. Menu pops up, 'New Node'.
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Follow this right via Root to 'Cycles Surface'. Left-click on this to select.
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Right-click in the empty gray area below this small, new list.
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Menu pops up, 'New Node'.
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Follow this right via Cycles, Shader, Emission. Left-click on this.
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Left click and drag the white Emission spot-tab onto the Cycles Surface black spot-tab.
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This should create a link or channel.
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In Cycles Surface list, left-click the Superfly Root tick-box to enable it.
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In Emission list, set Color and Strength to taste.
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Test-render in Superfly, iterate until satisfied...
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Low values of 'Super-Ambient' and 'Emission' are similar brightness, but 'Emission' does not max-out, may be dialled to 'bleach'.
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Have fun !!
rico [ Monday, 14 March 2022, 09:45 AM ]
Post subject: Re: Two Ways To Make Stuff Glow...
<img src="https://www.posetteforever.com/images/smiles/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="https://www.posetteforever.com/images/smiles/thumb.gif" alt="" /> Thank you kindly Nik, I didn't even realise there was a limit!