pwCatch tutorial?

WillowRavenWillowRaven Posts: 3,724
edited December 1969 in The Commons

I bought pwCatch some time ago, but never had need of it until now. Is these a tutorial out these somewhere that explains how to use it. I'm not sure what each of the options actually do ... lol

Using DS3 :D

Thanks

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Comments

  • MattymanxMattymanx Posts: 6,878
    edited December 1969
  • WillowRavenWillowRaven Posts: 3,724
    edited December 1969

    Mattymanx said:

    Thanks, although, I must be doing something wrong ... lol.

  • jakibluejakiblue Posts: 7,281
    edited December 1969

    i';ve had it for ages, and used it extensively wiht no problems, then didn't use it for a while and completely forgot what to do. LOL.

    I find the poseworks tutorial a bit confusing tho, have to admit.

    I can get it to work in DS 4.0 with no problems, but can't in 4.5

    Did you just want it to catch shadows for you?

  • WillowRavenWillowRaven Posts: 3,724
    edited December 1969

    jakiblue said:
    i';ve had it for ages, and used it extensively wiht no problems, then didn't use it for a while and completely forgot what to do. LOL.

    I find the poseworks tutorial a bit confusing tho, have to admit.

    I can get it to work in DS 4.0 with no problems, but can't in 4.5

    Did you just want it to catch shadows for you?

    I'm using DS3. I want to be able to build a scene over a 2D background and have the shadows appear natural. But treating it like any other shader didn't work. It turned my pops weird colors. And yeah, the tut is confusing... lol.

  • jakibluejakiblue Posts: 7,281
    edited December 1969

    ah yes, that's the only reason i use it - to put shadows under a character when I"m using a 2d background so i don't have to try and do it in photoshop. I have NO idea what the other options do. LOL.

    It's supposed to turn the prop a weird colour - that tells you it's working.

    What I do:

    put a plane under the character
    select the plane and dbl click the "pwCatch" icon that is in the initial folder, the "pwCatch_DS3" one (if you're using DS3)
    then i go to the "pwCatch resources" folder and dbl click the very last one, the "catch shadows" one (still selecting the plane")
    and so long as your lights do have shadows in them, it should work.

  • WillowRavenWillowRaven Posts: 3,724
    edited December 1969

    jakiblue said:
    ah yes, that's the only reason i use it - to put shadows under a character when I"m using a 2d background so i don't have to try and do it in photoshop. I have NO idea what the other options do. LOL.

    It's supposed to turn the prop a weird colour - that tells you it's working.

    What I do:

    put a plane under the character
    select the plane and dbl click the "pwCatch" icon that is in the initial folder, the "pwCatch_DS3" one (if you're using DS3)
    then i go to the "pwCatch resources" folder and dbl click the very last one, the "catch shadows" one (still selecting the plane")
    and so long as your lights do have shadows in them, it should work.

    Ahhh, I was missing the first step, the plane under the loaded elements. So I take it the shadows show up and the rest shows clear in render? So it doesn't matter what color the plain is. Right? What if the 2D image has varying planes, like a fence line that a shadow has to interact with, or boulders, trees, or moving water?

  • jakibluejakiblue Posts: 7,281
    edited December 1969

    hmmm ok you've got me there. I have no idea. I just need shadows under a character's feet, to look like they are standing in the background. As in, if the background has rocks on teh ground, need her shadow to fall along the rocks.

  • WillowRavenWillowRaven Posts: 3,724
    edited December 1969

    jakiblue said:
    hmmm ok you've got me there. I have no idea. I just need shadows under a character's feet, to look like they are standing in the background. As in, if the background has rocks on teh ground, need her shadow to fall along the rocks.

    Well, what if the shadow casts over the 2D 'ledge' she is standing on? Do yo alter or shift the cast-over in PS?

  • WillowRavenWillowRaven Posts: 3,724
    edited December 1969

    OK, I have a plane under my character, I have selected the plane in both the scene as well as the surface tab. I double click the final option under the catch app. The plane proceeds to turn yellow. I try to render, and the shadows do occur, but the yellow plane shows as well. What am I doing wrong?

  • jakibluejakiblue Posts: 7,281
    edited December 1969

    I lost the thread, sorry!!

    Which version of DS are you using? I'm using 4.5.1.6 and the same thing happens to me now. :(

  • KeryaKerya Posts: 10,943
    edited December 1969

    It works for me (DS 4.5.1.6). When applied the plane is going yellow - when rendered, it is invisible.

    Ledges and so on: use a DForm on the plane.

  • WillowRavenWillowRaven Posts: 3,724
    edited December 1969

    jakiblue said:
    I lost the thread, sorry!!

    Which version of DS are you using? I'm using 4.5.1.6 and the same thing happens to me now. :(


    I'm using DS3. I was told it's supposed to turn yellow in Daz, but render clear. Right?

  • WillowRavenWillowRaven Posts: 3,724
    edited December 1969

    Kerya said:
    It works for me (DS 4.5.1.6). When applied the plane is going yellow - when rendered, it is invisible.

    Ledges and so on: use a DForm on the plane.

    I was wondering about ledges or rocks n stuff. Thanks for the tip.

    If I want to remove the catch, and try something else, how do I reverse it? I tried just deleting the plane I applied it to, but that doesn't seem to work. It just renders grey, then and blocks the floor plane I put under the figure since I couldn't get the catch to work.

  • WillowRavenWillowRaven Posts: 3,724
    edited December 1969

    I'm still having trouble. Maybe it's because I am trying to do a top view render? I can see the shadows being cast, but no 'floor'. I even tried it without the catch, and am getting a similar effect, only greying the image vs yellowing.

  • KeryaKerya Posts: 10,943
    edited December 1969

    Sorry - I am a bit dense this morning ... could you show a screenshot of what you are doing?

  • WillowRavenWillowRaven Posts: 3,724
    edited December 1969

    Kerya said:
    Sorry - I am a bit dense this morning ... could you show a screenshot of what you are doing?


    Being a commissioned work for a book, I can't show the images publicly, yet. If email is ok with you, I can show you via email, maybe? If you are not comfortable with that, that's ok, too. :D

    If it is ok, my email is [email protected]

  • KeryaKerya Posts: 10,943
    edited December 1969

    OK, I will try to find the solution without pictures ...

    Deleting the plane should work to get rid of it ... you really selected the plane in the scene tab and hit delete?
    Just load another plane when you feel you want it back and apply pwCatch again.

    You said you loaded another plane as ground plane, that one will be grey too.
    There is a load of ground textures by Bo Hammarberg:
    http://www.sharecg.com/v/65606/browse/11/Poser/5-Poser-Real-Ground-materials-20
    (commercial renders ok)

  • WillowRavenWillowRaven Posts: 3,724
    edited December 1969

    Kerya said:
    OK, I will try to find the solution without pictures ...

    Deleting the plane should work to get rid of it ... you really selected the plane in the scene tab and hit delete?
    Just load another plane when you feel you want it back and apply pwCatch again.

    You said you loaded another plane as ground plane, that one will be grey too.
    There is a load of ground textures by Bo Hammarberg:
    http://www.sharecg.com/v/65606/browse/11/Poser/5-Poser-Real-Ground-materials-20
    (commercial renders ok)


    I'm probably trying to use it wrong. I have a background image that is a view of the shore at one's feet. A close-up. I then have a figure loaded, do it up in character and clothes, switch to top view then tried to use catch on a blank plain to grab the shadows.

    When I couldn't get it not to render yellow, I thought 'duh', I'll just load the background image onto the plane itself, size accordingly, then render straight on the image from the top view. Skip catch all together. But it coming in grey instead of the photo of the background.

    At first I thought it was because the catch settings did not reverse when the catch plane was deleted, so I started completely fresh, new scene entirely.

    Same result. Can I not render from the top view?

  • KeryaKerya Posts: 10,943
    edited December 1969

    I never tried to render through the other cameras.
    Try this: use Top view, Create new camera and select more options, select "copy current settings", change to the new camera and render through that one.

  • brainmuffinbrainmuffin Posts: 1,142
    edited December 1969

    I bought pwCatch some time ago, but never had need of it until now. Is these a tutorial out these somewhere that explains how to use it. I'm not sure what each of the options actually do ... lol

    Using DS3 :D

    Thanks

    Does it still work?
  • KeryaKerya Posts: 10,943
    edited December 1969

    ropeman said:
    I bought pwCatch some time ago, but never had need of it until now. Is these a tutorial out these somewhere that explains how to use it. I'm not sure what each of the options actually do ... lol

    Using DS3 :D

    Thanks

    Does it still work?

    It works in DS2, 3, 4 and 4.5 ...
    If you bought it, you should reset your downloads.

  • WillowRavenWillowRaven Posts: 3,724
    edited December 1969

    Kerya said:
    I never tried to render through the other cameras.
    Try this: use Top view, Create new camera and select more options, select "copy current settings", change to the new camera and render through that one.

    I am getting frustrated ... I am not even using the catch now, and it is still giving me a grey ground in render, but in my scene, it's the sand ..

  • WillowRavenWillowRaven Posts: 3,724
    edited December 1969

    OK ... I reset pwCatch ... hoping that was the issue. I still can't get it to do what I need it to do.

    If I select the first catch option, it turns the plane white, then when I select the last option under resources, it turns it yellow, which I am told it's supposed to do. When I render, though, it captures the shadows on a yellow plane, not a clear one, meaning I can't see my background. What am I doing wrong? It seems like a no-brainer, like any other shader, but I can't make it work.

  • frodifrodi Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    I also have pw/catch, I have never been able to use it. I follow the tutorial step by step, but the planes which turn red and yellow, render in those colours.

  • WillowRavenWillowRaven Posts: 3,724
    edited December 1969

    frodi said:
    I also have pw/catch, I have never been able to use it. I follow the tutorial step by step, but the planes which turn red and yellow, render in those colours.

    That's what's happening to me ... yet I've had people say it looks colored in daz then renders clear ... but I can't figure what I may be doing wrong.

  • frodifrodi Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    It is so disappointing, when I bought it I thought that it would be a very useful item, but it has never worked for me. The tutorial is very precise and easy to follow, there is only one thing wrong with it, it doesn't work!

  • WillowRavenWillowRaven Posts: 3,724
    edited December 1969

    Please, please, please, someone help me figure the catch out. I don't want to pay the client back her money ... lol. I need it for my oral surgery ... lol.

  • scorpioscorpio Posts: 8,300
    edited December 1969

    I've had PWCatch for ages and never been able to figure it out, never tried too hard either, I followed Jakiblue's (thankyou) instructions on the previous page and it works for me, I tried a render with a plane curved using a Dformer from above and it works, the plane is rendering invisible for me.
    My method.
    Create>New Primitive>plane
    Select plane in both surfaces and scene tab.
    Apply first solo icon in PWCatch
    Apply last icon in PWCatch presets.

    DS 4.5.0.137

  • WillowRavenWillowRaven Posts: 3,724
    edited December 1969

    I am installing it for a fourth time, because I know I am following Jakiblue's instructions.

  • WillowRavenWillowRaven Posts: 3,724
    edited November 2012

    I have reset it, re-installed it three times, and I still can't get the plane to render clear. It either renders white or yellow ... but the shadows are there ... lol

    Help :(

    Post edited by WillowRaven on
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