Digital Art Zone

I am trying to make some Bryce settings for a product a colleague has produced. However I have run into that normal problem when doing something like this.

How the devil can one distribute something like this, as the geometry mesh is imbedded into the .opb.

I can’t give any specifics, as the product is not released yet.  Was going to PM you, but decided that maybe it would be good to have a open thread about this, as it is quite possible there are others who would want to produce “Bryce companion files” of one sort or another.

So does anyone have any insight into the general problems and how they can be got over, please.

This is a good topic to discuss because honestly I’ve been wondering the same thing.

I’m obviously too dumb to understand the question, Rashad did, I did not. Unless it refers to that problem of randomly swapped normals. But with those, I’m lost as well.

Horo - 15 July 2012 10:56 AM

I’m obviously too dumb to understand the question, Rashad did, I did not. Unless it refers to that problem of randomly swapped normals. But with those, I’m lost as well.

No, it’s the problem of how to distribute,since the .obp includes the geometry

The obp is a Bryce Object Preset and as such an Axiom file. You can export it from the library for distribution. It can be imported in the objects library of a Bryce on another machine. Outside of Bryce, it’s useless. The Axiom file format is proprietary.

On second thought - the object itself can be exported (select it, File > Export) as 3ds, obj, and several other formats other 3D programs can read.

Yes as Mike says. I have prop files, which I want to make Bryce mats for, and then distribute the Bryce version somehow, as an addon to the original pack.

Ok, then I think adding it to an objects library is the way to go. Once in there, object and material are all together. Export it from the library and there you are. You can distribute it for Bryce. Or you can create a new sub-library, add your stuff in there, then just distribute the library.

I am worried that. as the geometry is imbedded in the .obp, then it will be violating copyright if I make obp files from the original .obj file.

Let’s assume the geometry is a cube. You create materials for it and want to distribute the materials but not the cube it is made for. Then you would save the material to the Materials Library and go about it as I described above for the objects lib. If you want only distribute the pattern of the material, you would save it to the Texture library.

Something along these lines?

1 - an example, here we have this dragon object you can’t distribute.  But you’ve made a material for it in Bryce, but the material needs the model to be at a certain scale/position/rotation because it is world space or some such other Bryce specific material mapping mode.

2 - copy the matrix of your model.  Create a Bryce primitive cube.

3 - paste the matrix of your model onto the cube.  Copy the material over to the cube and delete the original model.

4 - this is what you supply.

5 - then the user brings in the obj they have.  And copies the matrix of the cube, pastes it onto the obj and likewise for the material.  And so the original setting for the first image are restored, the cube deleted and you have not had to distribute the original model.

I tend to forget the copy/paste matrix option. Good solution.

OK I am with you so far.

my model, or I should say the model I am playing around with has 12 material zones. And it is only one of several models included in the pack. I also want to include a radial light, or indeed in some several radial lights which I have shrunk in phsical size, set the parameteres I want on the lights as regards strength falloff etc, grouped them with the original model in the relevant postions, because obviously the poser and DS lights included with the original will not work in Bryce.

So how do I proceed to do this.

Without being able to work directly on a scene file, it is difficult to offer an exact solution.  Other than to suggest that each “area” to which a material needs to be applied will be a distinct mesh that can be turned it a material place holding primitive - but that clearly is going to get tedious.  And the overall object can be mated up with your lighting setup in a scene file by the same process of copy and pasting the matrix.

Hmm, this is going to get complimacated. I think I shall keep plugging on getting some of the setting sorted out and saving my bryce scene files, and then, once the original pack is available, I can talk to you about it some more.

I would actually be quite happy to hand the scen file over to the Original creator for him to distribute, but there is a complication even there.

Thanks for all the help anyway.

chohole - 16 July 2012 10:42 AM

Hmm, this is going to get complimacated. I think I shall keep plugging on getting some of the setting sorted out and saving my bryce scene files, and then, once the original pack is available, I can talk to you about it some more.

I would actually be quite happy to hand the scen file over to the Original creator for him to distribute, but there is a complication even there.

Thanks for all the help anyway.

OK, no probs, you’ve got my email if you want to have a pick at my brains directly.