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How to copy surface channel properties?

HorusRaHorusRa Posts: 1,664
in The Commons

I was just wondering how you copy the surface channel properties. For example; I have a skin on a character and have already applied the IRay uber surface shader, decide I don't like that one and decide to change skins. However I have already optimizd all the surface property channels such as 'Glossy Layered Weight,' 'Translucency Weight,' etc, etc. I'd like to save all my settings and be able to reapply them to the new skin.
​I watched a video months ago by Val Cameron (Dreamlight) where he did this but he didn't show how as it was not the subject of the video, I tried watching where he clicked but he seemed to be using keyboard shortcuts or something.

Comments

  • DestinysGardenDestinysGarden Posts: 2,553

    Not hard. If you have the surface set up, select it in the surfaces tab and click on the hamburger/flag/contextual menu thing. You get a menu which shows the following options, and you want Copy Selected Surfaces.

    Go to the new surface and follow the same process to Paste to Selected Surfaces. As an alternate, you can select one surface and go to File/Save As/Shader Preset, save your settings, and then apply your new shader preset to the desired surfaces. Hope that helps.

  • fixmypcmikefixmypcmike Posts: 19,685

    Make sure the two surfaces have the same shader -- the shader in use doesn't gert pasted, and if the channels don't match they won't copy over.

  • Silent WinterSilent Winter Posts: 3,872

    ^The latter is better if you don't want the texture-maps changing when you reapply. You can ctrl-click (windows) and select 'map-settings: ignore'

    So if you've set things up with one texture set and you want to apply a different texture but keep the same settings for everything, go with the 2nd suggestion above.

    (Or is there a way to copy surface settings without copying maps?)

  • HorusRaHorusRa Posts: 1,664

    Thanks guys for the help. No I do ​want to change the texture map, torso to be exact.  But I have already optimized all the channels. When I 'Copy Selected Surfaces' it is also copying the texture maps as well.

  • DestinysGardenDestinysGarden Posts: 2,553

    I'd do a shader preset then. You can specify to not save any images.

  • mjc1016mjc1016 Posts: 15,001
    HorusRa said:

    Thanks guys for the help. No I do ​ want to change the texture map, torso to be exact.  But I have already optimized all the channels. When I 'Copy Selected Surfaces' it is also copying the texture maps as well.

    Yes, it is going to copy the maps, too.  You will have to manually reinsert the correct ones. 

    Or you can save out a Shader Preset, expending the checkboxes and drill through the list and uncheck all the maps.   That way when you apply it, the maps won't change.  This can be used on each surface.  Then when you have the desired settings with the correct maps, save out a full Material Preset.

    Either method is not 'click and go' but both sure beat manually copying all the settings.

  • HorusRaHorusRa Posts: 1,664
    DestinysGarden said:

    I'd do a shader preset then. You can specify to not save any images.

    Ok, I wanted to make sure I understood. Thanks D.G.

     

    mjc1016 said:

    Either method is not 'click and go' but both sure beat manually copying all the settings.

    You got that right. I don't want to have to do that all over again.

    Thanks again guys.

  • stitlownstitlown Posts: 302
    Fixmypcmike said:

    Make sure the two surfaces have the same shader -- the shader in use doesn't gert pasted, and if the channels don't match they won't copy over.

    Thanks for this thread guys, pretty much what I was looking for. From FIXMYPCMIKE's quoted comment above, is there a way to copy shaders, or set shaders other than chasing down some existing shader or, as suggested, saving your own preset?

    As an aside, I've been doing a lot of importing .objs and sometimes it seems to use the really simple shader channels, and sometimes the more complex SSS-type shade channels. Does anyone have any idea why sometimes its one and sometimes the other.  My only half-guess is that if it can resolve the mtllib file it runs with it's channels, and if it can't it uses some installation default. Any better guesses?

  • AlmightyQUESTAlmightyQUEST Posts: 2,006

    Most of the shaders are going to be Iray Uber, the default 3delight shader (whose name I am blanking on) or the AoA Uber Surface shader (I am pretty sure I am getting that name wrong too, sorry), so what I did was create a custom shortcut for the shader presets so I don't have to hunt them down each time. As far as I'm aware, you would need to use some surface (or material) preset to change the shader used on the surface.

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