layered image editor and shaders with out texture images

mahhen

Ok, this might be very noob problem, but i dont know how to get image on top of the shadet preset that doesnt have its own texture maps. For example car paint shaders. When i open LIE, there is no "bottom" texture where to add your new one. Insead the list is empty and the texture you add is the firs one. You can sometimes see addet picture on the item you addet it, if the shader color isn't too dark but it doesnt look normal and it looks like its under the shader or mayby they are blendet together. And when you render the addet picture disappears sometimes completely even if you can see it in viewpoint.

I have tryed to find answer to this problem from forums and reading lie tutorial, but havnt find anything or mayby i havn't understand fully the process.

If someone can help i would be crateful

Richard Haseltine

If this is Iray you could try using a Decal, from the Create menu.

mahhen

Richard Haseltine thank you, i didnt even know that there is something like that. More i learn. i learn also how little i actually know. Decal seems quite easy to use, well at least in the beginning, but posing is hard when you dont see what you are doing. What i have read from forums (if i have understand correctly), you can split your screen and make small iray viewpoin. That would make it little easier. Also that if picture isn't just a color or square is little complicated. From where do i adjust the picture, so it will fit in the decal square. I tryed tiles, but not sure if that is right place. I also get some backround color even if the picture is just png with out any backround (flames for hot rod)..

Well ill keep trying, ill get there eventually (slowly mayby)    

Richard Haseltine

You may need to use your image editor to make a black and white mask image - black for transparent areas, white for the colour - and use that for Cutout Opacity. PNG alpha should be supported for opacity but it doesn't always seem to work.

As for getting the proportion right, you can adjust the scale of the decal - I would get the size of the image in pixels and then for XScale enter width in pixels / height in pixels - DS will then calculate the value and set the scale accordingly. You can then use the overall Scale to set the total size as desired.