Cineversity

Hello

I’m working on building an image like this
Here is the file I have right now.

I’m trying to use the Multishader to replicate the text that is written on the rings.  Ideally I would create all the text in Photoshop and bring it in with an Alpha Channel.

I’m not quite sure how to get the text placed correctly on each ring though, as I’m guessing the projection method will be different for the vertical vs horizontal rings?

Thanks for any advice

Alex

Hi Alex,

Please have a look here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQMPsSZj7Cw
Around 00:23 [min:sec] the primary step is shown for the UV Peeler. This allows using a linear texture on the ‘rings”.

I have set up a dummy here:
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/jQsRE8faq5MaOFZXbiV5qSQoDzWiB5PxSjlUgmAphny
(I used only four textures, but it should be of course eight.)

Whereby, I would set up the outer ring as a separate shape, as it is twice a wide.

I have set up two MoGraph Cloner and rotated (Cloner>Transform) the second one, so it is placed as in the image that you have had provided.

Let me know if there is any question, I’m happy to look into it.

Cheers

Thanks Sassi
I’m not completely clear on how this would work with text though?  The textures you applied look very stretched, even though I can see they are properly distributed.
I’m trying to get the text that says “Sphera Lovis” etc…on each ring, and be able to place it precisely at the top.
Maybe I need to convert all these to individual rings so I can place them precisely rather than use a cloner?  Then I could put them back in a Fracture object to do any animation?

Alex,

The dummy texture is just a square, to illustrate.

The ring itself needs a long stripe, please have a look here:
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/F9u5bRqSy8orH9MklYM5WQCLJAmnfugS3fohm9SQm4E

Yes, you could just use a background texture and set the text on top of it. Set the tile to 8 and the checkbox tile to none, as shown here, the text is in the Alpha channel and the color of the text in the Color Channel, if needed differently.
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/MKpIg9FK3jTv8lqHyHXQ2vvvMaWcrY9F3YoUAEN2VQD

Cheers

That’s great, exactly what I needed.
So you didn’t have to modify the UV’s here? Is that why you made the rings editable? 
Sorry if I missed something..

Thanks for these files!

Alex,

I made the Objects editable, to get out of the default UV and to be able to use the UV Peeler to get a strip-like UV. You asked for an easy way to use Photoshop as a source app.

All the best

Thanks Sassi
So I still have a bit of a problem with this. 
I take one of my rings, and I make it editable.  I then make a wide strip of texture in PS, and bring it in as material.  I apply it to the ring, and go to BP UV edit layout.  There I select all the UV polygons, go to tranform, and rotate 180.  However it still doesn’t make it “ring” friendly…
Should I be using a particular type of texture projection?

Thanks!

Alex,

Take a Disc, make it a ring, and turn it into a polygon.

Add a Material to do, and leave the texture tag untouched.

Go to UV Edit.

Select ONE edge (which must be the same edge for the second disc) and then call up the UV Edit> UV Peeler.
Use the UV Peeler Apply button. Use the UV Uniformity slider of the UV Peeler, until all edges in the UV window are parallel.

Nothing more to do.

All steps are in this clip.
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/8QJB6vjv6DDjA6uo5v2ZInvuTqGzYrUC6wlFXflQTfP

If there is any other problem, please share your file. I will have a look into it.

Cheers

Ah I see the UV peeler!  Of course.  But will this work with an object that has an extrusion?  In my case the ring is “thick” and not just flat.

Alex,

The fastest way to get a clean mesh would be to extrude the Disc, with a cap. [M~T] Extrude> Cap: checked

Then select one edge, and peel, then another, etc. It is all in the screen capture below.

Screen-capture, Project-file.
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/V74jjQeNpdyfVlUY3eg1wJie5lYaO709NZxdVuyIGqu

You could also select two or three neighbor edges at once. I would prefer the step by step, though.

Enjoy

Ha, I see, that makes sense.
I just re-created the whole process and it works great.

So now if I want to create a texture that fits the outer side of the ring I just arrange my UV’s on the texture.  Amazing.

Thanks Sassi, for taking the time to explain this so well!

Thanks a lot for the great feedback, Alex, you’re very welcome.

Let me know if there is anything else…

My best wishes for your project.

Hello Sassi

So I do have one more question for this…Once I’ve unwrapped my geometry, is there a way I can find out what the right size of my texture should be?  I have been doing it by eyeballing, but it’s a bit hit or miss…Is there a recommended workflow for this?

Thanks!

Hi Alex,

Typically I use one of my Color-Checkerboards for this. Each square has a fixed number of pixels. So I can count the squares when they are at their closest to the camera. This allows me then to calculate the pixels I need for the final resolution.

Step 1
Determine the Final Resolution
Step 2
With the camera closest to the object, count the squares (Explore all camera positions. Where the square is the largest in the camera view, you have your reference point.
Step 3
Render Res/Squares times square res. times (at least) 1.5
Step 4
Step 1 with Step 3 should match or better.

The pattern I use (the 8x8 squares) is essential, and these squares will allow me to decide where the sweet spot is.

If my render resolution would be 1000 pixels, and I see five squares from left to right, then my texture should hold (1000/5) x 1.5 pixels per square. Since it has eight squares, the texture I have to have for the model, in this case, is 2.400 pixels (if the squares are diagonal in camera view, you need to adjust the amount.

Why 1.5? Because typically, no texture pixel will fill a rendered pixel to 100%. The 1.5 is a standard that has served me in the past 25 years very well. However, I never go that frugal to work: Camera settings can change, just a little bit closer, …, closer, and lost all quality.

Any creation of textures should be much larger, then create an appropriately sized copy with some room. If that is not enough, the source can be used.

Does this make sense, f not I will try differently.

Cheers

So if I want my final resolution to be 1920x1080, are you saying I should create a version of the checkerboard that is double that size, and then place it on the geometry to estimate size of the cubes?

Thanks!

Hi Alex,

Not at all. The size of the textures is absolutely dependent on your camera settings in conjunction with the object that has the texture on it. The squares are only there to measure. YOu need to know what the camera can see from the object. If you don’t know where the camera is, no resolution can be determined.

I have to set up a little clip for you. Please allow some time, as I’m in the door for dinner.

Talk to you soon.