I'm just wondering if they made changes to the texture editor/creator and if they included new textures??? Does anybody have any pictures of the new texture editor? Thanks in advance...

If you mean the materials editor- yes, it can now get quite DEEP. I'm not a P5 user (I have it but prefer Pro-Pack) but it appears that the new features of the editor seem to help set up the potential of either transfering or closely approximating P5 materials. This would be for obvious marketing reasons and would make P5 users very happy. The other potential of this, discussed somewhat in a thread lower down, is to create Anime character Cel-Shade materials that approximate what Cel Shaders in Lightwave do. Landscape users probably don't care about this, but it has a lot of MARKETING potential for expanding Vue 5 sales in the Poser 5 user base...

Attached Link: http://www.e-onsoftware.com/Products/vue5/images/FunctionEditor.jpg

I would show you a screen shot- but I'm rendering a big radiosity scene and its taking a couple of hours- but here's info from e-on's website: "New Material and Function Editors, Parametric Mapping Use the Basic or the Advanced Material Editor, create incredibly complex procedural shaders using the all new SmartGraph Function Editor, and accurately fit textures onto objects using the new parametric mapping mode!"

Attached Link: http://www.e-onsoftware.com/Products/vue5/?Page=6

Function Graph Editor-- This is the deepest level of material edition. The function graph editor lets you build your own shaders by selecting from the multitude of preset noises, linking them to available parameters, and creating an infinite range of all new functions to apply on your material (or to generate procedural terrain altitudes)! Although a lot of effort has gone into making the creation of custom shaders easy and intuitive (thanks to the SmartGraph technology, inspired by artificial intelligence systems), the sheer power of the function graph editor can be initially overwhelming. Thanks to the new parametric mapping mode, you'll accurately fit textures onto objects! (Parametric mapping mode come in addition to world and object mappings).

You can now use it in two ways, as it was (with some improvements to it) or you can use the function editor attached to it. This allows you to add and combine all sorts of fucntions to your material. You basically design whole new materials from scratch. I really do think landscape users do care to about this too, it finally gives you the ability to create their own materials. It gives you the power to create and edit materials, but also edit and design shaders. This new function editor isn't for Poser users or shader users only, every one can use it to create more depth to his/her materials. It's a great enhancement, even to people who only use Vue to create landscapes. I've always loved and missed the material editor in Bryce, but this new one surpasses it imo. Great new feature and very welcome indeed.

If you used bitmap textures, or used only the procedural presets, the new editor is the same - I knof of lots of people who don't even know that there are functions inside Vue ;-) If you made your own procedural materials, or used to tweak preset ones, then yes, the editor is much diffrent - much more powerful, but in both cases (yesterday and today) you sort of have to know what you're doing with the functions.

And, yes, sorry that I implied that landscape users "probably don't care about this"- I meant that in relation to the potential Poser 5 applications. Landscape users will be THRILLED with the potential of the new Materials Editor because you can design extremely realistic natural materials- rocks, lava, terrain that will look photo-realistic when rendered in G.I., Radiosity or HDRI.

Thanks everybody with your replies, sounds like a feature, it will be interesting when I finally get this upgrade... Too bad there is no plant editor, since that interested me more...

I like to do my materials self and I find the new functionality to be greate.

It adds exactly where the Vue material editor were really week and that was on the function level.

If you ever did enter into that part you know that you could see only the combined result of your functions witch made it hard to figure out what to change in order to get the result you wanted. Now you can se what each function generates.

Now the functions also have special parameters something they not had before. As an example, now an function such as Dough (looks like irregular flat stones) let's you adjust size and space between them.

I'm in love with this tool allready. I'm sure I will find limitations when I continue but it is so much better than before.

And those that never needed to fiddle with the functions before will still not have to. ;)

Now...if there just was a hair function I could grow grass between those stones.....

Message edited on: 10/08/2004 00:33

Hi Hellborn, it does sound like a great feature, since I too like to create textures, and being able to see the function generates is very cool... I'm still trying to figure out consistent stainless steel... :) Hopefully metals in general will be more versatile with this texture editor... and yeah, I hear you about the grass, although, a recent tutorial here allows you to make great grass real easy and it doesn't take forever to render...