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oscarl48
09-02-2017, 11:18 PM
ShaderMap 4 is out. The pro version is $50 for new buyers and $34.00 as an upgrade for previous owners. There are some cool features which I still haven't learned from the last version which have been improved. So have to find time to learn this program now as well. Has some cool features for 3d modelers in material creation. It should fit well into my modeling pipeline.

bergerud
09-02-2017, 11:40 PM
It seems to be free for non-commercial use. (I tried to pay the $34 to upgrade but could not find a way to do it.)

I have not yet had a chance to play with it.

oscarl48
09-03-2017, 12:28 AM
Dan, I read the free version may have a watermark so purchased the pro.

It was not a super easy process to actually purchase it. I had to log into my account and then I had to search for the upgrade button. If they want your money they should make it easier for us to give it to them. Regardless I am impressed with the software...again. Still don't know how to use it but it does make pretty materials.

From a picture I made in Paintshop pro it gave me this texture material. I am impressed on how fast and easy it makes it for me to create these types of textures.

For blender users, the new Cycles engine PBR Principled shader in version 2.79 has node inputs that you can directly connect and blend ( displacement, normal, occlusion, specular maps). For non-blender users, by blending these different images it gives the illusion of depth and geometry where none actually exists. So shadermap is a really cool tool for 3d modelers that want to create their own materials.

The displacement images are what is important for CW designer users because it gives a digital depth to images that the CW software interprets as real depth. In this case the 2d illusion is converted to real depth by the CW software.

bergerud
09-03-2017, 10:00 AM
Thanks, I did find the upgrade button. I have yet to figure out how to create displacement maps from 3D.

Another thing which could really be interesting is to create normal map pictures of real objects with colored lights and use them to create displacement maps.

oscarl48
09-03-2017, 12:42 PM
That would be an interesting experiment.

By displacement maps are you referring to the grey-scale bas relief maps or displacement bump maps for textures?

bergerud
09-03-2017, 01:39 PM
That would be an interesting experiment.

By displacement maps are you referring to the grey-scale bas relief maps or displacement bump maps for textures?

Just grey scale height maps to carve. (Bas relief would be nice, but I do not think Shadermap has a way to do that.)

Scooby
09-03-2017, 02:02 PM
Nope it doesn't. I have asked the programmer of the software, he said interesting,but he did not have the time to write the code, etc.

oscarl48
09-03-2017, 04:37 PM
Scooby, good to know.

Dan, I thought you had blendercam. That should be able to make awesome height maps. I have never figured out how to install the software.

I haven't tried in a while so may have to try again. The node setup I use is pretty good but not perfect and not as good as the old bas relief node that is no longer compatible with current versions of blender.

bergerud
09-03-2017, 05:15 PM
Scooby, good to know.

Dan, I thought you had blendercam.

I do but it is complicated and I have to relearn it whenever I use it! I have been using Sculptor for creating bas relief since it is very user friendly.

cestout
09-03-2017, 05:43 PM
I have and have used Shader Map 3 but don't really understand it. I got the upgrade notice but was wondering if I could rationalize the upgrade. Are the upgrade features worth the upgrade and where can I find instructions/tutorials? Only directions I got were from BJB which I used and I posted my version of a rubber ducky.
Clint

oscarl48
09-03-2017, 05:50 PM
Clint, I am not sure if it is worth it if you already have version 3. For me it was worth the purchase for the 3d material creation I use in 3d modeling. I do not use it for the CW designer pattern building at all. I only mentioned it because I know there are some folks on here that use it and are way more familiar with it than I am.

Maybe someone smarter than me on the software can give us their 2 cents.

I am discovering material/texture for 3d models is harder in some ways than just building geometry for the models.

oscarl48
10-13-2017, 08:26 PM
Well. Okay.

It is just awesome when you accidentally delete a pattern without noticing you deleted it and then follow up by overwriting the backup with a different file so that the original file is unrecoverable.

I was playing with depth map creation using shadermap. Here is the pattern I deleted but I did create a decent depth map before irrevocably sending it to the ether.