Hi Gary,
Nice GUI. I assume its from another app? It would be so wonderful if GUIs
like this were available in RS - a kind of dummies front end. BUT with
access to the VSL meat and veg underneath for those who are more advanced -
mathematically. I seem to remember having a discussion like this on the
list a while back. The VSL Guru's could do this I think - alot of it has to
do with the Wording and descriptions of sliders and / or input boxes used
in the non advanced mode of the VSL Shader property window. When people
design these shaders they need to think about the rest of us non
mathematical non techie type people.
OR heres another thought - that a simple app/plugin is created which allows
people to design a shader in a more WYSIWYG fashion, putting together said
shader with understandable nontechnical components while this app handles
the complexities underneath. A similar idea to WYSIWYG Web Page design
apps that keep the user away from HTML. This would open up the whole RS
shader design thing to the masses. It would allow imagination instead of
mathematical prowess to be the thing that creates shaders.
From my past use of TRUESPACE - this kind of app was available on that
platform - DARKTREE SIMBIONTS I think it was / is.
http://www.darksim.com/html/darktree25.html
http://www.darksim.com/html/simbiontts.html
Along with ShaderLab and Shadermagic - I think.
I understand the gist of your mail with respect to a landscape shader GUI
but I have broadened the topic a bit, hope thats ok Gary :)
Cheers
Aidan
At 06:20 04/11/2005, you wrote:
OK :
Here is a typical example of how one might construct
a very nice GUI user interface that did a nice job of
hiding the boolean logic math that is going on behind
the scenes .
http://www.studiodynamics.net/images/boolean.gif
Boolean Logic ?
if A is less than X ... then R .
if A is less than X but greater than Y then G .
if A is less than X and also less than Y, then B .
if A is greater than x but less than Z ...
Well , you get the idea .
However , VSL does not seem to be all that Boolean-
friendly , from what I can gather . It does not seem to
like simple algorithmic formulas , either , from what I
can see although algorithmics are _somehow_ "do-able" .
Aaa-anyway , as we can see , if VSL will allow a simple
"if this slope/height" ..."then this texture/color/density"
suddenly we can envision a gui interface that allows for
user input regarding what color or what .png image will
be used for certain trees , and exactly how certain areas
will have it's bare rock displacement mapped .
We could also use an animation of a tree , instead of an
image of a tree (or plant) , obviously , and since Realsoft
is also a dynamic animation package , we could also program
in all sorts of bizzare particle/object/mesh behaviours ,
simply according to polygons relative position or qualities .
So once again there emerges an opportunity to mention how,
that , with Realsoft ... anything is possible !
Attack a mesh with VSL !!!!
Garry Curtis
http://www.niagara.com/~studio
