Hi Aidan : I think you missed my reply to Mark yesterday where I mentioned the math going on behind World Construction Set's "Rules of Nature" shader placement . The gif is a screenshot of that old (v4) interface .
Yes , Darktree has been mentioned many times here on this list , by myself mostly , since I was using a similiar type of interface in World Construction Set's Shader Manager . I just did a key-word search of my RS mail folder and you mentioned it last at Christmas of last year , and I mentioned it last in June/04 , 25 messages in all . I think there might be a market for a Realsoft user to build such a frontend for VSL , but it would probably be a lengthy process ... labour of love type of project . We were lucky in V3.53 with people who would take RS's pot- ential and write an app around it , Like "Phenomena" and "Enh- ancer" . Both great (front-end?) apps that allowed a typical user to create amazing particle effects using RS's engine . Garry Curtis http://www.niagara.com/~studio > 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 > > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.362 / Virus Database: 267.12.7/154 - Release Date: 11/1/05 > >
