Preview of new Indigo Material Editor

[OnoSendai]

Hi All,
I've been working on an Indigo material editor over the last few weeks; here are some preview screen-shots showing it in action.

The material editor will be fully featured - you should be able to do just about everything that can be coded in the XML with the material editor.

It has an integrated browser of the Indigo material database (see second screen-shot) - it connects over the internet to the Indigo site, allowing you to seach the online MatDB.
It will also have integrated upload directly to the MatDB for finished materials.

The material editor will be included in the main Indigo distribution when it's done.

There should be a beta of the material editor out next week.

Please bear in mind that these are pre-beta screenshots, and the final will feel a lot nicer, both aesthetically and functionality-wise.

Feedback and suggestions are welcome!

[CTZn]

Ohwowow, happy Indigo-ers !

How about a temporary matDB section for uploads ?

Accessible to users, sanctionned by users. Only rated materials would go into their definitive section.

Either what the matDB could turn into a real mess in less than two days I bet

[PureSpider]

Holy crap!
I WANT!

[Pibuz]

The new restyling/utility of the material editor is a huge affair, and I think you're carrying it out very well.
One single thing: I find the right section a little too complex to understand. Maybe something which makes the interface more simple will help a bit.
BTW good idea. I'd like to use it soon!

I was lately thinking about the versatility of a system which uses same tools for several applications. It is more easy to understand, and one can jump from an app to another withot having to re-study comparable things from the beginning. I have in mind (excuse me if I'm a little boring) Fryrender, which uses the same material editor for all the apps. At least for SketchUp and 3dsMax. So, in the projects I choosed to carry out using SU and Max, it's been so easy to prepare a base scene in SU (fast modelling), to add more detailed stuff in Max and to set up the materials.

I really think that a common (let's say) "external" app for material editing would really enhance the bridging between two or more applications. Perhaps this "external application" (the one with the interface designed by you, Ono) could be called by clicking a "edit material" button, I don't know. Something like this. Btw, this is only my idea. Thank you for reading!

[benn]

Awesome Ono.

@pibuz The right hand pane will be styled up a lot more to make it easier to understand. What you see there is the direct output of ruby code that generates c++ code that makes the user interface - it will be much much easier to read and use by the time of the beta release.

It's going to be great guys! And yes we may need to do something for the material database, Ono and I joke about people uploading 200 diffuse materials... yellow, pink-yellow, yelllow-pink, pink, pinky-red, etc.

[Zom-B]

oh, this is sexy!

But:

Indigo materials are so simple to setup and so easy to understand that a material Editor seems quite unneeded for me!!!
ISL is the only big thing that is complex and complicated...

How about direct ISL preview like the mighty ISL Previewer did?

I mean just compare Indigo material system to C4D, Blender or whatever... its basic & simple!
people who work with Indigo are mostly no n00bs... a application that I need to setup my materials?? What is the exporter for???????
Maybe I'm a little to spoiled using cindigo, but such a Material editor wouldn't help me doing my job faster or even better!

Don't take this personal, but this are my 0.02$

[pixie]

If special indigo is built so that the preview object is hardcoded so that it's kept always resident changing in realtime along the changes in materials* I'm all for it, namely because the cindigo hasn't sort out the cinema clamp issue....

* think of it as how the tonemapping occurs, the scene is kept in ram and are made some tweaks to the scene and it reflects those in realtime.

[fused]

Maybe I'm a little to spoiled using cindigo, but such a Material editor wouldn't help me doing my job faster or even better!

Haha, i think you are!

[dakiru]

This is great! I have one question - will it be possible to add a custom preview scene (or model)?

[Doug Armand]

This is looking really great. Very slick.

ZomB is right though about the ISL. Would be fantastic if there was an easy way to implement it so noobs like me could use it.

I can see ISL potential but I just don't have the skills neccessary to make use of it.

Also then exporter writers could also forget about trying to convert procedurals from the 3D program. That would save some work and also add to consistency?

Just an idea

[Stromberg]

Been waiting for this a long time now
Any hints on how long until release?

[fused]

There should be a beta of the material editor out next week.

[Godzilla]

It's going to be great guys! And yes we may need to do something for the material database, Ono and I joke about people uploading 200 diffuse materials... yellow, pink-yellow, yelllow-pink, pink, pinky-red, etc.

And perhaps some kind of approval requirement for the image gallery? because i'm sure you won't be 'joking' if someone uploads hundreds of pictures of child porn.



Great news guys! thanks a million!

[Doug Armand]

because i'm sure you won't be 'joking' if someone uploads hundreds of pictures of child porn.

or worse - more pictures of Nicholas and sheep !

[benn]

Hahaha. That's a very serious dog.