Indigo 1.1.9

[StompinTom]

another area for speed improvements i think would be real helpful is the 3d-package-to-Indigo pipe cuz its a wee bit difficult to make quick test renders when it takes a couple minutes to export and fire up the scene. i guess thats more of an exporter issue, but im guessing the fact that you have to go through an intermediate XML file slows things down as opposed to a plugin (a la mentalray n maxwell etc etc etc).

again, feel free to correct me if im wrong, im nothing but a mere end-user.

thats only possible with the commercial SDK, there is a plugin of that type in the making: IndigoTinted for XSI Unveiled

commercial SDK + open-source Blender != possible?
how does stuff like that work? if that were to be developed would that mean youd pay for an integrated Indigo version but the standalone would be free?

[Zom-B]

[Edit] Doh! Me again... Perhaps there could be a button that forces an update of the render buffer, that way you don't have to wait 20-30 seconds to see the changes take effect.

Aperture Diffraction is here the evil checkbox that slows the preview down a lot, having it disabled you can see your changes in seconds (renderoutput size and SuperSampling cause still issues here if to big!)

Just a small question (sorry if it has been discussed already).
Should the interactive stuff (tone mapping, light layers, etc) work while doing a network rendering or not?

Ideally, yes.

But in 1.1.9 its still not the case

[Phoenix]

thats only possible with the commercial SDK, there is a plugin of that type in the making: IndigoTinted for XSI Unveiled

commercial SDK + open-source Blender != possible?
how does stuff like that work? if that were to be developed would that mean youd pay for an integrated Indigo version but the standalone would be free?

Are we talking about a commercial Indigo SDK?

Never heard about that!

Also a forum search brought no enlightenment.

[zsouthboy]

[Edit] Doh! Me again... Perhaps there could be a button that forces an update of the render buffer, that way you don't have to wait 20-30 seconds to see the changes take effect.

The framebuffer already tonemaps and updates when you change any of the sliders, it's likely that it's actually taking your machine 30 seconds to do so.
Turn off post process aperture diffraction.

(In fact, I turn it off for the whole render so as not to waste CPU time, then turn it on for the final save)

[zsouthboy]

commercial SDK + open-source Blender != possible?
how does stuff like that work? if that were to be developed would that mean youd pay for an integrated Indigo version but the standalone would be free?

Guys, the commercial SDK is more along the lines of integrating indigo into your own [existing] workflow than adding it to a 3d app for ease of use.

[StompinTom]

nah check the link. it appears that Indigo is being used within XSI as opposed to export & boot Indigo standalone. hence the SDK.

im thinkin more along the lines of the way Yafray is with Blender, so you get rid of some of the time spent exporting and loading the scene into Indigo. theres been talk of this but its also a Blender issue, what with its render API n such.

in any case, render speed should take priority IMO.

[CTZn]

That's fun... I believe one can obtain the same level of integration in Maya with some work... but without external API. Btw since yesterday night I'm thinking to integrate spectrum in a separate node than the monolithic shader (banging my head for days on what's the best integration scheme for new Indigo stuff), at least I won't claim thay was my idea (and please warn me at least once before suing me if I do so, I'll leave mti then, not that I'm very active but...

Yes I'm a bit sarcastic, but when it comes to money we never know

If power corrupts,
Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Do we know more about the Indigo API ? Is there a doc available (for free) ?

[Deus]

Also python is great.. but speed wise it sucks. Plugins eat most of the CPU trying to parse python code

[CTZn]

yep precisely I shall use Python for what I told, not very worried about running time since embedded maya language is way slower, and there's not much things to compute actually.

Honestly it's all dougal2's work till now (well recently and most importantly), i'm just doing code collage until I grab py concepts better. Also I'm not involved into any kind of competition I must precise

[fused]

That's fun... I believe one can obtain the same level of integration in Maya with some work... but without external API.

i belvieve that to. not exactly the same level, but at least to a certain extent. thats what would have been possible in cindigo:

one could load the rendered image from where he specified it to save in the render framebuffer, and let c4d act as if it was rendering.
you would still have that really long xml export and loading in indigo (its the file operations that slow everything down).
the user would have to cancel rendering twice, the indigo console and the internal renderer that acts as if it was rendering, as one cant check from c4d if an application is still running.

the reason i didnt do it was that i could not really see the use of it, as the user would just be fooled and one could just use the indigo gui executable with just little effort and now he has even more options.

hope that makes sense

Do we know more about the Indigo API ? Is there a doc available (for free) ?

some, do but i think they wouldnt tell / arent allowed to.

[fused]

Btw since yesterday night I'm thinking to integrate spectrum in a separate node than the monolithic shader (banging my head for days on what's the best integration scheme for new Indigo stuff)

sounds like a good idea

[CTZn]

rgigante's one

Still, I'm not sure... specially about wavelength dependent (or not) stuff. If they are of one type or the other, this reminds internal to Indigo, right, relatively to the parameter they are connected to ? Externally, they are just a text (basic implementation of shader), a texture, or... well constant can be of multiple kind, tadly more complex than it could appear at first.

Simply put, the 3d app would not distinguish between a wavelength dependent, textured parameter and a wavelength independent, textured parameter ? Indigo would, but not the host application, got me ? My turn to ask if that makes sense:)

[CTZn]

I am getting tons of 'unexpected element' errors that contradict what is written in the manual. For example, unexpected <texture> in <phong>. unexpected <displacement> in <blend>...the list goes on. I am guessing that Ono is probably aware of these issues already.

True it's annoying, how are we supposed to write export routines then

On the other hand I must say I'm happy with external meshes, and triangles checks are very helpfull (for Maya users, since intermediate objects from history stack tend to be exported as void meshes).

I experienced something weird with hybrid only, where direct sun lighting through an exit portal wasn't showing up (barely a few pixels dispached in the area), but the light patch was very clearly visible in a reflective surface nearby. Also indirect lighting was as expected, only direct sun light seemed to have a hard time being sampled.

[fused]

cant remember that i said that

[CTZn]

huh...

I was going to mock you gently fused, then upon an access of conciousness I checked my source and that was not you, my bad

I was quoting Whaat, apologies.