eclark1894
Visionary
Hey guys, I need a definition of the word "materials" as it relates to it's use in Poser. In other words, how would you explain to someone who has never used or even seen Poser before just what materials are?
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Materials in Poser
- Thread starter eclark1894
- Start date
eclark1894
Visionary
This is rather amusing. I've posted this same question at the SM forum , here and at DAZ. Everybody knows what it is, but they're struggling to clearly define it.
Basic concepts are the worst. To clearly define the materials, you should clearly define visualization process (render engine), models and 3d space, and only then the materials. Long, tedious and needed only in a uni or in a basic course of 3d visualization IMHO. (But it's better than the math - set has no definition at all IIRC...)
Leana
Enthusiast
Do you means material settings or presets?
Material settings would be the properties which enables you to define how the surface of an object will look like once rendered: what color, is it transparent, is it shiny, is it reflective, how does it react to light, and so on.
Material presets would be a way to set those properties to predefined values to get a specific output.
Material settings would be the properties which enables you to define how the surface of an object will look like once rendered: what color, is it transparent, is it shiny, is it reflective, how does it react to light, and so on.
Material presets would be a way to set those properties to predefined values to get a specific output.
eclark1894
Visionary
I generated a bit of a stir this morning with this question. As you know, I'm doing a directory. All the stores have materials listed, but the meanings are as clear as mud. Everybody's given me an answer, which is right, but the reason I asked about how to tell a noobie is that I need to know what to include in that category. I'm still categorizing vendors according to what they make and some of these people are all over the map. It doesn't help that products like Textures, can fit under Materials, Textures, Characters, Add-Ons, etc.
Poser 8 Revealed by Kelly L. Murdock explains materials as the coverings used for the various elements in the scene. She goes on to say that materials can as simple as a color or as complex as a full texture with bumps and highlights. Poser materials can be loaded from the Library (Material Presets) or can be created by hand using the controls in the the Material Room.
The Poser Reference Manual explains that the Material Room allows you to describe the material properties of your objects' surfaces. I think if I didn't understand what materials are, I'd not understand what they mean by "describe the material properties." But that's probably because I didn't learn all this 3D stuff through a class ... where the term materials as it applied to 3D objects is probably explained.
I also think Kelly's use of coverings is a bit confusing. I think of a covering as something you'd drape over an object, not something you are applying to the surface of an object like paint. I think texturing might be a more accurate description of what we do to the appearance of an object.
Said texturing of an object's surface (or the appearance of the surface) is accomplished through the use of Material Presets or by using the Material Room to set up a collection of nodes which are added to the Poser Surface, which may or may not include image files, and the settings or properties of the Poser Surface and any added Node.
But in terms of a Materials category, what that usually means is either a collection of image files (usually jpg or png) that can be manually applied through the material room or a material preset that can be loaded from the Library.
Does that make any sense?
Personally, if it's a set of image files (such as you usually find being sold as background images or tiles), I'd put it in a Texture category. If it's a Material Preset (with or without image files), I'd put it in a Materials category.
The Poser Reference Manual explains that the Material Room allows you to describe the material properties of your objects' surfaces. I think if I didn't understand what materials are, I'd not understand what they mean by "describe the material properties." But that's probably because I didn't learn all this 3D stuff through a class ... where the term materials as it applied to 3D objects is probably explained.
I also think Kelly's use of coverings is a bit confusing. I think of a covering as something you'd drape over an object, not something you are applying to the surface of an object like paint. I think texturing might be a more accurate description of what we do to the appearance of an object.
Said texturing of an object's surface (or the appearance of the surface) is accomplished through the use of Material Presets or by using the Material Room to set up a collection of nodes which are added to the Poser Surface, which may or may not include image files, and the settings or properties of the Poser Surface and any added Node.
But in terms of a Materials category, what that usually means is either a collection of image files (usually jpg or png) that can be manually applied through the material room or a material preset that can be loaded from the Library.
Does that make any sense?
Personally, if it's a set of image files (such as you usually find being sold as background images or tiles), I'd put it in a Texture category. If it's a Material Preset (with or without image files), I'd put it in a Materials category.