The multi layered image editor

[Dreamer]

I have been looking into using this for a couple of projects I am planing and after hunting around on the net I am left with a question or two.
Can you use .jpg images or do the have to be .pngs?
Do the layered imaged automatically take on the shader settings of what they are applied over?
If so can you set them up to have their own shader settings and how?
Humm so I guess the was more like three or four questions lol
Any how talk to me folks I wish to be edgamicated

 

[AllenArt]

Do you mean to use images as masks in the LIE? I'm not sure what you mean exactly

 

[Dreamer]

Do you mean to use images as masks in the LIE? I'm not sure what you mean exactly

I thin that's what I mean lol I haven't tried any thing yet just looked a few tuts and they all use .png files not .jpg and I was wondering if you can only use .png and that will change how I make the overlays

 

[Carrie58]

you need to use pngs because of the transparency if you use jpgs then that takes over and covers the original ........

 

[Semicharm]

You can use jpgs, only you'd have to save transparency as a separate image and load it as a mask on that layer.

 

[Carrie58]

Cool I've always used pngs so I didn't have to make a mask ...

 

[Dreamer]

Cool thanks @Semicharm are the masks black where you want the overlay and white for the base or the other way round?

 

[Semicharm]

Cool thanks @Semicharm are the masks black where you want the overlay and white for the base or the other way round?

Black is transparent and white is solid, same as textures in DS and most photo apps.

 

[Dreamer]

Sweet.
Ok so how about material settings? Can the layers have their own different from base?

 

[Semicharm]

Sweet.
Ok so how about material settings? Can the layers have their own different from base?

Layers are merely "flattened" into a single texture in DS. Most mat settings allow you to apply an image to vary the settings intensity, from 0 (black) to the setting value (white). This is a another place where having a separate mask image can help, as they can be reused in other mat settings. For example, say you wanted to add a print image on a t-shirt. The image itself would be added as a layer on "diffuse". If you used a mask image, you could reuse it on "specular strength" to make the print glossy while keeping the cloth matte, or on "bump strength" to raise the print just a bit to make it look printed on the fabric.

If you're looking for something more flexible, you could try 3DCheapskate's "Simple Dual Material Shader" or JGreenlees' "Layer Shader". I haven't personally gotten around to trying them yet, so I can't attest to how well they work.

 

[Dreamer]

Thanks, I grabbed the free one to try and I'll have a play with L.I.E

 

[Bonnie2001]

Do you already have Photoshop? If so, you can do all that layer mask stuff in there without needing to buy other software.

 

[Dreamer]

Do you already have Photoshop? If so, you can do all that layer mask stuff in there without needing to buy other software.

Yes I do but this is for adding things like dirt or makeup layers to a product I am making for sale Having some way for the customer to add things how they want is in some ways easier than making material files of every way you can think of to combine stuff, you quickly end up with a huge file size that way and even then you most likely will miss at lest one way that some one would like to mix things lol

 

[tparo]

The DS Iray shader has the ability to apply layers and masks, LIE is slow and resource intensive, I don't really like it, it can produce some wonderful effects but it's just so clunky.

 

[Dreamer]

That is good to know but not every one wants to or can use Iray, nor do some of us find it the easiest beast to deal with So for 3Delight mats this is still very handy to know about