- Using The Dirtmap Shader?

[cim]

Could someone explain how to use Dirtmap (http://animus.brinkster.net/stuff/plg_dirtmap/plg_dirtmap.html), since the author of it doesn't. I mean, what nodes I have to connect and stuff.

Thx.

[gmask]

Maybe speye_21 or mattD could shed some light on this?

[arianrod]

It is pretty simple, create the node and attach it where you want. It depends on what you want to occlude. If it is a material than connect it to the diffure value, or multiply the whole shader and connect the result to a surface shader. If you want an occlusion pass than connect the output of the dirtmap to a surface shader's out color. If you want a reflectionmap, than connect it to the color gain of the reflection map.

BTW as far as I know the version of the mi and aetemplate files that Daniel has on his site are buggy. It is an old version that does not have proper default values and the interface screws them every time. (Sorry for that, this is really an oooold version.) Hope Daniel updates it sometime.

You can download the current version from:
http://www.impresszio.hu/users/szabolcs/Dirtmap Maya files.zip

Cheers
Szabolcs

[cim]

Well, I've tried everything you suggested, but it simply doesn't work. Could you (or anyone) post a simple scene of it actually working?

Thx.

[arianrod]

Here is a simple test scene. Everything is just default values.

Cheers,
Szabolcs

http://www.impresszio.hu/users/szabolcs/di...p\_testscene.zip

[cim]

Ok, I tried the scene you posted and it doesn't work.

Clearly, the shader must be buggy, since it doesn't work with Maya 5.0.

"API 0.0 warn 302004: C:/Program Files/AliasWavefront/Maya5.0/mentalray/include/Dirtmap.mi, line 19: while defining declaration "Dirtmap": declaring nonexisting function Dirtmap
PHEN 0.2 error 051011: shader "Dirtmap" not found
PHEN 0.4 error 051011: shader "Dirtmap" not found
PHEN 0.2 error 051011: shader "Dirtmap" not found
PHEN 0.2 error 051011: shader "Dirtmap" not found"

[latrommi_suineg]

that doesnt sound like a run-time error to me.

first off... open a text editor and go to line 19... and check for a possible type-o

but its most likely that you have simply not placed the include dirtmap.so into your ray.rc file... mental ray seems to see your declaration file... but cant find your dll

[arianrod]

Well, the test scene I uploaded for you rendered without problems for me. It seems to me a setup problem. Check the following guides:

Installation:

• Copy the MI file to the mr for maya/include directory.
• Copy the DLL file to the mr for maya/lib directory.
• Copy the AEDirtmapTemplate.mel file to a maya script directory.
  (The list of the current script directories can be queried using the following mel command: getenv "MAYA_SCRIPT_PATH")

• Copy the icon file to a maya icon directory.
  (The list of the current icon directories can be queried using the following mel command: getenv "XBMLANGPATH")

• Add the following lines after similar declarations in the maya.rayrc file:
  (The rayrc file is in the AW/Maya5.0/mentalray directory in Maya 5.0 and under AW/MR for Maya/plug-ins in Maya 4.5)

  link "{MAYABASE}/lib/Dirtmap.{DSO}"

  mi "{MAYABASE}/include/Dirtmap.mi"

These lines initialize the shader for Mental Ray. If they do not exist than the shader appears only in Maya but not in Mental Ray,
and it gives error messages in the output window like these:
API 0.0 error 301031: call to undeclared function "Dirtmap"
API 0.0 error 301036: undefined shader "Dirtmap1"

• If currently does not exist add the MAYA_MRFM_SHOW_CUSTOM_SHADERS = 1 environmental variable, that enables the display of Mental Ray nodes in Maya.
  Probably the easiest way get it working is to add it in the Maya.env file:

  --find the maya.env file in the user directory/my documents/maya/maya version directory
  (you can get the location using the getenv "MAYA_APP_DIR"; mel command)
  --add the following line to the file (the file might be empty, don't let is scare you):
  MAYA_MRFM_SHOW_CUSTOM_SHADERS = 1
  --Next time you start Maya the Mental Ray nodes tab will be available in the HyperShade.

Cheers,
Szabolcs

[cim]

Ah, I didn't relize that the .dll had to be added (wasn't in the Maya folder with the shader). All seems to be ok now.

Thx. for the help.

[arianrod]

You're welcome. Actualy the dll is the shader, the other stuff just interprets it to maya.