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1. Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual June 09 2009 New Tools and Nodes Advanced Sphere Zone MetaNode Collection has been given a name snowFlaKe Matte Painter 2 Layer Aspect Ratio Mixed Elevation 1 Camera Master Controller Mixed Elevation 2 Camera Orbiter NGOS Sender Camera Projection NGOS Receiver Color Darken NGOC SR Color Map Reversal Plateau Middle Color Map Switcher Plateau Ridged Conversion Dependent Plateau Rough Cross Multiply b Range Controller Dependent Cross Multiply b c Rivers 1 Distance Size Rivers 2 Dynamic Range Controller Rivers 3 Focal Length Scene Color Controller Fractal Terrain Mixer Sine Variation 1 Function Preview Scalar Sine Variation 2 Gradient Threshold Sine Variation 3 Improved Distance Constraint Terrain Size Linker Leaf Color Randomizer Texture Map Outside Clip Length to Vector Vector Lock Master Switch Vector Lock 3x3 Master Switch 3 Zone Dependent Matte Painter Helpers and Setups Node Index Contents
2. asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual Node Outputs Color color This is the primary output It contains the Foreground and Background plus any Alpha Foreground blends Clip Outside Projection number This output can be connected to the Alpha output node of the material function It will cut out all parts of the image not contained within the camera projection Clip Outside Projection All Layer Adds the all layer subtraction alpha to the outside projection clip Alpha number Important Notes and Techniques Alpha and Foreground Fader By default without an image loaded the preview will be white or inverted This allows you to use the Foreground and Background with the Foreground Fader and without the alpha The Foreground Fader Amount slider will not work if no image is loaded into the alpha and the preview is black After removing a loaded image with the trash can icon the preview becomes black and the foreground will no longer show above the background Use the invert image icon upper right of the image map to invert and correct the layers and fader Turning off the Foreground Above it is mentioned that the Foreground will not work without the alpha inverted or an image loaded in By inverting the alpha without an image loaded in it is possible to turn off the foreground layers If the Foreground Fader amount is set to 0 it is also possible to swap the layers by inverting the alpha without an image loaded in Un
3. options for control objects Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual E3 Vector to Brightness This node coverts a vector into grayscale brightness number data Decomposer Modifiers FF Decomposer 2 Add Number The traditional Decomposer 2 node splits apart a texture coordinate vector into 2 number outputs for x and y input 0 and input 1 respectively This node has two internal number entry fields which add to the split vector These inputs can also be extracted and connected to any number output The two outputs on the bottom of the node are the split vector as x and y number outputs with the added values from the x and y number inputs FF Decomposer 3 Add Number The traditional Decomposer 3 node splits apart a vector into 3number outputs for x y and z input O input 1 and input 2 respectively This node has three internal number entry fields which add to the split vector These inputs can also be extracted and connected to any number output The three outputs on the bottom of the node are the split vector as x y and z number outputs with the added values from the x y and z number inputs FF Decomposer 3 x 3 This node is essentially 3 decomposer nodes in one The vector inputs and number outputs are named for the three primary object vector deformations Position Orientation and Size This node simplifies the setup for graph like functions when splitting multiple vectors into number o
4. 3 NGOC SR 1 0 Bug Correction Performs the calculation needed to fix numeric data sent through graphs Locked Object Plane Texture Controller 1 1 Dynamic Texture Controls a texture map s position and size with an object plane Locked Offset Split Vector Number 1 0 Vector Uses three extractable numbers to offset a vector Editable Offset Split Vector Number Add 1 0 Vector Uses three extractable numbers to add to a vector Editable Pixel Ratio Scale Ratio 1 0 Texture Coordinate Calculation Uses width and height data to correct texture scale when not proportionate Locked 4 Plateau Middle 1 0 Numeric Filter A fractal or noise number input filter Locked Plateau Ridged 1 0 Numeric Filter A fractal or noise number input filter Locked 4 Plateau Rough 1 0 Numeric Filter A fractal or noise number input filter Locked ae Range Controller Dependent 1 0 Graph Function Dependent Connects graphs to the Dynamic Range Controller Locked re de composer 2 3 1 5 Vector Combined Composer 2 and 3 with Decomposer 2 and 3 And all in one node Each node runs separately Editable re de composer 2 1 5 Vector Combined Composer 2 and Decomposer 2 Each node runs separately Editable re de composer 3 1 5 Vector Combined Composer 3 and Decompo
5. Example Steps 2 2 2 Note You can offset the start position of your object by using the Math gt Vector Operations gt Offset node Connect the offset to the output link of the node only use negative offset values How this node differs from the native Vue Grid Constraint The native node sets an equal value for the x y z axis If you were to use the native node as a scale constraint it would be limited to a single axis EXTREMELY IMPORTANT Connecting and Removing this node from your object s MUST be made in the following order or your object will be destroyed Before connecting this node save your scene Below the Object Size Grid Constraint Node is referred to as the Grid node Connection Connect the Grid node s Size vector to the objects Size Input node Then connect the object s Position output node to the vector output bottom of the Grid node Last connect the Grid node s Position vector to the object s Position Input node Node Removal Select the link from the object s Position output node to the Grid node by clicking on it Then press the delete key on the keyboard Last select the Grid node by clicking on it and press the delete key This method should preserve the current position and keep the object intact Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual FF Terrain Size Linker Standard terrains have a different scale output than normal objects Although the terrain will
6. mouse Shift Right Mouse Button Orbiter will also cause the Pan Up Down controls to reverse You can reverse this option in the control panel to correct the movement It is also suggested that you turn up the Z Movement Sensitivity in the Camera Orbiter options when using these devices Inputs Outputs Camera Orbiter has two inputs and two outputs All inputs and outputs are Vector 3 meaning they using x y z position and orientation data All connections can be made in the camera s graph without the need to add additional external dependency input nodes Note The default input nodes of all object graphs are external dependencies data must first travel from the outputs and then back to the inputs All inputs need to be connected to Camera Orbiter before orbiters outputs are connected Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual Inputs Position Connects to the camera s Position input node Vector Required for All modes and usage Orientation Connects to the camera s Orientation input node Vector Required for Pitch Zoom Control Outputs Position Connects to the camera s Position output node Vector Required for Position Constraint Pivot Offset Connects to the camera s Pivot Offset output node Vector Required for All modes and usage Camera Orbiter has two modes fixed and dynamic Fixed Mode This mode uses a fixed amount to control the distance of the p
7. 3 x 3 ni Vector Editable Conversion Dependent Locked Cross Multiply a amp Cross Multiply b amp Cross Multiply bc Numeric Calculation Fraction comparison a b c d Solves for b Editable Numeric Calculation Fraction comparison a b c d Solves for b and c Editable Adds two extractable number inputs to a texture coordinate and converts the output to two number outputs Adds three extractable number inputs to a vector and converts the output to three number outputs Converts 3 Vectors into 9 number outputs Uses XYZ naming system for Position Orientation and Size Converts 3 Vectors into 9 number outputs Uses a generic naming system Converts 3 Vectors into 9 number outputs Uses the native numeric naming system Calculates the distance between two object pivots and uses the output to control size Divides a vector by an internal or connected number or vector Locked Divides a vector by an internal or connected number Locked Divides a vector by an internal or connected vector Locked Dynamically controls any number in a function or graph using an object with range distance influence controls Decomposer 2 Add Number 1 Vector Editable Decomposer 3 Add Number 1 Vector Editable Decomposer 3 x 3 Vector Editable Decomposer 3 x 3 Simple Vector Editable Decomposer 3 x 3 ni Vector Editable Distance Size Dynamic Vector Locked Divide V
8. Dependency Range Dependent Range Dependent 2 Connects to an external dependency input node Dependency Range Dependent 2 Outputs Position Connects to the position or size of the controller object s position or size output node Node Index Contents 17 asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual FF Function Preview Scalar This tool changes the scale of node previews shown in the function graph Since the Output Observer only shows the final output of a function you often need to look at an individual channel to see what changes are being made If you are working with a World Coordinate system on a function with very large features a fractal may no show you the details you need to see The node essentially changes the scale of all nodes in the function equally by modifying the Vector Input nodes Vector Input Connect to the Position or Normal Input nodes of a material Master Switch Vector Input Find out more about the master switch below Vector Output Connect all nodes connected to the Position or Normal Input nodes to the Preview Scalar Output Full Vector Offset This is a built in Vector Offset for the material it is used at all times even if the preview is off Preview Offset Changes the offset position of the preview Off 0 On 1 Turns the previewer on and off 0 Local 1 Master Switch Turns the previewer on and off using a connection to the Master Switch input instead of the local off on slider 0
9. It is intended for use with a one map setup It includes the Aspect Ratio node built in to control the image size This node includes all the features of the Texture Map node with two new groups Camera Projection Projector Choose the camera to project the image from Matte Aspect Ratio or Pixel Size Width X Height Y This is the ratio and size of the Matte Image and not necessarily the render output ratio Clip Outside Projection number This output can be connected to the Alpha output node of the material function It will cut out all parts of the image not contained within the camera projection Camera Master Controller Allows the node to be connected to the Camera Master Controller node to control the projection To use add the external dependency input node and select the camera with the master controller loaded select camera projection as the dependent The following settings will be controlled by the master controller and will no longer work in the node Aspect Ratio Width and Height Image Tweaker Scale Camera Projection Projector E Simple Image Mapper If you are using a set of images to control a material this node allows easy building of the function by creating the initial setup Channel outputs are Color Bump Highlight Alpha Each image used for the four channel output is linked by the texture s Scale Origin Image Offset Texture Coordinate Vector Texture Coordinate The
10. Vector X null Z y on a link x and z null Vector null Y null xy Z x and y on a link z null Vector X Y null z on a link x and y null Vector null null Z X yz y and z on a link x null Vector null Y Z Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual NGOS Numeric Graph Output Saver NGOC Numeric Graph Output Correction In Vue 7 Infinite xStream and possibly other versions there is currently a bug or limitation manipulating the output of numbers from graphs Until this is fixed these tools will correct this issue The suggested tool for this is NGOS because it is a work around that does not change the number value just how it is transferred between functions and graphs NGOC is a direct conversion if this is a bug and is fixed scenes or dependents using NGOC will be manipulated however it can still be useful and can always be removed At the moment this affects ALL external dependency input nodes when receiving numeric information FF NGOS Sender FF NGOS Receiver Since vectors are not affected by this issue NGOS will send number outputs as part of a vector and then break them back down to numbers when received A couple of tools in this collection are using an integrated version of NGOS for their dependent controllers which is why a vector is used to retrieve numeric information This method of sending and receiving is quite nice as it requires only
11. copy ctrl c any of the contained MetaNode groups and then paste them into your function for ungrouping The following MetaNodes are contained in this primary MetaNode External Dependents 6 External Dependency Input nodes Named Number Filter Chain 6 Connected filters All are the default filter but can be changed to any available filter for numbers Vector Math Chain 6 Connected math nodes All nodes are Offset nodes by default but can be changed to any math vector operation Math Chain Undefined chain of 6 connected math nodes By default all are the Multiply math node Constants All 8 constant nodes in one group 4 Constants 4 connectible constants re de composed Same setup as the re de composed Vector Texture node without the connectible constants Color Correction All 9 color correction nodes connected Custom Out 6 Custom Output nodes Named Custom 1 6 Blender Color The Number Combiner Blender setup node Blender Number The Color Combiner Blender setup node Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual Color Generators FF 2 Map Color Brightness Variation This color generator includes the controls of the Color Brightness Variation node with the color defined by two color maps It also has a mapping mode control allowing you to change the position options of the internal fractal As of version 2 0 this node now features a number input for more control
12. dependency s Z axis Output controlled by Controller Axis Range Z Distance Vector Distance Control controlled by changes made to all dependency s axises Output controlled by Controller Axis Range Vector Distance Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual Setup Example First you ll need to create an object or pick an object in the scene to be the controller This is the object you will be using to control the output by changing either the position or size of the object Within the function you want to control load in the Dynamic Range Controller and add an External Dependency input node In the pull down menu of the External Dependency node select your controller object and chose it s position or scale The vector input on the top of the Range Controller Node the small red arrow pointing up can now be connected to the External Dependency As an example let s say we have two Fractal nodes connected with a Combiner node on the blender setting The combiner has a extractable ratio control slider which is a number input The connections from the combiner node to the fractals are Input 0 and Input 1 If the ratio is set to 0 then Input 0 is fully shown if the ratio is 1 then the fractal connected to Input 1 is fully shown The in between values 0 1 is the percentage of the blend at a ratio of 5 50 of each fractal output is shown The controller object can be
13. hold down Shift Right Mouse Button This is also how you can move the camera back and forth Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual FF Dynamic Range Controller In depth creation and usage of this node v1 0 is covered in asileFX Vue 7 Training Advanced Production Techniques Dynamic Function Control and Animation This node is used to control number outputs and origin operations by using an object in the scene When controlling numbers you can chose which axis transformation of the control object affects the numeric change By connecting a number to the output of this node the axis can be chosen The node has a built in vector correction for the internal unit See the Internal Unit Vector Correction node for more information about the internal unit Even when using this node to control origin the internal unit must be set to correctly calculate the range output What s so great about this node This node allows you to control and animate any extractable output in any function with precise control Just about anything can be animated in the function editor with Vue s default tool set by using the Time input node however controlling this number input can be rather difficult and does have its limits Settings All inputs are Length Units not Vector units regardless of the internal unit With the exception to the Distance Control Start and End Values which are the custom inputs Set
14. more complex the function the more calculation time needed to complete the output Unit Conversion Length to Vector In almost every node this conversion affects only manual input amounts typing in a number These entries control a position or size vector Vector Unit A pure vector The distance this unit will extend will vary depending on the internal unit Direct connections between vectors are always matched vector units A direct connection would be controlling the position of one object with the position of another object Since no manipulation or manual entry is needed for these connections the vector unit is almost never seen and since Vue displays length units rather than vectors the amounts appear consistent Length Unit Length units are the unit of measurement defined by the selection of options in the Units and Coordinates Tab File gt Options These are the units displayed in the interface While the tool descriptions most often refer to a length unit of meters any display unit may be chosen km feet etc Manual entries of a length unit in the main interface are automatically converted to the correct vector unit However these units in functions will vary Defining position size or origin is always a vector Vue has two primary definable vectors Vector 3 and Vector 2 Vector 3 Vector 3D is an x y z vector this is known as just Vector Common Input Outputs Position Orientation Size Pivot Offset Offset Norm
15. time with this node Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual Control Enhancement EA Slider Sensitivity This node allows you to adjust the sensitivity of any extractable slider number value Allowing more control over slider tweak ranges If you are working with a slider with a range of 1 1000 and the output amount you are adjusting for is around the range of 100 200 then small movements in the slider range of 1 1000 will cause huge increases in output values making it hard to tweak and adjust The Largest Feature range of a fractal is 1 1000 and this will be used for this example Extract the Largest Feature from the fractal Then load in the Slider Sensitivity MetaNode Select the top of the link between the extracted node constant node and the fractal and move it onto the Slider Sensitivity node to connect it You can now delete the constant node that was created from the extraction Since we have a basic idea for the range we want to work with select the Slider Sensitivity node and set the low value to 100 and the high value to 200 The Output slider in the node is your tweak slider or the slider you will primarily use to set the output amount The Sensitivity slider will reduce the range between the Low and High value you set This means the low and high values do not need to be perfect You can even set the same values as the original range 1 1000 and turn d
16. used to control the ratio of the combiner node If the position output is chosen in the external dependency you can move the controller between point a and point b to change the ratio In the Range Controller under Distance control there are two number inputs Start and End Value By default the start value is 0 and the end value is 1 This also happens to be the values needed to control the ratio the high and low value If you were controlling the Roughness of a fractal let say from 25 to 6 then the Start Value would be 25 and End Value would be 6 or reversed depending on the direction the controller is moved Extract the ratio from the combiner node Once the ratio is extracted a number input is connected to a constant number node Replace the connection from the constant node and move it onto the bottom of the Range Controller node A drop down menu will appear with the available outputs x y or z the gray output is for controlling a vector and in this case is not needed Select the output for the axis you want as the control for this example let s say X Set the internal unit of the scene under Unit Correction by default this is 1 To find what your current scene internal unit is go to File gt Options Under the Units and Coordinates tab the internal unit setting can be found The Controller axis range is the distance the controller object will need to move to go from the start value to the en
17. In 1 Out Choose whether to zoom in or out of the preview Zoom Amount Increases the zoom scale of the preview Fine Tune Amount Adjusts the sensitivity and range of the Zoom Amount slider The Master Switch This node uses the master switch node to control Preview Scalar on off If editing multiple materials with the previewer you can create a master object to turn all previews on and off with the master switch The Master Switch node can only be loaded into an object graph or procedural terrain How to use the Master Switch and create a master Dependency object Add an object into the scene the sphere works nicely Open the sphere s graph and load in the Function Preview Scalar Master Switch Connect any of the available outputs to the Function Preview Scalar node I suggest orientation in case you want to move or scale the master object The output is null and isn t used to control the sphere so it really doesn t matter which output is used Also consider using the hide from render and ignore when populating ecosystems options for master control object sphere In the material functions using the preview scalar add in an External Dependency input node from the pull down menu select the sphere and the Master Switch dependency Now connect the vector input on top of the node called Master Switch to the External Dependency In the preview scalar under the preview group change the O Local 1 Master S
18. Master Controller Operations Node Index Release Notes ssasiicc c c6302 bien terete a ee ea esa ea es se eee da Ad tended alana 54 SNOWF C1K the MetaNode Collection v2 0 Featured Tools Setups and Helpers Helpful Information Node Setups Color Operations Color Generators Color Correction Dynamics Constraints and Controllers NGOS NGOC Numeric Operations Control Enhancement Texture Map Operations Texture Map Setups Conversions Dynamics and Controllers Vector Operations Composer Modifiers Conversion Operations Decomposer Modifiers Offset Operations re de composers Vector Math Vector Splitters Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual Using the host file snowFlaKe mnd The best way to load any tool or setup into your functions or graphs is through the host file All nodes and additional setups are available in this master host node You can double click on the asileFX snowFlaKe node to open it or click on the edit button Each of these nodes found in the host file are directories for the GA tools in the collection Tools and setups are sorted into the manual s categories some with slightly different names Setup Helpers Setups and Helpers erowriake Color Color Operations Dynamics Dynamics Numeric Operations Texture Map Texture Map Operations Featured Tools Vector Vector Operations Copy and Paste Multiple Nodes To ma
19. Select the Position output of the controller object in one node and name it Position and in the other node select Size and name the node Size The top of the Advanced Sphere Zone node has two vector 3 red inputs They are named size and position Connect these to the External Dependency nodes you just created size to size position to position The controller object is now connected and controls the material See External Settings below to continue the setup of the controller Node Settings Controller Z Position O Null 1 On_ Slider on off switch This slider turns on and off the controller Z up axis position control By default the Z position is used and is recommended Turning this control to Null allows you to use the Vector Input at the top of the node called Z Position if Null You can use this to define where the material is positioned on the z axis This allows you to hover the controller above or below the desired material space You can also use another object to control the position of the z axis Only the vector from the z axis is used x and y are completely null and controlled by the controller position You can also use this slider to blend the distance between the z vector input 0 if nothing is connected and the Z position of the controller External Settings Node settings The settings in this group are for matching the material vectors to the controller vectors These controls are extremely im
20. Tweaker Allows you to scale and position all layers outside the projection area If the aspect ratio is defined these controls are not needed for an exact match of the projected camera area Image Interpolation Allows you to set the interpolation methods for the Foreground Alpha and Background layers Camera Projection Projector Choose the camera to project all layers Image Layers Mattes Background This is the bottom layer of the setup If you are only using one image layer use this one Foreground This is the top layer of the setup The opacity of this layer can be adjusted with the Foreground Fader Amount slider Alpha This map subtracts the foreground to show the background Important By default without an image loaded the preview will be white or inverted This allows you to use the Foreground and Background with the Foreground Fader and without the alpha After removing a loaded image with the trash can icon the preview becomes black and the foreground will no longer show above the background Use the invert image icon upper right of the image map to invert and correct the layers All Layers Alpha This image will subtract from all image layers as part of the All Layer Alpha output The interpolation method of this image is located under the image and not part of the interpolation group Foreground Fader Amount This slider will adjust the opacity of the Foreground image Node Index Contents
21. Vector for the Locked Position and connecting it directly to an object s vector set the node to Vector Units If you are using this node to control Orientation Rotation set the node to Vector Units conversion off E3 Vector Lock 3x3 Similar to to the Vector Lock node but instead of locking individual axises you an ER can lock an entire vector with a slider and lock entered values for Position Orientation and Size EE 0 EE E 0 The Unit Conversion options of this node will not affect the Orientation inputs since orientation doesn t change with the internal unit E E vE E 0 Node Index Contents 33 asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual Single Axis Constraints These axis constrains were designed primarily for graph connections although they will work with any vector They allow you to connect objects to other objects in the scene and restrict a given vector axis There are 3 Vector Constraint nodes they are FA ixmz Euz Eene One node for each open axis Although the inputs are full vectors and the unconnected axis becomes null The node itself is two nodes one for each direction direction to input or direction to output These vectors are separated and when using the Vector XYZ input or output the information is passed to the Vector non XYZ inputs or outputs This is the information passed through each node type x Y z x and z on a link y null
22. al Link Color Red 3 Numbers as a three channel input output Vector 2 Vector 2D is an x y vector this is a Texture Coordinate Common Inputs Outputs Texture Origin Image Texture Offset Image Texture Scale UV Position Link Color Purple 2 Numbers as a two channel input output Node Index Contents Master Controller Operations Several tools in this collection have master switch or control options These allow multiple connections between graphs Tools with these operations will have a special dependent node used to retrieve the data being sent All of these dependencies will require connections to an External Dependency input node These setups are provided in the host file with the External Dependency input nodes named to the dependency required All external dependencies will start with before the name With the exception to the color controller which starts with c Some master controls such as vector or texture coordinates may not use a unique dependent node to retrieve the information In most cases these dependent nodes are used to send number outputs To learn more about why these controllers are required to retrieve number outputs see the description for NGOS and NGOC Master Controllers MUST be used in graphs or a terrain procedural or the external dependency will not show Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe the MetaNode Collection v2 0 Users Manual EA Advance
23. asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual the MetaNode Collection v2 0 Tools and Enhancements for Vue 7 Users Manual This manual last updated on June 9 2009 See user manual release notes on page 54 http www asilefx com Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual Installation SNOWFICIK the metaNode Collection v2 0 There are several ways to access the tools available with snowFlaKe each with their own advantages and disadvantages All installation methods have been provided in separate folders depending on the method you prefer For the quickest access to the tools in this collection the Host File Access method is suggested If tools are commonly used you can use the other installation methods to add nodes to the menus and quickly access them Host File Access snowFlaKe mnd or snowFlaKe_upgrade mnd With snowFlaKe a new all access MetaNode is available This host MetaNode is a structured directory with additional MetaNodes contained within it You can use the edit command or double click to open the MetaNode and see its contents After choosing the tool you would like to use select it and use the copy and paste commands to load it into the desired function graph The host file may be loaded into any function graph for quick access to the tools and setups Using the Menu Access method is suggested for the Host File You can select any menu you like Menu Access Content_Instal
24. aspect ratio calculator Locked Darkens and desaturates color Locked Reverses the direction of a color map with additional adjustments Locked Color Map Reversal 1 0 Color Color Map Switcher f Color Controls ratio of 2 color maps with an internal blender Locked Turns two numbers into a texture coordinate using extractable connections rather than inputs Adds two number inputs and two extractable inputs together to create a texture coordinate Turns three numbers into a vector using extractable connections rather than inputs Uses XYZ naming system Adds three number inputs and three extractable inputs together to create a vector Turns 9 number inputs into 3 vector outputs using extractable numbers as inputs Uses XYZ naming system for Position Editable Orientation and Size Turns 9 number inputs into 3 vector outputs Uses a generic naming system Turns 9 number inputs into 3 vector outputs using extractable numbers as inputs Uses the native numeric naming system Graph Function Links any function with length unit correction to the master control Dependent Length to Vector Numeric Calculation Fraction comparison a b c d Solves for a Editable Composer 2 Texture Editable Composer 2 Add Number Texture Editable Composer 3 i Vector Editable Composer 3 Add Number Vector Editable Composer 3 x 3 Vector Composer 3 x 3 Simple Vector Editable Composer
25. aste to load the nodes into your functions graphs Node Tool Updates Version Update Notes Terrain Previewer Camera Controller 1 2 Improved Organization 2 Map Color Brightness Variation 2 0 Added a number input to control the 2 color maps All controls are now extractable Added new color switcher options Turbulent Color Variation 1 5 Improved Organization All controls are now extractable HLS Shift Intensity Ranged 1 1 Improved Organization Intensity now called range in the Intensity group HLS Shift Super Intensity Ranged 1 1 Improved Organization Intensity now called range in the Intensity group Super Sample now called MetaRange Object Size Grid Constraint 1 5 Added steps control the ability to control the snap amount per axis Renamed Size Position Snap Slider Sensitivity 1 1 Improved Organization Cross Multiply 1 1 Improved Organization Renamed Cross Multiply a Image Channel Creator 1 1 Improved Organization re de composers 1 5 Improved Organization all nodes in the group Decomposers are connected to the top inputs and all composer connections are made through extractable inputs A much easier way of using this setup Composer 3 x 3 and ni Improved Organization All top number inputs replaced with extractable inputs Simple Image Mapper Improved Organization Origin Image Offset and Image Scale are now extractable
26. ay to accurately control the Z scale with a connected vector Outputs Vector 3 Match the object type with the node output Object Converts a standard terrain s size vector for use with object vectors Terrain Converts an object s vector to control a standard terrains size Procedural Same conversion as the Object output but the Z scale is null Instead the Z scale of the Procedural Terrain Terrain Size Self input is used if using this output make sure the self input in connected first Terrain from Converts a procedural terrain s size to a standard terrain size The Z scale is then defined by the manually Procedural entered Z Size from the node this is the only time the Z Size is used Terrain Terrain Pixel Dimensions These number amounts can be found in the terrain editor Example 512x512 X Pixel Size Y Pixel Size Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual Input Procedural Terrain Size Z Size This is the vector amount to define the Z scale when a Procedural Terrain Size is the Size input and used to control a standard terrain Terrain from Procedural Terrain output Note Because of the way Vue outputs terrain Z scale for both procedural and standard this amount may not be exact however it will be really close Terrain Size 0 Input 1 Terrain Vector At 0 the node uses the Size input at 1 the node uses the Terrain Vector Terrain Vector Allows you to use a manual entry
27. cale This allows you to attach any number node to this output to control variance based on the color changes and output FF HLS Shift Intensity Ranged Vue s default HLS Shift color correction node can be very sensitive because the slider range is so high This will often result in the over sampling of colors and too much tweak time This is a much more predictable version of the HLS Shift color correction node The added intensity slider will adjust how sensitive the Hue Luminosity and Saturation sliders are to change Also the range output from this node is far less than the original HLS Shift This node also contains a Color to Brightness conversion output named grayscale This allows you to attach any number node to this output to control variance based on the color changes and output FF HLS Shift Super Intensity Ranged Same as the HLS Shift Intensity Ranged node will an additional Super Sample slider Super sample will allow the oversampling of the HLS Shift producing a much higher ranged output With super sample this node is closer to the default HLS Shift but with more control Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual Constraints and Controllers FF Distance Size This node will increase a vector amount size based on the position of a any object as a dependent e Oe The node was designed primarily to be used with object size in relation to a camera s distance to the object With
28. create the output Combined Split Vector from Input and Split Vector to Output operating independently Split Vector In Out Pass Combined Split Vector from Input and Split Vector to Output 1 0 Vector n through adding to each set of vectors Terrain Previewer Camera Keeps a terrain fixed in the top camera view With improved 1 2 Dynamic Controller s Controller focal adjustments to reduce perspective distortion Size Position Snap 1 5 Dynamic Controller Locked Slider Sensitivity 1 1 Numeric Controller Locked Split Vector from Input 1 0 Vector Editable Split Vector to Output 1 0 Vector Editable Split Vector In Out 1 0 Vector Editable Editable Locked Terrain Size Linker 1 0 Vector Correction Correctly links terrains and object scales Locked Adds the ability to cut out a texture map size in the alpha channel Turbulent Color Variation Color Color variance generator with built in turbulence controls Locked Allows the locking or opening of vector axises Useful to avoid unwanted transformations Allows the locking or opening of 3 vectors Designed for Position Orientation and Size Useful to avoid unwanted transformations Vector to Brightness Conversion Converts a vector input to a number brightness output Locked x Y z Dynamic Vector Axis constraint Two vector inputs to control one output Editable xy Z Dynamic Vector Axis constraint Two ve
29. ctor inputs to control one output Editable X yz Dynamic Vector Axis constraint Two vector inputs to control one output Editable Graph Function Dependent ape Texture Map Outside Clip Texture Map Locked Vector Lock Dynamic Vector Locked amp Vector Lock 3x3 Dynamic Vector Locked Zone Dependent Controls the dependency output of Advanced Sphere Zone Locked Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual Collection Release Notes v1 1 March 30 2009 Improved refresh of both the openGL and output at render time Notes Changes made to Vue have caused improper renders and refresh of dependent graphs and functions all MetaNodes with built in external dependencies have had those dependencies removed Dependencies must now be connected to the MetaNode rather than the connection being made within the node This guide currently does not reflect these changes and will be updated in the near future MetaNodes updated to v1 1 Object Plane Texture Controller Terrain Previewer Camera Controller The installation directories have been updated include the new node versions Also an updates folder has also been added for quick access to the nodes and past versions v1 5 June 09 2009 New Host Collection node available asileFX_MetaNode_Collection mnd All nodes and tools can be accessed through this host master node Use copy and p
30. d Sphere Zone Advanced Sphere Zone is an easy use dynamic number density controller This node is extremely powerful and has a rather complex internal function The original Sphere Zone is part of the asileFX Vue 7 Training Advanced Production Techniques Optimization and Dynamic Population Since the training the controller has been completely redesigned and rebuilt The new improvements add a whole new level of flexibility and control to your scenes So just what is Advanced Sphere Zone Advanced Sphere Zone is a dynamic tool used to control a volumetric Number Density Altitude function output The Zone exists in material space but is controlled by a sphere object The scale and position of the sphere object are matched to the material All x y z scales are independent so a perfect match is possible Additional adjustments can also be made within the node to scale smaller or larger than the controller object The threshold and falloff of the material can also be adjusted The only limitation is that the controller sphere s orientation rotation can not control the material Velocity of material origin is also not available within the node but can be matched Left Render Wireframe openGL Mixed Right Render In the above rendered scene Advanced Sphere Zone is used to control the subtraction of one fractal to another with a procedural terrain A mixed material s distribution is directly linked to the zone controllin
31. d value Since X is connected under X type the range in units So for 20 meters type 20 Now as the object moves 20 meters on the X axis from its start location it changes the ratio from 0 1 So at 0 meters the number output is 0 and at 20 meters the number output is 1 The Vector Distance can be used when using the controller for vectors the range is a total range for all axises The Controller Starting Position allow you to set the start value of the controller This amount is a unit and not a vector value With an internal unit of 1 a vector offset value for 25 meters would be 250 but a unit value is 25 Additional Techniques It is also possible to extract the start and end values and connect them directly to nodes then connect the control node directly to the output In relation to the above example you could remove the combiner and connect the two fractals directly to the Start and End Values FF Range Controller Dependent This dependent control can be loaded into the controller object s graph It will constrain the position or size of the controller object to the distance entered in the Dynamic Range Controller The constraint is for negative and positive range so the distance the object can travel is doubled Uses Master Controller Operation rules Inputs P Position Connects to the position or size of the controller object s position or size input node Range Dependent Connects to an external dependency input node
32. defined setup is as follows and the same for all texture maps Mip Mapping X Tiling Y Tiling Image Interpolation Allowed Repeat Repeat Bi linear Mapping modes can be controlled in the main node by selecting the edit button Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual Conversions Dynamics and Controllers FF Aspect Ratio Used to control an extracted Aspect Ratio number amount from the Camera Projection texture coordinate input node Setting the Width X and Height Y amounts in the aspect ratio node will fit the image in the connected Texture Map node proportionately onto the given object Width and height can also be entered as a pixel amount With the aspect ratio set to the image pixel dimension or aspect ratio at render time it will stay fixed regardless of the render output aspect ratio If rendering a material to project as an image on to an object use the aspect ratio used to render the image to control the aspect ratio width and height You can also use the Matte Painter and Matte Painter 2 Layer nodes for integrated aspect ratio and projection solutions FF Camera Projection Vue 7 5 Recommended This is an improved version of the Camera Projection texture Coordinate node The Camera Projection node is a texture coordinate node used to replace the UV Coordinate input node to a Texture Map s input This node features a built in Aspect Ratio control It can be used
33. der normal usage the Foreground can be turned off simply by moving the Foreground Fader Amount slider to 1 Outside Projection Clip Alpha The All Layer Alpha is designed to work with rendered alpha output meaning black is removed and white stays Because of this it is important not to invert the All Layer Alpha image within Vue When inverting an image it also inverts the unseen or outer bounds of the image inverting the image within vue would cause the alpha output to work incorrectly If the aloha needs to be inverted use an image manipulation program to invert and save the changes Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual FF Scene Color Controller Although a fairly simply tool it can prove extremely useful for global color changes What this node does is host several groups of customizable colors for the scene from an object graph Load this node into any object function preferably a null object a null object can be any object that does affect the scene You can use an basic object hide it from the render make ecosystems ignore it and hide from the G Buffer A few objects have been provided for this purpose and can be found in the included objects folder After loading the node into the null object graph connect one of the vector outputs to the node This link is here as a precaution to make sure Vue knows it is there If a node is just floating unconnected to any outputs the graph may not be recogni
34. display the correct scale linking this size output to other objects will prove otherwise Manual vector entries in terrain graphs also need correcting Graph Example Terrain Size to Object Cube Size This dot is the cube gt Left Image Right Image Without Terrain Size Conversion Linker With Terrain Size Conversion Linker A procedural terrain s x and y size are equal to normal object s vector However the z scale is almost completely random and constantly changing The z size vector is dependent on the terrain s function scale image blend and forced extension The output is consistent with the Vue unit but is then converted to a display or length unit Although the Vue unit may remain the same the conversion to length or display units changes with every terrain Because of this there is no way to link this scale with an object graph Despite my many efforts to find a pattern to the this change or find some way to control it have come to the conclusion this is a current bug in vue or a limitation This conversion node may be used to control output vectors other than size like terrain size to object position Inputs Vector 3 Size Connects to an external dependency size Procedural Terrain f controlling the size of a procedural terrain connect this to the terrain s own size input This Size Self must be connected before the metanode is connected to the output This allows free scaling of the Z scale since there is no w
35. dural Terrains are known to display openGL images reversed on the axis Basically displaying the image as if you were looking at it from below the terrain Corrections will need to be done in an image editing program to fix this You can use the Flip Horizontally option in any image application to fix the image for previewing purposes If using a standard height terrain the image will not need this reverse flip but may need to be rotated 180 degrees To optimize the scene set the preview terrain to be hidden from the render then set the source terrain to remain in the render but be hidden from the openGL views If you do not have access to Photoshop and the like a free open source program is available and in some ways is better than most commercial applications It s called GIMP and can be found at http Awww gimp org Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual Helpful Information These MetaNodes can be used for quick setups of common tasks and speeding up work flow All of the following nodes are meant to be ungrouped as they have no inputs or outputs You can extract the contents of these MetaNodes by using the Ungroup MetaNode command located in the top tool bar of the function graph editor Note Extracting the contents of a MetaNode can sometimes reposition your current function layout To avoid this repositioning you can first edit the MetaNode moving the nodes off to one side away from
36. e for creating total axis constraints Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual E3 Split Vector to Output This node breaks down three vector inputs into 1 vector output The output consists of input O Named x from the first vector input 1 Named y from the second vector and input 2 Named z from the third vector E3 Split Vector In Out This node combines the two nodes Split Vector from Input and Split Vector to Output into one node eliminating the need for the other two E3 Split Vector In Out Pass through This node combines the two nodes Split Vector from Input and Split Vector to Output into one node and adds the values together Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual Node Version Locked 2 Map Color Brightness Variation Advanced Sphere Zone 1 0 Aspect Ratio 1 0 Camera Master Controller 1 0 Camera Orbiter 1 0 amp Camera Projection 1 0 Color Darken 1 0 Color Operation Short Description 2 0 Color Creates a fractal color distribution Locked Dynamic Controller Uses a sphere to control a numeric volume Locked Numeric Calculation Calculates ratio from width and height Locked Dynamic Controller Universal camera and texture projection controller Locked Dynamic Controller Turns any camera into an orbital camera Locked Texture Controller Integrated camera projection input and
37. e units are Vector units To minimize the calculations required to operate this tool and reduce accidental errors no unit corrections are integrated into Camera Orbiter What this means is unless you are using a scene internal unit of 1 all entered values will need to be multiplied or divided in some cases by the internal unit unless stated otherwise In most cases you can extract the value and use the conversion node for external calculations outside of Camera Orbiter Read more about the internal unit and vector vs length Extremely Important When using Camera Orbiter NEVER use the Move or Pan camera controls in the render preview This normally breaks the camera If you do break the camera the undo command will normally correct the action The rotation and focal length controls do normally work Its a good idea to save the main camera to create a duplicate then apply orbiter to the copy If the camera breaks you can fall back to the original main camera Turn off Lock height above ground this feature is currently not compatible Note to 3Dconnexion hardware users When using a 3Dconnexion mouse or similar navigation device with Camera Orbiter You must turn off the Pan Right Left controls This option can be found in the Advanced Settings tab of the 3Dconnexion control panel Using the pan controls will break the Vue camera Camera Orbiter was designed for Orbit Spin movement around objects If you need to pan use the
38. ector Vector Divide Vector by Number Vector Divide Vector by Vector Vector Dynamic Range Controller Dynamic Controller Locked Easy Color Changer Color An advanced color correction tool Locked Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual ae Focal Length 1 0 Numeric Conversion Divides a number input by two producing an accurate focal length amount in mm Editable ae Fractal Terrain Mixer Combiner Filter Outputs 5 blend variations from two inputed noises or fractals Locked ae Function Preview Scalar Vector Changes the scales of node previews in the function editor Locked Gradient Threshold 1 0 Numeric Filter A fractal or noise number input filter Locked HLS Shift Intensity Ranged Color HLS correction with a built in slider sensitivity control Locked HLS Shift Super Intensity Ranged 1 1 Color HLS correction with 2 built in slider sensitivity control Locked Image Channel Creator 1 1 Texture Map Produces material channel outputs from a texture map Locked ae Improved Distance Constraint 1 0 Dynamic Vector Operation Allows you to turn on off the distance constraint on the individual axises Locked Internal Unit Vector Correction 1 0 Vector Calculation Converts entered length unit amounts into vector output amounts based on the scene s inte
39. ength The point of focus is also useful to judge the length of the pivot from the camera The camera will need to be selected to see the pivot Keeping the camera selected while navigating though the scene can reduce performance keep this in mind if using the selection to see the pivot Connecting the position output of object to an external dependency of the camera s position locks the object to the camera s projected pivot changing dynamically and providing a good reference Position changes to the Orbiter Camera outside the main camera view not suggested with Pitch Zoom on Rotation changes to the Orbiter Camera outside the main camera view use local coordinates Navigation The best way to navigate with Camera Orbiter in the camera view Zoom Using the mouse scroll is the best way to move in and out of the scene Free rotating scroll wheels ones that will continue spinning until stopped work wonderfully for this You will need to make sure that Zoom on mouse wheel is turn on in the Operations tab File gt Options Although called Zoom its really moving the camera and not adjusting the focal Adjust the focal CtrltRight Mouse Button Using the Pitch Zoom and Dynamic mode can be the best ways to control camera Zoom Translate Camera Panning Zoom Another way to move in and out of the scene zoom with Camera Orbiter is to use Translate Camera movement and move the mouse up and down To translate the camera
40. er a couple of modifications to the filter the other modes became a valuable addition These mode settings do not behave as they would when part of a combiner gt blender node Offset Shifts the number output moving through the noise Below is an assortment of outputs from this filter all from the same input a Bi lt This is the input that all of the following outputs where generated from Just a simple perlin noise fractal Only the gain setting in the fractal was modified between outputs Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlake the MetaNode Collection v2 0 Users Manual Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe the MetaNode Collection v2 0 Users Manual Fractal Terrain Filters A selection of filters useful for terrain altitude outputs and fractal filtering These filters and their affect on the output rely heavily on the connected input amount gain for fractal All nodes have one control called Gain Reversal Gain Reversal Reduces the height or intensity of the connected number before the filter Higher amounts both positive and negative will reduce the input Switching between positive and negative amounts will reverse or invert the output a WMAP a ek 5 gt SS z Mixed Elevatio vation 2 Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual An extremely useful equation for comparing fractions If you are unfamiliar with cross multiplication this is the s
41. g which material shows when the zone is intersecting with the terrain You could expand on this scene by linking the density of an ecosystem layer to the zone All these options can be animated by changing the size or position of the sphere By using Advanced Sphere Zone with the Dynamic Range Controller you can also animate any control within the node options Creating a Sphere Zone In the Scene The Controller Object Sphere Add a sphere to the scene Rename controller or whatever you like You ll want to setup a special material for the controller so that it does not show up in renders or affect ecosystem population A material is provided with the collection called controller if you would like to use it Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual Note Any object can be used as a controller but because the material space is a spherical the sphere object is appropriate However Infinite planes billboards terrains and planes are not at all suggested In the Function Open the function you wish to control and load the Advanced Sphere Zone MetaNode Connecting the Controller Integrated External Dependency Nodes are known to cause problems in dynamic functions because of this the dependent inputs must be created manually unless you use the setup from the snowFlaKe mnd host file Add in two External Dependency nput nodes From the Dependency pull down menu in the input node
42. hile at 0 the dynamic mode is fully active and at 1 the orbiter uses the fixed amount Moving the slider to a value between 0 and 1 will use both modes proportionate to the distance to the controls at 0 or 1 Keep in mind that the fixed value is mixed with the dynamic value meaning you can adjust the fixed value for even more control of the dynamic output Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual Camera Animation with Orbiter It is possible to animate the camera with orbiter and doing so will create some very interesting camera movements One thing to keep in mind the displayed animation path will be the pivot if using the global coordinate mode and the camera itself if using local coordinates Although sometimes the path seems kinked like it may jolt the camera the animations are normally smooth provided there aren t too many drastic changes between keys Playback and renders of animation paths seem consistent However when the animation is paused in the interface during the timeline the camera may bounce to a different position This normally only happens when using pitch zoom although the correct dynamic calculation occurs when it needs too Has not been render farm tested strongly suggest using Orbiter to plan out the animation keyframes recording the vectors and manually keying a different camera Tips and Suggestions By displaying the camera s pivot can watch the dynamic changes or see the fixed l
43. is added to the center EA Master Switch This node is a universal master switch for off on sliders This node can be used both as a sender and receiver Output off on This output is connected to any off on slider Itis only used when the node is the receiver And the dependent input is connected Master Switch External Output Master Switch Can be found in an External Dependency Input node Fl Master Switch 3 Just like the normal master switch but with three control switches Outputs Master Switch 1 2 and 3 This output is connected to any off on slider It is only used when the node is the receiver And the dependent input is connected Switch External Output Switch Can be found in an External Dependency Input node Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual FF Size Position Snap This dynamics node will snap an object to the global grid equal to its independent x y z scales Plus a new step amount feature has been added in v1 5 allowing you to set the amount of steps per axis scale This can be a very useful node for building block type objects By applying the node to an object s graph then using the copy paste function you can snap the objects end to end on any axis This node currently does not work with rotated objects as it will not snap properly Steps added in node version 1 5 X y Z How many positional steps to equal the axis scale 1 1 1 is to total size
44. ivot projection Example Distances Note If using Pitch Zoom the fixed distance will change with camera pitch if Length Unit Meters Approximate Distance very close though Internal Unit 1 Internal Unit 1 Fixed Length 100 10 meters Fixed Length 100 100 meters Conversion Length Unit Fixed Length x Internal Unit Dynamic Mode The mode uses vector inputs to control the distance of the projected pivot from the camera Making a direct connection to the camera s position is suggested If you run into any problems with this connection use the Sun Light s position as an alternative although depending on the location of the sun light results can vary The Sun light is always connected to the camera following along and staying at a fixed distance making it almost equally useful for the connection Dynamic Adjustments These settings have no affect on the fixed mode Z Movement Increase or decrease the sensitivity of the camera movement the larger the scene the higher the Sensitivity sensitivity can be without extreme camera movements Default 2 Length This unit is the length the pivot can move past or below ground level z vector 0 It will also stop the dynamic calculation when the camera reaches this height The default unit of 4 normally does not need to be changed Not an exact unit Ground Height Terrains or the main object of focus are often positioned above the g
45. ixer was created in a procedural terrain function or an object graph By select the host object as the dependency in the input node the following outputs can be selected FF Gradient Threshold This filter is a little hard to explain mainly because of the amount variations that can be outputted from it Considering there are only 3 controls it s really a matter of finding what you are looking for This filter works wonderfully for controlling ecosystem size presence density and color it has also proved useful for controlling cloud density material distribution highlights color and bump You can also create some amazing results by using several copies of this filter linked in a chain to the number output Technically there are more than 3 controls because a vast amount of variations can be controlled with the gain setting of a connected fractal Outputs Output This is the primary number output of the fractal Reverse Output An inverted version of the main output Controls Falloff This control is almost completely random depending on the input Sometimes it s a threshold sometimes a gain then a sine wave and other times like nothing you ve ever seen It s best not to try and understand what it does just move it around and see what comes out of it Mode Changes an internal blending mode This node was originally designed for just using the min mode and this mode was not available to be changed in the controls Aft
46. ke a multiple selections of nodes or nodes and their setups you can left click and hold down the mouse button to create a selection box over the nodes When more than one node is selected the copy button at the top of the interface is grayed out You will need to use the keyboard shortcut for the copy command The Paste command button will normally work if not use the keyboard shortcut Keyboard shortcuts can be found under File gt Options in the Operations tab Custom Node Layout By using the above methods you can customize the host file Just make sure you save the host node after making changes although would not suggest overwriting the original file Node Index Contents Universal Tool Controls Some settings and controls can be found in many tools Rather than explaining these universal controls in every node description the following is a list of these commands that exist in several nodes and what they are for Switches On Off Sliders O x 1 y These switches are found mainly in newer nodes or updated nodes They are intended to be used without an in between value Many inputs or conversions need to be enabled to work Be sure to look for these switches and see what they control In most cases the name after the will say what it does All switches are found in Groups separations between controls the group name will almost always list what the switch controls How a switch works internally The
47. l The Vue Content directory contains a directory named MetaNodes with 11 directories within this directory Each primary node type in vue has its own directory When right clicking in Vue s Function Editor these primary nodes are shown in a pull down menu Within each menu you will find a MetaNode sub menu Any MetaNode s saved in the content directory MetaNode folders will be accessible through the sub menu If no metanode files are saved in the content directories then the sub menu will not be shown in the primary node menu The Content_Install folder is setup for direct access to the MetaNodes within the MetaNodes sub menu when in the Function Editor This involves mixing the asileFX collection with your custom and pre installed MetaNodes To avoid any deletion of current nodes a manual drag and drop or copy and paste of the individual files into these folders is suggested Single Menu Access Content_Install_OneGroup Another option for installation is to chose one of the primary node folders to host the entire asileFX MetaNode Collection This will allow you to access all nodes from one sub menu for this method an empty folder is recommended The default installation of vue has several primary node groups without MetaNodes and any of them can be chosen For example no Combiner MetaNodes are installed by default To access all asileFX MetaNodes though the MetaNodes sub menu for Combiner Nodes Copy all Nodes from the Content_In
48. l features above the height of the pivot position If you take a moment to scale your preview object you will notice the position of the preview camera will remain locked to the outer bounds of the preview object The position of the camera should not to be manually changed instead use the 4 sliders in the camera controller node X and Y shift will move the camera on the x and y axis based on a percentage value of the terrain size The Move Sensitivity sets the percentage relative to the object size and controls the sensitivity of the X and Y shift sliders increasing or reducing the amount of movement from the 0 1 value Focal tweak will move the camera on the z axis with a relationship that also changes the length of the cameras focal It is recommended that you have either the front side or both viewports visible when adjusting these sliders To render the preview set your output render ratio to 1 1 square in the render options and define what you would like rendered Depending on the size of the terrain you may need to remove all fog settings from the Atmosphere Editor or set the aerial perspective as low as it will go You can now make a copy of the terrain to preserve the original material then apply the render to the image map option of the copied terrain material Using the object parametric mode will eliminate the need to scale the material Rename this material so it is not the same as the source terrain Proce
49. le 1 2000 px Scale 1 1500 px x1 y 75 x1 333 y1 Object Plane Texture Controller This node is for correcting scale differences and convert object plane xy size vectors to texture scale It also links the xy position origin to any object plane selected within the node For this node to work correctly you must use the World Mapping mode on the material and not make any changes to the origin or offset in the Advanced Material Editor tabs If you are using a material scale other than 1 entering in the material scale in the node will correct the texture s scale making it equal to the object Controller Position and Scale allows you to chose which object plane in the scene you would like to control the texture Position controls the vector output and Scale controls the texture coordinate output Because controlling the rotation of a texture can not be controlled by an object there is no way to control the rotation of the texture with this node Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual Composer Modifiers EA Composer 2 This a remake of the default Vue Composer 2 texture coordinate node which combines two number inputs into a single texture coordinate vector output This version allows you to input a number directly into the node rather than connecting it to a number output although the connection to number outputs can still be made by extracting the x and y inputs EA Composer 2 Add Number Ju
50. n Material Coordinates Internal Uses the options under Position type Default is Internal World Standard Input A vector input called Material Coordinates allows you to input a functions Position or Normal inputs or use vector Position Options Input The advantage of this is you can modify the material vector before it reaches the node FF Zone Dependent The Zone Dependent node allows you to make multiple connections to the same sphere zone The sphere zone node must be contained in an object graph or procedural terrain function or the dependent will not be accessible By using and External Dependency Input node you can select Sphere Zone from the list for the control object Connecting to the Zone Dependent gives you the ability to define some of the output settings specific to the current function If using the controls in the dependent node the external tuning number output will display the local results To use the settings from the main node connect to the Sphere Zone number output Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual FF Camera Master Controller Vue 7 5 Recommended This is an extremely useful controller for camera projection and camera locking The node is intended to be loaded into a camera s graph Once loaded into the graph you can enter a camera s position orientation focal length and focus distance into the node then connect the camera s outputs into the node to l
51. o render previews of terrains and objects The connected dependency must be proportionate on the x and y scale vector to work correctly To use this node Save a copy of the Top Camera name the new camera Terrain Previewer and open the object graph Load in the Terrain Previewer MetaNode This node has two vector outputs and one number output Connect the two vector outputs to the camera graph s corresponding outputs Position and Orientation Now connect the Focal output to the nodes focal output Next we need to chose the object we are creating the preview for Set the Size and Position to the size and position of the preview object Standard and Procedural terrains exist in different coordinate systems the Height Procedural slider corrects this difference All other objects in the scene are equal to the space of a procedural terrain with the exception to the plane object type For a standard terrain set the Height Procedural slider to 0 for a procedural terrain this slider needs to be set to 1 Because the focal values needed to create an almost flat non perspective preview do not render well from that distance The material preview will not be perfect Because of this 4 options are included in the node to fine tune the camera extents These sliders are extremely useful when previewing terrains that are very high having a scale on the z up and down axis higher than 10 of the x y scale Or terrains with large features or al
52. ock them in place The node will also host the projection output to materials as an external dependency of the camera Unit Conversion Vector to Length Affects Position and Focus Distance inputs External Dependencies Master Controller This node features master control outputs See Master Controllers for more information about using these options Master Outputs Camera Projection Scale Position Orientation Controller Dependent E3 Camera Controller Dependent This node is used to retrieve number outputs from Camera Master Controller Connect the input of this node to an External Dependency input node Dependency Controller Dependent Outputs Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual FF Camera Orbiter Camera Orbiter will project a camera s pivot point in front of the camera to the center of the view dynamically adjusting itself as the camera moves This allows you to rotate the camera around elements in the scene Currently Vue s in viewport camera control is limited to a tripod style rotation you can use the rotate around selected objects command found in the navigator but this is limited by the selections pivot location If the pivot is off screen as it is when close to a terrain this become very hard to control Torus object used to demonstrate the rotation of the camera s orbit torus is not part of the Camera s Dynamic Pivot Note Definable position or siz
53. of a vector unit to control the output If this vector is extracted it can be used the same as the Size input You could then use the above slider to switch between inputs Vector Lock This node allows you to either constrain movement on an axis or lock in vector for each axis All movement is free until an axis is locked which can be done by using the Lock Axis sliders Once the axis is locked it will use the vector information from the Locked Position Vector If you want to lock in the current vector type in the vector or length unit into the Locked Position Vector This information can be found in the numerics tab when the object selected Then move the Lock Axis slider to the locked position The axis will then be locked to the entered vector of the given axis You can unlock a vector at any time by moving the slider to the open position The set lock values will remain until the vector axis is modified About the unit system This node includes a built in Length unit to Vector unit conversion slider To use length units move the slider to the length position and enter in the scenes internal unit You can now type in a direct unit when the internal unit is set to a number other than 1 This conversion will only apply to the locked position vector Unit Examples Length Unit Meters Internal Unit 1 Internal Unit 1 10 meters 100 Vector Units 100 meters 100 Vector Units If you are extracting the
54. of the color map range FF Color Map Reversal This node adds a couple of features to modify the number input of the Color Map node Located directly above the color map is the Reversal feature Color Map Map Defines the Color Map controlled by the number input Default Color Map is set to Mirror clamping modes Reversal Inverts the number input essentially flipping the color map Values between 0 and 1 will create an offset of the color density increasing the distance between colors Input Adjustment Reduce Divides the number input to reduce number inputs with a high gain The default setting is 1 which has no Height affect on the input values higher than 1 and 1 will reduce the output or gain Negative values will invert the number just like the reversal Values between 1 and 1 will increase the output no longer making this a Reduce Height affect but an Increase Height affect Offset Allows you to move through the number input and fine tune A negative value will lower the number and a higher value will raise the number FF Turbulent Color Variation This color generator has an embedded turbulence fractal allowing more control over color variation Many of the hidden controls in the native Color Variation node have been linked to this turbulence Using this node requires a link to either a Position or Normal input node This node has two outputs The color output is the primary output if you wish to use this variation fo
55. one external dependency for every three numbers so this ends up being a useful set of tools either way Sender This node is used in the host graph or where the numbers are coming from NGOS Sender has 9 number inputs named 1 through 9 These inputs are combined into 3 vectors and outputted with 3 internal custom dependencies So all you need to do is connect the numbers you want to access in other graphs functions The three dependency outputs are named Sender 1 3 Sender 4 6 Sender 7 9 There are also 3 vector outputs in case you want to create your own custom dependencies Named the same as above but without Receiver After NGOS Sender has been setup you can load NGOS Receiver into any other graph function If you have connected all 9 inputs you will need 3 External Dependency Input nodes to connect the receiver one for every 3 There are three inputs at the top of the node named 1 3 4 6 7 9 Select the dependency outputs of the sender in the external dependency input node The numbers are now accessible through the 9 outputs of the receiver named 1 9 FF NGOC SR Sender Receiver Unlike NGOS only one instance of this node is needed It can be used as the sender or the receiver but only use one instance of this node for the connection Using it as a sender requires the least amount of work The internal custom dependency is called NGOC Sender Only one number can be corrected at a
56. or any vector If you find this distracting please use the Composer 3 x 3 simple node Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual FF Composer 3 x 3 ni Exactly the same as Composer 3x3 but the ni version uses the conventional Vue numeric input naming system with the vector outputs named a b and c Conversion Operations FF Internal Unit Vector Correction Allows you to use numeric vector values equal to the main length unit rather than being divided or multiplied by the internal unit If the internal unit is set to 1 then this node isn t needed Node example If you are entering in a manual value to control position or size within a function or graph say a position origin of 10 and using the default internal unit 0 1 10 by default would equal 1 length unit By using this node you can type in 10 and the output will equal 10 length units E3 Length to Vector This is a replacement node for the Internal Unit Vector Correction node A conversion slider has been added to the node Allowing you to turn off the conversion at any time The slider is called O off 1 Convert When the slider is at 0 the node is turned off and vector units are used with no conversion made to the inputs When the slider is at 1 the node will convert entered length units to a vector output unit by using the internal unit A number input and output has also been added to the node In addition to the new cont
57. own the sensitivity to decrease the range of the output slider Filters and Combiners EA Fractal Terrain Mixer This tool will combine two fractals noises number inputs creating an extremely useful terrain or material output Several outputs are generated from the primary features of each number input These outputs can be used to control color ecosystem density material distribution or just about anything you can think of Inputs Number Input 0 Connects to any number output Input 1 Connects to any number output creating a mix with Input 0 Reverse Inputs Slider Controls Input 0 and 1 These sliders will invert the incoming number connection The sliders range from 0 to 1 0 being the normal input and at 1 a reversed opposite input At a slider value of 5 the input becomes nullified to a constant number of 0 Values between 0 5 and 5 1 will reduce to the total output acting as a gain amount Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual Outputs Number Output 0 4 These five outputs are the mixed combinations of the 2 inputs Any can be chosen to control a number output Using a different output to control separate number outputs can produce some appealing results External Dependency Outputs Number All 5 outputs from the mixer can be accessed throughout various functions in Vue These outputs can be accessed by adding external dependency input nodes to any function provided the m
58. portant and with exception to the Material Origin these settings exist outside the function editor Material Scale This is the scale of the material layer shown in the upper left corner of the material editor Or under the cloud or procedural terrain material preview if editing a cloud layer or procedural terrain If controlling a mixed materials distribution the scale will be the top layer of the mix Function Scale All primary outputs in the advanced material editor have a Function Scale They are used to scale the Output Scale connected function outside of the function editor This scale does not change the settings in the function itself but instead scales the output of the function The following outputs have a Function Scale in the material editor If connected to one of these outputs the Function Scale must match Several scales have different names listed below are the scale names matching the output Node Output Function Scale Function editor Material Editor Color Function Scale Bump Bump Scale Highlight Scale of highlight function Transparency Function Scale Reflection Function Scale Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual Distribution Scale of Function Scaling Function Scale Color Function Scale Density Function Scale Output Scale Material Origin This value is listed in the Effects Tab of the material editor under Origin of Material Fine Tuning Size This
59. ps The file names of all setup nodes begin with Setup_ FF Bunch o Dependents A collection of named External Dependency Input nodes When adding external dependencies input nodes the chosen dependents are not shown in the name when adding lots of dependents this can be time consuming and confusing if nothing is named This node adds 12 external dependency input nodes to your function graph Names may be changed and unused nodes deleted External Dependency nput node names FF re de composed Vector Texture This setup is useful for extracting the number outputs of vectors and texture coordinates Includes the following two node setups Vector Setup Texture Coordinates Setup Decomposer 3 Decomposer 2 Composer 3 Composer 2 FF Custom Dependents 6 Custom Dependency Output nodes Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual FF Combiner Blender A very useful setup for the Blender Combiner node Connectible constants are used to separate inputs and allows for an easy addition of filters Filters have already been added to between the connections These filters will not affect the output since they are the default filter unchanged The naming system used makes it easier to connect other node inputs to the setup before or after filters Blender Number MetaNode Setup Blender Color MetaNode Setup FF Node Groups This MetaNode contains additional MetaNodes you can edit the main node
60. r a number link say the bump channel it also contains a secondary Grayscale output Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual FF Leaf Color Randomizer This node is a mix between a color generator and corrector It adds extra color variations to the color output based on the existing color To use connect this node between the color output node and leaf texture node or color node Off On Switch Can be used to compare differences between the original leaf color and the randomized color You can also use the slider to reduce the influence of the color variation The Variation Mapping Type Used to set the mapping mode of the variance The default mode is set to Object Standard and is suggested for modifying plant species Global modes are not suggested when animating plants primarily because the leaves would move through the variance rather than the variance moving with the leaves Includes an additional Grayscale output converted from the color output before the Darken amount This output can be used to modify additional outputs like Bump and Highlight Color Correction E3 Color Darken This node darkens color by modifying hues saturation contrast brightness and blending colors using a rather complex internal function to assist in the modification of natural color elements Controls Sliders Darken Sets the overall darken amount Desaturation Removes additional color but is not a di
61. rect saturation amount The creation of this node spawned two primary variations one sometimes working better than the other depending on the color variance Rather than having two separate nodes that do basically the same thing they were combined into a single node The Darken slider controls the darken amount of both variations and the Desaturation amount is actually the blend between the two separate nodes An amount of O outputs the first node and at 1 it outputs the variation It s called Desaturation because the variation has less color saturation Node Index Contents 27 asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual FF Easy Color Changer The easy color changer is fairly straight forward it s an easy and quick way to change the color of a color channel By using different color values you can define many aspects of the color change without destroying the original tones or variations of the original color The more luminous the color the more transparent the color overlay is The more saturated the color the more intense the color change is You can also use the color as either black or white to darken or lighten the color The defined color is also extractable and not limited to a solid color The contrast slider can be changed to reduce the color variation and range of the correction color for the best preservation of tones a value of 1 is normally best This node also contains a Color to Brightness conversion output named grays
62. rnal unit Locked ae Leaf Color Randomizer 1 0 Color Adds color variation to leaf textures designed to stay close to realistic color tones Locked Me Length to Vector 1 0 Vector Calculation Converts entered length unit amounts into vector output amounts based on the scene s internal unit With the ability to use it as a master control for other objects Locked aes Master Switch 1 0 Graph Function Dependent Controls any Off On Slider Can be used as Master or Dependent Locked ae Master Switch 3 1 0 Graph Function Dependent Controls any 3 Off On Slider Can be used as Master or Dependent Locked ae Matte Painter 1 0 Texture Map Setup Texture map with integrated camera projection Locked Matte Painter 2 Layer 1 0 Texture Map Setup Foreground and Background Texture Map setup with layer alphas and Master Camera Controller inputs Locked Ca Mixed Elevation 1 1 0 Numeric Filter A fractal or noise number input filter Locked Mixed Elevation 2 1 0 Numeric Filter A fractal or noise number input filter Locked NGOS Sender 1 0 Bug Work Around Sends numeric outputs as vector outputs to the NGOS receiver in other graphs Locked ae NGOS Sender 1 0 Bug Work Around Receives vector information from NGOS Sender and converts the data back into numeric data Locked
63. rolled object s position basically a self position You can use vector 3 the default Position Input node of the objects graph to connect this Dependent The Dependent vector input connects to an external dependency input In the external dependency vector 3 selecting the dependent object s position is required for positional distance Although any vector with technically work Output vector 3 The Vector output is the calculated distance between the two vector inputs to the relative or true vector amount You can use this to control any vector output but the node was designed to be connected to the Size Output node Node Index Contents 29 asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual E3 Improved Distance Constraint This node is used to limit the distance of a vector It works just like the default dynamic distant constraint but this version has a couple of new features added to it Distant Constraint Center The vector origin Min Distance How close the object can get to the center Max Distance How far away the object can move away from its origin Free Axis 0 Constrained 1 Open What makes this node Improved is the ability to turn of the constraint on any axis This group contains three sliders x y z to turn on and off each axis constraint When a slider is set to 0 then the constraint is applied to the axis If the slider is set to 1 then that axis is ignored from the constraint and the objects position
64. rols two built in Dependencies are now available These dependencies are a direct connection to the Scene Internal Unit and the O off 1 Convert slider By adding an external dependency input node to other functions and graphs in the scene you can select these two outputs The outputs can be used to control duplicates of the node in other objects graphs or functions This can be used as a global switch for all objects using the conversion The dependency will be found with the name Conversion Dependent You will need to use the Conversion Dependent node to output the numeric information correctly If using the master switch option be sure to select the same object s dependents through out the scene And never connect the master object to these dependents doing so could create an endless loop of information and cause problems The extra dependencies will not be available for a master switch within materials You may control material functions with the dependency but the External Dependency will only display the output if the node is hosted in an object graph or terrain procedural Because of this you may need to add an object into the scene to host the master node within the graph Be sure to connect the host node to an output of the graph if it is not connected it may get removed Since the object is just a control the output node wont matter Also consider using the hide from render and ignore when populating ecosystems
65. round plane or Vector Position Z 0 Ground height allows you no compensate for this offset by subtracting this amount from the Length Projection This often prevents the camera from intersecting with objects if Length Unit Meters Internal Unit 1 Internal Unit 1 Ground Height 100 10 meters Ground Height 100 100 meters Conversion Length Unit Ground Height x Internal Unit Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual Terrain Average Can be used with the Dynamic and Fixed mode These settings allow you to define a terrain s attributes to calculate the ground height The calculations and number of outputs needed to compensate for the differences in Z scale for every terrain type would interfere with the performance of the Camera Orbiter Therefor the following two settings need to be entered into the node and no external dependency is used Not only does this method increase performance its much quicker Click on the numerics tab with a terrain selected to find the following information 0 Ground 1 Terrain Average Choose to use the Ground Height from the Dynamic Adjustments tab or the terrain average Z Position Z Position of the terrain Z Size Z Size of the terrain Divide Size by Default 3 this value works quite well for most terrains but can be changed if needed Unit Conversion Length Unit Z Size x Internal Unit Pitch Zoom Can be used with
66. ser 3 Each node runs separately Editable re de composer 3 x 3 1 5 Vector Three re de composers in one Editable ae Rivers 1 1 0 Numeric Filter A fractal or noise number input filter Locked ae Rivers 2 1 0 Numeric Filter A fractal or noise number input filter Locked ape Rivers 3 1 0 Numeric Filter A fractal or noise number input filter Locked Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual Dynamic Color ae Scene Color Controller 1 0 Controller Master control node of several definable colors Editable Setup of 4 linked texture maps useful for texture linked Color Bump Highlight and Alpha image maps Editable Simple Image Mapper 1 1 Texture Map Sine Variation 1 1 0 Numeric Filter A fractal or noise number input filter Locked amp Sine Variation 2 1 0 Numeric Filter A fractal or noise number input filter Locked a Sine Variation 2 1 0 Numeric Filter A fractal or noise number input filter Locked Snaps an object s position to a grid created by an object s size Snap step amount per axis is definable Creates a custom range slider with sensitivity controls For the tweaking and fine tuning of fractals and color generators Splits a vector input into three vector outputs creates 2 null vectors per output Combines 3 vector inputs into one vector output Using x y z one axis from each input to
67. single vector Each operation is independent Node Index Contents 48 asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual FF re de composer 3 x 3 This MetaNodes is for splitting three vector inputs into 9 number outputs and or combining 9 number inputs into 3 vector outputs The node was designed for controlling Position Orientation and Size but can be used to control any three vectors in a function and or graph Each set of vectors and its related 3 numbers work independently Vector Math FF Divide Vector Replaces the Previous nodes Divide Vector by number and by vector The number will divide the vector equally the vector will divide per axis If only using one option the other s need to be set to a value of 1 FF Divide Vector by Number Divides a vector by a single number and applies the operations to all values E3 Divide Vector by Vector Divides a vector by x y z vector values Divides the x y z vector by the corresponding x y z vector This vector can be entered as numbers in the main node or extracted Vector Splitters FF Split Vector from Input This node will break up a vector from an input The values remain as a vector but is constrained to either the x y or z For example If a vector of 40 239 34 is connected to this node these values are converted to 3 vectors and show as such x being a null value or in some cases 0 X 40 x x Y x 239 x Z x X 34 This is a very useful nod
68. slider increases and decreases the scale of the material This is a relative value and not a length unit It is useful for small tweaks to the scale Threshold The material is a total descending gradient the threshold increases the inner density of the output This feature is directly connected to the Falloff and gain adjusting their total influence Falloff Adjusts the gradient falloff or blending edge of the volume Falloff of 10 Small Edge 0 Very Smooth Blend Gain Increases the total number output multiplied by the falloff amount For a very sharp edge use the Vue Threshold Filter or Smooth Threshold Filter connected between the output of sphere zone and the controlled If the output of the zone is beyond the current control range normally 1 to 1 as a number output you can use the clamp filter node with low at 1 and high at 1 Invert Output 0 Normal 1 Inverted Slider This slider will reverse the output of the node it can also be used as a gain output Subtraction Roughness O Off 1 Input On Slider on off switch The top of the node contains a Subtraction Roughness input node number This can be connected to any number output like a fractal or noise node to add variations within the volume This feature should only be turned on if the input is connected You can also use this to turn off the roughness without removing the connection to the input Note The Invert Output option will also invert the subtractio
69. st like the Composer 2 node you can enter number valued directly into this node to define the x and y vector The difference with the Add Number node is you can use the input connections on the top of the node to connect to any number output then add to the value with the internal input boxes or extractable links EA Composer 3 This a remake of the default Vue Composer 3 vector node which combines three number inputs into a single vector output This version allows you to input a number directly into the node rather than connecting it to a number output although the connection to number outputs can still be made by extracting the x y or z inputs FF Composer 3 Add Number Just like the Composer 3 node you can enter number valued directly into this node to define the x y and z vector The difference with the Add Number node is you can use the input connections on the top of the node to connect to any number output then add to the value with the internal input boxes or extractable links EA Composer 3 x 3 This node is essentially 3 composer nodes in one The number inputs and compiled vectors are named for the three primary object vector deformations Position Orientation and Size This node simplifies the setup for graph like functions when controlling multiple vectors with number inputs The axis deformation naming is primarily there as a guide please do not feel restricted by them because they can be used f
70. stall_OneGroup folder into the content install directory MetaNodes Combiner With the Function Editor Open Right Click in the node window Under the Combiner menu you will find a sub menu called MetaNodes will all the asileFX MetaNodes contained within it Technically a MetaNode is a combiner node so this is appropriate Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual Upgrade Installation Upgrading from the MetaNode Collection v1 0 to SNOW FICIK the MetaNode Collection v2 0 The upgrade to snowFlake includes only the new tools available in v2 0 You may add the new tools to your existing installation method Node folder structures were updated in version v1 5 and match those of the v2 0 release It is strongly suggested that you download the v1 5 update before combining collections The update is available from your asileFX com account on the order history page If you received the MetaNode collection as part of the Ultimate Vue Training and Content Bundle or from a reseller please contact asileFX to setup the download You can also contact asileFX to download the full version you will be sent a download link once your previous purchase is confirmed The asileFX Website http www asilefx com or http www asilefx net Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual Users Manual Contents Installation Getting Started Using the Host File snowFlaKe mnd Universal Tool Controls
71. texture into three number input and outputs vector x y z or two number inputs and outputs texture x y In most cases these nodes are loaded separately and almost always used together The improvements to this node are primarily the ability to load in one node to handle all types of the composer and decomposer nodes The native Vue nodes are Composer 3 Combines 3 number inputs into a vector output Composer 2 Combines 2 number inputs into a texture coordinate vector output Decomposer 3 Splits a vector into 3 number outputs Decomposer 2 Splits a texture coordinate vector into 2 number outputs As of the MetaNode Collection version 1 5 all composer integrations are extractable number inputs FF re de composer 2 3 This node is a combination of all 4 native nodes It works as both a composer and decomposer with the ability to convert both texture coordinates and vector values All channels work independently so the node can be used with multiple links with no relationship to each other FF re de composer 2 A combination of the Composer 2 and Decomposer 2 nodes this node will split a connected texture coordinate vector into 2 number outputs and or combine 2 number inputs into a single texture coordinate vector Each operation is independent FF re de composer 3 A combination of the Composer 3 and Decomposer 3 nodes this node will split a connected vector into 3 number outputs and or combine 3 number inputs into a
72. the Dynamic and Fixed mode This feature will move the camera closer to the pivot as the pitch changes Pitch Zoom 1 On basically acting as a zoom it will not affect the camera s focal and it is an extremely useful way to navigate 0 Off 1 On Turns the Pitch Zoom feature on and off and also can be cae Tene used to decrease the distance of the zoom Reverse Changes the pitch direction for the zoom At 0 the camera will move closer to the pivot as the camera pitches toward the sky At 1 the camera will move closer to the pivot as the Bey camera pitches down to the ground At 5 this feature is turned off Zoom Falloff This slider adjusts the amount of pitched required for the ay fie zoom to occur Z Position Constraint Stops camera from moving below ground or defined ground amount Camera Orbiter prevents Vue s built in feature Stop camera going below clipping plane ground water from working the Position Constraint feature is used to fix this with a few added bonuses 0 Off 1 On Turns this feature on and off Ground Level Sets the point where movement on the Z axis will stop 0 Ground 1 Terrain Average Either use the entered ground level or use the Terrain Average calculation or a mix of the two Note This feature will not prevent the camera from orbiting below the constraint Dual Control It is possible you use both the fixed an dynamic modes at the same time To do this use the on off slider W
73. the inputs and outputs The input and output space is normally the same If you current function is directly between the inputs and outputs you can edit the node and move them all to the right or left Keeping in mind that all nodes are placed under the inputs and above the outputs Shifting the inputs and outputs within the metanode may shift the inputs or outputs when ungrouped Ungroup MetaNode Another method and normally a better method of extraction is using the copy and paste commands See the Getting Started section of this manual for more information When creating MetaNodes the addition of a Double Output node is almost unavoidable This node will not be extracted into your function graph and is not connected to anything in the node This output is a number output named Null and can be ignored Depending on the function a MetaNode is edited opened in a selection of input nodes will show at the top of the function These inputs will not be extracted when using the Ungroup MetaNode command You can expect to find the following null inputs for each type of function when opening editing the MetaNode a Siope Orientation Time Object Graphs Extra input nodes normally do not display in object graphs If they do they are the common inputs lights and cameras will have many more Orientation Materials and Density Functions Procedural Terrain Functions Time Node Index Contents Setu
74. this setup an object will remain the same size in the camera view regardless of the camera s distance to it As the camera moves away from the object the object size increases What is seen in the camera view is the entire scene shrinking while the object being controlled stays fixed The camera distance size method is extremely useful for controller reference master and null objects The position of the controlled object is open with this method which makes even more useful for dynamic relationships It could also prove useful with Camera Projected Texture Maps This node can be used for many other setups as well If you connect the distance dependency to another object in the scene to control size the result would be Object a Size Controlled Object b Dependency With Object a in a fixed position moving object b closer to a decreases the scale of object a As object b moves away from object a object a gets larger 1 Relative Size Controls Size This is the relative size amount and not an actual unit length or vector unit This slider is null if the number relative size is switched to off 0 Off 1 On This slider is used to switch on the relative size sending the true vector distance to the output slider When set to on the relative scale is used and can be changed with the Size slider Inputs The two Vector Input nodes are used to calculate the distance Position The node s Position input connects to the cont
75. ting the internal unit to 1 will turn off the conversion Controller Starting Position Offset Distance Control Start Value Offset Start location position or size vector of the control dependency object Controller Axis Range Distance Distance Control End Value XYZ Distance Distance control dependency object must move on the chosen axis output to reach Distance Control End Value Vector Distance Distance control dependency object must move on all axises when vector is chosen as the output to reach Distance Control End Value Distance Control Start Value Output amount when controller object is at its default location End Value Output amount when controller object travels to the desired XYZ or Vector Range Unit Conversion Length Input to Vector Output for Vector Scene Internal Unit The scene s internal unit used to control all inputs and outputs as Length Units and not Vector Units Inputs Controller Connect to an external dependency input node to act as the controller object Vector Use a Position or Size vector from the control object to control the node Outputs X Distance Control controlled by changes made to the dependency s X axis Output controlled by Controller Axis Range X Distance Y Distance Control controlled by changes made to the dependency s Y axis Output controlled by Controller Axis Range Y Distance Z Distance Control controlled by changes made to the
76. to control multiple camera projected map setups Aspect Ratio see the aspect ratio node for details Scale Used to scale the image outside the projection area 1 1 is the default setting and keeps the image proportionate to the aspect ratio within the camera frame Image Offset This setting does not affect the projection output It is used to control the extracted image offset of a Texture Map or multiple texture maps When several textures are connected to this node you can control all offsets with this setting without having to change every texture node Projector Used to choose the camera to project the image from Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual Pixel Ratio Scale Ratio Textures loaded into most software applications including Vue are initially scaled to 1x1 and made square This node will calculate the texture scale to match the scale and proportions of an image based on the width and height pixel amount x and y Two outputs are available so you can chose to define the scale for X or Y Both of these nodes will output the correct alternate value and only one needs to be chosen Pixel Scale Ratio Scale 1 Scale of X or Y texture coordinate X Pixel Width 2000 Pixel amount of image Y Pixel Height 1500 if Scale X then X Pixel Scale and Y Scale is B if Scale Y then Y Pixel Scale and X Scale is FJ Sca
77. tput can be fine tuned with the Alpha 2 Threshold and Alpha 2 Falloff sliders The threshold increases or decreases the amount of transparency The falloff adjusts the edge blending of the clip from a harsh transition to a smooth one If you would like an inverted or opposite channel output you can use the additional outputs Every channel except the color channel has a Channel Reversed output For instance if you want to invert the current highlight areas from the highlight channel you can switch the connection from the Highlight output to the Highlight Reversed output Anytime an image is used to define the bump channel of a material the default depth amount of 1 is normally too high Bump Depth can be found in the Bump tab of the Advanced Material Editor It is suggested you start with a value of 10 and tweak from there Sometimes a value as small as 01 is needed to produce a clean looking bump Using the Brightness Contrast and Gamma sliders in the node to make overly dramatic changes which could be easily made in an image editing program may cause the channel outputs to over sample and max out past the desired levels This is of course true when ever using any of the similar filters in vue to affect a number output Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual FF Matte Painter Vue 7 5 Recommended Matte painter is an integrated camera projected texture map setup
78. tructure of the formula solving for a bxc d a x The calculated number output is a FF Cross Multiply b Same as Cross Multiply but solving for b instead of a An extremely useful equation for comparing fractions If you are unfamiliar with cross multiplication this is the structure of the formula solving for b axd c b x The calculated number output is b FF Cross Multiply b c When only a and d are known Solve for y a cy b y d y Square Root a x d The calculated number output is for c and b but only as one output since they are equal Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual Texture Map Setups E3 Image Channel Creator When additional outputs are needed from a single texture map for instance using a texture map for color and bump additional filters are often needed This node eliminates the setup of this node group The main channel outputs from this node are Color Bump Highlight Diffuse Alpha Alpha 2 Each channel has its own editable filter with default values that generally work for most images Three additional controls are also available and will affect all outputs Brightness Contrast and Gamma An additional output is available to bypass these corrections for the color channel this output is named Color Correction Bypass Two primary Alpha Transparency output are available Alpha 2 creates a greater defined clip of the grayscale output This ou
79. utputs The axis deformation naming is primarily there as a guide please do not feel restricted by them because they can be used for any vector If you find this distracting please use the Decomposer 3 x 3 simple node E3 Decomposer 3 x 3 Simple Exactly the same as Decomposer 3x3 but this node makes no assumptions about its usage The outputs and inputs of this node are named 1 2 and 3 instead of Position Orientation and Size If you are used to the conventional Vue naming system please use the Decomposer 3 x 3 ni node FF Decomposer 3 x 3 ni Exactly the same as Decomposer 3x3 but the ni version uses the conventional Vue numeric input naming system with the vector inputs named input 0 input 1 and input 2 The number outputs are named as x y and z with the input number displayed before the axis Node Index Contents 47 asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual Offset Operations E Offset Split Vector Number This node allows you to offset or control a vector by using 3 number links These links can be extracted and connected to any number output to control a specific axis EA Offset Split Vector Number add This node preforms the same action as the Offset Split Vector Number node but in the opposite direction re de composer Group The re de composer MetaNodes are improved versions of the native Vue composer and decomposer math nodes Composer and Decomposer nodes break up a vector or
80. witch slider to 1 At any time you can now open the Graph for the master object and turn on or turn off all the preview scales connected to the switch Node Index Contents 18 asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual FF Matte Painter 2 Layer Vue 7 5 Recommended This node features a complex camera projected texture map setup It allows you to setup a foreground and background image with two alphas One alpha controls the foreground image and one controls the subtraction of all layers In addition you can fade the foreground image to blend with the background This node uses a full alpha subtraction outside the projected area this clips the image outside the camera projection Texture Repeat Methods Texture repeat methods are set to the following Mirror X and Y None Foreground Alpha Background All Layers Alpha Camera Master Controller Allows the node to be connected to the Camera Master Controller node to control the projection To use add the external dependency input node and select the camera with the master controller loaded select Camera Projection as the dependent The following settings will be controlled by the master controller and will no longer work in the node Aspect Ratio Width and Height Image Tweaker Scale Camera Projection Projector Image Aspect Ratio or Pixel Resolution See the node Aspect Ratio for more information All layers are controlled by this ratio Image
81. zed This vector has no other purpose than this When selecting the node you will see the following options Atmosphere Materials Each color can be changed or extracted 4 Sky 4 Highlight 4 Decay 4 Rock Now the important part and point of this tool All colors defined in this node can be accessed in any function or graph By adding in an external dependency input node into any a Vegetation 4 Ecosystem MH function you can select the null object as the dependent and 4 Ecosystem Decay ME alist of every color is available Custom 4 Custom Color 4 All of these colors will have c in front of the name to separate it from other outputs 4 Fog Lighting 4 Ambient Light 4 Sun Light 4 Radiosity Gain ae 4 Haze o 4 Ground i You can now setup global colors for the scene If at anytime you want to change the color open the host graph modify the color anything and everything connected to that color will change Even if it s a thousand materials Why is this a featured node It s not the node itself but the concept in its creation This node was chosen because it is so simple easy to use and modify Not to say that this node isn t powerful because of its simplicity but it is unlocked and additions can be made making it a great dynamic learning device and a tool Node Index Contents asileFX snowFlaKe Users Manual EA Terrain Previewer Camera Controller This tool will allow you t

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