Extra Buffer nodes

[dpont]

With Material connected in Surface editor, yes, other
inputs in root are unefficient to access Nodal data,
but you can bypass the material in a Switch Material node,
and use the integer input to connect the Store Extra Buffer
node.

Buffer Export with AntiAliasing, works only in ImageFilter NE,
with "Force AA" checked in Store Extra Buffer,
actually it works with Max Samples per image and not
per pixel, so "Adaptive Sampling" can't be used here.

Denis.

[dpont]

Have made an Extra Buffer x32 version for testing,
which seems to save image buffers with AntiAliasing
and Adaptive Sampling,
but I suspect it could fail with Multithreading,
I'm not multithreaded here so I need help to test it with MT.

Attachment 48780

-Add an object in Layout.
-Go to Surface node editor, connect something in Store Extra Buffer node,
connect Access output anywhere.
-Go to Image Filter node editor, add a Get Extra Buffer node
and open panel, check the buffer, file format, file name.
-Go to Camera panel, add some AntiAliasing, check
Adaptive Sampling.
-Press F9.


Please report any weird result in the saved image here, thanks.

Denis.

[dpont]

Edit: Forgot to say you need to check "Force AA" in the
Store Extra Buffer node for your buffer.

Denis.

[dpont]

No, this test version failed when applied to multi surfaces.
May be another try, later.

Denis.

[eyelandarts]

Thanks Dennis, your work never ceases to amaze me. I couldnt get it working either with one or two threads and adaptive sampling. I did notice two things. One, I couldnt set the save path for buffer 4 but all others where ok. The other I was getting strange render errors as long as I had the extra buffer node connected to the unused color highlights input in the surface panel (with Adaptive sampling on).
Thanks again for this great node, I have already started using it in all my scenes.
Why oh why wont you take paypal for donations
Next time im in France you must let me make it up to you

[eyelandarts]

Found another thing to report. If you have a reflective surface (raytraced) and have extra custom buffers like an RGB matte pass, the matte colors will raytrace each other. Same thing hapens on a custom depth pass making it unusable. i guess it makes sense in a way but I thought making an object a single color would overide other shaders for that pass. I tried mixing a zero reflective shader with the pass but couldnt get it to work.

[dpont]

ExtraBuffer nodes (x32) have been updated,
http://perso.orange.fr/dpont/plugins...erNode_x32.zip

-File format extension added to saved files was incorrect.
-File name of Buffer1 was incorrectly loaded from scene.
-"Force AntiAliasing" now is checked by default in Store Extra Buffer node.
-AntiAliasing with Adaptive Sampling work now in Extra Buffer.

Note: Current LW buffer even modified can't be stored also in an Extra Buffer
in Pixel Filter node editor and saved in Image Filter node editor.

You will need to redownload also the node editors
PixelFilter and ImageFilter node editor have been updated
to work better with Extra Buffers.
http://perso.orange.fr/dpont/plugins...Filter_x32.zip
http://perso.orange.fr/dpont/plugins...Filter_x32.zip


Not tested with MultiThreading...
I know there are some other limitations,
in some situations for storing advanced node setups.

Denis.

[eyelandarts]

Thanks Denis, im really excited about this one! As you can tell
When saving a sequence from the get extra buffers image filter, frames save on top of each other in a additive way so frame three is saving on top of frame 1 and 2. this doesnt happen if you are rendering one frame though.

...having force antialiasing is great for workflow too! thanks

[eyelandarts]

Here is my test monkey for this node. So far its a dream come true, no more split scenes for custom passes. Im still using one custom scene for separate passes so I can disable raytraced reflections. It would be really cool if we could disable them per buffer but that sounds pretty hard. Still having one extra scene to manage is better than 6

[MooseDog]

**drools**

ok, i'll ask the standard question : care to demo your workflow/node arrangements for those who (while i understand nodes and use them almost exclusively) can't grasp this new application of them.

that series of images is very sweet btw. congrats.

thx

[dpont]

...Im still using one custom scene for separate passes so I can disable raytraced reflections...

Raytraced reflections have a bounce greater than 1,
you could use a Logic node with the bounce output
of Spot Info node to filter this.

Denis.

[eyelandarts]

Sure, id be glad to. Here is my extra buffers node graph for one of the surfaces (floor surface has blue matte). This one is pretty simple but is typical of what ill use on a production plus a few others. Generally I would have to set a separate scene for each of the extra buffers and sometimes a separate object surface. This as you can imagine can be a nightmare on complex projects, specially when there are changes to the camera and such. I have never been able to get a nice antialiased depth buffer out of lightwave (maybe im doing something wrong) so I end up making a separate scene with matte black objects and fog. Not so with this new node though!

let me know if you have any questions,
Alex

[eyelandarts]

[QUOTE=dpont]

...Im still using one custom scene for separate passes so I can disable raytraced reflections...QUOTE]

Raytraced reflections have a bounce greater than 1,
you could use a Logic node with the bounce output
of Spot Info node.

Denis.

Ooh, Good tip, im of to try that!

[eyelandarts]

ok, cant get it to work. How can I use the logic node to turn off raytracing for the extra buffers but not the in the main render? So my Matte pass would have no reflections but the render would...

[MooseDog]

Sure, id be glad to. Here is my extra buffers node graph for one of the surfaces (floor surface has blue matte). This one is pretty simple but is typical of what ill use on a production plus a few others. Generally I would have to set a separate scene for each of the extra buffers and sometimes a separate object surface. This as you can imagine can be a nightmare on complex projects, specially when there are changes to the camera and such. I have never been able to get a nice antialiased depth buffer out of lightwave (maybe im doing something wrong) so I end up making a separate scene with matte black objects and fog. Not so with this new node though!

let me know if you have any questions,
Alex

that's too! helpful eyelandarts. thx a ton, you've helped a blind man see

from here, i'll just keep adding pixel filters until all the buffers i'm looking for are saved to the directory of my choice (i'm assuming). gerardo's example above, while very generous, seems overly complicated. all i want is as you said above: a bunch of buffers that i can assemble in df w/o splitting things into a bunch of different scenes (p.i.t.a. )