maps for surface channels disappearing in surfaces tab.
kyoto kid
Posts: 40,932
...I was working on a character that I created a custom skin for weeks ago using Skin builder 8. I changed the clothing on the figure and when I did a test render I the skin on the arms looked was washed out. I checked all the parameters in the shader tab only to find that the Translucency Colour and Dual Lobe specular maps were missing for just the arms (the maps for all other surfaces were fine). They show up in the surfaces list, but there is no way to reload them to their proper channels as the box at the left of each channel that usually holds the thumbnail of the map is missing. I have no idea how this happened and not sure how to fix the situation.
I first closed the scene out then reloaded the character but that didn't work. I closed the scene again and then shut down the programme, restarted it, reloaded the character and the issue is still there. I really don't look forward to rebuilding the skin as it was s difficult one to set up (very fair skins are tricky to get right so they don't come out too pale and look "greyish" in outdoor light settings).
I wish I could attach screen shots to better illustrate what I am dealing with, but the attachment feature in the forums is has been borked for the time being.
Using the 4.21.0.5 General Release.
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Comments
@kyoto kid: You can save a screenshot in your gallery (without publishing it, of course). Then you can use the url of that pic to upload in this forum. Thats how i uploaded my freebie challenge banner this month. Later you erase the pic again.
nm - under the impression posts are being ignored, so I shall return the favour and stop wasting my time in here.
....the two maps in question Dual Lobe Specular (ArmsS_1004.jpg) and SSS Translucency Colour (23232&&SB&&_ArmsSSS_1004.jpg) are there in the full list of surface maps when I click on a box for a different channel, I just have no way to reload them as the picture box for both channels is missing and I have no idea how to get it to appear.
...update
I thought I found a solution by using the surface selection tool to just select the arms. That allowed me to put he SDSS map back in the Translucency Colour channel, but then I lost the Dual Lobe Reflectivity maps for the entire body which made the skin on all surfaces look too shiny when rendered and removed freckles overlay.. Looks as if I will have to spend a good part of another evening and night rebuilding the skin from scratch and having to run a lot of test renders until I am satisfied it's correct.
Still have no idea how the arm textures were overwritten as I wasn't even in the surfaces tab at the time nor applied any changes to the skin itself . All I did was delete the Tactical Assault Uniform from a previous render to use a different set of clothes, Right after that was when the arm mats rendered white. and the maps for the two channels I mentioned above were deleted.
I still also have no idea how settings like the map thumbnail boxes on the various channels seemingly disappear on their own.
It makes me wonder if isn't some sort of bug in the 4.21.0.5 General Release that slipped through. I have seen comments about materials issues in 4.21, Just frustrating that it's not simply a matter of clicking on a character texture to fix the matter.
Somedays I wonder why I bother.
...I tried doing so directly to the figure's arms using the Surface Selection Tool and the only "box" that appeared was the one for the Translucency Channel. After I applied the SSS map for the arms, that was when I lost the box for the maps attached to the Dual Lobe Reflectivity channels for all skin regions which in turn made the skin on the entire character look "wet" in Iray mode (it still looked fine in OpenGL view). Without that particular map (and no way to reinstall it now on the entire figure) reflectivity is no longer controlled.
Things like this should not break because you change something else (particularly when it is totally unrelated to the skin texture such as clothing which is where the whole mess began). Installing the one SSS map in that channel should also not have removed any of the ones for Dual Lobe Reflectivity like occurred.
sounds like you applied a different shader without that texture brick to it, a procedural one
apply DAZ uber or save another body part's shader as a shader if it's a fancy one and apply it then swap out the maps
...OK seems that attachments are back for the moment:
The first screenshot shows where the "picture box" is supposed to be for the Dual Lobe Reflectivity channel to load the map that somehow was deleted.
The second one shows that the map used by the Dual Lobe Reflectivity channel is listed among the maps for the image.
The third image is the character in OpenGL view (note that the "freckles overlay" is visible)
The last image is the render test of the figure illustrating the extra shininess of the skin and missing "freckles overlay" without the Dual Lobe Reflectivity maps for all regions. (before the rest of the SSS maps were somehow deleted only the arms looked wrong).
Wow, 4 image channels missing... can't you load another figure and copy only its' arms surface onto this arm and then manually enter again the correct values and load the images into the channels?
Wow, 4 image channels missing... can't you load another figure and copy only its' arms surface onto this arm and then manually enter again the correct values and load the images into the channels?
...unfortunately not as the skin was created with Skin Builder 8. which would be overwritten. with the new texture. I'd also need to find a skin that uses both those channels.(not all do)
Still frustrated by this as I wasn't even in the surfaces tab when it happened
Sorry to hear that - as i don't own that plugin, it is difficult for me to understand why this doesn't work: At the product page the packaged files seem to be a normal material preset .duf file and the textures in the runtime folder.
In Zev0s' product forum
https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/204101/skin-builder-8-merchant-resource-for-genesis-8-female-commercial/p26
I found sth similar:
You can find that at p21.
Also it was mentioned that similar problems could be avoided by updating (by redownloading) to v1.3 if you haven't yet.
Maybe you can ask ZEV0 at the aforementioned thread.
Good luck!
Which shader is being used - it would be listed at top-left of the Surfaces pane with one of the skin surfaces selected.