Sony Vegas / BCC 7 Extruded Text Reflections

[Peter Mcauley]

Hi Robert,

Yes you can create your own custom reflection maps, but you can only use images that are in a format that the filter can read. The format that the reflection map feature uses for internal map images is .dds.

There is a free utility that you can download from the Nvidia site that enables you to save out images into this format from Photoshop.

The workflow is simple – open in Photoshop the image(s) that you want to use. Save this from Photoshop in .dds format. Then copy the .dds image(s) into this directory:

C:\Program Files(x86)\Boris FX, Inc\Lib\BCC OFX 7\Shadeers\Images\

The new image(s) will appear with the factory installed images in the same pop-up

I hope this helps,

Peter.

[Robert St-onge]

Hi Peter,

Thanks for your help,

But so far I can’t get my file to show up in C:Program Files(x86)Boris FX, IncLibBCC OFX 7ShadeersImages

The NVIDIA utility has many saving options. What options should I select?

I did notice that BCC 7 native .dds files opens up with 6 panes in Photoshop, so that would make it a cube map? Does my reflection file needs to be divided into a cube map?

Attached are screen grabs from the NVIDIA utility

Thanks

[Dirk De jong]

yes they are cube maps – I saved the reflection map files for BCC 3D Objects so I can probably help you with this. What’s your source file look like ?

[Robert St-onge]

My source file is a single .jpg image 1600 x 1200 72 dpi 324 KB.

[Dirk De jong]

So it sounds like it’s probably not a seamless 360degree pano image then ? Basically the reflection maps in BCC 3D Objects are environment maps (dds cube map files) that are reflected by the materials. As you can see if you’ve opened some of the ones that install with the product in Photoshop and taken a look. For it to work well it needs to be some kind of image that can wrap around 360degrees without showing obvious seams. When we made the one’s that installed with the product we either started with synthetically created environments (made in 3D programs etc.) or it’s possible to use panoramic images (I’ve even started with Quick Time VR files which actually kind of work the same way). I will try to gather some more info and useful links relevant to this topic and post them here soon. Maybe I can make a quick tutorial on it.

Here’s some cube map tools (some of which you amy have already found);
– https://developer.nvidia.com/content/dds-utilities-83111271645
– https://developer.nvidia.com/nvidia-texture-tools-adobe-photoshop
– I’ve used this ATI app to generate cubemaps for 3D Objects before too (WIN only AFAIK though) ; https://download-developer.amd.com/GPU/executables/cubemapgen_v1.1.exe

this looks kind of interesting but I haven’t tried it yet ; https://forum.unity3d.com/threads/64119-Cubemap-Generator-%28Unity-Free-compatible!%29

[Robert St-onge]

Thanks for your help Dirk,

Would definitely appreciate having a demo on this!

I have tried the ATI app where I was able to import my .jpg file, all went fine only I can’t get it to export properly in .dds but was able to get it inside BCC 7.

Below is a frame grab where I managed to get my text looking like glass but I would like to get more reflections off the front, back, bevel and side of the text.

I have used texture files (side, front…) but these are locked to the moving text which is not what I want.