Triplanar UV Mapping?

[skinnytorus]

Hi, devs.
Another very cool feature might be this: Triplanar Mapping.
What do you think?

[francis]

Ow, I like that
It shouldn't be too complex to incorporate as a new "Surface Component". We'll keep you tuned!

[skinnytorus]

Cool! This feature really shines with complex models when UV mapping them properly is not an option.

[francis]

Yep, sounds also like a good solution for our sphere tracing plugin... (we still have to unlock it on the beta version)

[skinnytorus]

But still... Surface component sounds cool, but what if the user wants to apply triplanar projection to components other than Diffuse? Normals? Specular? Perhaps, the UV Mapping modifier might be a better place, but it seems to apply to all the surface components... I think there has to be some trick allowing to apply different UV maps to surface components. Any ideas?

[francis]

For the moment, the rule is one vertex = one UV coordinate. To apply different UV maps to different renderers you need to make your UV Mapping modifiers local to the renderers. For this turn your "Surface" renderer into a group (ctrl+shift+G) and then you'll be able adding local 3d modifiers.

For me triplanar UV mapping is a substitute to Diffuse that locally (i.e. inside the shader) generates the UV it needs. If we want a bump mapping version of it we'll probably have to introduce a second new surface component...

[francis]

Well thinking at it, it could indeed be interesting to integrate Triplanar UV Mapping as a "Surface Component Decorator", i.e. a Surface Component that contains a sub-surface component as argument.
I have to check the code to see if that fits, but that could indeed be an idea.

[skinnytorus]

@Francis
I don't see clearly what you mean... Can you describe the expected workflow? Perhaps, it will be easier for me to get the idea...

[francis]

Well, the Triplanar UV Mapping would be an intermediate node, you could have a tree such as:

3D Layer > Surface > Triplanar UV Mapping > {Diffuse, Specular, BumpMapping}

I think @lamogui will work on it soon, so more news to come...

(by the way, beta release has been updated)

[skinnytorus]

3D Layer > Surface > Triplanar UV Mapping > {Diffuse, Specular, BumpMapping}

But what about the UV mapping modifier? Which will prevail if applied both?

(by the way, beta release has been updated)

Cool. I'll check back later this evening.

[francis]

Since triplanar would generate it's own UVs, that means that the model UVs won't be interpreted at all. Consequently, the "UV mapping modifier" would have absolutely no effect in this case...

[skinnytorus]

OK, but what do I do if I want to add... say.... a moving decal texture layer?

[francis]

you shouldn't do that kind of things

[skinnytorus]

I know! My aunt said that if I did that regularly my palms would get all hairy!