Cycles Texture Coordinates Question

Support Materials and Textures
1

This may have been asked already:

Does anyone know if it’s possible to use a secondary object’s coordinates for the first object’s material settings in the node editor?

I want to have a noise texture animate in a certain way on a plane. So I’d like to use an empty and reference its position for the noise value of the plane.

Any ideas?

2

I’d also like to know how to do this. I use an empty to control the orientation and “seed” for wood textures in Blender Internal (without nodes), and would love to do something similar in Cycles.

3

Node values could be animated in 2.63. I did it in 2.62 too as far as i remember.

animated_nodes.png1345×562 371 KB

4

thanks guys! I’ll check out the script.

5

This post is slightly off topic(Sorry :/); but rather than reply on an old topic, I’ll post on here.

@Acro: Drivers do not work in the materials; I’ve been trying to get them too for a couple days now, researching(and the like) to no avail. It is possible to animate them, but I need them to be “driven” by an armature…

6

I haven’t tried yet to actually animate, but drivers can be added to material node tree parts. Hope helps.

drivers.png837×573 247 KB

Edit: Script drivers added, works.

7

Could you say how? I’ve been able to add them, yes, but not control them.

Edit: Oh wait, is it with the script?

8

Yes. Since it was kind of late here and i’m almost complete newb in animation field i had thrown in some python rand function as a scripted driver. See screen.
Imo there’s nothing preventing some bone movement driving this value too. Still i’m newb here…

driven_material.png573×552 52.3 KB

9

Ok…um…still not getting it. I’m afraid I’m not a scripter; and a little noobish in this area…could you explain how you got that far? I’ve been able to add them, get the purple color; etc; just not control them. What did you edit in the script? I’m sorry for my lack of knowledge in this area. :frowning:

10

Deeper in woods, more trees… While this was just some rand function changing values on keyframes i belive, more i read there’s no clear way to read some values from animations - bone positions, coordinates. And i’m also not so much into scripting. Still, i somehow don’t belive it’s not possible, but it might not be so trivial. So far i just can’t find clear way either. Anyhow, idea changing material properties during animation sounds tempting. So the question how to change eye color emission value proportional to head rotation is still open…

11

Got it, here’s a link to a wonderful video on the drivers: http://vimeo.com/40389198

12

Hi!
That was exactly one i was getting driver expression from :). Haven’t been into subject since last time to be frank.

Further, i found links to even more great explanations on what is which concerning drivers getting to animation data:
http://aligorith.blogspot.com/2010/09/rigging-faq-basics-of-new-driver-system.html
http://aligorith.blogspot.com/2010/09/rigging-faq-constraints-and-rotations.html
They are from early 2.5 era of course, there might be some changes again, idk really.

13

Oh. :stuck_out_tongue: Didn’t notice. Those post sound a bit…complex for meh. I got what I wanted. :stuck_out_tongue:

Thanks though!