3Delight attributes are ordinary object properties that are useful in 3Delight but unavailable through the Softimage interface. It is important to note that 3Delight for Softimage uses the standard Softimage properties whenever possible, to not disrupt users habits. This particular UI piece is accessible through the Render -> Property -> 3Delight -> Attributes menu.
Subsurface Scattering
General Parameters
Subsurface Light Scattering
Enables or disables subsurface light scattering simulation.
Subsurface Strength
Relative strength of the sub-surface lighting.
Scattering Parameters - Type
Specifies which method to use when specifying surface properties for subsurface scattering simulation. This is either `Absorption & Scattering' or `Mean Free Path & Reflectance'.
Refraction Index
Specifies the index of refraction of the underlying object
Scale
Specifies the scale of the model for subsurface computations purposes. It's simply a multiplier that is applied to the scale of the scene. A value of `1.0' means that the Absorption, Scattering and Mean Free Path parameters are based on the scene units. A value lower than `1.0' will make the object's scale appear bigger by decreasing its perceived translucency. A value greater than `1.0' will have the opposite effect.
Shading Rate
Specifies how finely the geometry will be tessellated when running the subsurface scattering simulation. This is similar to Shading Rate property described in Quality, but is used only when computing subsurface scattering and so will generally work well even with a higher value (ie: a coarser tessellation).
Absorption & Scattering Parameters
Preset
Selects a particular subsurface preset.
Absorption
The amount of light that is absorbed along its travel through the material, per unit of length (as defined by the Scale parameter).
Scattering
The amount of light that is diverted from its initial direction through the material, per unit of length (as defined by the Scale parameter).
Mean Free Path & Reflectance Parameters
Mean Free Path
The average distance light can travel through this material without being absorbed or reflected. Again, this is expressed in units of length as defined by the Scale parameter.
Reflectance
The percentage of light that is reflected off the surface of the object. This is usually similar to the object's color.
Geometry
Output
Vertex Properties
Output all vertex properties. This should always be on since it is needed for Softimage shader support. One could toggle this off if only RenderMan© shaders are used and no vertex properties are needed. Please refer to Using RenderMan Shaders for an example on how to access vertex properties in a RenderMan© shaders.
Reference Geometry
Include reference geometry with the main geometry. This is potentially useful when developing RenderMan© shaders as explained in Using RenderMan Shaders.
Cluster Sort Order
Output the cluster sort orders along with the geometry. This is potentially useful when developing RenderMan© shaders as explained in Using RenderMan Shaders.
Curves
Render Curves
The default behavior in 3Delight for Softimage is to not render curves. Set this option to on to render Softimage curves smoothly. All curve types are supported.
Width at Root
Width at Tip
Specifies curve's width at the root and tip, respectively.
Hair
Instances Root Orientation
Specifies how the root of the hair instance master is deformed relative to the hair emitter's surface:
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| From Emitter's Surface Normal | The hair's root is deformed in such a way that its base lies flat on the emitter's surface. This reduces cracks between the emitter's surface and the hair. However, this could result in sharp bending of the hair near the root, so it might not be appropriate when a short and thick instance master is used. |
| From First Hair Segment | The hair's root is aligned with the rest of the hair and is completely independent from the emitter surface's normal. This option is provided for compatibility with Softimage's default renderer. However, it could introduce visible cracks between the emitter's surface and the hair, unless the hair is almost perpendicular to the emitter's surface. |
Instances Deformation
Specifies how hair instances are deformed to follow each hair's shape:
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| Vertex-Based Displacement | Only the vertices or control points of each instance are deformed. This is the default behavior and is similar to the results obtained with Softimage's default renderer. It's usually sufficient if the instance masters have a fine enough resolution or if the hair is rather straight (ie: only a subtle deformation is required). |
| Fine Displacement | This takes full advantage of standard RenderMan© displacement shaders by applying the deformation at the finest possible level (as specified by the shading rate parameter described in Quality). This is useful if the instance masters have a coarse resolution or if the hair is very curly and appears big on the screen. However, it will use more memory and will render slower (especially when ray tracing is enabled) than Vertex-Based Displacement. |
Particles
Use Lightweight Particles
When enabled, 3Delight for Softimage will use 3Delight's lightweight particles instead of the particle geometry specified in Softimage (sphere, billboard, etc.). This is useful to efficiently render large clouds of very small particles.
Point Clouds
Use Velocity for Frame Interpolation
When enabled and applied to a point-cloud object, 3Delight for Softimage will use the PointVelocity and StrandVelocity ICE attributes to approximate the geometry of the point cloud between frames. This is mainly useful to avoid a bug in Softimage's frame interpolation when points are being removed from the cloud.
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