SimbiontFusion adds the magic of DarkTree 3D procedural texture generation to a Fusion interface. DarkTree (DT) tweaks are mapped to Fusion inputs and can also be dynamically controlled on a pixel-by-pixel basis by connecting images from the comp. We’ve also included a mapping input that performs a UVW lookup based on RGB data, allowing you to apply DT textures to 3D geometry in post.
Download Simbiont Fusion 1.05
Tweak Parameters
When a DT file is loaded, the parameters of the flow exposed for user manipulation (aka ‘tweaks’) are added as Fusion inputs. Implemented tweaks include the MAPPING, SAMPLING, BOOL, FLOAT, BUMP, INT, PERCENT, COLOR, and STRING types. The screenshot above shows several tweaks including color, percent and integer parameters for the fxBubbles texture.
Image-based Dynamic Tweaks
For tighter control over the adjustable parameters, images from the Fusion comp can be wired into the tool as dynamic tweaks. Percent, bump and color tweaks can be controlled on a pixel-by-pixel basis using this method. This feature allows for creative integration with existing compositing projects, and animation effects that combine the strengths of the two packages. The following effect was created by dynamically tweaking DT parameters with a simple grayscale animation (see the bottom of this post to download this the example comp “Dueling DarkTrees”).
UVW Mapping
With the UVW lookup channel, DT textures can be directly applied to 3D geometry in Fusion. The image on the right shows this procedure, where a render was produced in 3D Studio Max and exported with UVW texture coordinates encoded as RGB. The middle row is a lighting pass that was merged with the DT lookup output to produce the textured bottom row.
Examples
The following .zip files contain Fusion comps, texture files and media that you can use to learn about SimbiontFusion.
Extra Usage Notes
… for Fusion users:
- You must hit “Load” to reload the map. It’s a bit like the FBX loader, in that it stays cached.
- Your inputs should probably be the size of your output. No scaling is done in the tool. If you use the mapping input, then that raster size is used.
- Metadata is not implemented yet.
- Frame format settings are not implemented yet. You must manually set the raster size.
- Supersampling is not implemented yet. If you need finer sampling, try working with a larger raster size and scaling it down afterward.
- Motion blur is not implemented yet.
- Image input and wireless links are a bit “odd” when you duplicate/instance the tool.
- Otherwise, just think of it as FN but way cooler.
… for Darktree users:
- Values are normalized for Fusion use. So a 0-100 tweak in Darktree will be 0-1 in Fusion.
We hope you enjoy the plugin… drop us a comment if you find it useful. Bug reports and feature requests are also welcome!
January 18th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
Fantastic ! Great job guys, wow!
January 18th, 2009 at 9:17 pm
[...] Link [...]
January 20th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Thanks for the feedback!
March 20th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
Hello !!
thank again for yours great stuff!
some strange event ..
i open “Snowflake sprite generator” example .. all work fine.. but! in Fusion console i see this -
“oaded Dark Tree component DLLS from C:\Program Files (x86)\eyeon\Fusion 5.3\Plugins\AT\Win32\SimbiontFusion\components\windows
[string "__f = loadfile('D:/mumu/soft/plugins_DF/Free/anatomicaltravel.c..."]:1: ‘)’ expected near ‘_A04′
”
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n173/russiaman/cg/Clip.jpg
March 21st, 2009 at 7:35 pm
That’s normal for Fusion. You can try renaming the file, or just ignore it.
May 13th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Great work! I’m looking forward to seeing what effects I can get from this tool. I know I told you this in person but I thought it would be fun to comment here.
October 4th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
wow!! this is amazing! been waiting for this a couple of years…really powerful plugin. and the speed of it is great to!! its using almost 100% of my 8 threads…thanks alot for this mates.
request for 64 bit fusion thx
also if i understand this correct…i have to render out a uvw texture to map 3d textures on objects?? is that possible from fusion?
now i have to go back to fusion with simbiontFUSION and try more stuff. cu
keep up the good work
October 4th, 2009 at 11:20 pm
Yeah, we need to get the 64bit one up, sorry. The 3D SDK is in such a shape that we can now make a Simbiont that runs in the 3D system as a texture, but for now you have to use it as a 2D effect, but you can render out a UVW pass from Fusion.
October 6th, 2009 at 8:28 am
ok that is great…i think the UVW lookup technique is a smart idea…but one question.
what data do i need in the texture for UVW lookup to work? do you know how i can bake out maps like this (local, reflection, sticky)to texture uvs in maya? or wih another tool?
you did your maps in 3ds max right? how?
is it like a z buffer but one from each axis xyz?
thanks
October 6th, 2009 at 9:46 am
It’s just RGB colors, where each color represents an axis, XYZ. So you’d need some sort of shader that gives you local position, world position, UVW, reflection vector, etc as RGB. They’re pretty trivial shaders, but they’re renderer specific.
We suggest you also render out an alpha channel where the pixels you don’t want to be textured have a zero alpha value. This will speed up rendering a lot.
March 10th, 2011 at 11:41 pm
I would appreciate if you could support 64bit version.
March 11th, 2011 at 12:12 pm
We have a 64bit version, but we haven’t updated our installer. Do you need it immediately? It needs 64bit components, of course.
March 11th, 2011 at 11:37 pm
I am not in a hurry so please release at your earliest convenience.
July 12th, 2011 at 1:32 pm
[...] of SimbiontFusion that includes the long-awaited 64-bit support. This plugin allows you to render DarkTree procedural textures directly in Fusion. Please note that the plugin was compiled with the Fusion 6.2 SDK and that [...]