AB 4 and Final Render GI

[Filip Kaczorek]

Ok, I did ask about this before but somehow the persue of the answer was always lost inbetween other questions

Does GI in FR work with AB 4 or not?
Can anyone make an example scene of this?
I mean it's there in the help file but I can't make it work
The last time it worked for me it was with AB 3.2a and Fr r1 sp2.
Then in Sp3 the object frproperties in FR moved and ever since I wasn't able to use it

[Rif]

Gi From Ab4 With Fr works Like a charm..

Gi Received From Fr on the Ab4 dosnt Officially work ..

Do you still need an example ?

[Filip Kaczorek]

Ahh yes.
GI from AB to FR - with include enviroment checked in FR.
It does work, but that's not really new - all atmospheric effects work: combustion and even CHaos Phoenix a long time ago
But that's really a hurra for the Cebas Guys.

Now I mean the Gi from FR reflecting from say ground onto AB.
This is an example from AB help file!!! And it did work beautifully back at AB 3.2a and FR r1 sp2.

Then in sp3 the object frproperties moved to object properties and it stopped working.

The funny thing is that nothing has changed - just the switch for receive self GI moved to a different place in GUI and AB doesn't notice it - there is no way to tell AB to use FR GI even though AB is able to do that.

I know this for a fact, because I had one mashine that was updated all through sp1, sp2, sp2a, sp3 and sp3a in FR.
There was something of in the updates so even though I was using FR SP3, and had a fr-properties tab in object properties - the fr-properties menu item didn't disappear from the right click menu.
Then if I checked the GI switch for AB in the NEW fr-properties tab - it didn't work.
If checked the switch in the OLD fr-properties menu - it worked.

So nothing changed in the FR engine or anything - just the placement of the GI switch and AB missed it!!!!

Unfortunately with the complete installers of FR (not updates) you didn't get the "old" frproperties menu anymore so there was, and still is, no way of telling AB that I want GI

Now I reported it to Sitni a couple of times since then and that's it.
Didn't think that it would be so hard to fix - now we have FR R2 - maybe it's not possible anymore - who knows.

But if it doesn't work - why is it in the help file???

[Rif]

Did your try the Caustic Switch ? ( dont turn on caustics but just switch both switches on with the normal Gi ones) .. I think if i recall properly , during beta phase , from the new Fr Properties , something got switch for the atmospherics reactions with Ab..

[Filip Kaczorek]

Tried a couple of combinations but no luck
Can we have a word from someone from Sitni about this? I guess you'll know best, right?

[Rif]

i tested further more .. i remarked too things that seems to show me that this maybe the last Ab update... :

If i turn on self gi on the AB puff , and using the Fr-Image Gi solver , considering atmospherics , and showing the gi samples in the viewport , i clearly see the gi samples sitting on the Afterburn puffs.. now the probleme is its just not coloring the AB anymore and that i have no clue why .. something else must have changed..

[Rif]

so i just talked to Cebas about this .. They assured me that on their side nothing changed from the Generation of Gi on atmospherics.. its still working with pyrocloster as a proof ..

i know a new version of stage1 R2 coming out soon ( new Sp) so if Sitni Sati can talk with Cebas about this just before , their might be a chance of having this fixed soon , if not it might have to wait till next Ab release \ patch ..

So i reported a file on both end.. lets see how it turns out .. i cant do much more than this atm..

[Filip Kaczorek]

Thanks a lot. Fingers crossed.
On another front: what's up with Kreso, haven't heard from him for a while

[Rif]

he has been sick for a while and passing some time with the family etc.. You know , things we should all do someday !

[Filip Kaczorek]

I don't know....
I really don't want to get sick