Saving and Loading Shader Presets
Presets are files that contain values for all settings in a property editor. You can load a preset or you can save the values in a property editor and name them as a preset. You can then load and use them again later. Presets have a .Preset file name extension.
Presets are useful if you want to select a particular shader and modify some of its attributes, save the settings, and load them as a shader preset for more than one object. It saves you from having to select each shader and set the same parameters each time for other objects.
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A wide variety of shader presets is installed with Softimage. You can access these presets from the Presets Manager. To open the preset manager, choose View > General > Preset Manager from the main menu, then select Shaders from the drop-down list on the left side of the toolbar. |
To save a shader preset
1. Open a shader’s property editor.
2. In the property editor, click the folder icon and choose Save Preset.
3. Select a directory and file name for your preset in the browser that appears. Click OK.
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When you create a preset for a shader, all of the shader connected to it are included in the preset. Loading the preset re-establishes all of those connections. |
Creating Preset Thumbnail Images
You can use the render region to generate a thumbnail image for your shader presets. These thumbnails are displayed in the browser and help you identify your presets.
To create a thumbnail image for the preset
1. Draw a render region (press q) around an area of your scene that displays the effect of the shader you want to save as a preset.
2. Open the shader’s property editor (choose Modify > Shader).
3. In the property editor, click the folder icon and choose Save Preset, then use the browser to select a directory and file name for your preset.
4. Select Use Region as Thumbnail. Your preset is saved with a thumbnail identical to the area shown in the render region. The option is dimmed if no render region is defined.
After you have saved a shader preset, you can apply it to any other object in your scene. You can also apply the same preset to several objects at once if multiple objects are selected.
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A preset is loaded as a copy, so if you make changes to it, only that instance of the preset is affected. |
To apply a preset to an object
Do one of the following:
• Open a browser and drag the preset onto a shader connection point in the explorer or render tree.
• Drag and drop a preset from the browser to a 3D view. The shader preset is immediately applied to the material node.
• From a shader’s property editor, click the folder icon and choose Load Preset and choose the preset from the browser.
Autodesk Softimage v.7.5