TexAnim v1.2

script and documentation created by mCasual/Jacques July 17th 2008

the zip package found in the attachments section containing the folowing:

A good place to unzip this would be a folder named

C:\Program Files\DAZ\Studio\content\Scripts\mCasual\TexAnim_1_2

Introduction

This script renders a series of frames as a series of numbered images.

Before rendering a frame, the script changes one or many of the image maps applied to surfaces of the objects/Figures in your scene.

This way you can achieve animated textures or even animated bump maps in your videos.

The list of surfaces to be animated, takes the form of a text file which we will call "the job file" or "the job list file".

Starting with version 1.2 you can also animate the Backdrop

Creating your Job List File

It is up to you to write the job file using a text editor like wordpad.

You must be very careful not to make typos.

For instance, the words in the first column must be typed exactly as shown below and the one named "Object" must always start a block.

Each block of 10 parameters is called a "job".

The two columns must be separated by Tab or Space characters

A typical job list file is as follows. This one contains two jobs.

Explanation of the Job List syntax

Object

The exact name of the object or figure that owns this surface material.

You can find the exact spelling of this name in DazStudio's surfaces tab.

examples: Cube, Sphere, !Aiko 3, !Aiko 3(2)

Surface

The exact name of the surface. You can find the exact spelling of this name in DazStudio's surfaces tab.

example: lips, SkinFace, Default

Property

The exact name of the surface property that will have an animated image map,

I obtained the following list of valid property names by saving a material through DazStudio's menu "File/Save As/Material Preset" then reading the content of the .ds file using WordPad.

You could do the same if you use a special shader with different property names

• Diffuse Color
• Diffuse Strength
• Glossiness
• Specular Color
• Specular Strength
• Ambient Color
• Ambient Strength
• Opacity Strength
• Bump Strength
• Displacement Strength
• Reflection Color
• Reflection Strength
• Refraction Color
• Refraction Strength

Path

The path to the images that will be applied to the surface's property. Note the absence of a trailing backslash.

example: c:\imagepack001

Prefix

The image maps filename prefix.

example: pic

Padd

The number of zeros used to pad the number in the image filename

example: 4

using this value, we'd get filenames like

pic0000.bmp, pic0001.bmp, pic0002.bmp .... pic9999.bmp,

example: 0

using this value, we'd get filenames like

pic0.bmp, pic1.bmp, pic2.bmp .... pic9999.bmp,

Suffix

The image maps filename suffix.

example : jpg

LoopStart

When the image map number reaches LoopEnd (see below) looping occurs and we jump back to this value.

example: 10

LoopEnd

when the image map number reaches this value looping occurs and we jump back to LoopStart

example: 100

First

When rendering starts, this image map number will be applied to the chosen surface property then the following one for the next render and on and on until LoopEnd is reached then the image map number will jump back to Loopstart.

example: First= 5, LoopStart=10 and LoopEnd=20

using those settings the following images will be used to texture the surface

pic5.bmp, pic6.bmp, pic7.bmp ... pic20.bmp, pic10.bmp, pic11.bmp, pic12.bmp ... pic20.bmp

example: First= 0, LoopStart=0 and LoopEnd=999

using those settings the following images will be used to texture the surface

pic0.bmp, pic1.bmp, pic2.bmp ... pic999.bmp, pic0.bmp

Animating the backdrop

starting with version 1.2 of TexAnim you can animate the Backdrop (or background image)

simply name the Object, Surface and Property ---> Backdrop ( with a capital B )

A typical job for an animated Backdrop is as follows.

Loading the Job List File

For Windows users the best place to put the TexAnim.ds script is probably

C:\Program Files\DAZ\Studio\content\Scripts\Texanim

Once your Job List File is ready, launch the TexAnim.ds script.

Click on the "Load Job List" button and browse up to your Job List file.

If your Job List file contains errors you will get a warning and a short description of the problem.

Specifying what will be rendered

TexAnim's window is where you specify what will be rendered