Possible to create vertex map input for use in C4D/ Redshift

[NexVestrum]

within a substance designer asset used in C4D/ redshift is it possible to drive a input node with either a dynamic vertex map (using fields in c4d to animate them) or use a baked out image sequence to make this an animated parameter? I have figured out how to get a single static image input but this needs to move.

being able to do this would make for some incredible animated procedural materials.

[Luca Giarrizzo]

Hello @NexVestrum,

To achieve this, you may publish your graph to a Substance 3D asset file (SBSAR) and use the SBSRender tool included in Designer's installation to batch render the graph's outputs once for each image in an image sequence.

Use a script to iterate through the image sequence as the LavaMask input and render the graph's outputs. This should produce a matching image sequence for each of the graph's outputs, which you may then feed into Cinema 4D/Redshift.

I hope this is helpful!

Best regards.

[NexVestrum]

Thanks Luca, not quite what I'm looking for - This substance is going to be applied to about a dozen different complex meshes each with their own animated vertex maps so pre baking the vertex maps and then pre baking the entire substance each time the vertex map is adjusted would take too much time. 

The idea I have is to be able to use C4Ds substance plugin where parameters are exposed for adjustment/ animation but to have a image sequence or vertex map input inside of the C4D substance plugin. The LavaMask image input is simply a placeholder for where I want a vertex map to be used, if that makes sense. You can see how it appears as an input inside of C4D here, but doesn't allow for loading image sequences. And of course I would prefer to be able to link a vertex map instead of an image sequence. 

Is this sort of thing possible? 

[Luca Giarrizzo]

Hello,

Thank you for clarifying your use case. Since the Substance 3D asset expects a texture, Cinema 4D would have to bake the vertex positions into a position map, feed it to the Substance 3D asset through the Substance in Cinema4D plugin, then rebake that texture anytime vertex positions change.

Alternatively, Cinema4D may be able to pass vertex positions as straight data (float3/vector3) to the Substance 3D asset. Please note you can use Input value nodes in your graph instead of Input color/grayscale, to pass values instead of images into a graph. However, the Substance in Cinema4D plugin needs to support this.

I will move this thread to the Substance 3D Plugins community, as your use case seems specific to what Cinema4D and its Substance plugin support.

Best regards.