MentalMill AE for OGL2 shader authoring

[digitallysane]

I downloaded the free NVidia FXComposer 2.5:

http://developer.nvidia.com/object/fx_composer_home.html

The nice thing is that it comes bundled with MentalMill Artist Edition, which is a VOPs-like environment for authoring DirectX and GLSL shaders.

I tried to author some basic shaders and I can export them as vertex and fragment GLSL pieces of code. I then try to use them in Houdini by creating a new GLSL type and pasting the generated code, but when I attach the shader to geometry I only get black objects.

Anyone played with this? I have the feeling it can be very powerful but I miss something obvious.

I attach some generated code for a simple Phong.

Thanks,

Dragos

phong_GLSL.zip

[symek]

Hey Dragos!

Really fun, isn't it! Check out OpenGL shaders bundled with Houdini, but as far as I know these shaders from mental mill needs Houdini's lights loop, which has to be added manually. A Loop which is added by mental mill (if you added light into a scene), didn't work for me either.

Something like:

 for (int iLight = 0; iLight < gl_MaxLights; ++iLight)
	{
		if (glH_LightEnabled[iLight] != 0)
			// call procedurs from mental mill...

BTW: didn't know artist edition can export to GLSL... haven't they limit it previously?

Edited September 21, 2008 by SYmek

[digitallysane]

BTW: didn't know artist edition can export to GLSL... haven't they limit it previously?

Thanks a lot, I'll try that.

I have no idea about previous limits, I know this is a new beta version and, well, it seems to be exporting the GLSL shaders.

Dragos

[Sorath]

that's what i was waiting for..

if anybody get it to work please share your details how to do so if you'd be a beginner, ..like me :-/

I think seeing this working i'll never switch back to maya

[Jason]

Thanks for the heads up here - quite interesting, this product.

I wonder if SESI have looked at this? Just a brief look at the YouTube movies on their product page, there does seem to be good or alternate ideas to VOPs in there.