Color Sets removed?

[Damwal]

Hello everyone,

Is it possible that the color set feature has been removed in the SpeedTree-Version for Unreal Engine 4? If so, why? Is there no other way to set the glossiness and specuar power of maps anymore? I found this step to be crucial in creating good leaf textures. I'd be grateful for clarification. Thank you!

Nicolas

[Greg Croft]

Yes. None of that information comes into UE4 anyway, and it is very easy to use it incorrectly to introduce additional draw calls in the tree.

Specular masks come into UE4 fine, but specular works differently inside UE4 than in the Modeler since it uses physically based rendering. You would be better off adjusting the materials as needed inside the UE4 material editor.

[Damwal]

Hello,

Okay. The thing is, that I always used glossiness and specular color in 3dsmax to bake proper diffuse branch textures, which I can't do in UE4.

[Greg Croft]

Could you detail how you bake a branch texture? I can see making a leaf or frond map that way. We even have a number of tools built in to the Modeler to facilitate it (http://docs.speedtree.com/doku.php?id=export_material). But I'm just wondering how you're using SpeedTree to make a branch texture, and perhaps we have option for you, like the export material.

But that doesn't prevent you from just modifying the material inside 3d studio however you want, even doing things that the Modeler could never facilitate, like procedural textures. But, I do feel I should point out that the UE4 Modeler can't export meshes, so you won't be able to use it in conjunction with 3D Studio.

One final bit of info, though, is that when using a PBR renderer like in UE4, your base albedo textures should have no lighting in them whatsoever to maintain the physically based nature of the renderer. This page contains tons of good info on making materials that work well in PBR. And of course, the UE4 docs contain similar things specific to UE4.