Metaball vertex coloring

[Stebbing3D]

I am attempting to color Vray Metaballs in 3dsmax using the vertex color from a Krakatoa PRT loader. How can I do this? Loading the particles into PFlow is not really an option..

[vlado]

Does it work with the VRayParticleTex texture?
https://docs.chaosgroup.com/display/...RayParticleTex

If not, can you post a scene that shows your setup?

Best regards,
Vlado

[Stebbing3D]

It doesnt work - I want to read the color directly from the PRT loader since it has .5 million particles - bringing them into PFlow wouldn't be practical..

Here's a test scene (max 2018 )


https://we.tl/cSMZhQ8ddK



Thanks..

[Stebbing3D]

Even bringing the particles into PFlow with a Krakatoa Birth and Krakatoa Update operator does not allow me to color the metaballs with particle color, despite selecting the color channel in the PRT Update operator and applying a VrayParticleTex

[Stebbing3D]

Any update on this yet?

[Margarita.Stoeva]

Hello!

I apologize for the delay but I just had the chance to explore the setup you describe and I am happy to inform you that after playing with it, I found a way to use the color from the PRT particles into the shading of the VRayMetaball.
The reason it didn't work straight away is that the color in the prt appears to be specified as vertex color which in not read with any of the 3 modes of the VRayMetaball color sources.
So, what works is: Add a Data Icon operator in the Particle Flow birth event and in that operator (press Edit Data Flow button) add Input Standard node set to Vertex color and Output Standard node set to Script Vector. Link them together. This translates the data to the Script Vector channel which we can directly use for shading the VRayMetarball. Set the VRayMetaball color source to Script Vector and again use VRayParticleTex in the VRayMaterial that is assigned to the VRayMetaball.
If this workflow has some issue with your setup, contact us and I'll do my best to help.

Best regards,
Margarita

[Art48]

So I take it you forwarded that to the developers as to include VertexColor into the color source.

[Margarita.Stoeva]

Yup, just logged it in as a request.

[Stebbing3D]

Thanks Margarita, Will try it out while looking fwd to it being added in one of the next updates..