Octane UVMAP

Octane for Lightwave has a custom node that allow image mapping in objects without UV maps. This node currently support several texture projections, like cubic, cylindrical and spherical mapping, and it is very useful for example in architecture visualization projects, with objects that usually don't have UV mapping.

This node must be linked to the Normal input of the root surface node. It hasn't nothing to do with normals, but any node must be linked to make possible it's evaluation.

Use this node is a lot faster than mapping all objects in Modeler before use them in Layout with Octane if you only need simple texture projections, and all it's parameters can be animated with the “E” buttons. The changes of the projection parameters are updated in the IPR in real time, but node also has a button “Update UV Map in the IPR” that update the IPR if it is not updated by itself.

The node also support the Lightwave texture projections, including the UV projection using a specific UV map. To use the Lightwave texture projections, the UVMAP node reads the texture configuration of the first map layer available in the “T” Color channel of the main surface parameters. Only front projection (or camera projection) mapping is not supported.

This node also has a last option to support a front projection mapping, but it is not complete and only works with objects with small geometry. Octane itself doesn't support front projection mapping, and it can't be replaced with UV map coordinates.

Node Setup

The UVMAP node is plugged into the Normal input of the Surface Node on the right. Though, as mentioned earlier, it has effect on surface normals.

Node Input/Output

Inputs for this node allow you to, depending on what type of UV Mapping has been selected:

Position - Position the Center of the UVMAP (in the XYZ direction).

Scale - Scale the UVMAP (in the XYZ directions).

Rotation - rotate the UVMAP (in the HPB direction).

U Displace - this moves the UVMAP in the U direction (+/-) of the UV Map (i.e. horizontally in UV space)

V Displace - this moves the UVMAP in the V direction (+/-) of the UV Map (i.e. Vertically in UV space)

U Scale - this scales the UVMAP in the U direction (+/-) of the UV Map (i.e. horizontally in UV space)

V Scale - this scales the UVMAP in the U direction (+/-) of the UV Map (i.e. Vertically in UV space)

The Output of this node should be plugged into the normal input of the surface node as show in the figure above.

Node Attributes

The Node Attributes that are available for each mapping type are shown below. This allows to manipulate the UVMAP coordinates the active UVMAP being used on the object.