The Texture Mill User Guide

Version 1.0 The Texture Mill User Guide User Guide

Table of Contents Introduction... 3 1 Getting Started... 3 1.1 Registration... 3 1.2 Installation... 3 1.3 Enable / Disable plug-in for Blender... 4 1.4 Enable / Disable plug-in for Maya... 6 2 Logging in... 8 2.1 Logging in... 8 2.2 Logging Out... 9 2.3 User Membership Levels... 10 2.4 Show Account Details... 10 2.5 Important Notes... 10 3 The UI Overview... 10 3.1 Menu Bar... 11 3.1.1 Main Menu... 12 3.1.2 Username... 12 3.1.3 Download Counter... 12 3.1.4 Texture Pull Down Menu... 13 3.2 Browser Panel... 13 3.3 Design Window... 13 3.3.1 Image Tools... 13 3.4 Lower Button Set... 14 3.4.1 Button Set for Standalone Application... 15 3.4.2 Button Set for Blender Plug-in... 15 3.4.3 Button Set for Maya Plug-in... 15 3.5 Additional Category Slider... 15 4 Image Preview and Navigation... 15 5 Bookmarking Images... 18 THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 1

5.1 Bookmarking An Image... 18 5.2 Browsing Bookmarked Images... 18 6 Image Editing in the Texture Mill... 20 6.1 Image Tools... 20 6.2 Using Edited Images... 21 7 Image Editing in Exterior Editors... 21 7.1 Set Current Exterior Image Editor... 21 7.2 Compatible Editors... 22 8 Image Downloading... 23 8.1 Set up Project Directory... 23 8.2 Image Downloading... 24 9 The Texture Mill Modes... 25 9.1 Stand-Alone Application... 25 9.2 Plug-in for Blender... 26 9.2.1 Current Material... 27 9.2.2 Adding Texture to Material... 27 9.2.3 Creating New Material... 27 9.2.4 Supported Renders in Blender... 28 9.3 Plug-in for Maya... 28 9.3.1 Current Texture Node... 29 9.3.2 Adding Texture to Texture Node... 30 9.3.3 Creating New Texture Node... 30 10 Error Messages... 30 THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 2

Introduction System Requirements The Texture Mill is a 32 & 64 bit application and was designed to run on Windows 32/64 bits XP, Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8, Intel Mac OS X, and Linux platforms. The plug-in has been tested with current versions of Maya and Blender 2.66. The Texture Mill application is designed to run smoothly and efficiently on your computer without taking up substantial amounts of memory. The performance of the application depends on your internet connection. However, it is optimized it to run on all connection levels. Texture Mill is built with the QT framework, under the LGPL license. Using the LGPL license affords flexibility to our users. A copy of the GNU (General Public License) for QT can be found in the application's installation directory along with all other license files required by The Texture Mill. 1 Getting Started 1.1 Registration To use the Texture Mill application, you must first sign up for a membership at TextureMill.com. There are a number of membership levels to choose from. After you have chosen and completed registration you will have access to Texture Mill s extensive library of textures. 1.2 Installation Downloading the Texture Mill application is simple. Texture Mill is currently supported on Mac, Windows and Linux. Download for Windows will begin automatically once sign up is complete, or you can download one of three installers manually from your Members Area at any time after registration. Once download is complete the set up wizard will appear. Follow the instructions to install Texture Mill files to a specified path. When finished, you are ready to sign in with your user name and password. Texture Mill s installed application can be used as a stand-alone application or plug-in. THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 3

1.3 Enable / Disable plug-in for Blender Follow these steps to use Texture Mill as a Blender plug-in. The Blender application must be properly installed on your computer. You will need to specify the path to the Blender executable (ex: Blender.exe, Blender.app). After running the setup wizard, go to Blender and select File > User Preferences in the Main Menu. In the preferences panel, select Addons and then Material on the left. Check Material: The Texture Mill item in the list of addons. To have it load on startup, press the Save User Settings button. THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 4

User Preferences can now be closed. A Texture Mill button will now appear in the Material Content tab (on the right). Press this button to launch Texture Mill. THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 5

1.4 Enable / Disable plug-in for Maya Follow these steps to use Texture Mill as a Maya plug-in. The Maya application must be installed properly on your computer. You will need to specify the path to the Maya executable (ex: Maya.exe, Maya.app). Open and run the Maya application and select Window > Settings/Preferences > Plug-in Manager. The texture_mill.py will now show up and can be implemented by checking the box (es) beside it. THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 6

Now the Texture Mill plug-in is enabled and the Plug-in Manager can be closed. A new menu will be added to the main menu bar along with links to manage your account. Additionally, a new button is added to the file node and can be used to launch the plug-in as well. THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 7

To disable the Texture Mill plug-in for Maya, simply uncheck the box (es) next to the texture_mill.py in the Plug-in Manager. 2 Logging in 2.1 Logging in To log in to the Texture Mill application, please, be sure that you have completed the registration process and validated your e-mail address to ensure your username and password is effective. The login form will appear once the application has been launched. The Texture Mill application can be used as both a stand-alone application and as a plug-in. THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 8

Enter your Username and Password into the appropriate fields of the login form and press the Sign In button. You can also check Remember Password to continue to use this account without having to log in every time. 2.2 Logging Out To log out, select File > Log Out from the main menu. This will open the sign in window where you can re-enter the username and password. THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 9

2.3 User Membership Levels There are several different levels of membership. The level of membership you choose will determine the number of textures you can download each month. The Texture Download Counter is located in the upper-right corner of the application window. This counter is updated when a texture is downloaded using Save Image, Edit Image, New Material/New Texture (for plug-in mode), and Add to Current Material/Add to Current Texture (for plug-in mode). 2.4 Show Account Details Links to manage your account can be found by selecting Help > Account Details in the main menu and following the links provided. 2.5 Important Notes Please note that you cannot log into Texture Mill using the same user account in more than one location, or on more than one device at a time. If you are logged in on one device and try to log in on another before signing out, you will be logged out on the first device and automatically logged in to the second. 3 The UI Overview Texture Mill s application window contains the Menu Bar (on the top), the Browser Panel (on the left), the Design Window (the central area of application window), the Lower Button Set (on the bottom), and the Additional Category Slider (on the right). THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 10

3.1 Menu Bar The Menu Bar is positioned on the top of the application window and contains the Main Menu, the Username, the Download Counter, and Texture Pulldown Menu (for plug-in mode). THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 11

3.1.1 Main Menu The Main Menu has the following structure: File: Log Out: Opens login form to change user; Close Window: Closes the application window; Restart Window: Closes and re-launches the window; Save File: Saves the file currently in the Design Window to the Project Directory; Set Project Directory: Gives additional control to set the working directory; Set Image Editor: Sets path to exterior editor for images; Check Updates: Checks if the application has updates. Edit: Undo Change: Undoes the last change in the Design Window; Step Forward: Redoes the last change in the Design Window; Bookmark Texture: Bookmarks the image in the Design Window; View Bookmarked: Displays all bookmarked images as thumbnails in the Design Window. Window: Minimize: Minimizes window; Maximize Window: Enlarges the window to fit screen; Lock Window: Holds the application window on the top. Help: Licensing: Displays the text of The Texture Mill End User License Agreement; Account Details: Opens the website Members Area page, where users can check and update their account information after logging in. 3.1.2 Username The Username is displayed between the Main Menu and the Download Counter. The username displayed is the name chosen upon registration on the Texture Mill website. The same username and password is used to sign in to both, the Texture Mill application and Texture Mill web site. 3.1.3 Download Counter The Texture Download Counter is located on the right of the Menu Bar when using it as a standalone application or in the center when using as a 3D plug-in. The counter contains two values: the first number indicates the current number of downloads, and the second indicates how many downloads are available. THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 12

3.1.4 Texture Pull Down Menu The Texture Pulldown Menu is only visible when The Texture Mill is used as a plug-in. When visible, it will contain a list of current materials or texture nodes currently in a 3D scene. 3.2 Browser Panel The Browser Panel is positioned on the left of the application window and allows users to navigate between texture categories and subcategories. 3.3 Design Window The Design Window is positioned in the central area of application window and has three views: Subcategory preview When a subcategory button in the Browser Panel or in the Design Window is clicked, the textures associated with it are displayed as thumbnails in the Design Window. Texture preview When a texture thumbnail is clicked, it is expanded to fill the Design Window. In that case the Design Window contains the Image Tools on the left side. Text view When Licensing is clicked, the text of The Texture Mill End User License Agreement is displayed in the Design Window. 3.3.1 Image Tools The image editing tools allow for manipulating images prior to downloading. THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 13

It includes: Brightness / Contrast; Hue / Saturation; Levels; Color Balance; Exposure; Black and White; Undo; Redo; Reset. 3.4 Lower Button Set The Lower Button Set is presented once an image is expanded in the Design Window. It is positioned on the bottom of the application window. The set is adjusted to have two buttons for standalone application or three buttons for when it is being used as a plug-in. Please note that using any buttons in the Lower Button Set will constitute a texture download and will be updated in the Download Counter. THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 14

3.4.1 Button Set for Standalone Application Edit Image Button Opens image currently in the Design Window in an exterior image editor. The exterior image editor can be set by using File > Set Image Editor in the Main Menu. If an image editor is not set, an error message will appear asking for one to be selected. Save Image Button Download high-resolution version of the image currently in the Design Window to the currently selected directory. This folder can be set by the use of the File > Set Project Directory in the Main Menu. 3.4.2 Button Set for Blender Plug-in New Material Button Creates a new material in Blender at the same time the high-resolution version of the image in the Design Window is downloaded to the Project Directory and this texture is applied to created material. Add to Current Material Button Downloads the high-resolution version of the image in the Design Window and applies this as an image texture to the material currently selected. 3.4.3 Button Set for Maya Plug-in New Texture Button Creates a new texture node in Maya at the same time the high-resolution version of the image in the Design Window is downloaded to the Project Directory and this texture is applied to created texture node. Add to Current Texture Button Downloads the high-resolution version of the image in the Design Window and applies this as a texture to the currently selected texture node. 3.5 Additional Category Slider The Additional Category Slider is visible only in Edit Image mode, it is positioned on the right of the application window and displays the thumbnails immediately adjacent to the image currently being displayed in the Design Window. When a thumbnail is clicked, the corresponding image will expand to fill the Design Window. 4 Image Preview and Navigation All textures are grouped into main categories that contain additional subcategories. To switch between categories, click on the name of a category in the Browser Panel. A list of THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 15

all subcategories for this category will be displayed in the Browser Panel directly under the name of the selected category. Clicking it again will collapse that category, hiding subcategories. To select a subcategory, click on a main category to expand a list of its subcategories, and click on the name of a subcategory in the list. When a subcategory is selected, the thumbnails associated with it will appear in the Design Window and the name of selected subcategory will be highlighted in the Browser Panel. The display size of the thumbnails can be changed by the use of the Thumbnail Preview Slider on the bottom of the Design Window. When moving the slider to the left, the thumbnails will become smaller. When a thumbnail is clicked, it expands to fill the Design Window while the rest of the thumbnails are moved to the Additional Category Slider. The Image Tools and Lower Button Set will appear. THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 16

To quickly switch between textures within a subcategory, use the Additional Category Slider. To preview another texture from the same subcategory, simply click on the thumbnail in the Additional Category Slider. To preview a texture from another subcategory, use the Browser Panel and select the appropriate subcategory in the Browser Panel and then click to update the Design Window with the thumbnails for that subcategory. To return previewing the thumbnails while in edit mode, click on the Back button in the top left corner of the Design Window or click on the name of the selected subcategory in the Browser Panel. THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 17

5 Bookmarking Images 5.1 Bookmarking an Image For convenience, the most frequently used textures can be bookmarked. This can be done by clicking on the star icon in the top right corner of the Design Window or by using the Bookmark Texture function in the Main Menu. By default, the star is black ( ) and the texture is not bookmarked. By clicking on the star, the image is bookmarked and the star will turn yellow ( ). To remove a texture from your bookmarked images, click again on the star in the upperright corner of the Design Window. 5.2 Browsing Bookmarked Images To view images that have been bookmarked, click Edit > View Bookmarked in the Main Menu. The thumbnails of all textures that have been bookmarked will be displayed in the Design Window, grouped by subcategories. The name of each subcategory is located above each group of thumbnails associated with it. THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 18

As with all other thumbnails, your bookmarked textures can be expanded to fill the Design Window. To return to your bookmarked images, click on the Back button in the upper left corner of the Design Window. Exit bookmarked images by selecting a new subcategory in the Browser Panel. THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 19

6 Image Editing in the Texture Mill To edit an image, expand the image to fill the Design Window. The Image Tools and the Lower Button Set will appear. 6.1 Image Tools To use a tool, left click its icon. A small panel will appear with the controls for that tool. As you make changes, they will be reflected in real time in the Design Window. The Image Tools contain the following Tool Buttons: Brightness / Contrast Grants access to a two sliders: the first adjusts brightness, and the second adjusts contrast of the image. Hue / Saturation Grants access to a two sliders: adjusts the overall hue and the second adjusts the saturation of the image. Levels Grants access to a three sliders that control the over-all levels of the image. Color Balance Grants access to a three sliders that control the RGB values of the image. Exposure Grants access to a three sliders: the first controls exposure, the second, offset, and the third, gamma values of image. Black and White Completely de-saturates the image. Undo Allows ability to undo changes to an image. Redo Allows ability to redo changes to an image. THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 20

Reset Cancels all changes to an image and sets values and parameters back to default. In addition to using the Undo and Redo functions from Image Tools, you can also use Edit > Undo Change or Edit > Step Forward from the Main Menu accordingly. 6.2 Using Edited Images All changes made to an image using Image Tools is saved throughout the session, i.e. until the Texture Mill application is closed. Note that thumbnails do not reflect any changes made by editing tools. To forcibly reset all changes of a texture, click Reset in the Image Tools. An edited texture can be downloaded using any of the buttons in the Lower Button Set. Additionally, the File > Save File function in the Main Menu can also be used and the texture will be saved into the Project Directory. To leave Image Editing mode, click on Back button in top-left corner of the Design Window or click on the name of any subcategory in the Browser Panel. 7 Image Editing in Exterior Editors If additional editing is desired outside Texture Mill image editing tools, the texture can be opened up in an exterior editor. To do this, click the Edit Image button in the Lower Button Set. The texture with changes using Texture Mill editing will be downloaded to the Project Directory and opened in the exterior image editor. 7.1 Set Current Exterior Image Editor In order to use the Edit Image feature, an exterior image editor has to be set. It can be set by using File > Set Image Editor in the Main Menu. THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 21

A pop-up window for selecting the editor will appear. Specify the path to executable file of an exterior image editor (file with.exe extension for Windows OS) and press the Open button. Texture Mill stores a path to the exterior image editor in its user settings. It is not necessary to set it every time you want to use the application. Path to Exterior Editor will be cleared along with all user settings on installation or re-installation of Texture Mill application or plugin. If path to Exterior image Editor is not set and the Edit Image button is clicked, an error message will appear prompting for one to be defined. 7.2 Compatible Editors The following exterior image editors have been tested and are compatible with Texture Mill: 1. Adobe Photoshop The official site www.photoshop.com 2. GIMP A GNU Image Manipulation Program THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 22

The official site www.gimp.org Please note, Photoshop or GIMP must be installed successfully in order for Texture Mill to use them. 8 Image Downloading 8.1 Set up Project Directory Texture Mill uses a pre-defined Project Directory For storage. The default value of the Project Directory is a folder entitled TMProject located in the user home directory (for example, C:\Users\Username\TMProjec). To change the Project Directory, click File > Set Project Directory in the Main Menu. A pop-up window to select a new Project Directory will appear. Specify the new path for directory. Texture Mill remembers the Project Directory in settings. However, the Project Directory is reset upon installation to another device, or re-installation of the Texture Mill application or plugin. THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 23

8.2 Image Downloading To download a texture from The Texture Mill, use the Save Image function. If you are using Texture Mill as a stand-alone application, click the Save Image button in the Lower Button Set, or File > Save File in the Main Menu to download the texture. When using Texture Mill as plug-in for Blender or Maya, click File > Save File in the Main Menu to download textures. In both cases, the high-resolution original of the selected image will be downloaded from server to the Project Directory. If the texture was edited using Texture Mill Image Tools before downloading, the edited image will be downloaded to the Project Directory. Using THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 24

any of the three buttons in the Lower Button Set will constitute a download and will be updated in the Download Counter. 9 The Texture Mill Modes Texture Mill s application performs in three modes: as a stand-alone application, as a plugin for Blender, and as a plug-in for Maya. 9.1 Stand-Alone Application Texture Mill as a stand-alone application opens as any standard application double click on desktop shortcut or application icon. By default, the Texture Mill application can be opened from the installation folder. Application shortcut is created on Desktop for Windows OS automatically. All main functions are available in this mode: texture viewing and navigation, editing in inner and exterior editors and texture downloading. There are a few differences in User Interface for different modes. In this mode, the Lower Button Set contains two buttons Edit Image and Save Image. THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 25

9.2 Plug-in for Blender The Texture Mill application as a Blender plug-in is opened from within Blender. To launch Texture Mill in this mode, open Blender application and click The Texture Mill button in the Material Content tab. All main functions are available in this mode: texture viewing and navigation, editing in inner and exterior editors, and texture downloading. Additional functions available in this mode are creating a new material and adding to the current material. There are a few differences in User Interface for different modes. In this mode, the Lower Button Set contains three buttons Edit Image, New Material, and Add to Current Material. The Texture Pulldown Menu is available in both plug-in modes. THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 26

9.2.1 Current Material Texture Mill receives a list of all materials from Blender and displays it in the Texture Pulldown Menu. To review a list of materials in a scene, click on the Texture Pulldown Menu. A currently-selected material in Blender is also selected in the Texture Pulldown Menu by default. When a currently-selected material is changed in Blender it is also changed in Texture Pulldown Menu. To change the currently selected material in Texture Mill, open the Texture Pulldown Menu and select the material from the list. 9.2.2 Adding Texture to Material To apply a texture from Texture Mill to a material in Blender, select the material in the Texture Pulldown Menu and click Add to Current Material button in the Lower Button Set. The high-resolution version of the image in the Design Window will be downloaded to the Project Directory and applied as a texture to the material. The first value in the Download Counter will be changed. 9.2.3 Creating New Material To create a material in Blender via Texture Mill, click the New Material button in the Lower Button Set. A new material in Blender is created, and the high-resolution version of the image in the Design Window is downloaded to the Project Directory and applied to the material as a texture. The first value in the Counter of Downloads is changed. Newly-created material is added to the Texture Pulldown Menu becomes selected. THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 27

The name of the created material coincides with name of image opened in the Design Window. 9.2.4 Supported Renders in Blender There are three supported renders in Blender: Blender Render; Blender Game; Cycles Render. For detailed information about Blender renders, see Blender s documentation. 9.3 Plug-in for Maya Texture Mill as a Maya plug-in can be opened in two ways: 1. You can launch it by clicking Texture Mill->Launch UI in Maya s main menu. 2. You can also lunch it by using The Texture Mill button in the attribute editor. THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 28

All main functions are available in this mode: texture viewing and navigation, editing in inner and exterior editors, texture downloading. Also, functions for creating a new texture node and adding texture to the current texture node appear. There are a few differences in User Interface for different modes. In this mode, the Lower Button Set contains three buttons Edit Image, New Texture and Add to Current Texture. The Texture Pulldown Menu is available for plug-in modes. 9.3.1 Current Texture Node Texture Mill receives a list of all texture nodes from Maya and displays it in the Texture Pulldown Menu. To review list of texture nodes, click on the Texture Pulldown Menu. THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 29

The currently-selected texture node in Maya is selected in the Texture Pulldown Menu by default. When the current texture node is changed in Maya, it is also changed in the Texture Pulldown Menu. To change the currently selected texture node in Texture Mill, open the Texture Pulldown Menu and select a texture node from list. 9.3.2 Adding Texture to Texture Node To apply a texture from Texture Mill to a texture node in Maya, click Add to Current Texture button in the Lower Button Set. The high-resolution version of the image in the Design Window is downloaded to the Project Directory and applied in Maya as a texture in the texture node, which was selected from Texture Pulldown Menu. The first value in the Counter of Downloads will be changed. 9.3.3 Creating New Texture Node To create a texture in Maya via Texture Mill, click the New Texture button in the Lower Button Set. A new texture node in Maya is created, and the high-resolution version of the image in the Design Window is downloaded to the Project Directory and applied in Maya as a texture in the created texture node. The first value in the Counter of Downloads will be changed. Newly created texture node is added to the Texture Pulldown Menu and becomes selected. 10 Error Messages This chapter contains descriptions of a few errors that you might encounter and how to address them. 1. The Texture Mill was unable to connect to server; please check your internet connection and try again. THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 30

Solution Check your internet connection to make sure it is working correctly. If so, press Ok in the error message. If problem continues, please contact Texture Mill for support. 2. You do not currently have an image editor selected. Please select one to use this function. Solution Please refer to the Set Current Exterior Image Editor section of this user guide. 3. Incorrect file selection. File must be executable. Solution Make sure that you are selecting the correct executable for the image editor (Example: Photoshop.exe or Photoshop.app). See Set Current Exterior Image Editor section for details. 4. The Texture Mill does not recognize this render engine and may not work as expected. Solution Select supported render in Blender and press Ok in the error message in the Texture Mill. See Supported Renders in Blender section for details. 5. Another user has signed in using this account. Solution Probably you are logged into The Texture Mill application from few devices or logged into plug-in and stand-alone application at the same time. Please note that you cannot log in to The Texture Mill using the same user account in more than one location at a time. If you are logged in on one device and try to log in from a second location, you will be logged out on the first device and automatically logged into the second. This holds true for simultaneously using Texture Mill plug-in and stand-alone application. Log in to Texture Mill again. 6. You have exceeded your maximum limit of downloads for this month. Solution Upgrade your membership level or wait for the end of the settling period. In the first case you will be able to download textures again as soon as upgrade is processed. If you do nothing, your account will renew automatically on your specified renew date. Texture download count will reset and correspond with your membership level. Please, see User Membership Levels for details. THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 31

7. Sorry, it appears that there was a problem validating your account. There may have been a problem processing your latest payment. If the problem persists please contact support at support.texturemill.com Solution Be sure you have validated your email address, which you provided upon registration. Make sure credit/debit card is valid and check expiration date to be sure it is current and active. Contact Texture Mill Support Team with any questions or concerns. THE TEXTURE MILL USER GUIDE 32