This is the supporting topic for my "Railings02" freebie in the Renderosity Free Stuff.

I originally created this freebie several years ago, around 2013 I think, just for fun. It was tested back then in Poser 6 and 9, and in DAZ Studio 3 and 4.

Please feel free to post comments (good or bad - constructive criticism preferred), suggestions for improvement, and/or questions about this freebie here.

Link to item in Renderosity Free Stuff: Railings02 (renderosity.com) https://www.renderosity.com/freestuff/items/95595/railings02

Alternative link to item at ShareCG: Railings02 - Poser - ShareCG

Another set of *adjustable railings.

Five props that can be combined to form longer more complex railings: 'Pillar Only', 'Rails Only', 'Pillar And Rails',  'Railing Section', and 'Single Rail'

The 'Railing Section' prop has four simple morphs to adjust the slope and curve of the rails, and is intended for adding railings quickly to a scene. The 'Rail Only' prop is intended for joining multiple 'Railing Section' props together.

To fit railings more precisely to a scene use multiple 'Pillar And Rails' props. The prop has Rail Adjustment morphs to allow the endpoints of the rails to be moved around in X/Y/Z as a group or individually, and connected to another pillar. More info in the readme). The 'Pillar Only' prop is intended to terminate a series of 'Pillar And Rails' props.

The Single Rail prop is specifically for people who find the Rail Adjustment morphs too awkward. It's intended to be used with, and parented to, a 'Pillar Only' prop. More info in the readme.

There are no texture images in this package (although everything is UV mapped and there's a texture template included). The default texture uses two procedural shaders (both Poser and DAZ Studio versions) - repainted green for the pillar and steel cable for the rails. Please note: the effect of the steel cable shader is very dependant on lighting and distance and WILL require fiddling around to get it to look good. See readme for ideas.

*I'm using the word 'adjustable' instead of 'morphing' since there are NO morphs to alter the shape of the pillars. The morphs are simply for adjusting the slope and forwards/backwards angles of the rails.

Steel cable under tension or metal tube, it's just the material.

Poser repaint shader.

Poser steel cable shader.

DAZ Studio steel cable shader.

Readme 3DCheapskate's Railings02 (3DC022 Version 1) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Another Railing With Adjustment Morphs And A Simple Procedural Steel Cable Texture ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Contents ======== - Summary - What's Included - Testing/Compatibility - Licence/Copyright - Credits - Feedback - Installing The Package - Using The Package - Known Issues - File List Summary: ======== A set of simple railing props for Poser and DAZ Studio in that can be connected together to form a variety of larger railings by simply parenting, Y rotating, and X/Z translating. What's Included: ================ Five separate props that can be combined to make larger more complex railings: - Pillar And Rails: A single pillar with a set of three rails. Several morphs for adjusting the angles of the railings. - Rails Only: A set of three rails, with the same morphs as the Pillar And Rails. - Pillar Only: A single pillar. No morphs. - Railing Section: A section of railing consisting of five pillars with connecting railings. Some simple morphs to curve and slope - Single Rail: Two procedural materials The props/materials are in Poser PP2/MC6 format (with MAT Pose PZ2 files for those who prefer them). For DAZ Studio users there are additional DSA files to automatically apply the DS materials when you load the PP2 props or apply the PZ2 MAT poses. There are also plain DSA material presets. Testing/Compatibility: ====================== Tested in DAZ Studio 3 (Free and Advanced) and 4 (Pro), and in Poser 6 and 9. On a windows PC. Licence/Copyright: ================== As usual you're free to do whatever you want with this. Credit is appreciated, but not required. Credits/Thanks: =============== Thanks to Richard Haseltine, Bejaymac and mjc1016 on the DAZ/Renderosity forums for assistance with the DAZ Studio version of the simple cable shader. Plus the usual 'everybody on the DAZ and Renderosity forums who's helped me get to where I am! Feedback: ========= Feedback is always appreciated. I can't fix problems if I don't know about them! You can contact me via the DAZ or Renderosity forums, via ShareCG, and now also via DeviantArt. I'm user '3dcheapskate'. Alternatively use the feedback form on my website http://www.unrealimperfect.com Installing The Package: ======================= Copy the folders you require according to the notes below - Poser users just need (1), most DAZ Studio users need (1), (2) and (3): 1) Runtime - this contains the standard Poser files. Copy them to your preferred Poser runtime (DAZ Studio users need to have this Poser runtime mapped). 2) Runtime (extra DS files) - this contains DAZ script files (DSA) to automatically load the DS materials, and MAT pose files. DAZ Studio users should copy the contents of this folder to the same Poser runtime as above. Poser users who prefer MAT poses should also copy the 3) DS Content - this contains DAZ material preset DSA files. Copy them to your preferred DAZ Studio content folder (unless you prefer to just use the MAT pose files above). 4) Templates - if you want to create your own textures copy the 'Templates' folder to anywhere you like. Using The Package: ================== Poser users ----------- Load your selected prop PP2 file from 'Runtime > Libraries > Props > 3DCheapskate > Architecture > Barriers > Railing02'. It loads with the default 'Repaint And Cable' texture. The alternative material can be applied from the material room using the MC6 file from 'Runtime > Libraries > materials > 3DCheapskate > Mapped > Architecture > Barriers > Railing02'. Alternatively use the MAT Pose files from 'Runtime > Libraries > Pose > 3DCheapskate > Architecture > Barriers > Railing02'. DAZ Studio users ---------------- Load your selected prop PP2 file from 'Runtime > Libraries > Props > 3DCheapskate > Architecture > Barriers > Railing02' (if the icon shows a tiny DAZ script symbol on the top left the DS materials will be applied). The alternative material DSA file can be applied from from your DAZ Studio content folder, under 'Materials > 3DCheapskate > Mapped > Architecture > Barriers > Railing02'. Alternatively use the MAT Pose files from 'Runtime > Libraries > Pose > 3DCheapskate > Architecture > Barriers > Railing02' (if the icon shows a tiny DAZ script symbol on the top left the DS materials will be applied). General notes that apply in both Poser and DAZ Studio ----------------------------------------------------- All props except the Single Rail load with the base of the pillar at the origin and the railings running left to right from the pillar (for the 'Railing Section' prop the central pillar is at the origin). The 'Rails Only' and 'Pillar Only' props load in exactly the same position as the same parts of the 'Pillar And Rails' prop. When a prop loads it will appear grey and you'll need to render to see the texture. (In DAZ Studio you may see the prop colours for a few seconds after you you load it, before it turns grey) All four props use identical pillars and rails and can be joined end to end (the 'Rails Only' prop is intended for joining two 'Railing Section' props, and the 'Pillar Only' prop is for terminating a series of 'Pillar And Rails' props). *The Single Rail loads with one end of the rail at the origin. Using the morphs ---------------- All props with rails have a 'Rail Diameter' morph letting you make the rails thinner (e.g. for thin cables) or thicker. The 'Railing Section' prop is designed to let you easily create simple curved and/or sloping railings. There are four shaping morphs ('Curve In', 'Curve Out', 'Slope Up' and 'Slope Down') for this. For more complex curves you'll need to use multiple 'Pillar And Rail' props and use the the 'Rail Adjustment' morphs to make each prop look like it's connected to the next. The basic guidelines for setting the morphs so it looks correct are as follows: 1) Load your 'Pillar And Rails' prop and position/orient it as required. 2) Load the target prop (i.e. the one with the pillar that you want your rails to connect to) and position/orient that as required. 3) Reselect your original prop and use the 'Rail End Position' morphs to get the end-points of the railings in roughly the correct position - I try to get the end point of the middle rail within about a pillar's width of the corresponding knob on the target pillar. 4) Now use the 'Angle Correction' morphs to compensate for any deformation of the rails. In wireframe mode go to top view and use the 'Bend Forwards/Backwards Angle' morph, and in front/side view use the 'Slope Up/Down Angle' morph. Try to get the hemispherical ends of the rails to look like they were before morphs were applied. 5) Finally use the individual rail End Adjust X/Y/Z to fine tune the positioning of the end of each rail, and make each rail connect neatly with the corresponding knob on the target pillar. I've set limits on the morph dials, mostly -1 to +1, or 0 to +1 for paired unidirectional morphs (that's -100% to +100%, and 0% to 100% in DAZ Studio). You can overide the limits if required, but the rails are likely to look rather deformed!) Using the Single Rail prop -------------------------- The Single Rail prop is intended for anybody who finds the morphs on the other props confusing! It has just two simple morphs (Rail Diameter and Rail Length) and is intended to be used with (and parented to) the 'Pillar Only' prop. The X/Y/Z Rotation parameters have been renamed and are applied in X (Axial Roll), Z (Slope Up-Down), Y(Angle Backwards-Forwards) order. Thus Z and Y correspond to azimuth and elevation (or bearing and inclination). So all you need to do is translate the prop so the origin end is at the knob of a pillar, parent it to the pillar, and then adjust Slope, Angle and Length. The cable procedural texture ---------------------------- This is a very simple shader based on a simple equation, i.e. f=abs(sin((50xU)+(5xV))) It's been set up so that you can easily change the values that control the strand thickness and twist distance (the values 50 and 5 in the equation). - Twist distance is controlled bt the RATIO of the two numbers (i.e. 30 and 3, or 100 and 10 would have the same twist distance). If the values are both positive or both negative the twist will be one way, if they have opposite signs the twist will be the other way. - The larger the numbers are the thinner the individual strands will be. So using 100 and 10 will give more strands than 30 and 3. A few notes for anybody who's looking at the network in Poser's advanced tab or DAZ Studio's shader mixer: - the 6.283 multiplier is 2xPI, i.e. 360 degrees in radians, and is used to make the UV values mapping seamless. - the x0.5, +0.5 after the equation is to limit the output value to the 0.5 to 1.0 range) The result is plugged into diffuse colour, specular colour, and bump by default. The effect is very dependant on lighting and how big the object appears in the final render - what looks okay in middle distance probably will probably look rubbish close-up. So you'll need to play around with the parameters to get them to work in your scene. Try changing the twist/strand parameters. Set different diffuse/specular colours. Connect the equation to diffuse strength or specular strength instead. Try using displacement. Try adding a texture image to diffuse colour. Known Issues: ============= 1) If you use 'Smooth Polygons' in Poser the rails may appear warped when you render. This is usually because you've given the railings a large slope AND a large backwards/forwards bend, or because you've set the 'Angle Correction' morphs wrongly. If you look closely in wireframe mode at the individual rail endpoints in top/side/front views you'll probably see that they look wrong (bent at an angle, or too big/small). Simply reducing the dial values for the slope and backwards/forwards bend, and/or adjusting the 'Angle Correction' morphs can often get round this. File List: ========== DAZ Brick Materials For Shader Mixer ------------------------------------ DS Content\DAZ Brick Materials\3DCheapskate\Railing02 Cable.dbm DS Content\DAZ Brick Materials\3DCheapskate\Railing02 Pillar.dbm DS Material Presets ------------------- DS Content\Materials\3DCheapskate\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Repaint And Cable.dsa DS Content\Materials\3DCheapskate\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Repaint And Cable.png DS Content\Materials\3DCheapskate\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Repaint.dsa DS Content\Materials\3DCheapskate\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Repaint.dsa.png DS Shader Presets ----------------- DS Content\Shaders\3DCheapskate\Generic\Simple Procedural Cable.dsa DS Content\Shaders\3DCheapskate\Generic\Simple Procedural Cable.dsa.png DS Content\Shaders\3DCheapskate\Generic\Simple Procedural Repaint.dsa DS Content\Shaders\3DCheapskate\Generic\Simple Procedural Repaint.dsa.png Geometries ---------- Runtime\Geometries\3DCheapskate\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Railing02Adjustable.obj Runtime\Geometries\3DCheapskate\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Railing02PillarOnly.obj Runtime\Geometries\3DCheapskate\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Railing02RailsOnly.obj Runtime\Geometries\3DCheapskate\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Railing02Section5.obj Runtime\Geometries\3DCheapskate\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Railing02SingleRail.obj Poser Materials --------------- Runtime\Libraries\Materials\3DCheapskate\Generic\Simple Procedural Cable.mt5 Runtime\Libraries\Materials\3DCheapskate\Generic\Simple Procedural Cable.png Runtime\Libraries\Materials\3DCheapskate\Generic\Simple Procedural Repaint.mt5 Runtime\Libraries\Materials\3DCheapskate\Generic\Simple Procedural Repaint.png Poser Material Collections -------------------------- Runtime\Libraries\Materials\3DCheapskate\Mapped\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Repaint And Cable.mc6 Runtime\Libraries\Materials\3DCheapskate\Mapped\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Repaint And Cable.png Runtime\Libraries\Materials\3DCheapskate\Mapped\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Repaint.mc6 Runtime\Libraries\Materials\3DCheapskate\Mapped\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Repaint.png MAT Pose Versions Of The Material Collections --------------------------------------------- Runtime\Libraries\Pose\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Repaint And Cable.png Runtime\Libraries\Pose\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Repaint And Cable.pz2 Runtime\Libraries\Pose\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Repaint.png Runtime\Libraries\Pose\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Repaint.pz2 The Props --------- Runtime\Libraries\Props\3DCheapskate\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Pillar And Rails.png Runtime\Libraries\Props\3DCheapskate\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Pillar And Rails.pp2 Runtime\Libraries\Props\3DCheapskate\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Pillar Only.png Runtime\Libraries\Props\3DCheapskate\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Pillar Only.pp2 Runtime\Libraries\Props\3DCheapskate\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Railing Section.png Runtime\Libraries\Props\3DCheapskate\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Railing Section.pp2 Runtime\Libraries\Props\3DCheapskate\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Rails Only.png Runtime\Libraries\Props\3DCheapskate\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Rails Only.pp2 Runtime\Libraries\Props\3DCheapskate\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Single Rail.png Runtime\Libraries\Props\3DCheapskate\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Single Rail.pp2 DAZ Scripts To Automatically Apply DS Materials For MAT Poses ------------------------------------------------------------- Runtime (Extra DS Files)\Libraries\Pose\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Repaint And Cable.dsa Runtime (Extra DS Files)\Libraries\Pose\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Repaint.dsa DAZ Scripts To Automatically Apply DS Materials When Props Are Loaded --------------------------------------------------------------------- Runtime (Extra DS Files)\Libraries\Props\3DCheapskate\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Pillar And Rails.dsa Runtime (Extra DS Files)\Libraries\Props\3DCheapskate\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Pillar Only.dsa Runtime (Extra DS Files)\Libraries\Props\3DCheapskate\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Railing Section.dsa Runtime (Extra DS Files)\Libraries\Props\3DCheapskate\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Rails Only.dsa Runtime (Extra DS Files)\Libraries\Props\3DCheapskate\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Single Rail.dsa Texture Template ---------------- Templates\3DCheapskate\Architecture\Barriers\Railing02\Railing02 Template.png Happy rendering! Pete Williams (aka 3DCheapskate) 2nd February 2013