The Image and Data Output Export
window is a comprehensive interface for exporting a project's outputs to disk. For images, this includes all maps generated from a PBR material or layering project. In addition to images, meshes and point clouds from an Element Graph can also be exported here.
The template system makes it easy to combine multiple maps into one file through channel packing. This places maps that contain values in the pixels from 0 to 1 into separate red, green, blue, and alpha channels of an RGBA image. This packed image then contains multiple maps of information and reduces the texturing footprint of the asset.
Additionally, many common map conversions can take place during export such as converting an OpenGL Normal map to a DirectX Normal map or switching from a Metallic/Roughness workflow to Specular/Glossy.
The UI for the Image and Data Output Export
window is divided into four parts: Output Settings
, Image and Data Outputs
, Output Template Configuration
, and Export Template
.
This section determines where to export the outputs, the naming convention for each file, the file's format extension, and format settings.
Format extension dropdown menus will appear based on the type of outputs used for the project. An image output's export resolution and format is determined separately from the project's current execution settings found in the main toolbar of InstaMAT Studio's UI. This means that the export resolution can be different from the working resolution.
File Name Format
setting. This section sets which outputs are exported. Outputs with their toggle enabled "inner circle to the right" will be exported. If an export template is chosen, the
Managed by Output Template
toggle will be enabled and the switches for each output will be toggled based on their usage in the chosen template.
This section provides access to InstaMAT Studio's powerful template configuration system.
With the large dropdown at the top, a template can be selected. By default this says "No Template Active". Add or remove a template by clicking the or buttons to the right of the dropdown. To duplicate a template, make sure it is active and click the button.
The
Output Template
table shows each custom output file in a row. The first column displays the output file's name. The second and third columns display how a particular project output is mapped to the channels of the custom output image.
Options from the
Output Templates
and Output Converters
lists can be dragged onto a custom output file's channels to map or pack the information.
To learn more about creating custom output templates, please read the Creating Output Templates section below.
This section shows the active output template used for export. Each output file is listed along with its file type expressed as a dot with a corresponding type color. Use the dropdown menu to quickly select an output template.
Custom output templates can be created to dynamically export, map, and pack project outputs into a predefined set of output images. The following section illustrates how to create a custom output template.
Click the button to create a new template. From the popup dialog, provide the template with a name and, if needed, a description. The template is now selected as the active template and can be found again from the large dropdown menu at the top of the window under the User Templates
submenu.
Templates are stored in InstaMAT's home directory. This is typically found here:
~/Documents/InstaMAT/Output Templates
.
Now that the template has been created, custom outputs can be added and configured using the Output Template
table. Click the Add Custom Output
button and choose from an RGBA
or Grayscale
image.
Double Click the name of the custom output in the first column of the table to rename it.
InstaMAT Studio ships with many common output template options. These options are populated in the Output Templates
section below. Options can be mapped or packed into specific custom output channels by dragging and dropping them into their respective slots on the table. Project or graph outputs that have matching names to these options will automatically be assigned to their proper output channel upon export.
For example, to map a "Roughness" output to the red channel of a custom RGBA output called "RoughMetalAO", drag the Roughness
option in the Output Templates
area onto the Red
column of the custom output. Additionally the "Metalness" and "AmbientOcclusion" channels from the Output Templates
section can be dragged into the Green
and Blue
columns to pack the information into one custom output image file.
Clicking More
at the bottom of the list will reveal additional options. If an output that you need is not listed, a custom option can be created by clicking the at the top of the list. You can then choose whether it is an RGBA
or Grayscale
option. InstaMAT Studio will then ask for a default color or value to be chosen. This value is used if the export output template is used, but a matching output from the project is not provided. To rename the option, double click it.
To learn more about exporting textures and materials in InstaMAT Studio as images, please watch our dedicated video on our YouTube channel.