what does 'materials PBR' mean?

WillowRaven

There is a materials iray folder and this materials PBR folder. What is the latter, and why would I ever need it?

Hylas

Since Genesis 8.1, DAZ core characters no longer use the IRAY UBER shader for their skin, which they had been using since the introduction of IRAY somewhere around Genesis 2.

DAZ core characters now use a different shader called PBR shader PBRSkin shader.

(The nomenclature is confusing because PBR, which stands for Physics Based Rendering, can also mean different things. Anyway...)

With G8.1 and G9 characters that aren't core characters, some PA's use the new PBR shader PBRSkin shader, some still use the old IRAY UBER shader, and some offer both options.

You're probably looking at the materials of a character that has both options.

 

In theory the PBRSkin shader has more details and should look better in close ups if you're going for photorealism. PBRSkin uses more maps than UBER, so it will take up more VRAM.

I personally don't see a huge difference between IRAY UBER and PBRSkin shader. I tend to stick with UBER because that's what I'm used to and I know my way around it; but I'm happy to work with PBRSkin if that's the only option.

WillowRaven

I'm still transitioning from 3DL, lol ... so barely getting used to iray. The character has both a G8F and a G8.1F model. Does this mean I must apply the second materials folder to 8.1, rather than the iray materials folder if I chose that figure because of other character-reliant items like hair or clothes? In other words, if I am rendering in basic iray and not shooting for photo-real, is there any reason I can't use the iray materials on either figure? And since you mention some may only provide PBR, does that mean I need to render differently, or does it just have a different output with the same render settings?

Gordig

Hylas said:

Since Genesis 8.1, DAZ core characters no longer use the IRAY UBER shader for their skin, which they had been using since the introduction of IRAY somewhere around Genesis 2.

DAZ core characters now use a different shader called PBR shader.

The new shader is called PBRSkin, not just PBR. The confusion comes from people on the forums truncating it to PBR, in the same way that a lot of people refer to Daz Studio as simply "Daz".

Matt_Castle

Yes - I wish people could actually be bothered to get the shader name right, as all Iray shaders are PBR. PBRSkin, however, is a skin specialised PBR shader, and the distinction is important.

WillowRaven

But I still don't know if I can rid myself of the confusing second folder, or not. If not, I need to rename it so I know what to use and when. 

ioonrxoon

You don't have to use one shader or the other, you can whichever you prefer on both 8 / 8.1 (or anyhting else for that matter). Try both of them under different lights and situations, and see which works best for you. I personally prefer uber, but if you don't tweak materials and use them out of the box, pbr might give you better results.

Hylas

@Gordig & Matt_Castle: I stand corrected. I've edited my initial post.

I maintain that the nomenclature is confusing because, well, it confused me.

Hylas

@WillowRaven: You can use either shader on either figure (G8 or G8.1)

The results will be slightly different (but not really that different, imo), it's just personal preference.

If you tend to run out of VRAM, go with UBER. If photorealistic close ups are your thing, go with PBRSkin.

Or just try both and see what you like better.

Lighting is pretty much the same. PBRSkin tends to absorb a little more light so you may want to bump up the lumen a little bit, but it's not a science.

Gordig

Hylas said:

I maintain that the nomenclature is confusing because, well, it confused me.

The nomenclature is only confusing if it's used incorrectly. PBRSkin is pretty unambiguously a dedicated PBR skin shader, where Uber is an all-purpose shader.

WillowRaven

Ok. Thanks, all. I just mainly wanted to be sure I could use either on either figure so I can get rid of one or rename it in such a way as to know when to use it if I had to keep both. Since I don't shoot for photo-real and rely more on consistent results if working with sequential scenes, I think using the one that renders faster/easier will be the one I keep. I'll delete the other to save space and avoid future confusion.

So if I understand it right, the materials iray seems to render faster than the materials PBR when using typical iray light sets and out of the box, with no special tweaking. Right?