User guide
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pre-define standard shader sets for lights (including light shaders made out of network shaders) to be brought in for
Lighting.
Materials can be written out into a Look File using the LookFileMaterialsOut node. LookFileBake also has an option
to 'alwaysIncludeSelectedMaterialTrees' that allows the user to specify additional locations of materials they want to
write out into the Look File whether or not they are assigned to geometry.
To bring the materials from a Look Files into a project you can use the LookFileMaterialsIn node.
Look File Globals
Look Files can also be used to store global settings, so that these values can be brought back in as part of the Look
File Resolve. This is usually used to define show standard settings for different passes. It can be used to set things
such as:
• What renderer to use for a given pass
• What resolution and anti-aliasing settings to use
• Any additional render output channels (AOVs) you want to define and use.
When using LookFileBake you can specify the option to includeGlobalAttributes. Enabling this option means that
any values set at /root will be stored in the Look File.
To specify which Look File to use to set global settings use the LookFileGlobalsAssign node.
Lights and Contstraints in Look Files
If lights and constraints are declared in a Look File there is some special handling needed when they are brought in
because knowledge of lights and constraints is generally needed at the global scene level.
There is a special node called 'LookFileLightsAndConstraintsActivator designed to declare any Look Files that are
being used that declare lights and constraints. This handles the work of adding them to the global lists held at
/root/world.
The Look File Manager
The LookFileManager is provided to simplify the process of resolving Look Files, applying global settings, and allow
the users to specify overrides, such as for materials. This is a Super Tool that makes use of many of the more atomic
operation nodes mentioned previously such as LookFileResolve, LookFileOverrideEnable and LookFileGlobalsAssign.
In particular it is designed to help make setting material overrides that need to be applied to some passes but not all
passes a lot easier for the user.
11 LOOK FILES | LOOK FILE GLOBALS