Channel Presets Dialog

The Channel Presets dialog is described below with functions for how to access it. A list of the controls on the dialog can be found in the table below.

What It Does

Allows you to set up preferences for quickly creating channels through the Channels palette or menu. These presets include options such as the color depth size, patch size, file space, and colorspace. This gives you the opportunity to quickly set up a channel template for channel types you know are going to be created numerous times. You can also choose from a few Mari channel presets.

How to Access It

• Menubar | Channels > Channel Presets

• Right-click | in Channels Palette > Channel Presets

Channel Presets Dialog Fields

Control

Type

What it does

Opens this dialog box

Notes

Root Path

text field, dropdown, button

Specify the file path for the creation of new channel templates.

Choose Base Path dialog

The browse and scan
buttons also allow you to search for the file location.

Scan

button

Scans the Root Path for any existing texture files.

 

After scanning the Root Path, you should always set the Size of the texture files manually. The default values Mari sets may not be correct as channels can contain many different patch sizes.

Import

dropdown

Select which patches to import if a channel is being imported for the creation of the template. Options are: All Patches.

 

 

Resize

dropdown

Select which files should be resized when patches are being imported for channel template creation. Options are: Patches to fit images or Images to fit patches.

 

 

Category

dropdown

Selects a Mari channel preset template from the list of available shaders.

 

3Delight Principled - Metallic - VFX, 3Delight Principled - Non-Metallic - VFX, General, Principled BRDF - Metallic - Games, Principled BRDF - Metallic - VFX, Principled BRDF - Non Metallic - Games, Principled BRDF - Non Metallic - VFX, Unreal - Metallic - Games, Unreal - Metallic - VFX, Unreal - Non-Metallic - Games, Unreal - Non-Metallic - VFX, VRayMtl - VFX

Template

dropdown

Specifies a channel template to control the format of the filenames when Mari looks for existing textures on disk.

 

For more information about channel templates, see Defining Custom Channel Templates, Reviewing the Custom Channel Template File Format, and Example File: DefaultTemplates.mtt.

Prefix

text field

Specifies the filename prefix for existing texture files, if applicable.

 

 
Create

checkbox

When enabled, creates a shader and connects channels to the shader on project creation.

 

Most presets contain enabled channels by default.

Import

checkbox

Imports existing textures into the channel after creating it.

Import settings were selected from the earlier option in the
dialog.

 

 

Name

information

Specifies the name of the channel to create.

Mari sets a default value, but you can change this.

 

For example, color, specRough, dispFine, dispBroad, colorDetail, colorDetailMask.

Size

dropdown

Specifies the patch size for the new channel, from the options: 256x256, 512x512, 1024x1024, 2048x2048, 4096x4096, 8192x8192, 16384x16384, 32768x32768.

Mari sets a default value, but you can change this.

 

Channels can be resized later from the
Channels menu or palette if necessary.

Colorspace

dropdown

The colorspace in which the colors within your project are interpreted. Either select from the shipped configuration files or allow Mari to set an Automatic colorspace.

 

 

Tip:  You can limit the number of colorspaces available to artists using the Python API registerConfigUiAllowlist() function or the MARI_COLORSPACE_OCIO_UI_ALLOWLIST environment variable. See Help > SDK > Python > Documentation from Mari's UI menus or Environment Variables That Mari Recognizes for more details.

Scalar

checkbox

When Colorspace is set to Automatic, checking Scalar converts the resolved colorspace to scalar data.

Scalar data in Mari is used to define the properties of a texture such as bumpiness, roughness, or shininess.

See Color Data and Scalar Data for more information.

Note:  Automatically resolved 32-bit channels cannot be converted to scalar data. Only 8- and 16-bit channels are supported.

 

Scalar is disabled by default.

File Space

dropdown

Specifies the file space used when generating vectors. Mari sets a default but you can change this.

 

Normal, Vector, Vector (flipped Y), or Normal (flipped Y)

Fill

swatch

Specifies the color to fill the new channel. Click the swatch to change the color.

Mari sets a default value, but you can change this.

Select Color Dialog

 

Depth

dropdown

Select a color depth size for the created channel template. Options are: 8bit (Byte), 16bit (Half), 32bit (Float).

 

Mari sets a default value, but you can change this.

The color depth size for channels can also be resized later from the
Channels menu or palette if necessary.

Files

text field

Specifies the filename template used to pick existing textures to import into the channel. Mari sets a default value, but you can change this, or you can use the button to open a dialog allowing you to manually pick the files.

 

This option is ignored if the Import checkbox is disabled.

button

Opens a dialog box allowing you to pick the textures for Mari to import into the new channel.

This corresponds to the File text field above.

Import Dialog

 

icon

Indicates that Mari has not found any textures to import.

  

If there are textures to import, Mari displays the number of patches available.