Applying pwCatch to Surfaces
So you've bought pwCatch, and installed it. There's no change, all of the surfaces look like they have the same options. Now what?
Before an object can access the pwCatch features, pwSurface has to be applied to the object. To do that:
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Select any objects and surfaces that you want to use pwCatch.
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Locate the pwCatch neutral preset in Studio/Shaders. Double-click the shader preset's icon to apply it.
The "pwCatch" shader preset will apply pwCatch to the selected object and surfaces while alterring the surface settings as little as possible.
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Switch to the "Advanced" tab of the Surfaces window to see the new options.
If the shader was successfully applied, you'll see "Shader: pwCatch" at the top of the Surfaces window.
Common Problems
If applying pwCatch to the surface didn't seem to work, the most common problem is that you didn't select both the object and at least one material from that object. Any shader preset needs both selected in order to work.
You may notice that the Diffuse Color goes down in value when applying a shader preset. This is a DAZ|Studio bug.
If you cannot find the Shaders content folder, make sure that (1) you've installed pwCatch and (2) you have installed the default DAZ|Studio content.
If you're loading a material or shader preset, and you don't want to replace the maps, hold CTRL when double-clicking the preset for more options.
Saving and Loading Presets
DAZ|Studio can store your surface settings in two different ways.
Material Presets
Material presets store the settings for multiple surfaces by name. You'll often see them included with figures and props, and they function very similarly to Poser's MAT poses.
When you apply a material preset, it automatically applies to any surfaces whose names match the ones stored in the preset. Each surface can have different settings stored in the preset, so this makes material presets very useful for quickly setting all of a specific figure's materials.
To apply a material preset, select a prop or figure, and double-click the material preset's icon in the content tab.
To save a material preset, select a prop or figure, and click the "Save As" button on the content tab.
Shader Presets
Shader presets store the settings of the selected surface. These are the kind of presets that are included with pwEffect.
When you apply a shader preset, it applies the stored settings to all selected surfaces. All of the selected surfaces will get the same settings applied to them.
To apply a shader preset, select a prop or figure and the surfaces that you want to affect, then double-click the shader preset's icon in the content tab.
To save a shader preset, select a prop or figure and one surface, and click the "Save As" button on the content tab.
Ignoring Maps
You can ignore maps that are stored in a preset by holding CTRL when you double-click the preset's icon. An options window will appear, and you can choose "Ignore" from the map settings pull-down. If you save your settings (Preferences tab), then you can just hold SHIFT when using the preset to ignore maps and skip the options window.