Quick Overview
- The “Import” Tab of the plugin is where you will adjust all of your settings for importing images.
- Once you have the settings you want you will select “Import Folder” to select images on your computer to bring into the C4D viewport.
- Images are automatically brought into the material manager and put onto image planes at the correct aspect ratio.
- All materials and planes will be labeled with the name of the image.
- Options for customizing your collage imports are in the tabs to the right of the “Import” Tab.
- While working with the images it is best to work in “Front” view to ensure everything stays lined up properly in Z space.
- By default the plugin will bring images into your scene in a collage format.
- For further details on adjusting settings see the documentation below. Have fun!
Image2Plane is compatible with most 3rd party renderers due to most renders being able to automatically convert standard Cinema 4D materials.
Import Tab
Options
Max # Files: This option will limit the number of files that are imported. This is useful if you have a large folder of images. Further filtering can be done with the Image Filter option.
Random Files: As the name implies this will randomize the files that are imported when the Seed is changed.
Image Height: Set’s the height of all collage images. This is essentially the same as scaling the Cloner parent.
# Rows: This will let you specify how many rows of images you have when you import. If you have 60 images and “# Rows” is set to 6 you will have 10 images per row.
Center Image Height: This will let you specify how many rows tall your “Center Image” is only if you have specified a center image in the next option. If left blank there will be no center image.
Center Image: This will let you create a large center image in the middle of your collage if you choose and image. The previous setting will determine how big your Center Image will be in your collage.
Materials
Materials Only: This will only import the images as materials and ignore creating image planes. This is useful if you already have a collage and want new images or if you want to use the images to build a custom collage.
Reflectance: This will activate the reflectance channel in the material which will create a shine on the image. This can sometimes make the image look washed out so it is off by default.
Add To Alpha: If your images have alpha channels and you want to use them this will place the image in that channel of the material.
Luminance: Loads the image into the Luminance Channel and disables the color channel. The image is still loaded into the color channel but will not be active until reactivated.
Preview Size: This will set the viewport display resolution. If images are looking blurry set the preview size higher and reload the images.
Image Filter
This work by filtering images by name and file type. By default “All” is off because sometimes it will pick up hidden files in folders. You can add more extensions in the Add Extension dialogue by typing them in. If you want to add more than one extension just separate each extension with a comma. For example, if you wanted PSD and EXR files you would type “psd, exr”. Be aware that some image formats come in different forms such as “jpg” and “jpeg” or “tif” and “tiff”.
The Name Search works similarly. Type a word into the field and it will only select images with that name in it. You can choose multiple words by separating them with a comma. For example “Cars, Bikes, Planes”.
Buttons
Import Folder: This is the main button you will use to import your images. Once you have all of your settings above the way you like click this and you will be asked to select a folder with the images you want to import and the plugin will do the rest!
Materials to Plane: This will take any materials with images loaded in either the color channel or the luminance channel and create a plane with the image in the correct aspect ratio.
Position Effector: By default the cloner will not read the position of each plane and instead it will make all planes the same position. This is a problem if you want to use Fields to move the planes around. So this effector will tell the cloner where the plane positions are so you can use Fields as expected. This should be at the top of the effector stack so it is read first by the cloner.
Reload: A very handy button that lets you quickly make changes to your imports. If you wanted a different setting applied to images you’ve already imported you can make those adjustments in the plugin and use Reload to apply the changes.
Remove Collage: If you select a cloner with your imported materials and use Remove Selected it will remove all objects, materials, tags created by the import.
Save as Default: This lets you save your settings so they will appear the same way the next time you open the plugin.
Modify Tab
Modify Tab – Buttons
Empty Space: When making custom changes to your collage this Empty Space is helpful in creating new planes that automatically fit inside of an empty space. The plugin needs the 4 surrounding planes selected in order starting at left plane and moving clockwise until all planes are selected. Then click Empty Plane and your new plane will appear automatically!
Swap Images: This button will take two selected planes and swap their images keeping the plane position.
Add Plane(s):When Add Planes is activated you will be able to create planes by clicking and dragging in the viewport. Single-click your mouse to exit Add Planes mode. Important: make sure you are in Front View to add planes otherwise they may not be lined up properly once created.
Full Image:Full Image will automatically size the image onto the plane so that there are no repeating edges. This is useful when dropping new images onto planes that are already created.
Fill Plane: Fill Plane will automatically size the image onto the plane so the entire image is visible. Depending on the size of the plane this may result in the image repeating. This is useful when dropping new images onto planes that are already created.
Populate: If you want to repopulate planes with specific images you can select the planes you want to change and then select the materials you want to populate the planes with. The plugin will automatically find the best match for the plane and the image. You may use the Adjust Planes checkbox so that the plane automatically gets resized to the size of the new image.
Adjust Planes Checkbox: As mentioned in the previous option Adjust Planes works with the Populate option so that the plane automatically gets resized to the size of the new image.
Modify Tab – Snap and Scale
Snap Mode: This will let you snap your planes perfectly into place by selecting the plane you want to move and then selecting which corner of the plane you want to snap by clicking one of the 4 boxes on the left, then you need to find two planes to place the image near which will be indicated by red circles as you are hovering your mouse.
Scale Mode: Scale Mode will let you resize your plane from the corner you specify in the 4 corner boxes on the left. You can also check the box to Scale Proportionally to retain the plane’s aspect ratio. If unchecked you will be able to resize freely.
Modify Tab – Options
Image Spacing: Let’s you specify the gap between all images. After adjusting you will see your photos update with the new spacing. Important: This slider will not work after customizing the collage by adding or moving planes, all spacing adjustments should be made first.
Collage Cloner: This is the cloner that is linked to the plugin for adjustments. If you have multiple collages or imports you can swap them in here to make adjustments as needed.
Refresh: When a new cloner is loaded into the Collage Cloner option you will need to hit the “Refresh” button to effectively load the new cloner into the plugin.
3D Tab
3D Tab – Options
Extrude: Lets you give your images dimension by extruding them in Z space! A value of 0 will make your images flat.
Extrude Blur: Extruding your images can leave streaks or other undesirable artifacts around your image. You can use Extrude Blur to blur those artifacts and create a smoother look if desired.
Bevel Size: If you have given your image some dimension with the Extrude option then you will have the ability to bevel the edges of your image to create a rounded look.
Bevel Segments: If you are using the Bevel Size option this is where you will set how many segments your bevels have.
Bevel Size: If you have given your image some dimension with the Extrude option then you will have the ability to bevel the edges of your image to create a rounded look.
Frame Checkbox: This will enable a frame around your images that can be customized. By default the frame is an N-Gon spline which you will see under your Image2Plane Cloner called “Default Frame Profile”. You can select this profile in the object manager to modify it and the look around your images. You can also import your own spline in the next option.
Frame Profile: This is where you can load in a spline profile of your own choosing. Just drag it from the object manager into this input field and watch it update!
Phong Angle: Lets you adjust the phong angle of your frame profile globally to all images.
Frame Material: Lets you add any material to your frame profiles. Make a wood frame, metal frame, glowing frame, the choice is yours!
Subdivisions Tab
Subdivisions – Options
XY Subdivisions: These features will modify only the planes subdivisions on the X and Y axis.
Face: This will set the subdivision type for the face(front) of all images. This can be useful if you plan on using the planes with deformers.
Cap Type: Lets you choose between grid subdivisions and N-Gon Subdivisions. Make sure your viewport display is displaying lines to visualize what is happening.
Size: Only used in “Regular Grid” mode in the previous setting this will increase or decrease the planes subdivisions. A higher number will make less subdivision since the grid size will bigger. Make sure your viewport display is displaying lines to visualize what is happening.
Edge: This will set the subdivision type for the planes edges on all images. This can be useful if you plan on using the planes with deformers.
Intermediate Points – Number – Angle – Maximum Length: These options all effects the number of subdivisions on the edge of the images. These are standards options you would find in the settings of a spline which is how the planes are created. Make sure your viewport display is displaying lines to visualize what is happening.
Z Subdivisions: This is where you will set the number of subdivisions for the extruded section of your image if you have extrusions set in the 3D tab. Make sure your viewport display is displaying lines to visualize what is happening.