Q. What is the Onyx 3D Sharing website?

A. A website where licensed Onyx users can freely share their Onyx creations with other licensed Onyx users.

Q. Why do we need your Onyx Serial Number or Onyx Registered User Name?

A. To ensure that users of this website are licensed users of Onyx software, registration names will be periodically checked by Onyx Computing. Users of this site that do not provide a valid Onyx serial number during registration or that do not register here with the same name used to purchase Onyx software will be removed.

Q. How does it work?

A. You can either download vegetation you see and use it freely in your own 3D scenes, or you can upload vegetation you create for others to use in their 3D scenes.

If you see some vegetation that you would like to use, simply download the associated .zip or .rar file, unzip it, and use the files within. If you own OnyxTREE STORM, you can open the 3ds Max file and use the Tree Storm object with mental ray or V-Ray already applied by the person who donated the vegetation. If you do not have OnyxTREE STORM, you can still use the native Onyx files for the plant creators you own (.pal, .flo, .con, .bro, .bam, .gra,), export your own .3ds file, and apply the materials created in the 3ds Max scene later.

If you would like to share your vegetation, download the mental ray, finalRender or V-Ray SP2+ template files, open the 3ds Max scene contained within, add your Onyx vegetation (created with your plant creators) with materials already applied, archive your scene with all dependent material files, and upload a .zip or .rar file and a rendering of the vegetation using the Upload page.

Q. Will vegetation be categorized for easy searches?

A. Yes. All upload vegetation will be placed in one of six categories that mimics the six Onyx plant creator types (Bamboo, Broadleafs, Conifers, Flowers, Grass, Palms). If a unique and somewhat unclassifiable vegetation type is created, the vegetation maybe found in the Others category.

In addition to searching for vegetation by category, users can search for vegetation by name, date uploaded, user, rating or render engine.

Q. Can editable mesh or editable poly objects be shared.

A. No. This website only encourages the sharing of vegetation between licensed Onyx users. If someone creates an editable mesh or poly object, anyone without Onyx would be able to utilize the shared vegetation. Therefore, if any mesh or poly objects are found in any shared scene, the shared files will be deleted and the user will be warned not to provide such files.

Q. What types of rendered images should be uploaded for the vegetation to be shared?

A. Anyone wanting to share a vegetation file should render a JPG image of 640 x 480 pixels, as setup in the downloadable template files. In rare cases, this may be altered to accommodate good renderings of vegetation with a very unusual aspect ratio.

Q. What 3D programs are supported?

A. All major 3D programs can use the shared files; however, only 3ds Max 9+ users and users of OnyxTree STORM will be able to take advantage of the simplicity of the shared 3ds Max files with materials already applied – not to mention the numerous advantages of STORM, such as animated vegetation. There are no plans to support earlier versions of 3ds Max. If you would like to submit another version of our downloadable template files, please contact us.

Q.What render engines are supported?

A. At this time, only the mental ray, finalRender, and V-Ray render engines are supported. Support may expand in the future to cover other render engines. If you would like to suggest a render engine, please contact us.

Q. Can Onyx files be shared without the use of a 3ds Max scene?

A. Yes. If you do not own OnyxTree STORM, you will not be able to share a 3ds Max scene, because you will not be able to embed an Onyx file within it. However, you can still share the native Onyx files as well as the appropriate material library file (.mat).

Q. Is there a limit to the file sizes that can be uploaded?

A. No. One of the great things about sharing Onyx vegetation is that the vegetation is parametric and the structure of the vegetation is governed by algorithms rather than XYZ positions for each vertex of the vegetation. Therefore, the files are usually very small (less than 100kb). However, the bitmaps that are used in the materials placed on the vegetation can be quite large if not created properly. Therefore, please make an effort to not use excessively large bitmaps on your vegetation. Please use compressed JPGs or PNG files whenever possible and do not use bitmaps larger than 512 pixels unless absolutely necessary.

Q. What names should be used for uploaded vegetation?

A. When you click on the Upload link, you will be asked to enter some basic information, including a Name, a Common name (if known), and Latin name (if known). If your vegetation looks like a real-world vegetation type, please enter the Common name and Latin name, so that users can easily find the vegetation they need. The Name and Common Name may be the same or you can enter your own unique Name if the Common Name and Latin Name are not known. If you need to lookup a Latin/Scientific name, do a name search at the USDA Plants Database web site.

Q. When I register, do I have to provide my full name?

A. Yes. Full names will be kept private, but we ask that you provide full names to help us combat users with malicious uploads.