BSDF tutorial/instructions?

[Colin Young]

In the Basic Radiance Simulation video a comment was made that a video covering BSDF LiVi Radiance Type would be forthcoming. Is there one available now?

I am trying to use files from https://solatube.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Solatube-BSDF-Data-Files-for-Radiance-based-Daylight-Modeling-Intro-v051419.pdf that are RADIANCE files, but when I select Load BSDF there is no error or success message, nor any other indication that something has been updated, and selecting Preview from the simulation node (after re-exporting Geometry and Context) doesn't launch a preview window, and again, there are no visible error messages. I've experimented with the up vector, the surface normal of the mesh, etc. Calculate from the Simulation node also does nothing.

Simulations work otherwise, i.e. replacing BSDF with Light produces the expected results.

[VI-Suite]

Thanks for the bug report. I have committed a potential fix to master.

[Colin Young]

Thanks. The load seems to work now, in that I now get 2 new options: Delete and Save BSDF. Preview, however, is still failing. If you could point me to where I can find any useful logs, etc. I can capture those, assuming I'm not able to find them myself. In case it's a user error, here is what I am doing: create new geometry in Blender, rotate it so the normal is pointing down, apply material (new, left at default settings) and assign VI Suite Material as Geometry, BSDF, up vector 0 1 0, load BSDF. The click export on each of LiVi Geometry and Context (I think I only need geometry, but figured both can't hurt) the Preview on Simulation.

I am able to save BSDF and the output file is identical to the original. At one point I did see an BSDF visualize option in the VI Suite panel, but enabling it did not display anything and Blender crashed shortly after. I haven't been able to get that action to reappear, and the crash may have been coincidental.

Also, as you may have surmised from my questions, I'm not an expert in lighting physics, but I do have quite a bit of experience with git (I'm a software engineer so git is kind of where I live daily). If you're interested, I'd be more than happy to share some suggestions that could make management of the git workflow and various versions of your plugin easier to manage. Hopefully I'm not being too presumptuous -- just looking for a way to contribute back

[VI-Suite]

I have committed another fix that should now work but I have not tested it on OS X extensively. If the rvu window does not open, or closes immediately, check that you have set the up vector correctly. Terminal output or the vi-suite-log file in Blender's text editor may give more information.

Bug reports are a fine contribution.