Changing the File Space

Though vectors are often measured in the range -1.0 to +1.0 to represent the vectors in xyz space, Mari operates in the range 0.0 to 1.0. In order to accommodate vector brushing, the -1.0 to +1.0 range is converted into 0.0 to 1.0, and the specific RGB values that indicate vector directions are adapted to reflect this. Thus, -1.0 becomes 0, 0.0 becomes 0.5 and +1.0 stays as it is. The colors are converted to the corresponding number on the 0 to 1 scale to keep all the vector data the same.

In the Channels and Image Manager palettes, File Space fields allow you to set whether the channel or image should be exported as a Normal file (in the way Mari stores them), as a Vector file (-1.0 to +1.0 range), or as a Vector (flipped Y) file, which is the same as the Vector file in terms of range, but inverts the vectors in the Y direction. This allows you to easily export inverted vectors for use in other parts of your pipeline. Channel or image files exported in the Vector file space format can later be re-imported and changed back to the Normal file space format if desired.

Note:  For Vector (flipped Y) this only inverts the vectors in the Y direction. The vectors in the X or Z direction are not changed.

Changing the file space before exporting can be done on channels, images and paintable layers. This converts the file space range from 0 to 1 (the Mari convention), to -1.0 to +1.0 (Vector convention) or -1.0 to +1.0 with inverted Y
vectors (Vector inverted convention). To change the file space on channels, follow these steps:

1.   Open the Channels palette and select the channel you want to change.
2.   Under Channel > Format | File Space, click the dropdown menu and select either Normal, Vector, or Vector (flipped Y).

The file space is changed in all paintable layers in the channel except for shared layers.

To change the file space on images, follow these steps:

1.   Open the Image Manager palette and select the image you want to change.
2.   Under Image Info > MriImage > Info | File Space, click the field and select either Normal, Vector, or Vector Y Flip from the dropdown menu.