[TIP] Accessing Custom AOVs in Redshift Proxies

In this quick tip, I’ll explain how to access a Custom AOV that has been set up in a baked Redshift Proxy when imported into another project.

Please note I’ve only tested this in Cinema 4D.

TL:DNR — create a Custom AOV before baking the proxy, then create a new Custom AOV in the new scene with the same name. Save render settings and reuse to make everything even easier.

Longer Explanation

Why?
This is useful for example if you have a hero asset that needs to appear consistently across multiple scene files and asset has client branding baked into a shader. Once the shaders are locked down, being able to have a reusable asset and keep the ability to export a matte for the logo might help things in comp.

Asset Prep
Once you’re happy with the shaders, we need to set up the logo’s custom AOV (Chad at GSG goes into more detail here).
In the shader, pipe the logo (through a ramp if needed, we need a black and white image) into the Store Color to AOV node having piped your main material output into the beauty port.

Hit create custom AOV from the dropdown

Name the AOV something sensible, or at least something you’ll remember

Double-check the AOV is setup and named correctly in the Redshift AOV manager.

You can make 100% sure buy checking a bucket render in the Render View by selecting the AOV from the drop-down.

Exporting the Proxy
Encapsulate your hero object in a null and move everything to world 0.
Make sure you delete any lights or extra geo that you don’t want turning up in other scenes. Select the null.

Go to File / Export / Redshift Proxy (*.rs) and select a folder to save to, name the output and hit save

In the dialogue box, you are given some options. Set to “Selected objects”, and because we move it to world 0 we can leave the proxy origin to “world origin”. If your object has any animation you can set it up to bake a sequence instead of a single frame. we don’t so leave it at “current frame”. Hit “OK”.

Import
In a new scene file, go to Redshift / Objects / Redshift Proxy or hit SHift+C and type “proxy” and select Redshift Proxy.

In the proxies attribute panel point the path to where we exported the proxy just now.

Set preview to “Mesh”, and we have our object in the scene.

Now go to the AOV manager and add a Custom AOV, enter the same name as we assigned before making the proxy.

Check in the Render View to see if the custom AOV appears in the drop-down and bucket render to check its as expected.

And that is that.