Background Jpg question

DaleCar_06ae99e4f4DaleCar_06ae99e4f4 Posts: 178
edited December 1969 in The Commons

Hi

Just upgraded to Daz 4.5. For some reason. The background jpg does not fill the screen any more. This is something of a problem. This is an old series. And to keep the continuity. I need to have the old background. So how do you fix it?

Thanks,
Dale

Comments

  • jerriecanjerriecan Posts: 470
    edited December 1969

    The background is set to the dimensions of the render settings, and will be stretched accordingly to fit. It will fill the whole area in rendered images.

  • DaleCar_06ae99e4f4DaleCar_06ae99e4f4 Posts: 178
    edited December 1969

    Thanks,

    I'll test that. But that seems to me a problem if positioning your characters against that background in particular places is important.

    Dale

  • jerriecanjerriecan Posts: 470
    edited December 1969

    The background always stays in the same place, no matter what angle I choose for the objects in the scene. I'm new to D/S, so I may be totally off base here. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will come along. :)

  • ChoholeChohole Posts: 33,604
    edited November 2012

    The best way to do backgrounds images is to put them on a single sided plane the same size ratio as the image.

    Post edited by Chohole on
  • DaleCar_06ae99e4f4DaleCar_06ae99e4f4 Posts: 178
    edited December 1969

    Thanks,

    It does stretch to fill in the space when rendered. But no. I have to disagree. The best way to handle BG images. Is for Daz to not change the way its done this since at least Daz 2 when I started working in 3d. Not everyone needs the image glued to a plane. And for those of us that don't (or didn't). This will just add extra steps to to our workflow process.

    It just destroys the perspective. Now I have an image with half a sky, and a big white gap above it. when working. Also it will effect choices when selecting a background image.

    Thanks,
    Dale

  • KickAir 8PKickAir 8P Posts: 1,865
    edited November 2012

    chohole said:
    The best way to do backgrounds images is to put them on a single sided plane the same size ratio as the image.

    Very true, especially if you need to adjust where the background is in relation to the foreground.

    A couple of tips for doing this: after you've applied the jpg to the Diffuse in the Materials tab set Diffuse Strength to 0% and Ambient Strength to 100% White (255 255 255) -- this will keep your background from reacting to the scene's light. You should also turn Cast Shadows off -- that's somewhere in the Parameters tab, can't remember where and I'm not at home to check, sorry.

    Post edited by KickAir 8P on
  • DaleCar_06ae99e4f4DaleCar_06ae99e4f4 Posts: 178
    edited December 1969

    Thanks, I've been doing images since 2007, And never felt any particular need to attach an image to a plain. You can get (or could get) just fine results the way it worked before. But it was useful to know in a series of images whether the moon or the sun was suddenly going to be halfway accross the sky because of your change in camera angle. This works particularly well in series pictures where you might want to have the camera facing north in one picture, South in another, and so on. Forgive me for saying this. But a plain does not work that way. Now I do use Skydomes on occasion. But I prefer to just snap a nice big jpg in. that moves with the camera. And fills the entire sky.

    Just the way I like to work.

    Thanks
    Dale

  • jestmartjestmart Posts: 4,449
    edited December 1969

    If you toggle on 'Show Aspect Frame' you will see that the background image is being displayed to the size of the render size listed in the Render Settings pane. In other words, "What you see is what you get (render)".

    ShowAspectFrame.jpg
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  • DisparateDreamerDisparateDreamer Posts: 2,491
    edited December 1969

    i for one absolutely HATE the new background settings. HATE IT WITH A PASSION. Using a background plane is not a good option... why? it catches shadows that it shouldn't have on a background. I can make it not cast shadows but can't make it not CATCH shadows. I miss the white border that showed you image shape/size, it was WAY better than simply the background fitting to the right size. Now, if have a big scene with props and such, it fills the whole screen and I can't see what's IN the picture and what's outside the border. It's ridiculous that i have to render larger every time (wasting more render time) and crop out later. Why'd Daz change such an important feature and make it into something so useless?

  • ValandarValandar Posts: 1,417
    edited December 1969

    i for one absolutely HATE the new background settings. HATE IT WITH A PASSION. Using a background plane is not a good option... why? it catches shadows that it shouldn't have on a background. I can make it not cast shadows but can't make it not CATCH shadows. I miss the white border that showed you image shape/size, it was WAY better than simply the background fitting to the right size. Now, if have a big scene with props and such, it fills the whole screen and I can't see what's IN the picture and what's outside the border. It's ridiculous that i have to render larger every time (wasting more render time) and crop out later. Why'd Daz change such an important feature and make it into something so useless?

    Toggle "Show Aspect Frame."

  • KickAir 8PKickAir 8P Posts: 1,865
    edited November 2012

    . . . Using a background plane is not a good option... why? it catches shadows that it shouldn't have on a background. I can make it not cast shadows but can't make it not CATCH shadows . . .

    Yes you can: on your plane primitive (or sphere if you're going for wrap-around), after you’ve applied the jpg to the Diffuse in the Surfaces tab, set Diffuse Strength to 0%, the Ambient Strength to 100% White (255 255 255), and the Lighting Model to Matte -- this will keep your background from reacting to the scene’s light, and it won't catch shadows.

    Which is not to derail any criticism of the changes to the background feature, I just wanted to let you know it can be done.

    Post edited by KickAir 8P on
  • DisparateDreamerDisparateDreamer Posts: 2,491
    edited December 1969

    Valandar where is that option shown??

    And KickAir, thanks so much for that tip!! it was driving me INSANE and i wondered how others did! Awesome!

    But if you have a textured background, if the diffuse is 0 won't that make the texture not show?

  • ValandarValandar Posts: 1,417
    edited December 1969

    Nope, because you moved the texture to the Ambient channel. This means that it's effectively glowing in the pattern of the texture map, which means that a diffuse of black makes it always display the texture at its exact luminance, without being affected by the lighting in the scene OR the shadows in the scene.

  • JaderailJaderail Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Valandar where is that option shown??
    The Viewport drop down menu Belovedalia. Right next to the Texture sphere.
    Help.png
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  • DisparateDreamerDisparateDreamer Posts: 2,491
    edited December 1969

    Oh wow! thanks all of you.... haha seriously... i've been using Daz for how many years now, and I still didn't know that .... *headdesk*

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