Digital Art Zone

I’m experimenting with building a character and using a background image. I want my character to cast a shadow onto the background image as if she’s standing in the field shown in the image.

The “problem” is that the “plane” is visible in the final render. Without the plane I can’t create a shadow, and with it, well, the results make it look like my character is standing in a dull gray square.

What’s the correct way to have my character case a shadow on the background image?

Thanks.

You need a shadow catcher shader. I know that one can be made in the Shader Mixer for free but I do not have the link to the info. The pack of pwShaders for DS also has one. I hope someone with the free info pops in and helps you.

Three ways you can do this, as far as I know.
One using a product called PWCatch http://www.daz3d.com/shop/pwcatch/
Two using the Shader Mixer http://forumarchive.daz3d.com/viewtopic.php?t=120228
and three doing it in a image manipulation program (Photoshop, Gimp etc)

I had a similar problem. I got this shadow catcher on sharecg and it works great.
http://www.sharecg.com/v/56594/View/7/Material-and-Shader/Shadow-Catcher-with-adjustable-opacity

Szark - 21 June 2012 10:29 AM

Three ways you can do this, as far as I know.
One using a product called PWCatch http://www.daz3d.com/shop/pwcatch/
Two using the Shader Mixer http://forumarchive.daz3d.com/viewtopic.php?t=120228
and three doing it in a image manipulation program (Photoshop, Gimp etc)

Thank you. Since I am learning this I’m working through tutorials, and your second suggestion sounds like exactly what I’m needing.

I’m following the tutorial step by step but am getting different results. Right from the beginning my screen looks a bit different to the one in the video. I’m hoping that it’s just a difference between versions (3 vs 4) and not a show-stopper.

The first difference is with Shadow Catcher - in the tutorial, applying the SC results in the plane turning black where it will be transparent and white where it will be opaque. For me I still get a black shadow on a gray plane.

And then when you connect the “in shadow” to Opacity Color, the tutorial shows the shadows without the plane after render. I get the same black shadow on a light-gray plane.

Any idea what I’m doing wrong?

Try this thread which has the step by step info in text.
http://forumarchive.daz3d.com/viewtopic.php?t=116187

I got it! I did not have the rendering quality turned up to max. Lol.

Save Your Shader so you can use it again at a later date. I’m glad you got the help you needed.

Sweet result

barbult - 21 June 2012 11:03 AM

I had a similar problem. I got this shadow catcher on sharecg and it works great.
http://www.sharecg.com/v/56594/View/7/Material-and-Shader/Shadow-Catcher-with-adjustable-opacity

@ barbult

Hi, can you tell me please how to get it to work? I tried unzipping the two files into my DAZ Content folder C:\Users\xyz\Documents\DAZ 3D\Studio\My Library\Shaders and it showed up OK in the Content area but when I try to drag it onto an object (e.g. a Plane primitive) it says “An error occured while reading the file, see the log file for more details”.

There is no useful info in the log file, just:
“Executing DAZ Script file: C:/Users/xyz/Documents/DAZ 3D/Studio/My Library/Shaders/Shadow Catcher with Opacity.dsb
Failed to load script file!

I tried to load it into the DAZ IDE but it comes up blank, although file is Size: 9.96 KB (10,207 bytes)

I don’t have Shader Mixer since I am still on Studio Version 3.1 so it’s not included - do I need that? Or Studio Version 4?

Thanks.

Shaders are not Drag and drop, they need to be applied to a Surface. Be sure your item (the plane) is selected then Select the Surface of the plane, you can use the Surface selection tool or open the Surfaces Tab and select it there. Then apply the shader with a double click.

Jaderail - 11 November 2012 01:10 AM

Shaders are not Drag and drop, they need to be applied to a Surface. Be sure your item (the plane) is selected then Select the Surface of the plane, you can use the Surface selection tool or open the Surfaces Tab and select it there. Then apply the shader with a double click.

Hi Jaderail,

Thanks very much for your help but yes I have already tried that standard method too as you describe (with both the object and surface selected then double click), not quite sure why I deviated to the ‘drag-and-drop’ in describing my problem but it is also possible in DS3 to use that method to apply a shader instead of double click (at least it is on my setup).

In any case that creates the same error message, and does not work.

Sorry to waste your time, maybe I should just buy pwCatch and forget the freebie :(

Jaderail - 21 June 2012 11:58 AM

Try this thread which has the step by step info in text.
http://forumarchive.daz3d.com/viewtopic.php?t=116187

This is the tutorial I followed to get it done it —> http://3dpixelzone.com/WIP/studio/gnd.htm though in my case I only wanted the shadow to appear as if on the floor.

Miss B - 11 November 2012 11:51 AM

Jaderail - 21 June 2012 11:58 AM

Try this thread which has the step by step info in text.
http://forumarchive.daz3d.com/viewtopic.php?t=116187

This is the tutorial I followed to get it done it —> http://3dpixelzone.com/WIP/studio/gnd.htm though in my case I only wanted the shadow to appear as if on the floor.

OK thanks but that all seems to be talking about Shader Mixer which I don’t have since I don’t have DSA (or DS4 yet which I think has Shader Mixer included).

No big problem this probably wouldn’t be much use to me since I need the ground object to be visible in order to produce AO shadows on my standing figures to get them looking right.

That shadow catcher shader over at ShareCG was done in DS4.0 and is in Binary format which means it will only work in DS4.0 and newer builds, that’s what’s causing your error message.

OK, thx.