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February 2017 - Daz 3D New User Challenge - Lighting

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  • yhzmurphyyhzmurphy Posts: 434
    Linwelly said:
    Knittingmommy said:
    daybird said:

    I downloaded that set and tried as well, and it seems the thing is not able to take a tiling, I tried aound for a bit but the only solution I could come up is to create a plane ( about 4m square with maybe 50 dicisions, probably less could work as well) and place it right in front onf the window so that the frame becomes visible and then use the geometry editor to assign a new surface to all the polys inside the frame. Make that part invisibe ( opacity to zero in the surfaces tab) and apply the texture you want to rest  , new wall there.

    I know you answered Daybird, but this actually makes some of my wall-building easier as well - much easier for my efforts to box-in rooms than having to create walls with defined size holes in Carrara (or other).  Thank-you.

  • yhzmurphyyhzmurphy Posts: 434
    edited February 2017
    Kismet2012 said:
    yhzmurphy said:

     

    Is your figure in the mirror using a camera or a camcorder?  She would either need more lighting or a flash to capture the candle and flower.  If she is using a flash it would be reflected by the mirror.  This is turning into a challenging scene.   Having her stand slightly angled instead of square to the mirror might work...I'm not sure.

     

    Here are some examples I Googled:  here, here, and lots more here.  It looks to me that the photographers that were able to take a picture of themselves in a mirror required lots of either natural or artifical light.

    Perhaps doing a search on how to take a photograph using this technique might be helpful.

     

    She has an SLR, and yes, it is becoming challenging - but I guess that is the intent of the Challenge. :-)  I'm going to work on the lighting challenge aspect a bit more and also more of a story.  I'm becoming intriqued with how to set up a completely separate story in the reflection than the still life scene, but have some connection between them. Something the photographer captures by mistake because of the mirror.  Oh, and also learn lighting by having a really challenging project...

    I have to travel for business so will be away from my render machine for a few days, so lots of time to review the links you provided (thank-you) and come up with new ideast to ponder and try when I get home.

    Post edited by yhzmurphy on
  • yhzmurphyyhzmurphy Posts: 434
    edited February 2017
    Kismet2012 said:
    yhzmurphy said:

     

    I am really enjoying the play of light and shadow in this image. 

    Thank-you.  As mentioned, I have a couple of days off from rendering, but there is a half-baked next step of this one waiting to render.  I made the blinds in Carrara, with the [ambitious] intention that she can bend some to peer out the window...turns out that's a bit harder than bending a thin strip and duplicating it at automatically spaced intervals...  It also needs more story, and I'm thinking of trying to tell it via lights outside that are obscured by the blinds (maybe police lights or something like that).

    Post edited by yhzmurphy on
  • daybirddaybird Posts: 648
    edited February 2017
    yhzmurphy said:
    Linwelly said:
    Knittingmommy said:
    daybird said:

    I downloaded that set and tried as well, and it seems the thing is not able to take a tiling, I tried aound for a bit but the only solution I could come up is to create a plane ( about 4m square with maybe 50 dicisions, probably less could work as well) and place it right in front onf the window so that the frame becomes visible and then use the geometry editor to assign a new surface to all the polys inside the frame. Make that part invisibe ( opacity to zero in the surfaces tab) and apply the texture you want to rest  , new wall there.

    I know you answered Daybird, but this actually makes some of my wall-building easier as well - much easier for my efforts to box-in rooms than having to create walls with defined size holes in Carrara (or other).  Thank-you.

    Mhh I have problem to follow your advices Linwelly. Can you please post a screenshot and show me, how I could select single polys inside the plane? Or do I understand something wrong?

    Post edited by daybird on
  • LinwellyLinwelly Posts: 5,795
    yhzmurphy said:
    Shortcut said:

     

    My aim for this month’s challenge is to create a dark(ish) dream/nightmare scene depicting a figure who has been reading a book and is just nodding off to sleep where she sits, the book still in hand and almost ready to drop. I want the scene to have a psychological dimension, which I hope I can achieve through some interesting lighting and choice of props.

    I’ve studied the suggested tutorials as well as some others I’ve found online to do with Iray and building up a scene with lights. I’m learning the ropes with lighting scenes. So far I have an external light shining in through the open windows along the side of the room, a key light above and left of the figure, and a fill light to the right. All lights are emissive sources. I’m rendering each light source as a separate render (attached below), then combining as layers in PS to significantly cut down on render times.

    I’d like the book in her hand to perhaps be more obvious, and I want to add some rays and dust around that window. Still thinking about colours, DOF, other props, and more light sources. At the moment, it doesn’t seem all that spooky or dreamlike. Most likely things will be chopped and changed as I discover what works/what doesn’t.

    Back to tutorials and maybe some rethink! No specific questions from me as yet but suggestions and feedback are welcomed :-)

    I know this months Challenge is on Lighting - but I have a question that is probably gamma or other related, although I suspect lighting is the answer.

    When I look at this on my Windows machine with my Acer monitor - I can see the creature and the book and the comments make sense.  When I look at it on my Powerbook Pro, it's much darker and I see only hints of these things.  This is something I've noticed in the past, but the lighting on this render is dark and subtle and really makes the difference stand out.  Now, in the past I've supported digital artists, who had specific brightness and gamma settings, and even a hardware device to measure how true the representations of pantone colours were.  Is there a calibration/reference we should be doing (not that extreme) to make sure images look like we expect on both major platforms?  Is this an issue or am I just making this up?

    Oh, and my $0.02 worth - as mentioned by others, the white light in the window is distracting - maybe moonbeam with god rays to have it say "after 2am (which is when all weird stuff happens)"

    You are asnwering your own question here, the differences you get on different monitors has nothing to do with gamma or the light setting withing the image . A certain gamma results in the same for all monitors, as long as they are calibrated to the same. What I believe is the it its mostly the brightness of your Labtop that needs upping. That tends to be on the low side with their original settings as that saves enery, makes the battery last longer.  Otherwise there is a lot of different calibration tools out there ( some free others for pay) which tend to not calibrate all to the same result but at least closer to. I have to minitora and one tends a bit toward the red. I leave it like that because in the end not all users have calibrated screens and I try to make stuff look ok anyways.

  • KnittingmommyKnittingmommy Posts: 8,191
    daybird said:
    yhzmurphy said:
    Linwelly said:
    Knittingmommy said:
    daybird said:

    I downloaded that set and tried as well, and it seems the thing is not able to take a tiling, I tried aound for a bit but the only solution I could come up is to create a plane ( about 4m square with maybe 50 dicisions, probably less could work as well) and place it right in front onf the window so that the frame becomes visible and then use the geometry editor to assign a new surface to all the polys inside the frame. Make that part invisibe ( opacity to zero in the surfaces tab) and apply the texture you want to rest  , new wall there.

    I know you answered Daybird, but this actually makes some of my wall-building easier as well - much easier for my efforts to box-in rooms than having to create walls with defined size holes in Carrara (or other).  Thank-you.

    Lol and so I had learned someting new. THX a lot Linwelly for this great advice.That's a new and cool way to create walls with windows. This is one of this points, why I like this thread so much....we learn great things by the way. :)

     

    Yeah, it's one of the reasons I love this thread, too.  I still learn new things in it even though I've been around for awhile.

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548

     

    Linwelly said:
    Shinji Ikari 9th said:

    Changed the lighting, and HUD glass. Also added in cheetah girl, and did some texture work.

    I like what you did with the textures, but I think the light is still a bit uniform, for example the guys face aould be interesting to see, so maybe try to get a bit more  light there, make him stick out of the reddish surrounding.

    You could add a small point light to the led display to add a bit of a glow to his face.  I was hoping Cheetah girl would show up!  I'm not sure if I like the red or the blue better. 

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548
    yhzmurphy said:

    Here's an update - actually rendered yesterday (I tend to post, then edit, then leave rendering overnight because I'm too impatient).

    All this dark, moody, noir stuff has me inspired to try something different, but I'll probably still plug away at this one too, so comments and suggestions are always welcome.

    Are you going to be adding more to the left or right of the scene?  If not you might consider cropping it in a bit closer.  I agree with Linwelly, this is turning into quite the challenge! 

  • daybirddaybird Posts: 648
    Shinji Ikari 9th said:

    Changed the lighting, and HUD glass. Also added in cheetah girl, and did some texture work.

    I have a problem with the light in your picture. The color is ok, but do you use a distant light as source? I think, in a sever/tunnel you should use point or spot lights. This creates a better atmosphere in this setting and do generat shadows, which support the scene even more.

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548
    dstuffle said:

    Here's the scene with (I hope) the improvements suggested.

     

    The pose is much better now and I like the changes that you made, although I did like the tentacles showing a bit more in the last incarnation

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548
    Shortcut said:
    Delirious said:

    Here is my entry. I stopped the render early because I know it still needs work. Any suggests?

    Only thing I would suggest at the moment is changing the camera view slightly or the position of the figure in the chair so that she isn't quite so central in the image. Otherwise, the light is very beautiful, the contrast between cool colour outside and warm colour inside is lovely. Maybe you could accentuate that even more?

    Love the contrast between the hot and the cold as well. You might try cropping the left (our left) out just a bit which will also help bring her out of the center of the image.

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548
    yhzmurphy said:

    And now for something completely different...

    A wall, a frame, a venetian blind.  Spotlight outside, femme fatale inside (with a weak spot with her).

     

    I very much like the shadow play in this as well (and great job on making the blinds!).  I do find the shadow thrown by the weak spotlight to be a tiny bit distracting but I'm not sure what to recommend to do about it.  Maybe move the spotlight a bit more so that the shadow gets more neutralized by the light coming from the blinds.

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548
    dHandle said:
    Shortcut said:
    dHandle said:

    Stopped this one early because I noticed an odd wrinkle at the right shoulder.  Also, it's really taxing my poor system.  I need an upgrade...

     

    Thanks Shortcut.  I did a quick and easy touch-up on that wrinkle in Photoshop.  (This is a draft, after all...)  Looks like if I'm careful next time, I may be able to make it disappear in post.  Would like to know what's up in Studio, though.  I used Iray optimized skin for G2F.  Seems this wrinkle is right on a seam between the back and arm, which is right where I put that butterfly tattoo.  I may have bungled it when I put that on.

    Artistically, I like the mood as well.  I like the half-concealed facial features, the almost invisible background, and the hint of light rays coming through the window.  I, too, wonder about that pensive look on her face.  Is she looking AT someone?  Funny how things that you never intended occur to you after you have a look at the finished render...which suggests the next project.

     I can't add any lights to this scene (that I know of) because in order to use the godray prop, I'm supposed to render the scene in sun and sky only.  This is my first project with godrays.  I could always put something reflective in the scene to add some fill.

    Oh, and I broke down and ordered a new system tonight.  7-10 days until it arrives.  I got the Alienware Area 51 which I hope is expandable.  It comes with a GTX1080 graphics card and 16GB RAM.  I'm pretty sure I would like to run a 2nd monitor at some point, which means I would need a 2nd video card to run the 2nd monitor.

    I could always rip the 550 TI out of this one...

     

    I really like the three dimensional quality of that butterfly and you do have a lovely mood going on here.

  • dHandledHandle Posts: 617
    Kismet2012 said:
    dHandle said:
    Shortcut said:
    dHandle said:

    Stopped this one early because I noticed an odd wrinkle at the right shoulder.  Also, it's really taxing my poor system.  I need an upgrade...

     

     

    I think this image has a a nice, pensive mood to it and I'm curious where you will go with it. I would probably suggest having a stronger fill to show some detail on the figure's face. No idea about that odd wrinkle ... maybe the fill light would help with it and smooth the transition between the light and dark area?

    Thanks Shortcut.  I did a quick and easy touch-up on that wrinkle in Photoshop.  (This is a draft, after all...)  Looks like if I'm careful next time, I may be able to make it disappear in post.  Would like to know what's up in Studio, though.  I used Iray optimized skin for G2F.  Seems this wrinkle is right on a seam between the back and arm, which is right where I put that butterfly tattoo.  I may have bungled it when I put that on.

    Artistically, I like the mood as well.  I like the half-concealed facial features, the almost invisible background, and the hint of light rays coming through the window.  I, too, wonder about that pensive look on her face.  Is she looking AT someone?  Funny how things that you never intended occur to you after you have a look at the finished render...which suggests the next project.

     I can't add any lights to this scene (that I know of) because in order to use the godray prop, I'm supposed to render the scene in sun and sky only.  This is my first project with godrays.  I could always put something reflective in the scene to add some fill.

    Oh, and I broke down and ordered a new system tonight.  7-10 days until it arrives.  I got the Alienware Area 51 which I hope is expandable.  It comes with a GTX1080 graphics card and 16GB RAM.  I'm pretty sure I would like to run a 2nd monitor at some point, which means I would need a 2nd video card to run the 2nd monitor.

    I could always rip the 550 TI out of this one...

     

    Is there something in the scene causing that odd shadow? 

    I'm not sure which shadow you mean.  The only light in the scene is the sun node coming through the window, so the shadows are falling more or less naturally.  I'm not sure how I can make adjustments when I can't add lights.  The only thing I could do is vary the camera settings...ISO, f-stop, aperture setting, etc.  I would like to fix the edges of several shadows since they seem rather hard, but I'm not sure how.  I fixed the really bad edge in post.

    I did like the way her face is lit (even though it is a bit dim) by the light reflected off her shoulder.

     

    Kismet2012 said:
    dHandle said:
    Shortcut said:
    dHandle said:

    Stopped this one early because I noticed an odd wrinkle at the right shoulder.  Also, it's really taxing my poor system.  I need an upgrade...

     

     

    I think this image has a a nice, pensive mood to it and I'm curious where you will go with it. I would probably suggest having a stronger fill to show some detail on the figure's face. No idea about that odd wrinkle ... maybe the fill light would help with it and smooth the transition between the light and dark area?

     

    I like the mystery being created with her face obscured by the shadows.

    Thanks Kismet.  I am looking forward to getting my new computer system, and letting the render run to completion.  Then I will decide what to do with it.

     

  • dHandledHandle Posts: 617
    Ice Dragon Art said:
    dHandle said:
    Shortcut said:
    dHandle said:

    Stopped this one early because I noticed an odd wrinkle at the right shoulder.  Also, it's really taxing my poor system.  I need an upgrade...

     

    Thanks Shortcut.  I did a quick and easy touch-up on that wrinkle in Photoshop.  (This is a draft, after all...)  Looks like if I'm careful next time, I may be able to make it disappear in post.  Would like to know what's up in Studio, though.  I used Iray optimized skin for G2F.  Seems this wrinkle is right on a seam between the back and arm, which is right where I put that butterfly tattoo.  I may have bungled it when I put that on.

    Artistically, I like the mood as well.  I like the half-concealed facial features, the almost invisible background, and the hint of light rays coming through the window.  I, too, wonder about that pensive look on her face.  Is she looking AT someone?  Funny how things that you never intended occur to you after you have a look at the finished render...which suggests the next project.

     I can't add any lights to this scene (that I know of) because in order to use the godray prop, I'm supposed to render the scene in sun and sky only.  This is my first project with godrays.  I could always put something reflective in the scene to add some fill.

    Oh, and I broke down and ordered a new system tonight.  7-10 days until it arrives.  I got the Alienware Area 51 which I hope is expandable.  It comes with a GTX1080 graphics card and 16GB RAM.  I'm pretty sure I would like to run a 2nd monitor at some point, which means I would need a 2nd video card to run the 2nd monitor.

    I could always rip the 550 TI out of this one...

     

    I really like the three dimensional quality of that butterfly and you do have a lovely mood going on here.

    Hi Sonja, and thanks.  I followed a tutorial a while ago about adding tattoos, and really liked this one for that very reason.  Amazingly, it does look 3 dimensional with the wings up and a shadow on one side.  I deliberately posed everything the way it is so the sun could not possibly be casting that shadow, and viewers might notice that it's a tattoo without being told. (then I ruined it by telling everyone! Duh!)

    I googled "butterfly tattoos", and found this one.  It was a freebie.  It might even have been the one the guy used on the Youtube tutorial I followed.  Can't remember...it was a while ago. 

     

  • DeliriousDelirious Posts: 34
    yhzmurphy said:

    And now for something completely different...

    A wall, a frame, a venetian blind.  Spotlight outside, femme fatale inside (with a weak spot with her).

     

    Very cool

  • yhzmurphyyhzmurphy Posts: 434
    Ice Dragon Art said:
    yhzmurphy said:

     

    Are you going to be adding more to the left or right of the scene?  If not you might consider cropping it in a bit closer.  I agree with Linwelly, this is turning into quite the challenge! 

    Well, I was leaving room for a small ship-in-a-bottle :-P

    Cropping is a good idea - let me look at that when I get home.  It certainly isn't strong as a composition - I need to go back to last months lessons now that I have enough props and lighting.

  • yhzmurphyyhzmurphy Posts: 434
    Ice Dragon Art said:
    yhzmurphy said:

     

    Ice Dragon Art said:

    I very much like the shadow play in this as well (and great job on making the blinds!).  I do find the shadow thrown by the weak spotlight to be a tiny bit distracting but I'm not sure what to recommend to do about it.  Maybe move the spotlight a bit more so that the shadow gets more neutralized by the light coming from the blinds.

    Thank-you.  The next version of this has the weak spot moved (I'm trying for just a hint of rim light so she doesn't blend too completely into the shadows) - I'll be more aware of avoiding distracting shadows when I get back to that.

  • yhzmurphyyhzmurphy Posts: 434
    Delirious said:
    yhzmurphy said:

    And now for something completely different...

    A wall, a frame, a venetian blind.  Spotlight outside, femme fatale inside (with a weak spot with her).

     

    Very cool

    Thank-you Delirius.  I suspect she'd much rather be sitting by the fire with a glass of wine :-) Your render looks much more relaxing and comfortable, and I fear for this young lady as she comprehends what is on the other side of the blinds (um, once I figure out what's on the other side of the blinds).

  • ShortcutShortcut Posts: 68
    yhzmurphy said:

    I know this months Challenge is on Lighting - but I have a question that is probably gamma or other related, although I suspect lighting is the answer.

    When I look at this on my Windows machine with my Acer monitor - I can see the creature and the book and the comments make sense.  When I look at it on my Powerbook Pro, it's much darker and I see only hints of these things.  This is something I've noticed in the past, but the lighting on this render is dark and subtle and really makes the difference stand out.  Now, in the past I've supported digital artists, who had specific brightness and gamma settings, and even a hardware device to measure how true the representations of pantone colours were.  Is there a calibration/reference we should be doing (not that extreme) to make sure images look like we expect on both major platforms?  Is this an issue or am I just making this up?

    Oh, and my $0.02 worth - as mentioned by others, the white light in the window is distracting - maybe moonbeam with god rays to have it say "after 2am (which is when all weird stuff happens)"

    In an ideal world when we are doing these challenges we would all be viewing with calibrated monitors and embedded image colour profiles set to sRGB so that what each of us sees on our monitor will look the same on someone else's monitor. Not all monitors are created equal though and most people probably won't be using colour critical devices with hardware level calibration. We can approximate, but because you are seeing the same image with different tonal values on two different machines means that there is a difference in how those monitors are displaying the same colour values, and it can be simply, albeit very roughly, adjusted with the contrast and brightness controls most screens have. However, without true colour calibration and using profiles for our images it's hit and miss whether anyone's monitor will display colour values exactly how they are displayed on someone else's. It's a huge topic and it becomes even more complicated once you add printing to the workflow.

    As for my image, thank you! I think I will get rid of the window altogether with a rethink on composition.

  • ShortcutShortcut Posts: 68
    dHandle said:
    Kismet2012 said:
    dHandle said:

     

    Is there something in the scene causing that odd shadow? 

    I'm not sure which shadow you mean.  The only light in the scene is the sun node coming through the window, so the shadows are falling more or less naturally.  I'm not sure how I can make adjustments when I can't add lights.  The only thing I could do is vary the camera settings...ISO, f-stop, aperture setting, etc.  I would like to fix the edges of several shadows since they seem rather hard, but I'm not sure how.  I fixed the really bad edge in post.

    I did like the way her face is lit (even though it is a bit dim) by the light reflected off her shoulder.

    Try making the light source a lot larger to create softer shadows.

    And bravo on the hardware upgrade :-)

     

  • ShortcutShortcut Posts: 68
    edited February 2017

    Surreal scene with dozing figure and dream symbols

     

    So I've done a rethink on the composition and light setup.

    The lights won't stay this way, I was experimenting on the effect an emissive sphere would have on the scene, so it is rather flat looking. I'm mainly trying to get the concept right at this point.

    This version of the scene is more surreal than the previous and I think more like what I had in mind. I may combine it with elements of the previous render. The mirror needs to be repositioned so it reflects the figure insteead of the giant book, and I think I'd like the legs to be less prominant than they are, but that's the fault of the pose and camera viewpoint.

    I have one question about the cloth that is flapping in the wind above the mirror. I used the dynamic clothing plugin on a dynamic sheet to create the look, but if I move the sheet it resets itself to a flat object. Has anyone ever used this tool and is there a way of locking the sheet after the effect has been applied?

    Dreams_04.jpg
    1024 x 1024 - 738K
    Post edited by Shortcut on
  • dHandledHandle Posts: 617
    Shortcut said:
    dHandle said:
    Kismet2012 said:
    dHandle said:

     

    Is there something in the scene causing that odd shadow? 

    I'm not sure which shadow you mean.  The only light in the scene is the sun node coming through the window, so the shadows are falling more or less naturally.  I'm not sure how I can make adjustments when I can't add lights.  The only thing I could do is vary the camera settings...ISO, f-stop, aperture setting, etc.  I would like to fix the edges of several shadows since they seem rather hard, but I'm not sure how.  I fixed the really bad edge in post.

    I did like the way her face is lit (even though it is a bit dim) by the light reflected off her shoulder.

    Try making the light source a lot larger to create softer shadows.

    Thanks Shortcut.  Interesting idea.  I haven't looked at that possibility yet. 

    Anyone know how the sun could be made larger in the sun-sky only render setting to soften shadows?

     

  • ShortcutShortcut Posts: 68
    dHandle said:
    Shortcut said:
    dHandle said:
    Kismet2012 said:
    dHandle said:

     

    Is there something in the scene causing that odd shadow? 

    I'm not sure which shadow you mean.  The only light in the scene is the sun node coming through the window, so the shadows are falling more or less naturally.  I'm not sure how I can make adjustments when I can't add lights.  The only thing I could do is vary the camera settings...ISO, f-stop, aperture setting, etc.  I would like to fix the edges of several shadows since they seem rather hard, but I'm not sure how.  I fixed the really bad edge in post.

    I did like the way her face is lit (even though it is a bit dim) by the light reflected off her shoulder.

    Try making the light source a lot larger to create softer shadows.

    Thanks Shortcut.  Interesting idea.  I haven't looked at that possibility yet. 

    Anyone know how the sun could be made larger in the sun-sky only render setting to soften shadows?

     

    In the same way a cloud cover creates a huge light source (and softer shadows) out of the Sun (which is effectively a point source), is there a way to do the same in the software? Would adding a huge primitive plane between the light source and the window to act as a diffuser work or is that nonsense? I’m curious to know myself if that would work. I don’t know what kind of surface settings you would have to apply to it though to behave as a translucent object.

  • social_stigmasocial_stigma Posts: 107
    dHandle said:
    Shortcut said:
    dHandle said:
    Kismet2012 said:
    dHandle said:

     

    Is there something in the scene causing that odd shadow? 

    I'm not sure which shadow you mean.  The only light in the scene is the sun node coming through the window, so the shadows are falling more or less naturally.  I'm not sure how I can make adjustments when I can't add lights.  The only thing I could do is vary the camera settings...ISO, f-stop, aperture setting, etc.  I would like to fix the edges of several shadows since they seem rather hard, but I'm not sure how.  I fixed the really bad edge in post.

    I did like the way her face is lit (even though it is a bit dim) by the light reflected off her shoulder.

    Try making the light source a lot larger to create softer shadows.

    Thanks Shortcut.  Interesting idea.  I haven't looked at that possibility yet. 

    Anyone know how the sun could be made larger in the sun-sky only render setting to soften shadows?

     

    To soften the shadow you could go into your Render settings, on the Environment tab lower the Environment Intensity setting. I rarely have it set above .30. If the overall scene is too dark after that, go to the Tone Mapping tab and lower the Exposure Value by 1 or 2 points.

  • dHandledHandle Posts: 617
    soc_stig said:
    dHandle said:
    Shortcut said:
    dHandle said:
    Kismet2012 said:
    dHandle said:

     

    Is there something in the scene causing that odd shadow? 

    I'm not sure which shadow you mean.  The only light in the scene is the sun node coming through the window, so the shadows are falling more or less naturally.  I'm not sure how I can make adjustments when I can't add lights.  The only thing I could do is vary the camera settings...ISO, f-stop, aperture setting, etc.  I would like to fix the edges of several shadows since they seem rather hard, but I'm not sure how.  I fixed the really bad edge in post.

    I did like the way her face is lit (even though it is a bit dim) by the light reflected off her shoulder.

    Try making the light source a lot larger to create softer shadows.

    Thanks Shortcut.  Interesting idea.  I haven't looked at that possibility yet. 

    Anyone know how the sun could be made larger in the sun-sky only render setting to soften shadows?

     

    To soften the shadow you could go into your Render settings, on the Environment tab lower the Environment Intensity setting. I rarely have it set above .30. If the overall scene is too dark after that, go to the Tone Mapping tab and lower the Exposure Value by 1 or 2 points.

    Thanks soc_stig.

    Yeah, I knew about that.  Just wasn't sure about changing the size of the sun.

    I do want the background about the way it is, almost completely black.  And I want the face in deep shadows, but enough to make out facial features.  I just need to get rid of that jagged edge on the shoulder (in the original image) without having to resort to post.

  • dHandledHandle Posts: 617
    Shortcut said:
    dHandle said:
    Shortcut said:
    dHandle said:
    Kismet2012 said:
    dHandle said:

     

    Is there something in the scene causing that odd shadow? 

    I'm not sure which shadow you mean.  The only light in the scene is the sun node coming through the window, so the shadows are falling more or less naturally.  I'm not sure how I can make adjustments when I can't add lights.  The only thing I could do is vary the camera settings...ISO, f-stop, aperture setting, etc.  I would like to fix the edges of several shadows since they seem rather hard, but I'm not sure how.  I fixed the really bad edge in post.

    I did like the way her face is lit (even though it is a bit dim) by the light reflected off her shoulder.

    Try making the light source a lot larger to create softer shadows.

    Thanks Shortcut.  Interesting idea.  I haven't looked at that possibility yet. 

    Anyone know how the sun could be made larger in the sun-sky only render setting to soften shadows?

     

    In the same way a cloud cover creates a huge light source (and softer shadows) out of the Sun (which is effectively a point source), is there a way to do the same in the software? Would adding a huge primitive plane between the light source and the window to act as a diffuser work or is that nonsense? I’m curious to know myself if that would work. I don’t know what kind of surface settings you would have to apply to it though to behave as a translucent object.

    hmmm..good question.  I am (im)patiently awaiting the arrival of my new system so I can try some of these ideas out.  4-7 days to go! 

    Feels like Christmas...

  • DAZ_ann0314DAZ_ann0314 Posts: 2,815

    Just so you all know, the Spotlighted Artists have been announced in last months thread here: http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/2096096/#Comment_2096096

  • social_stigmasocial_stigma Posts: 107
    dHandle said:
    soc_stig said:
    dHandle said:
    Shortcut said:
    dHandle said:
    Kismet2012 said:
    dHandle said:

     

    Is there something in the scene causing that odd shadow? 

    I'm not sure which shadow you mean.  The only light in the scene is the sun node coming through the window, so the shadows are falling more or less naturally.  I'm not sure how I can make adjustments when I can't add lights.  The only thing I could do is vary the camera settings...ISO, f-stop, aperture setting, etc.  I would like to fix the edges of several shadows since they seem rather hard, but I'm not sure how.  I fixed the really bad edge in post.

    I did like the way her face is lit (even though it is a bit dim) by the light reflected off her shoulder.

    Try making the light source a lot larger to create softer shadows.

    Thanks Shortcut.  Interesting idea.  I haven't looked at that possibility yet. 

    Anyone know how the sun could be made larger in the sun-sky only render setting to soften shadows?

     

    To soften the shadow you could go into your Render settings, on the Environment tab lower the Environment Intensity setting. I rarely have it set above .30. If the overall scene is too dark after that, go to the Tone Mapping tab and lower the Exposure Value by 1 or 2 points.

    Thanks soc_stig.

    Yeah, I knew about that.  Just wasn't sure about changing the size of the sun.

    I do want the background about the way it is, almost completely black.  And I want the face in deep shadows, but enough to make out facial features.  I just need to get rid of that jagged edge on the shoulder (in the original image) without having to resort to post.

    Another way to soften shadows is to move the light source farther away, so you could try shifting the environment dome up and/or out.

  • DeliriousDelirious Posts: 34
    edited February 2017

    Another revision playing around with things. I got more light on the tablecloth to make it look whiter, got the front of the character's shirt to have white highlights, and I lowered the temperature of the light from the fire--which had the effect of making the foreground less orange and more red. I am thinking of experimenting with putting multiple emissives in the fireplace and setting them at different temperatures to see if I can produce a kind of "flickering" effect in the light from the fireplace. As it is now I don't think it looks like light from a fire. Any ideas or suggestions?

    feb73.jpg
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    Post edited by Delirious on
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