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Tutorial Uber Area Lighting: The Basics

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  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited April 2014

    awesomefb I am doing fine now,just posted my bird pic to the content, with 2 days spare...early this year. LOL

    yeah the link is on the first page, post one of my render thread http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/2765/ under What are Transparency Maps? http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/25377/

    Tramp PM sent, thanks. I will see what I can come up with.

    Post edited by Szark on
  • AJ2112AJ2112 Posts: 1,416
    edited December 1969

    Hi Pete, I'm sure bird render is a winner, can't wait to see it. Thanx a zillion ! Time to brainstorm, my already damaged fragile brain with transparency mapping :coolsmile:

  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited December 1969

    LOL I never assume it is a winner until it wins. :)

    My pleasure

  • whitefrozenturkeywhitefrozenturkey Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Could someone post a simple scene file that shows how to do something like light a cube with a rectangular area light? I've tried and I can't get anything to shine light on anything else using uber lighting.

  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited December 1969

    Have you go the Area Light upside down?

  • whitefrozenturkeywhitefrozenturkey Posts: 0
    edited April 2014

    I've tried intersecting it through other objects and it doesn't shine anywhere. Is there a demo scene I can look at?

    Post edited by whitefrozenturkey on
  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited December 1969

    There isn't but can you show me what you are doing. Post some screencaps here

  • whitefrozenturkeywhitefrozenturkey Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Here's what I get from a test scene

    Here's the scene: http://speedy.sh/YM4Mb/area-light-2.duf

    area_light_2_render.png
    200 x 150 - 6K
  • whitefrozenturkeywhitefrozenturkey Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    I added an uberenvironment2 base to the scene and that added light but it looks like the light is coming everywhere *except* from the light plane.

    area_light_3_render.png
    500 x 375 - 64K
  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited December 1969

    Well it worked for me if I increased the light Intensity to 400%

    Area_Test_new.png
    666 x 500 - 52K
  • whitefrozenturkeywhitefrozenturkey Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Thanks! I got it working now!

    One question, in the test render below I have a large rectangle that passes closely to the hand on the right side which ought to make that hand the brightest part. However, it's actually darker than the hand on the other side of the model.

    This effect also appears in the image you posted, where on the cube right next to the plane there's kind of a shadow, but that part should be the brightest part of the cube.

    Is there some fix for that?

    arm.png
    1919 x 1014 - 354K
  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited December 1969

    My pleasure

    no it is probably down to how close the area light is to the subject. Try moving it away more.

  • whitefrozenturkeywhitefrozenturkey Posts: 0
    edited April 2014

    Thanks, I did some more tests and I think i've got it working. The darkness next to the light is just a glitch I can work around. Thanks for your help.

    Post edited by whitefrozenturkey on
  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited December 1969

    1: that link cannot be displayed.
    2: Area Light does have Inverse Sq fall off but you need to turn it on. I show how in the tutorial.

  • whitefrozenturkeywhitefrozenturkey Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Sorry, the link was just a picture of inverse square. I found the Falloff Active setting which controls inverse square. It's pretty cool that you also can control the exponent of the falloff with the falloff decay setting! Good stuff!

  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited December 1969

    Yeah very cool. What I normally do is leave Fall Off Start at 0 and set the end to what ever seems appropriate for the light I am using. More guess work really from looking at lights in the house.

  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited December 1969

    Tramp Graphics sorry for the dely. I had a look at this today and to be honest the only way I could get anything close to what you want is to add Ambient and ramp it up over 100%. I tried all sorts of things like you probably have but nothing worked as good as Ambient.

  • Tramp GraphicsTramp Graphics Posts: 2,407
    edited December 1969

    Szark said:
    Tramp Graphics sorry for the dely. I had a look at this today and to be honest the only way I could get anything close to what you want is to add Ambient and ramp it up over 100%. I tried all sorts of things like you probably have but nothing worked as good as Ambient.
    Thanks for the response. I recently found a different design flaw in the bike I need to fix before trying to use it in any more renders. The jet boosters interfere with the rider's legs when the bike is "stopped". Marc can't put his feet down on the ground without literally going through the sides of the boosters. Are there any alterations to the lights' mesh you recommend to improve their function (be it to the lights and housings themselves or the lenses)?
  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited December 1969

    I don't model enough to be of any help I am sorry. But I will take another look as see if I can offer any advice.

  • Tramp GraphicsTramp Graphics Posts: 2,407
    edited December 1969

    Szark said:
    I don't model enough to be of any help I am sorry. But I will take another look as see if I can offer any advice.
    Thanks. What were you bumping the ambient setting up on, the lamps, the housings, or the lenses?
  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited December 1969

    Just the lenses to 200%

  • SertorialSertorial Posts: 962
    edited December 1969

    Can anyone explain what the units of "falloff" are? I am trying to simulate a candle (with a small oval shaped primitive for the flame). But I can't figure out what the falloff settings should be. It's a pity they don't give you spheres (showing falloff start and end) like they do with the linear point light.

  • SimonJMSimonJM Posts: 5,963
    edited December 1969

    I believe they are in centimetres - at least for start and end.

  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited December 1969

    yes there are Simon and I must include that in the next rewrite. :)

  • Jay Jay_1264499Jay Jay_1264499 Posts: 298
    edited December 1969

    Sertorial said:
    Can anyone explain what the units of "falloff" are? I am trying to simulate a candle (with a small oval shaped primitive for the flame). But I can't figure out what the falloff settings should be. It's a pity they don't give you spheres (showing falloff start and end) like they do with the linear point light.

    As already said its in centimetres, so maybe start at say 200 for a candle (falloff end that is) and see how that renders. Just keep amending it til you're happy with it!

    Happy rendering

  • SertorialSertorial Posts: 962
    edited December 1969

    great! thanks everyone. and presumably i should set falloff start at zero?

  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited December 1969

    personally I would but it is entirely up to you what falloff start is set to.

  • SertorialSertorial Posts: 962
    edited December 1969

    Szark said:
    personally I would but it is entirely up to you what falloff start is set to.

    So i have mastered the falloff, but when doing a candle flame I also want that overbright/burned out look for the flame itself. I have tried dialling the ambient right up to 800%, but it's still not looking right. How can I get that effect?

  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited December 1969

    what colour is the ambient. Do you have enough light strength?

  • SertorialSertorial Posts: 962
    edited December 1969

    Szark said:
    what colour is the ambient. Do you have enough light strength?

    The candle flame is just a sphere primitive stretched out to an oval and then with the UberArea light applied to it. The ambient colour is yellow (but almost white) and at 800% so I should have enough strength, right?

    Is there another control to make the flame brighter?

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