Can you put an Iray finite dome into a room? - solved
Peter Wade
Posts: 1,682
The only reason I can see why you would want to make the Iray illuminating dome finite is to fit it inside an enclosed space. I have tried to put the dome inside a room but I'm still not getting any light. I don't know if this is because I'm getting the size or position wrong or because it can't be done. Does anyone know?
Post edited by Peter Wade on
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It should be possible if you reduce the size of the finite dome to fit the room. But I have to admit, I haven't tried it yet.
I've created a test "room" out of 6 planes, 10 metres square positioned at + and - 5 metres on the x, y and z axes. I've put my camera at 0, 0, 0. I've set the dome scale multiplier to 1 and I've tried dome radius 5 which should just touch the walls and 4.5 which should be fully inside. I've switched off the auto ground position in case this moves the dome. I'm just getting a totally black render. If I hide the plane behind the camera then light gets in so I know the light probe I'm using is working but I can't figure out why it doesn't work with the room fully enclosed.
P.S. I was fiddling with settings and saw a setting something like visualise finite dome. I switched this on but still didn't see anything, and now I can't find that setting anymore. I'm really getting confused.
Use Finite Box set to the dimensions to the inside of the room. In the scene tab click on an empty space so nothing is selected. In the Viewport click on the Frame View and it should take you outside the dome and and set it to Visualize Finite Dome, which colours the dome like a rainbow, you should then be able to shrink it until it is hidden inside the room. If it is just to get ambient light then it is easier to select the ceiling, put the ceiling Diffuse Map into the Emission Map and set the Lumen to a very low number. Try starting at 2 and then go up one at a time until the amount of ambient light matches what you are looking for.
Don't forget to turn Visualize Finite Dome to off before rendering or it will render the coloured box :)
The attached image shows a box and the finite box lowered and to the right.
I'm getting some odd resutls here. I tried that but I'm not getting any sort of box shown. Also, the visualize finite dome setting keeps disappearing. I'm sure I switched it on, but it isn't there any more. Update to that, I tried switching on Show Hidden Properties. Visualize Finite Dome is back but it's greyed out. I can switch it on, but does this work if the heading is greyed? And why is it greyed out? Is there some other setting I need to enable it? I've cuttently got Envirnoment Mode Dome Only, Dome Mode Finite Box, Draw Dome Off, Ground Position Mode Manual, Draw Ground Off. I've tried switching Show Dome on as well but that doesn't make any difference.
I'm beginiing to wonder if there is a problem with the Studio installation on my computer.
You have Draw Dome set to Off it needs to be On. My Visualize Dome setting disappears too but swapping about the dome type settings brings it back. Also you will only see the dome in an Iray Viewport.
Thank you for your help, Fishtales. I've managed to get it to work now but using an Iray Viewport is a bit of a problem on my computer. Switching on Iray preview in a scene with anything more than a few simple primitives brings my computer to a complete halt. On my last attempt Studio froze completly. I have decided that this method is just not practical for me.
I am trying a different method now inspired by your suggestion of using emission maps. I have created a cube, resized it to just fit in the room, then set it up like a ghost light with an extremly low cutout opacity and the environment map from the dome on the emission channel. Initial results look promising.
I use Iray preview all the time and I only have cpu and no nvidia graphic card :)
Go to Window/Panes(Tabs)/Draw Settings/Editor/Drawing and change the :-
Interactive Delay to ON
Response Threshold (msc) to a setting that works for you. I have mine at 900
Manipulation Resolution to one that works for you. I have mine at ¼
Thank you, that makes the Iray preview useable.
The dome is still confusing me. I've put the finite box inside the room but I'm getting more light outside the room than inside it. I need to do more work on this.
If you rendered in 3DL I would suggest flipping normals of the dome, with IRay... no idea;)
I don't think you can do anything to the Dome's geometry, and anyway the Dome is designed to emit light inside itself. What doesn't make sense to me is that however the dome is emitting light, when it's inside the room it's light shouldn't be able to get out since in Iray the walls, floor and ceiling must always cast shadows. There's something going on here that I'm not understanding. I should investigate further, but right now I've gone back to my ghost light style cube so I can try and make a picture. Maybe I'll do somke more research later.
When using the Finite Dome you still get the Infinite Dome surrounding it so Draw Dome and Draw Ground to Off removes the light but leaves the Finite Dome light and then setting Tone Mapping can increase that light. You will still see the Dome through a window though. If you want an image outside a window then use Window/Panes(tabs)/Environment/Backdrop and put an image in the Background using the drop down arrow to open a menu and then search for the image to use it.
Just a quick screen grab. I used the HDRI Alex's Apartment for the Finite Dome inside the room, just the light one not the full image, and used the Aboretuminbloom .jpg from that HDRI for the Environment image outside the windows.
I had draw dome and ground off. If you still get light from the infinite dome that's probably all I'm getting. what light I had inside the room is probably coming through the windows. I need to go over my scene again. It looks as thought the finite box is properly positioned in the room, I need to work out why I' not getting the effect I expected.
You will have to pull the camera outside your building to see where the Finite Box is, and use the Cutout under Geometry set to a low setting to make the walls see through and see the Finite Box. You will also need to lower the camera below the ground, with Draw Ground set to Off and Manual, because the dome will extend downwards below it and you will need to lower the building to cover it and then resize the height to fit the dome back inside the building. You might also have to raise the Map Intensity and or the Environment and then set the Tone Mapping to get the light to show.
I have attached a render, unfinished, and the view of the building dropped below the ground with the Tone Mapping settings I used.
I've managed to get this to work now. I adjusted the exposure and increased the intensity quite a lot to get it to work. It's tricky to set up but it could be a useful technique. Thank you for your help.