(Not So) Easy Environment Winter II skydome issue
Hello All,
I recently purchased this item:
https://www.daz3d.com/easy-environments-winter-ii
I wanted to see how easy it is and I tried using it the first time this passed weekend and I made a nice scene using the winter version of the bandstand gazebo. I set up my character in that scene too sitting on a bench inside the gazebo and I liked the way everything looked. Now mind you I was still in texture rendering in the viewport when I set this all up. When I switched over to Iray rendering to fully render the scene...everything came out dark!
I wondered why for a while, but I recalled that this particular package has a skydome and I did a little trick. I deleted the skydome but left the rest of the scene intact and tried to render it. The trick worked, I had my full lighting back. Thus I deduced that with the skydome my 'sun' is OUTSIDE of it. How here is my question: I really want to use the skydome that came with the package so the scene looks complete, so how do I fix the lighting so that the 'sun' INSIDE the skydome?
Also, as a sidenote for anyone that has this package. Where are the footprints stored? I can't find them!
Thank you,
Geo
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Comments
After deleting the Skydome go the the Environment Tab and click to add a map to the Iray Dome and when the menu appears use the sky image used for the Skydome. You might have to lower or raise the Environment Map and Environment Intensity sliders depending on the image.
You probably loaded the 3Delight version instead of the Iray version. When it has a skydome, that is now what you want to load for Iray. There should be a HDRI labelled "FMEE WinterII Sky Iray." If you load that and start the render, the sky should show up. Also, the preloaded Iray versions are FMEE WinterII Scene Iray or FMEE WinterII Scene Iray HQT.
The foot morphs should be in the Parameter Tab under Actor.
Yeah, that was it. There is an Iray option, but it didn't say "Set" on the icon like the rest of them did. It says "Render". So I clicked on that and it seemed not to do anything, but then I remembered that happens often with my character's makeup. So upon rendering it, the skydome DOES show up with the right lighting.
I also found the footprint morphs. However, I can't move them, only make them appear and vary the depth.
Thanx!
Yes, the HDRI are often labelled Render, because they change the render settings and do not contain actual geometry (like the Skydome).
As for the morphs, it doesn't say in the product description that you can move them around on the set, just that it has two running parrallel?
Question: Now if I wanted to alter the settings of the (HDRI) Skydome, say for example if I wanted to create more of an evening (dusk) look? What if I want to change the sky altogther? Where would I look?
In terms of the footsteps, this is the package I got:
https://www.daz3d.com/easy-environments-winter-ii
It says that you can have two sets of tracks coming one way and another set from the other way. Doesn't say anything about moving them. Looking under the morphs section, it seems that there is only one control and that is the 'depth'. So you have control of how deep the snow looks. I thought this would have been more like a prop though as I would have liked the footsteps to 'go up' the set of steps on the Bandstand / Gazebo (see first attached).
In the photo below, I am using a different skydome (for testing), but I wanted the foots steps to go right up the the steps to where the woman is sitting.
The second photo below is the Easy Environment with skydome. It is a much nicer backdrop. While I have lined up the footsteps with the gazebo, they go under the gazebo (physically) and on the render the steps stop right at the stairs. It looks funny since she is sitting on the bench. Granted it is not a big deal for that shot, but I do intend on doing shots with her standing at the railing and the steps might be in the shot. One of the reasons I wanted this package was because of the footsteps. I mean I COULD sink the platform of the gazebo down into environment snow base making it a ground level gazebo instead of a raised one. Then I think I could make the footprints go right up to the bench. Or for background shots, I could just leave it is is and just have the woman face the other direction and in the background you can see the footsteps approaching the gazebo. That might work too. I guess I have to play around with the environment and see.
Thusfar I have three winter environments with skydomes and I like this one the best. The first one is a bit darker and more mountainous...more suited for a medieval setting.
Thanks,
Geo
group your character and the gazebo. Then just move them in the scene until it lines up with the foot prints. To create a group, select everything you want in your group (hold down the ctrl button and click on each item) then go to the Create button at the top right of Daz Studio and scroll down to new group. Then you won't lose all the posing etc you did with the character, and you can move it all together.
Thank you, I will try that out. I was worrying about moving the character too much as this was the first time I managed to get the dForce to work with my character in a seated position. I have to say that the Easy Environment's Winter II is the prettiest enviroments I have for a winter environments and it even includes trees to place.
I think what I am going to do is to position the gazebo with the stairs facing towards the side or rear so this way it is easy to turn the camera so this way the steps and the platform surface are not readily seen, but the approach to the gazebo would show the footprints. That should work out fine.
I guess the creator probably thought that if someone is going to create a scene that it would be always dead center and that it would be easier to set the characters around the footprints instead of vice versa. I am also assuming the sleigh tracks will work this way too. I have to laugh that out of all the three winter scenes I have this one is the only one that has the footprints. I think that was very thoughtful of the creator to think of that because it certainly would look odd to have a far shot of the gazebo and a character(s) in it and there are no footprints approaching it.