Better Area Lights

[fused]

You're entitled to your opinion and I'm entitled to mine. As a consumer it makes no difference to me if it is one man or twenty, I buy the tools that get the job done. I understand there is a lot of loyalty to Martin and the program and I bought the program because it has a lot going on for the price but this is the wish list and that is my wish. :smile:

I would like to be able to make a lamp object for example and see the light source, that is what I mean by visible in renderer. The emissive function does not cut it as far as I'm concerned for this task.

Fair enough, we'll agree to disagree. I think what your looking for is volumetric lighting a temporary work around is to increase the emissive value of a material and render the scene with radiosity or use a hdri map to produce visible light, tg_jp has a good example:
http://www.tres-graficos.jp/blog/var/ch_tutorials/?tutid=158

 

[Innerdreamrecords]

Fair enough, we'll agree to disgree. I think what your looking for is volumetric lighting a temporary work around is to increase the emissive value of a material and render the scene with radiosity or use a hdri map to produce visible light, tg_jp has a good example:
http://www.tres-graficos.jp/blog/var/ch_tutorials/?tutid=158

Yes, I know about the emissive and thanks, and as I mentioned it isn't the solution or a viable option for me personally.

 

[fused]

Yes, I know about the emissive and thanks, and as I mentioned it isn't the solution or a viable option for me personally.

It might be worth asking tg_jp about whether this is possible in the radium render I know he has a script for C3D to export into radium but I'm unsure whether it supports visible lights.

 

[Innerdreamrecords]

It might be worth asking tg_jp about whether this is possible in the radium render I know he has a script for C3D to export into radium but I'm unsure whether it supports visible lights.

I don't know what radium render is?

 

[fused]

I don't know what radium render is?

It's another render engine. http://www.radiumrenderer.com

 

[Innerdreamrecords]

Oh, thanks I'll check it out.

 

[capnchunky]

I would like to be able to make a lamp object for example and see the light source, that is what I mean by visible in renderer. The emissive function does not cut it as far as I'm concerned for this task.

I take it you mean having an object (e.g. the light bulb) appear to be where the light comes from? The radiosity method (for which I would recommend using a high-intensity SolidColor material rather than the emission property) definitely gives the most realistic effect, since the surface is actually giving off light.

But if you don't want to use radiosity, there's a much simpler option. Put a light inside the bulb object. Now, add a Render tag to the bulb object and set it so it does not cast or receive shadows (or caustics or radiosity, for good measure). Now the rays of the light inside will pass right through the bulb. Since light's not actually interacting with the surface of the bulb, you'll want to make it bright with either a SolidColor, or with a Material with full emission.

Here's a quick example, hope it helps:

 

[xbob]

if yer ever in Springfield...

Springfield , Mass, USA ... checkout the Quad Museums in the center of the city. best collection of these swords outside of Japan. the workmanship is breathtaking... well worth the effort... I assume they're still there despite Japan's efforts to get them back. They consider them national treasures and desperatly want them returned.

regards;
x

 

[Innerdreamrecords]

I take it you mean having an object (e.g. the light

Here's a quick example, hope it helps:

Thank you, I'll give that a shot.

Here is a model I did in 3D Studio and this is what I'm really after.

 

[Innerdreamrecords]

One last time on the lights. Having spent a couple of weeks now with Cheetah for Arch Viz I have hit the road block with my ability to make better scenes and that is the light's. Volumetric lighting if that is the correct term is number one on my wish list. See the image posted above modeled in Max.

 

[fused]

One last time on the lights. Having spent a couple of weeks now with Cheetah for Arch Viz I have hit the road block with my ability to make better scenes and that is the light's. Volumetric lighting if that is the correct term is number one on my wish list. See the image posted above modeled in Max.

I think you can achieve something close to your 3DS Max scene in Cheetah. The example below uses radiosity, area lights and spot lights.

 

[Innerdreamrecords]

That's actually pretty good! How did you do the bulb in the fixture?

I was trying to model a pool like this but couldn't because in this pool you can see the light cone, I guess that's the volumetric's in Max or something.

 

[fused]

That's actually pretty good! How did you do the bulb in the fixture?

Thanks, I ended using point lights instead of spots.

I guess that's the volumetric's in Max or something.

Yeh, thats volumetric lighting but it can be faked using an open cone with a gradient transparency/ colour map.

An excellent example is tg_jp for water:
http://www.tres-graficos.jp/blog/resources/ch_20060605_rT2.mov

Heres the final test of the scene using 4 points, 1 area and radiosity.

 

[Innerdreamrecords]

Good job, there's hope. :smile:

So, in the fixture are the point lights? Is that what I see on the reflection of the glass fixture or is that emissive on a fake bulb inside the fixture?

This is outstanding! I want to know how to make water like that especially the waves, not necessairly the animation.

 

[fused]

Good job, there's hope.

For sure.

So, in the fixture are the point lights?

Just spots but adding an material with a white emissive value to act as a light bulb would improve the image using radiosity.

This is outstanding! I want to know how to make water like that especially the waves, not necessairly the animation.

tg_jp has a script on his site to generate the ripples are you could just subdivide a planar surface a bunch of times and add the crumple tool. Then use the caustics tag to add that extra realism.

Andrew

 

[Innerdreamrecords]

So the spots show because of the glass?

tg_jp has a script on his site to generate the ripples are you could just subdivide a planar surface a bunch of time as add the crumple tool. The use the caustics tag to add that extra realism.

Andrew

Thanks, I tried the sudivide and crumple and couldn't get close to that look. I'll look for the script.

 

[fused]

So the spots show because of the glass?

Sorry Innerdreamrecords, I'm wrong I used points but either way you should still see a light pool on any surface close enough to the light source.

Thanks, I tried the sudivide and crumple and couldn't get close to that look. I'll look for the script.

If it looks like a disaster using the crumple try adding a subdive tag to smooth things out.

Andrew

 

[Innerdreamrecords]

Sorry Innerdreamrecords, I'm wrong I used points but either way you should still see a light pool on any surface close enough to the light source.

If it looks like a disaster using the crumple try adding a subdive tag to smooth things out.

Andrew

Good stuff thanks Andrew!

 

[fused]

If you search the forum there are some excellent examples of caustics but setting them up can be difficult.
Here a really quick example of faking volumetrics with a gradient texture I added a wave filter to it in photoshop.

 

[Innerdreamrecords]

I guess a gradient cone for a spot that had alpha applied would work? How would you make a gradient?