Joel
0
I assume many of us have a basic .jas file that we start with which enhances the default file, by including things like a Skylight or HDR, a camera background color or picture, particular render settings, etc.
Here’s a simple gimmick to add a background gradient. Gradients are intrinsically beautiful, and sometimes I use one as a background when rendering a simple object, to control the contrast around the edges and to suggest 3D space instead of a flat wall. Helmut uses a vertical “fire” gradient. Zoohead has frequently used radial gradients. I personally prefer a flat medium gray background when I’m modeling, but I might add a custom gradient for the render background. Jeanny mentioned that the attached file in my recent post was useful in demonstrating how this was made, so I figured it was worth a couple of tutorials to elaborate
I adapted Hiroto’s Camera Mask script to make a pre-set Solid background as a child of the camera, keeping it aligned with the camera view.
Frank Beckmann gets most of the credit. A few years ago he made a vertical gradient material which linked together a State, Vec2Float, and Gradient nodes. I would have never figured this out, and I have used variations of it hundreds of times, for everything from transparency to scaling textures. I am posting a related tutorial with examples.
https://www.cheetah3d.com/forum/index.php?threads/13554/
This technique doesn’t require a separate picture made in a separate app. It can all be done in C3D. This also keeps the file size small. The State node is set for vertical Y or concentric IN. The gradient node can be tweaked with test renders to fine-tune the colors. A Solid shader is used in conjunction with a Render Tag, set for Visible in camera only. The Plane can be moved towards the camera or resized to fill the render background. Visibility can be clicked on and off in the Objects browser.
If you want the gradient to appear in the modeling window, render the background and load the saved image into the camera background.
This technique probably won’t be useful for most complex scenes, but if you have a single object floating in the middle of blank space, it’s a nice final step to make the render look a little better. It complements most lighting effects, and enhances the contrast around the object’s edges. It can be used with the Cheetah renderer and a shadow material for a clean background behind a typical product shot, instead of the usual curved sheet.
Here’s a simple gimmick to add a background gradient. Gradients are intrinsically beautiful, and sometimes I use one as a background when rendering a simple object, to control the contrast around the edges and to suggest 3D space instead of a flat wall. Helmut uses a vertical “fire” gradient. Zoohead has frequently used radial gradients. I personally prefer a flat medium gray background when I’m modeling, but I might add a custom gradient for the render background. Jeanny mentioned that the attached file in my recent post was useful in demonstrating how this was made, so I figured it was worth a couple of tutorials to elaborate
I adapted Hiroto’s Camera Mask script to make a pre-set Solid background as a child of the camera, keeping it aligned with the camera view.
Frank Beckmann gets most of the credit. A few years ago he made a vertical gradient material which linked together a State, Vec2Float, and Gradient nodes. I would have never figured this out, and I have used variations of it hundreds of times, for everything from transparency to scaling textures. I am posting a related tutorial with examples.
https://www.cheetah3d.com/forum/index.php?threads/13554/
This technique doesn’t require a separate picture made in a separate app. It can all be done in C3D. This also keeps the file size small. The State node is set for vertical Y or concentric IN. The gradient node can be tweaked with test renders to fine-tune the colors. A Solid shader is used in conjunction with a Render Tag, set for Visible in camera only. The Plane can be moved towards the camera or resized to fill the render background. Visibility can be clicked on and off in the Objects browser.
If you want the gradient to appear in the modeling window, render the background and load the saved image into the camera background.
This technique probably won’t be useful for most complex scenes, but if you have a single object floating in the middle of blank space, it’s a nice final step to make the render look a little better. It complements most lighting effects, and enhances the contrast around the object’s edges. It can be used with the Cheetah renderer and a shadow material for a clean background behind a typical product shot, instead of the usual curved sheet.
