I need some serious help with my lighting :/

Titus S

Does anyone have any exterior lighting tutorials with Mental Ray only for 3dsmax? I searched 3d total and a lot f the tutorials didn't really help with my scene.

This is what I had a while ago and couldn't achieve the lighting again T_T

I've came a long way from this shot, I added more grime cards, a mountain, a decent GP (going to redo it) and messed with the scale, and the positioning of the castle to get a nicer shot.

Thanks a lot guys, this piece will be in my portfolio when I go for an interview and I really want to make it shine.

Peris

is it supposed to be for a game? Put it in a game engine! UDK is free now

Titus S

Peris wrote: »

is it supposed to be for a game? Put it in a game engine! UDK is free now

I really do not know how to use UDK xD, at all.

Ark

Titus S wrote: »

I really do not know how to use UDK xD, at all.

Nows a good time, http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/VideoTutorials.html

If you still want to use Mental Ray, look in the help files for the sun and sky shader.

Titus S

Ark wrote: »

Nows a good time, http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/VideoTutorials.html

If you still want to use Mental Ray, look in the help files for the sun and sky shader.

The help files in Max itself?

Thanks for the link, I'll definitely look at it.

Ark

Yeah take a look at max's help files for the "Physical Sun and Sky Shader".

It's really easy to set up and gives great results from the start. Just turn on Final Gathering and you should get a good result without much tweaking.

You can move the sun around and it will change colour/intensity according to real world coordinates.

Rhinokey

you dont know how to use udk, you dont know how to use mental ray, so you have some learnins ahead of you either way, if you do want to do game stuff then udk would be much mor advantageous to learn if you want pre rendered stuff then mental ray may be more advantagous, wacha wacha want?

Titus S

Rhinokey wrote: »

you dont know how to use udk, you dont know how to use mental ray, so you have some learnins ahead of you either way, if you do want to do game stuff then udk would be much mor advantageous to learn if you want pre rendered stuff then mental ray may be more advantagous, wacha wacha want?

I like stuff to look realistic so Mental Ray is nice...

But for now I guess learning UDK will be better? But I was planning on doing that over my break. I just want to have a nice render for monday. I do understand I can get extra brownie points for the scene to be in a game engine.

SO! UDK!!! (were you offering help? )

Rhinokey

http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/VideoTutorials.html suree million videos there should get you going !

Titus S

Rhinokey wrote: »

http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/VideoTutorials.html suree million videos there should get you going !

Haha Thank you...

Now comes my next dilema!!

Does anyone know how to make a proper sky dome? I've been searching around (this site, google, 3dtotal) and only found broken links and some tutorials that required me to download 3dsmax 2008 trial just to copy one file over to my 2009 O_O

I appreciate all of your guy's help

Ark

A sky dome is normally just a sphere cut in half with self-illum texture applied to not recieve any light/shadows/decals.

AnimeAngel

A really good book for mental ray is "Rendering with Mental Ray & 3ds max" by Joep van der Steen.
I just happened to be reading it now. He discusses in-depth all the lighting features of mental ray including outdoor lighting and such. You might find it very useful if you are going to go the mental ray route.

Ark

AnimeAngel wrote: »

A really good book for mental ray is "Rendering with Mental Ray & 3ds max" by Joep van der Steen.
I just happened to be reading it now. He discusses in-depth all the lighting features of mental ray including outdoor lighting and such. You might find it very useful if you are going to go the mental ray route.

I actually have that book and find it to be more for the techniqcal aspects rather than teaching you how to light.

Jeremy Birns as a great book: http://www.3drender.com/light/index.html

Titus S

Fixed it :P totally forgot the castle was blocking the omni...

Thanks for the help so far guys!

Rhinokey

is the interview for a game job? cause if someoen came to me with all their game assets rendered in mental ray, it would be way unimpressive.

if its for cinematic (movie not game) stuff and it was in udk i would be unimpressed,
i asked earlier if you were focusing on game biz or other, but you skipped over the question.

Shogun3d

You can always do both

Titus S

Rhinokey wrote: »

is the interview for a game job? cause if someoen came to me with all their game assets rendered in mental ray, it would be way unimpressive.

if its for cinematic (movie not game) stuff and it was in udk i would be unimpressed,
i asked earlier if you were focusing on game biz or other, but you skipped over the question.

Sorry buddy, it wasn't on purpose ignoring your question... I really kicked my ass this quarter and I have been really tired. But now I'm done so I'll answer your question

The renders were either scaline or Xoliuls viewport (my assets), the exterior is scanline I think and mental ray for my matte painting. The position is an internship at a game company.

Justin Meisse

Here's a skydome I did a not too long ago, I took a panaromic photo and ran polar coordinates, rectangular to polar distortion on it. It's a bit rough because it was just an experimental piece but hopefully this will give you some ideas.

Titus S

Justin_Meisse wrote: »

Here's a skydome I did a not too long ago, I took a panaromic photo and ran polar coordinates, rectangular to polar distortion on it. It's a bit rough because it was just an experimental piece but hopefully this will give you some ideas.

Ah so it's a little squashed at the top :P Cool, I'll try that later, thank you.