Having problems with glass shadow in DS 4.5

kitakoredaz

I am sorry,, daz glass shader preset work.^^;

today, I check , shader mixture > glass shader in ds 4.5.1.56 again with more simple scene.

with shader spot light, and shader direction light made by shader mixture.
and caustic camera by shader mixture.

(so need, make camera, light by shader mixture , and shader material applied with obj which cause caustic effect,
I used daz glass shader preset ("myribrary>shader preset>shader mixture>glass.duf in contnt library, we can find)

I did not try daz caustic camera preset yet.

it seems work without problem. I need to set correct value about photon map, and sample .
and need to care shader light parameter.,(intensity etc) and surroundings .

(I hope daz document will clear guide us about each shader blick of shader mixture parameter,,, )

I may report about these setting.

to clear and easy make caustic effect . (for apologize ^^;)
but it may not be useful for beteran user,, so just for whom want to test caustic effect with shader mixture light.

kitakoredaz

"caustic effect test with glass shader in daz studio 4.5.1.56"

I saw You tube video by Carnite .
voice is clear and mellow,, clear understand,, thanks much.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwCHxSTlOQo&list=PL5606C0A5A62058AB
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwCHxSTlOQo&list=PL5606C0A5A62058AB

but,, sometimes I missed to make caustic effect with other scene.
and felt difficulty when use glass shader preset (shader mixture)

so I write how make caustic camera, and light step by step.
then may note about setting value of each shader parameter.

to see caustic effect by 3delight render in daz studio,
we need to prepare 3 shaders.

1 "caustic camera which made photon map"
2 "shader light"
3 "caustic material shader" .

Daz defult shader light(distant or Spot light,), daz default camera,
and daz default material shader can not make caustic effect.
though we can apply new blick to daz default material shaders for caustic effect by shader mixture.

But there are some shader mixture preset already ( Mylibrary >Shader preset>shader mixture) .
so I used daz glass sahder preset for material shader.

(if you hope to check reflection caustic effect, "Chlome shader" work well )

Fist I may need to make "light and camera" by shader mixture.

====================================================

In daz studio, clear the scene, go to top menu>windows>tabs>shader mixture
shader mixture window will open.

there are already Daz default material shader blicks. do not care it.

in shader mixture window, go to top menu File>New shader.
choose shader type "camera"
set name it as you want. "caustic Camera" click accept.

now shader mixture current pane change to "caustic Camera" with orange color high light.
there is no blick. so I make two shader blicks in the pane.

Right click empty gley area, then open menu to insert Bricks

insert>Bricks(default)>Roots>Caustic Light(camera), click

In pane, there is new blick , named as Caustc Light (camera).

but it can not make photon map, so need to insert one more blick for camera.

Right click empty area again.

insert>Bricks(default)Functions>Lighting>RootSetting>PhotonMapper(camera) ,then click.

Now you can see two bricks.

"Caustic Light(Camera)" and "Photon Mapper (camera)"

you can drug the each blick by mouse over around top border . (mouse icon change to translate mode)
drug the "Photon mapper blick" to left side. there is "Root setting"
switch ( F small circle) under "out put" section, .

but , on Caustc Light(Camera)blick, there is no Root setting section.

click option menu of "Caustic Light (camera) blick" then check "show advanced"

now you can see "Root setting" switch under input section of "Caustic Light (camera) blick"

drug the out put "Root settiing" switch of "Photon Mapper Camera" to input "Root Setting" switch of " Caustic Light (camera)
"Out put" connect to "In put". simple and easy,,.(not ask me why,,)
joint two blicks as same as pic.

now we made "Caustic shader Camera which can make photon map"

" Yes it is so easy!" (do not ask me about detail why ,,etc ^^;)

click "create". you need to set name. I named it as "Photon Map camera"
( to find clear this camera make photon map (maybe,,)
now I have new Photon map camera in daz scene. of course it can work as usuall daz default camera.
(of course without caustic effect, untill I made shader light , and apply shader material)
====================================================

I will apply How to make distant shader light,,, and some point to adjust glass shader parameter (shader mixture).
of course it is easy too!

then,,, last pic is my work with caustic effect. not so bad. ?! d(> <;)</p>

Kattey

kitakoredaz, this is wonderful! Thank you so very much for your help! :D
I'll try it as soon as possible!

kitakoredaz

In you tube tutorial, she made simple shader spot light. it work well.
but I hope to use distant light for my room scene.:red:

so tried it. it can work. yeah!

(but I do not know clear about why need to set shade blick ,, and why it can make caustic effect,,

because daz default distant light can make shade and it is shader light too,,

anyway daz defautl shader distant light can not make caustic efefct,, so just made it.
may not need to think so many things at same time. %-P
so just write it.

==================================

open shader mixer tab again, if you closed. then goto top menu in shader mixer pane,
File>new shader.

this time I hope to make light, so that select "light". then name it as shader light.
"shader light" pane open.

right click on empty part on the pane, then
insert>Bricks(Default)>Roots>Lights>Distant Light. (you can select Point Light if you want)

Now I get new blick "Distant Light"
there is Shadow color property already ,
but there is not intensity of shadow.

so I hope to apply new blick which can adjust shadow intensity.

right click on empty part again,
insert>Bricks(Default)>Functions>Lighting>Shadows>Standard Shadows (Light)
this blick can apply shadow properties .

you may better check my pic, I often choose wrong blicks ^^;

Now there are two blicks,
Standard Shadows (Light) and Distant Light.

I drug Standard Shadows (light) to left side,
then drug the switch (c mark) to connect line.

Outputs Shadow switch of "Standard Shadow (Light)" to
Inputs Shadow switch of "Distant Light"

this shader distant light can make caustic effect (I do not know why it work,,^^;)

then click create name it as "Shader Distant Light"

Now I have new shader light in the scene of daz studio.

you can close shader mixer pane.

===========================================================================

I will write about how to make test scene, and

adjust parameter of each many properties ^^. Light, Camera, and glass shader.
(so please wait,, a few days,, or tomorrow @@;)

kitakoredaz

===========================================================================

step 3 (make scene to test caustic effect, apply glass shader)

I record how I tested them.

in daz studio go to top menu Create>primitive>plane (3m, divisions 50)
it become floor.

select the plane, top menu Create>new Node Instance

then go to parameter tab, rotate the instance X 90
it become wall.

I change "reflection strong" of the Plane , to 20 % in surface tab
and change difuse color a little weak gray.

make new primitive (I select torus ) on the scene.

this primitive will catch light then ray reflect or reflact ,
after that they hit photon map which made by photon camera

so I need to apply "material shader" about this primitive
(cube or sphere or torus,, or obj you loaded to the scene)

Lets apply "glass shader" on the primitive.
(or you need to make the shader by yourself in shader mixer ^^;)

change tool to surface selection, then select surface of torus.
go to surface tab, select presets.

Defualt>shaders>Glass there is "Glass.duf"

or go to content Library,

Daz studio Format>MyLibrary(your ds content folda)>Shader preset>Shader mixture
there are many shader mixture blicks already, then click Glass.duf

when you change mode "editor" in surface pane,
You can see ,Shader name change to "Caustic glass"

before render scene,
adjust "Photon Camera" and "Shader DistantLight" properties .
there are some check points. .

==============================================

select Photon Camera view on 3d view Controls option to decide scene angle.
never forget to render scene by Photon Camera not default Camera ^^;

Photon camera properties decide photon map, so it is improtant.

select Photon Camera, go to parameter tab.

Caustic Light (camera)> intensity 10 (it decide directly photon color intensity)

Caustic Color (clear Blue, or Red,, I choose 1,128,255 )

Samples 400

sample mode "light source"
illumination "on"

next adjust photon count

Photon Mapper(camera)> photon count.

the more counts , the more photon on the Camera frame. (maybe!)

I think,,, reflect or reflact ray by the obj (applied caustic shader=glass shader, on this case)
hit the photon, photon color change how I set.

default 500,000 is Ok to test.
I do not change Shading Rate 4, and Max erroer 0.1 default.

=======================================================================

it simply only decide how the obj and shadow visible.
I think. so just keep clear contrast.

Display>Shadow >Shadow type selected "ray trace(software only)" (must need to make shadow^^;)

Display>Distant Light

there are Tint, intensity, Light Color, sample mode, llumination.
if you hope to change intensity of Light and Light Color, change these parameter as you want.

( I changed Intensity 0.6)

Sample mode select "Light Source" Illumination "on" is default.

when you change Light Illumination "off" you can see, photon caustic color
illuminate in the dark scene. I love this effect much. I stick pne picture ,, illumination off

Display>Standard Shadow(light)

there is Light color property too. but no need to tweak. just keep (255,255,255) default.
shadow intensity "1.00" as default

shadow color (black 0,0,0)
if you change color it can make different color shadow. so after first test,
you may try to tweak .

=================================================================

I tweaked and test about many parameter,
but about caustic effect, not many properties have refference.

select the obj surface by surface celection tool, then go to surface tab editor,

Default>Caustics
there are three properties.

"Photon Material" has only meaning to change caustic effect.

if set "Matt" no photon effect. (as you know)
set default "glass" or "chrome" change effect much.
(chrome reflect many photones, so colored photon scattered)

but when I change Photon reflectance, or Samples, there seems no meaning.
so just leave it off as default.

Default>Opacity
there are two key nobs of caustic effect.

if you feel your caustic effect is weak with glass shader,
you may try to change these two properties first.

"Caustic Opacity color"

default is white,so sometimes I can not find any caustic effect.
but just turn to grey, it cause more clear effect.eg 140 140 140.
(in you tube video she mentioned it)
so black is most clear caustic effect.

"Opacity strength"

if you change this color to perfect black, you can not visible your obj in 3d view,

but after render , it simply remove shadow of the object,
and can not see reflact caustic effect. you may see only reflect caustic effect.
I missed many time.

the near to white color,, more strong shadow and clear caustic effect
which lay pass through the obj or reflact to the plane.

I think default is not bad, but if you hope to more clear effect,
turn the color to more white. eg 125,125,125, I select.

=====================================================================

ReDave

That's great, thanks Kitakoredaz,! But it doesn't seem to give real (or real-looking) caustics. :-S The rays should be concentrating rather than being suffused.

kitakoredaz

in my pic , I just emphasaized the color, so it may not real looking.^^;

and I know need to adjust more if I hope to real ^^;

I feel strange because when I adjust reflaction value there seems not many change,
(May need to more tweaking,,)

but it can work about not only reflected lay, but also about lay which emitted into the object and throw out,
on that means I feel it work with reflaction too ^^; but ,,, (actually,, I can not understand clear -^^#)

(And these caustic effect is not same as real reflection ,, because it depend on more
than camera setting,, I think ^^; eg about caustic color there seems no meaning adjust the material of the object.
(about room and vase pic, I just change the surface color to lokks like caustic color effect,, it is not real effect at all)

Redave you know well about Me ^^; I often make mistake, or mis understanding, so you better not belive ^^;
I am just new "baby" about 3d, who like test or play with topices ^^;