skydomes, backdrops, and reflections

sriesch

I briefly got all exciting creating a background using Bryce and using it as a backdrop in DAZ Studio, but then realized that of course there was no sky to reflect properly from reflective objects.

Is there any way to get the backdrop and/or the background color to reflect in things, or should I always use a skydome or something else if I want this to happen?

Does anybody know how I can apply the image I was using as a backdrop to the visible portion of a skydome? (I'll have to go look if it matters, but I think I have a skydome from the Dystopia city blocks or a similar product.).

JonnyRay

The backdrop is basically just a 2D image that is composited with the rendered version of your 3D scene after the rendering is finished. So there isn't a checkbox or something to make it reflect.

You could do a couple of things. A SkyDome would be one, another would be to just add a primitive plane then apply the image you generated in Bryce as a texture map on the plane.

Richard Haseltine

You could also use Shader Mixer to construct a shader that would use a map for distant objects while reflecting those nearby directly - though getting a backdrop into a helpful format can be tricky (as can fitting it to a skydome).

sriesch

I'll have to give the backdrop mapped onto a flat object a try. I can see it would depend on what/where is supposed to do the reflecting; it might work great in some circumstances (for example a single reflective surface at once spot), but not in others (for example chrome on a vehicle that's reflecting the sky from numerous angles).

Is there some standard way already set up to fit the backdrop into the appropriate part of a skydome map?

cipher_X

You could also use a reflection map of your environment, on whatever objects you want to have reflection.

In the image below there are just two sphere primitives [this is just an example and not meant to be perfect]. The large sphere acts as my background and has the IBL map I am using with the UberE plugged into the diffuse and ambient channels. The smaller sphere has UberSurface2 applied to it. The diffuse color is set to black. The jpeg version of the IBL map is in the reflection channel, color is white, strength set to 100% and blur to 1.25. You can adjust the blur to suit your situation.

cipher_X

Here is the same scene but with the Stinger model and using the reflection map.

sriesch

I'm still trying to read up on it, but I ran across this thread "Favorite Starry Space Maps for SkySphere or SkyDome?" http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/8284/ and these two Bryce products which may relate:
http://www.daz3d.com/bryce-7-pro-spherical-mapper
http://www.daz3d.com/bryce-7-pro-scene-converter/

Rareth

you can use the environmental sphere to project a background on, you have to tweak a few settings for it, like make it visible in render under parameters.

then under surfaces you put the image map on diffuse and ambient, make diffuse active, turn on ray tracing,

make diffuse color white
turn ambient strength all the way up.

can turn accept shadows off.

I Have UE2 lighting the scene with the "Set Quality 3Hi" applied to it.

ReDave

@Cypher_X: that Stinger looks real! Congratulations! o_O Not that I have seen real spaceships flying in the streets to compare yet, but still...