Novica & Serene Night's Renders, Tips, Tutorials & Product Reviews Part 1
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Is that backgroung the Lune Portail? Because if it is and you loaded the whole preset, it comes with an Uber Environment loaded if I'm not mistaken. If you don't choose a setting (and make sure occlusion samples is on 128), it tends to do this. At least, in my experience. Sometimes, instead of fixing the samples, tossing in a speculat only light helps, too, but only there where the light touched the subject.
But maybe I'm just talking out of my ear again :) After all, I am a newbie ;)
Yes, I noticed when I tried to load up Skull Cove skydome, that there was an existing light setup that was blocking it, have been playing with it :) I am doing a few renders of her with this effect and logging the different settings to see what does what. Playtime! But you're absolutely right about the lights. (newbie or not, lol- you're very smart!)
Not smart, just very curious ;)
I have to say I'm enjoying the texture though!
This is with the Blacksmith prop from Skull Cove. (Figured if I couldn't use the skydome, might as well grab a different background prop, lol) The shirt is still from Charlize, I am showing you different versions from the Accessories pack. Lighting still the Lune Portail. (Love it! It's a PC Club item.)
More Charlize coming (with this texture.)
EDIT: Here's the expression morphs used- the smiling one is Excitement, with a touch of Smile Mouth Open. Be aware when you render the teeth will show LESS than what is seen in the viewport. Sorry, didnt jot down the exact settings.
EDIT: The concerned one is Sad .70
There is really a nice selection of clothing texture patterns. Solids, stripes, etc.
Charlize
No UberEnvironment2
Here we go, with the settings if you're practicing with lights. Not saying these are the right settings so far as brightness, but a good starting point if you don't want to change Charlize's BLUE diffuse color. You'll need a lot of hot pink and bright yellow!
This is my first test, with spot and distant lights. Information not found in the images:
Spot light 1: Shadow Softness 92.9%
Spotlight 2: Shadow Softness 72.6%
Distant Light 1 (yes, to the far right as you look at it) Shadow Softness 25%.
More coming. This will get you started. Not ONE word about those embarrassing sandals in the screenshots. (which were cut from the render. Stupid pose presets screws up high heels every time!)
And the last one, the second distant light. So there were 2 distant lights and 2 spotlights for the fast test.
This will show you where they all are. Now for the fun, let's turn each one off and you can see what this type of setup really does. This is how I test my lights. (So these aren't renders per se, they're light test shots, but they'll show you what is doing what.) I want to see how the colors are impacting this skin- note each is a different color.
HOWEVER, it's also a nice reference for knowing how bright the lights are- if I were to do these all the same color, if I like the results of the intensity and shadows, I would be able to use these settings even if they DON'T look good with different colors.
I am watching the render come in and wow, what a difference Distant Light 1 (the white) makes when it is turned off. Be back in about 20 minutes.
EDIT: Here's just the head test. Doing full body. This is without Distant Light 1. The white sure made a difference when taken out!
Pictured: Distant Light 1 turned off, full length. Yes, she's barefoot. (Stop snickering.)
Distant Light 1 is white, 100%, shadow softness 25%
Now working on Distant Light 2 turned off. Turned Distant Light 1 back on.
The shadow softness of the other light, sorry I forgot! I'll post it as soon as I can get back into the studio, it's rendering.
EDIT: First image is the RENDER. THen here is the viewport of before (all lights on) and without Distant Light 1. This is NOT SPOT RENDERED.
Without Distant Light 2
Distant Light 2 is Shadow Softness 84.8%, Color 210/140/128 Dark Mauve.
Distant Light 2 (Dark Mauve) turned off. Can you say UGH? The first shot is the RENDER. Next two- a screenshot of the viewport so you can see what is getting turned off.
I WENT BACK AND POSTED THIS FOR DISTANT LIGHT ONE, so check that previous post again.
Spotlight 2 Turned Off
Spotlight 2: Bright Yellow 244/ 224/ 66 Intensity 42.1% Shadow Softness 77.6%
So this is without the yellow influence.
Spotlight 1 Off
Spotlight 1 is 255 / 170/ 164 Bright Pink, Shadow Softness 92.9%
This spotlight is the main player, so turning it off should be more dramatic. It was the first light placed. As it is the red influence, we'll see quite a different Charlize, more along the blue-gray of the original.
If you're new to lighting or haven't played with seriously different colors coming from different angles, hope you've enjoyed the "tour." I am going to change Charlize's skin and will show you all that next. I DO need to run to the barn, we've had some storms and I need to get Nova some hay to keep him inside his shelter and NOT under the trees. (Sometimes instinct is not a good thing. )
BTW, if you got all the teen stuff (the bundle) check this out- it wasn't in the bundle, and I thought I had everything TEEN, but I didn't have this and it's 51% today.
http://www.daz3d.com/young-teens-5/wicked-teen-accessories
Okay, change of plans. Well, same plans, different approach. I am going to bring in my ALL TIME FAVORITE GAL. If I had to pick one, and only one, she'd be IT. We're switching Charlize over to my "GTG." (Go To Gal.)
Get ready, Charlize is about to be sent to the beauty parlor for a skin change. Back in awhile, but here's my GTG's arm and we'll see what I can do.
WELL, ditching THAT. It's not giving me the same results by a long shot. I'm doing my own thing. If it works, you can pay me and I'll divulge the settings....lol. This is a challenge! I'll be back in a bit, may take awhile as none of the settings of my GTG did much. I've still got a pasty greenish blue looking Charlize. UGH. But don't dispair, before today is over (and the sale) I WILL HAVE A FIX FOR YOU.
Custom Charlize Settings
Here you go. If other people want a good starting point to fiddle, feel free to direct them to this post. Please do not repost elsewhere.
This should give you a good starting point to go either lighter or more golden, simply by changing the Diffuse slightly. However, I did a render of a section of the skin in a daylight setting, and was ultra pleased! So for me, I'm DONE. I put her next to my V6 Chiara and my V5 Cassini and I'm proud of my Charlize! (I started to render them together so you could see, but forget that, we'd be here till next summer waiting on it.)
I made the lacrimals the same color as the skin, but left the nostrils alone. I figured a pasty gray inside there was about right, lol!
Use a medium rose color for the lips, and use orange for the ambient to get the frost look.
This is a custom blend, the numbers are unlike anything that I have. Enjoy!
If not mentioned, leave as original settings. Change these:
Diffuse 183 / 183 / 183, 100%
Glossiness 76.8%
Specular 144 / 97 / 93 25.2%
Ambient 77 / 57 / 48 100%
Opacity 100%
Bump 20% (-0.10 and 0.10)
Displacement 1.4% (-0.10 and 0.10)
SKIN: V6 (very important!) Don't use plastic or V5.
CLICK TO ENLARGE THEN CLICK AGAIN.
(Dang it, I put a LOT of work into this, and you're going to SEE it by gosh! LOL!)
For those of you subscribed to the thread, come to the forum and see my Charlize skin! She's been posted!
Marvelous Designer (.com)
This thread was talking about Marvelous Designer. I haven't tried it, but wow, the video is cool. It's in beta until August 15th- go get it and play! :)
http://www.marvelousdesigner.com/
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/26561/#393854
Found interesting tutorials- and you may want to watch this one! (Wish I spoke her language as well as she speaks mine!)
She will show you some things the main site does not.
http://www.wtv3d.org/t19792-marvelous-designer-tutorial-how-to-model-the-3d-clothing-quick-easy-by-lookbooktelevision
The rest of them from that site is here:
http://www.wtv3d.org/f5-marvelous-designer-tutorials
3D Coat
While I'm surfing around our forums, I keep reading about all these other programs! SickleYield mentioned this one in this thread. If you go to the site, read the PDF- it has good images to help you get a feel of the program.
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/26586/#394247
http://3d-coat.com/
Okay okay, I haven't posted in a day or two. Unusual I know! Busy working on other projects. So how about I give you a bunch of 'em to compensate. Here's your "product fix" lol. I do have a question about MGM Mill, if you have it handy. See below.
Coming Up-
Lips: Emelie and Edward Odd
http://www.daz3d.com/emelie-and-edward-odd
Character: Otherworldly Wonders: Tamesis
http://www.daz3d.com/otherworldly-wonders-tamesis
Outfit: Wind Dancer and the textures
http://www.daz3d.com/wind-dancer
http://www.daz3d.com/wind-dancer-textures
Set: MGM Mill
Pets: The Venomwhip, Herdbeast ON SALE. These guys are cool!
http://www.daz3d.com/the-venomwhip
http://www.daz3d.com/herdbeast
Lighting: Predatron DS Lights
http://www.daz3d.com/predatron-ds-lights
Poses: Teenage Poses
http://www.daz3d.com/teenage-poses
*********************************************************************************
What do Emelie and Edward Odd have in common with Tamesis? Lips! I'll show you a fun combination.
What do Wind Dancer and Pure Hair Lovely have in common? Rust and copper colors.
Ever visit MGM Mill? Tamesis is there. She took two of her pets for a visit, but they squabbled the entire time. (Title- "I'm Disappointed In You.") This was just the architecture, you can load up the WorldBaseXT to get the full ground (it didn't show with all these props so I'm assuming from reading the product page it comes with WorldBase. If you load up MGM Mill with the ivy and bench, etc and have a ground, let me know :)
But what do you expect when your pets are The Venomwhip and Herdbeast!
Julie has wonderful poses- Tamesis will show you.
Another light combination. UberEnvironment2 tweaks (lots of them) with spotlights and distant lights. Took a Predatron set and changed the settings then added mine. I wanted a soft, daytime glow to build on (or leave as is.) I'll post the render that I'm at shortly. (Already tweaked about twelve times.)
Well, I can see where this is headed. I'm doing more on lighting than I am the products. However, since you may be curious, I'll share my trials and tribulations, as usual.
First of all, just my opinion- UberEnvironment2 light isn't on my list of wow factors at the moment because I don't know what I'm doing, and that's the only reason it isn't. I did start reading Adam's tutorial and for the purpose of what I'm doing (which started with thinking I'd just plop Predatron's lights into this scene and "done"- RIGHT) and the post of interest is adding lights TO the UE2 light. I will refer you to this post first (which I did NOT read when doing these, I was experimenting, going down the line of lights that were in the setup first)
Read this about adding lights, and particularly the Specular, because that is what I am going to have to change, again- it is too bright in the preset I used. But otherwise, if you don't have a specular light, UE2 kinda flattens stuff. ("to offset the quashing of specular response that UE2 creates" is how Adam put it.)
Read this post- just this one- if you're learning UE2- that's what I'll be testing, among other things. But I have quite a few renders prior to reading that, the four images below are me testing UE2 with my other lights. (You're going to be SICK of seeing this scene, lol. I know I AM!!!) I didn't set this up as a comparison for all the UE2 settings, so don't expect an organized step by step (I may do that later.) I was changing the lighting, not just the UE2.
USING OTHER LIGHTS WITH UE2
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/5320/P30/#67987
Image 1: The lighting you get with Predatron's setup (DS Lights 07, Raytrace) but I took out the image used as it turned everything BLUE. It uses UE2 Occlusion with directional shadows.
The other images change my spotlights, their shadows, the one distant light. The second one is occlusion/soft shadows whereas number 3 is occlusion with directional shadows. However, some lighting was changed.
Compare 3 and 4 though. I kept the light settings the same. 3 is occlusion directional shadows, and 4 is indirect with soft shadows.
If You Have Never Tried UberEnvironment2 Lighting...
Too many settings- too intimidating- or your don't have enough time to read everything there is to know and you get started but then..
Yep, we all know how that can be. I'm just now starting with it, will read more, but I am going to play while I do. Join me right now, in progress. If I don't panic and bolt, you certainly won't. I do this for FUN and if it's not, I don't do it.
If I were to say to a newbie, "Here's how to play with UberEnvironment 2 lighting...." this would be one way to start.
1. Predatron's DS Lights.
2. Use set 07, Raytrace.
3. Take out the blue image as it makes everything blue.
4. Now, this set has UE2 in it, you don't mess with any of the settings except the intensity, intensity scale, and the type of shadows. That way, you can play and see what THAT does first.
5. Your set will have a Specular light, just like what Adam recommended. Predatron already knew that apparently, lol.
6. Change one thing at a time. Start with your Specular light. The set has it bright white, leave it there and change the intensity, do a couple spot renders. Try this color: 255 / 224 / 203 as it's a medium peach/coral. It will take the flatness out of the UE2 without making the skin a pasty grayish blue that the white might do. The render coming up uses this color, and at 35.2% (remember, for the Specular light.) My specular however, was on the RIGHT (see later posts, it should have been on the left with my main distant light.)
Adam's post says to locate it with your key light (main light, which was his distant at 60-75%.) I hadn't read that so at least I tried it a different way!
7. Sun Light: 237/255/253 at 35.2% If you were looking at it from perspective, front view- this distant light would be at the front but to your right.
8. My spotlight is on our right, but slightly behind the characters. It was 36.2% and a light (very light) peach at 255/255/210.
9. Without changing your other settings (once you get the lighting how you like it) THEN in UE2, do a render with occlusion with directional shadows (that's the default with Predatron's set) then do one with occlusion with soft shadows.
10 Next, change to the indirect light options in UE2 (it's in the same dropdown as the occlusion options) and do those renders. Pick the occlusion or indirect options that you like, and you're done for your first render with UE2.
Rendering a facial closeup now. Is at 34% at 18 minutes, so check back in half an hour or so. Tamesis is looking good and you can see the lips from Emelie and Edward :)
This is Tamesis (Otherworldly Wonders: Tamesis)
Uses all the settings above. Will do the entire scene next.
CLICK TO ENLARGE THEN CLICK AGAIN- and look at the lips!
Note the lips did not form a perfect heart- there was a small blob. Don't know how it will do on your character lips.
"Can I Keep Them, PLEASE?"
Decided that was more appropriate. Will do a separate post with ten things newbies might want to remember about composition.
One thing I'll mention here just for thought.
One way to tie a composition together is COLOR- one or two colors dominant through everything. This one is rust and red. Her hair, the Herdbeast's stripes on the back, Venomwhip's tail and sploches, her clothing.
Likewise, use of warm colors and or VERSUS cool colors. This has warm colors throughout- the walls of the MGM Mill are beige (warm) so it continues the warm theme. You see this image you don't think cold weather (that, plus she'd be freezing her fanny off in that not-family-friendly-outfit. I'm not showing the rear view!)
If you want your character to stand out, do cool colors for background, warm in front, or vice versa.
If you don't have these two critters, I think you'd enjoy them. I don't like the eye of Venomwhip, I'd darken it or do something with it. Increase the glossy and make it more interesting too. But love the glossy surface of his skin!
So this is my first render with UberEnvironment2 with just experimenting with indirect or occlusion settings with soft shadows or directional shadows. Just started out as a product review but oh well! I WILL be showing you more of the Teenage Poses and The Mill, so check back!
Okay, here's a few things about the render.
First, to improve it (if I were going to do this as a keeper) the herdbeast is just plain dull. He needs another spotlight coming in or something to give him some pizazz.
TIP: Get away from your screen. (Do it when no one else is watching, lol.) If you see blobs, your subject is boring. Go ahead, go back to mine and step away (don't enlarge, just look at it from this size) See how my beastie is (YAWN) bland?
When pizazzing up your objects though, remember as always your light source if your light is going to be noticeable. (I could use a spotlight on the underneath side of that dude, set on 8% or more, and create a glow up his sides. It couldn't be a pointlight as the concrete would glow, has to be one way- UP.) The spotlight would NOT be white- make it a different color! (a light green or keeping with the theme- HOT PINK. Yes, SereneNight, pink again, lol!)
Second, that tail is too dark- it's so glossy and pretty that it's a shame to have it ignored. For that, I COULD use a spotlight on OUR right, pointing out left to light it- because the light would hit stuff OUT OF THE SCENE! So, no worries.
Anyway, needs tweaking, but got the job done. I'm experimenting and you got to see Tamesis, Herdbeast, The Venomwhip, Wind Dancer outfit. That's a Young Teen pose.
Now here's where I was manipulating to get the scene composition I wanted-
1. Tamesis needed to have a dark object behind her- picture her against that bland wall. UGH.
2. Her hand stays within that dark area.
3. Tamesis is NOT CENTERED in the middle of the door. Think asymmetrical.
4. The tip of the horn comes above the back- it is noticeable. Don't hide horns- tilt your camera! Notice I got it with a darker area of the wall behind it? And my spotlight helps light it- very lightly- but it does. You can tell more on the second horn. That spotlight comes from our right and BESIDE the building (as much as possible)
5. Part of the yard showing to add depth, with wall beam CROOKED. I hate renders where something runs straight up the side of the image. Boring. That little triangle and the camera angle relieves the boring symmetry of "straight up the rectangle render."
6. The two animals do NOT touch. This adds to the "gonna get you" "I'm badder than you are!" feeling. Second and very important, that lower jaw of the Venomwhip DOES NOT line up with the horizontal line of the door/floor meeting.
7. Her hand does not touch the top of the Venomwhip's head- it would be an illusion as she is behind him, but you don't want it to look like she is petting him!
8. The back leg is showing but like number 5, does not run vertically alongside the front leg. Notice his foot is exactly aligned with Tamesis' foot? She is uncaring that she is barefoot, which adds to the nonchalance of the scenario.
9. The back leg sticks out over the concrete, it doesn't end exactly at the end of the slab. Again, boring! And there's yard over there, too, to give a larger scale to the scene. And yes, more yard than the other side, asymmetrical.
10. You should be able to guess. Go ahead. Right- the tail is clearly visible, does not overlap the dark beam where it would get lost.
Hope this helps if you're new to composition/art.
Cathie
Bland and boring bye bye.
IDL with directional shadows.
:)
TIP: Don't get point lights too close to the surface they are lighting or you will get blobs of intense color. (I call it texture burns.)
Newbies- thought you might like to see how that was done. Remember, turn off lights when testing other lights.
It's going to be 108 heat index here in Florida so I am headed out to put Nova under a fan (so he doesn't drop weight, plus, poor baby! The humidity here is almost 100% and it's awful outside.) Anyway, I read the thread on UberEnvironment2 and basically, when using that, you need a Specular light with your main OTHER light (known as traditional light- aka, your distant light, spotlight, pointlight- anything other than the UE2 light) to keep your objects from going flat.
Well, I had my distant light on our left, front (as viewing it) and Predatron's Specular was on the RIGHT, side- so what I am doing is closing the eye on that one (shutting it off) and putting one with my distant light on the left. I have also GREATLY changed the light settings. Same colors only greater intensity but darker shades. I am still using one of the best settings of UE2 (IDL with Directional Shadows, most realistic but longest render times)
What you will see is my experimenting with bounce light- the light cast from an object that (if I get this right) contains light and color cast from an object. What I did is put a pink point light on the end of Venomwhip's tail but another green one one the rest of it, and that is shining on Tamesis slightly (I moved her so it wouldn't be a big green glare.) What's cool- I moved her so her hip would catch a tiny bit of the green (hence my choice for Venomwhip's) from Herdbeast's hip. That will also light her hand.
TIP: When using point lights to create a glow on a surface, place your other items carefully. If you WANT bounce light, put your other items there when you set up the scene. Don't waste time setting up lighting on your characters only to find later that "oooh, a point light would look good there!" but you'd have to redo all your other lighting due to the unwanted glow. (Particularly if you have spotlights.)
WOW-- render coming in, I can see Venomwhip's tail. Funky! Because it's so glossy (unlike Herdbeast) it really glistens. Will turn down the intensities on the next render. Tamesis' face has caught some of the green bounce, it's not an alien green, lol (You can see it on her chin in particular) Her arm is coming in and that definitely looks more glowing. I will turn down the specular on the next run- look at the fingers- too glossy. Will check the surfaces settings and maybe darken her skin a bit, too pale for me. And adjust lights again.
I do like that her face is illuminated now, just have to keep tweaking.
For you newbies that don't want to leap into UE2- I'm glad I worked with spotlights, distant lights, and point lights first. However, you are missing what is a really fun element- the bounce light coming off the objects. Think of light reflecting off a surface. Gives a nice illumination. If you read Adam's thread, it will give you a great place to start. If you want a good setup, get those Predatron's DS Lights and use number 7, raytrace- all the settings match what Adam is talking about :) Easy smeezy setup. Then you just move your lights where you want them. Then tweak. Tweak...
Will post render in about half an hour, then seriously, headed out. 1:15pm and HOT.
I had a tutorial link for studio lighting with UE(2), that put the specular (spot)light at a more or less 45 degree angle from the camera, but I seem to have misplaced it.
While fiddling with it, I found that a specular light is not necessary to avoid skin splotchiness if you use the highest quality UE or toss the occlusion samples on 128. I've gotten lazy and tend to do teh latter for most pics now O:)
Okay to make it easier for you, here's a side by side of the Tamesis with the specular on the wrong side (aka, not the same side as my main light) and the second one with the specular moved (to our LEFT, with the main light.)
Note the feet are flat, they are in shadow. I have posted a question on the UE2 thread- I have two problems on the same figure, and they are opposite problems. Too much (I think?) specular on the body, not enough on the feet. Not sure if I should address that in the Surfaces tab for just the feet (the specular.) Why I have to tackle complicated scenes-point lights all around, dodging those too, getting the right distance between those and the characters...
Will be changing the point lights on the Venomwhip FIRST. Later this evening. 2:15 and OUT THE DOOR to the barn! 107 degrees heat index now.
They already are. Predatron DS Lights are really good settings (match or exceed those in Adam's tutorial.) You're not lazy, you just work smart and start with the best settings.
EDIT: As promised, here's the information.The darker colors, even though the render went lighter, it's because of the added specular over by the main light on our left)
The above render had:
Specular 214/188/171 at 57.1% (it was 35.2% and lighter)
Sun 162/174/174 still 35.2%
Spotlight 1 (remember, on the right, from slightly behind them, as we look at it) 188/149/142. Darker. From 68.6 I went to 45.7%
Distant- over on the left-I went from a medium peach (32.9%) to darker 206/171/145 and from 32.9% up to 55.2% as it's darker.
I turned off the wrong specular (it was on the right, whereas my main light is on the left) and the NEW SPECULAR over on the left is
165/121/113 a very dark mauve. It was at 57.1%
EDIT: Below, this is the difference in the walls from the render above and the next one. I am doing a screenshot of the render so it won't be perfect. First is the actual render (above) and second is the screenshot of the render in progress with the lowered intensities, same colors. I added a second point light to the Venomwhip's tail and lowered the intensity of the first one.
Light colored walls are a great way to see immediate changes. Sometimes you don't need to finish a render if you'll just check the wall.
EDIT: Here's what's coming in. The tail is more subtle, with almost blinky lights, lol. May adjust that again, too soon to tell. I like her face so far, not so bright. The green glow is gone from the chin due to the lower intensity of the Venomwhip's tail point light. Specular setting also decreased in the light. From 55.2 down to 45.7%