Novica & Serene Night's Renders, Tips, Tutorials & Product Reviews Part 1

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Comments

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,895
    edited December 1969

    With product reviews, I feel comfortable in saying I am more than fair about stating what I like, but hedging "not so warm and fuzzy" comments with "double check this for me." I want to represent these items the way they are, and certainly don't want to color your impression with a "not so happy with" experience if it's something I've missed and could be doing better.

    That said, the L'Atelier set may not be a favorite of mine. I like to work in a view other than light wireframe (I vary off and on with shaded views) and the walls of this set are all connected I think. You barely zoom out and you have a large blob blocking your view. I found this highly annoying, so if anyone else has this set, would you check it. I broke down the sub menus in Scene and could not find a way to separate the walls. It's 4am though and I'm tired, so I'm allowing for error here.

    And, to add insult to injury, selecting the surface of one didn't surface the other when I added materials. So I had the irksome wall in the way without the benefit of shading the walls all at once. I want to be able to work in the view I want without hiding walls- and I was doing wall work (pictures) so hiding the wall didn't cut it.

    I'll try it again sometime tomorrow, but we have a potential Tropical Storm (definitely moisture, been raining already six hours) and it's already storming a bit, so will have to prioritize getting Nova into the barn and helping with the other horses if it floods. I have a "tutorial" on how I'm changing L'Atelier using the previous restaurant product props too.

    Hopefully it's just something I've overlooked with the walls, but for me personally, if it's not, this set is not one that I really like in that respect. The props are nice but I'm doing a changeover. There is also another gripe that you will read about when I post the review. LOTS of screenshots.

  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,654
    edited August 2013

    quote author="Novica" date="1376722140"]Ya know, I'd love to see what a point light glowing inside the mouth would do. Did you save the scene by chance? :)

    Yes. Will render it with the light in the mouth tthis afternoon. Stay tuned. Good idea. I was actually surprised by the enchanted island light set. Some great lights there.

    I admit, I got it as a freebie and never used Encchanted island.. But the lights now in my favorite list. Always looking for lights that give a specific look- like night sky.

    Post edited by Serene Night on
  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,654
    edited December 1969

    Okay, here is infiltrator with a light in his mouth at both 50% and 100%

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,895
    edited December 1969

    What a neat look! I love the color you picked too.
    I have Enchanted Island (haven't used it yet) and will add that to the "lights to do" list :) thanks! (Chiara will happily be on the OTHER side of the rocks away from your critter, lol)

  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,654
    edited December 1969

    It occurred to me that I didn't use the night light from the island in the last two renders. Here it is.

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,895
    edited December 1969

    I like that one too. What set are you using? Can't identify stuff in the background. Your critter seems to have (started to say slithered but this thing seems like the moves would be a bit more defined) MIGRATED off the island...

  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,654
    edited August 2013

    The set is "Bot Shop" http://www.daz3d.com/bot-shop

    I lovethe set and use it often and it is a steal at any price. Plus it has lots of cool little props you can move around.. He's actually sitting on the little table. I then added the island lights. Work great indoors!

    Post edited by Serene Night on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,895
    edited December 1969

    Added to my wishlist!

    Also, on a different note- I don't have this but found it in my wishlist when I added SereneNight's Bot Shop. If you want a more upscale art studio prop- http://www.daz3d.com/studio-paris

  • barbultbarbult Posts: 24,369
    edited December 1969

    If you can adjust walls separately in surfaces, can't you just set opacity to 0 to get rid of it?

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,895
    edited December 1969

    barbult said:
    If you can adjust walls separately in surfaces, can't you just set opacity to 0 to get rid of it?

    Yes, but imagine doing that (in Surfaces, newbies!) every time you swing around. I am working on the walls and moving photos from one wall to the other. In other words, using the walls often. It's a VERY small space so far as camera views. I did change the view though to light wire frame- thanks for the tip on changing views! :)

    Also a question for you- how does UE2 light get affected with walls? If I am playing with the lighting settings, and trying to move around and see the effects, turning off the wall would do... what?

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,895
    edited December 1969

    FYI: I am also using the layout that comes initially with the studio setup, due to video tutorials I got used to the layout. So I'd have to have Surfaces open on the left and lights in Parameters on the right. Viewport really shrinks. It's best to keep turning the wall off and on in Scene as it's on the same side / and right next to Parameters.

  • barbultbarbult Posts: 24,369
    edited December 1969

    Have you tried changing the camera settings to get a more wide angle view, so you can see more, when your camera is inside the walls?

  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,654
    edited December 1969

    I've had a few sets which are just unwieldy and really for no reason I can tell or really insane on rendering time when used with lighting.

    I know me well enough that I return these sets if they are cumbersome for me to use.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,895
    edited August 2013

    I can understand why!
    I am getting this sucker set up then I think it'll be okay. I'll get started on the tutorial (how I'm changing it) with some tips in there for newbies (and others who may not have done what I'm about to do.)

    I mentioned the other not-warm-and-fuzzy- and I am re-checking this today- the photos on the walls do not appear to have different surfaces from the frames. I hate the bawdy gold. The photos and the frames are one piece (for pete's sake) I think. You'll see the workaround for that situation. And believe me, it's a workaround, not a ultra fast fix but it will be as I will be providing the experiment end result so everyone can zip through and eliminate an hour or more. :)

    So here's the starting point, the promo image. We're headed for a tropical artist studio (I THINK.)
    You will see the WIP and I have no idea what I'm ending up with, this is DOODLING.


    L'Atelier, La Dolce Vita, Fabricator/Totally Bazaar & More-WIP
    (how to merge parts of scenes, turning off walls, changing wall paintings, remember to test adding curtains (maybe) and change walls)

    We will: (because I've already done it)

    1. Merge the two gals, Chiara and Cassini, into the L'Atelier with a table and chairs from La Dolce Vita Restaurant. (Man, all these international titles are getting me messed up!) I may bring in another and take out the gawdy table the art stuff is on.

    2. Use Fabricator and Totally Bazaar to change materials- including THE WALLS. (We'll see how that goes, I haven't even test rendered. ANYTHING is better than those walls. It suited the vendors purpose as it was the theme of that set.)

    3. Change the floor- brought in La Dolce Vita floor- love it! Keep that one in mind for a backdrop, lol.

    4. This set comes with lights and cameras. I have never used either from products, will probably test those for you.

    5. Changing all photos on the wall and showing you a workaround. Changing artwork on other canvases too.

    6. Looking for a good curtain set- haven't started yet. Anyone reading this who has some suggestions, we need to TEST curtains for those windows-may or may not keep them. So surf for curtains that are in products- I am not buying just curtains, there are too many products with them in there.

    7. I'll be adding a rug (testing it anyway) and I will change it using Fabricator to match the ottoman pillows I think, which has already been changed.

    Much more.

    I'll change this list with edits as the work progresses. The things already done are not final by any means, I am in the shaping it stage.

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    Post edited by Novica on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,895
    edited December 1969

    barbult said:
    Have you tried changing the camera settings to get a more wide angle view, so you can see more, when your camera is inside the walls?

    How? :) Is that the same as the DOF camera settings?

  • AJ2112AJ2112 Posts: 1,416
    edited December 1969

    Hi Cathie, Wow ! your on a roll ;-) Keep up the fantastic work, I've learned quite alot, through your lighting illustrations. Finally figued out how to use Uber2, only my pc does not like to render Uber scenes, takes half a century, Lol !!! Bought Luxus last night, will see how that goes oppposed to 3Delight.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,895
    edited December 1969

    Thanks, just having fun! Hope the light reviews can jumpstart folks when they go to select presets and product lights. (from World Center.)
    I do find using a Specular light as others suggested in the product release and Adam's tips, really makes a difference to help get rid of that chalky look. It also made a difference being by the main light, but I found personally one on the opposite side TOO also balanced it out. I'm still reading that thread by Adam but needed to get going on UE2 and experiment with it.

    I have Luxus and haven't tried it, so please let us know how that goes and any tips you come up with. You're tooling right along!

  • barbultbarbult Posts: 24,369
    edited August 2013

    Novica said:
    barbult said:
    Have you tried changing the camera settings to get a more wide angle view, so you can see more, when your camera is inside the walls?

    How? :) Is that the same as the DOF camera settings?
    Select the camera in the scene tab. Click on Camera in the parameters tab. Change the focal length (mm) to a smaller number.You will see a dramatic difference.

    Edited to add parameters tab step.

    Post edited by barbult on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,895
    edited August 2013

    I'll try that. Thanks! You're very helpful.
    EDIT: saw your edit. Okay, so doesn't have to be the DOF (depth of field) camera. Thanks for clarifying.

    Post edited by Novica on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,895
    edited August 2013

    awesomefb said:
    Hi Cathie, Wow ! your on a roll ;-) Keep up the fantastic work, I've learned quite alot, through your lighting illustrations. Finally figued out how to use Uber2, only my pc does not like to render Uber scenes, takes half a century, Lol !!! Bought Luxus last night, will see how that goes oppposed to 3Delight.

    http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/27370/
    follow her thread here as HE explores it-installing it, using it. :) (Did an edit- put a SHE based on the avatar. Sorry!)
    Cathie

    Post edited by Novica on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,895
    edited August 2013

    L’Atelier + La Dolce Vita Restaurant

    Want to duplicate items without buying a product? Use Scene Subsets. How do Subsets affect your scene?
    Before we go to my #1, refresh your memory here. It's what I asked as a newbie on my FIRST RENDER :)

    http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/17763/
    Doing a scene subset- this was when I first asked about it (highly entertaining going back and reading what I didn't know. Sometimes I still forget to save as a Subset and I just save Scenes and MERGE. Do not try to OPEN a scene with another scene, they have to be merged. As you'll read, when OPENING another Scene, sometimes there's no warning that one will get erased. You get it when you first start using the studio, to replace Genesis, so you might think "Hey, it will always warn me, " but once you have scenes loaded, opening another one might just get you a "Poof" on the first one!

    Photo 1
    Read above. I am merging Cassini, Chiara and the lights from La Dolce Vita Restaurant. If I don't want the lights, I can remove them. But I know these light the girls okay and I can adjust them. And will simply turn them off to test L'Atelier lights. I brought up the table that was behind them in the previous renders, will take that along to possibly replace the old, worn table.Depends on surface changes I might do on the worn table. Anyway this will be the dining table as giving the atmosphere an "upgrade." Will use in Conservatory also, a great fit I think. (Elegant to start with.)

    Not worried about their clothes or poses yet.

    TIP: So when you merge a scene, don't just take the props, if your lights work, take 'em with you!

    Photo 2
    Second image is what you see from the outside of L'Atelier. (To remember the title of this thing, it's L' then ATE then Liar (with an e" So I keep remembering someone being a liar about eating all the candy! Hey, it works.)

    Photo 3
    NOTE THE THREE IMAGES ON THE WALL- SMALL ONES- WE WILL BE REPLACING.
    Turn off the ceiling. Peek a boo! Cassini and Chiara and the table appeared in the middle of this scene- I didn't have a particular place I wanted them in. And from that thread I referenced above- Totte informed me objects/people in Scene Subsets load where you had them in THAT subset- so my gals came in where they were in the restaurant. Another thing to remember when you are deciding on saving as a Scene or Scene Subset! Note the table came in on top of something- not quite as convenient as where Cassini loaded- see next comment.

    YOU CAN SEE WHY BARBULT MENTIONED USING A DIFFERENT CAMERA SETTING- see his previous post. Look how tiny this room is to work in with cameras!

    Photo 4: I'm just leaving the poses as is, but had to smile- Cassini has her hand on the easel and I just might leave her close to "as is." But that brings up something newbies may not know- if you already have someone in the scene and and want to change their POSE but not have them zip off to World Center (0/0/0) again-

    TIP: When loading POSES into an existing scene for your characters that are already there, you can always use the CNTRL feature- and turn off XYZ so they load with the new pose- but NOT at World Center!

    While we're at it- let's review a few things from links section about using CNTRL and poses. Szark commented in another thread:

    TIP: "holding down ctrl when clicking on a number of things like lights and surfaces for example gives you more options too."
    (When loading a prop, I got the options for Surfaces (ALL) and Map Settings (Replace) (Ignore) Haven't used those so no clue.) And I forget to keep checking what CNTRL does when adding lights. Hmmmm. I've posted a thread asking some questions and included that one. I'm having a DUH today so far as other things that I used to know and forgot. (never afraid to ask again though. I take five steps forward and several backwards, lol) This is it: http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/27378/

    Photo 5:
    A closer view. How funny is it that Cassini loaded perfectly with this easel? Going to replace all these paintings' surfaces. Will put temporary things in until I can choose. Going tropical, so using The Fabricator>Totally Bazaar> South Pacific as a temporary filler. The walls will be Hawaiian airline travel posters an vegetation.


    THESE ARE ALL GOING TO BE SCREENSHOTS UNTIL I DO THE LIGHTING.

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  • AJ2112AJ2112 Posts: 1,416
    edited August 2013

    ROFL ! She ! Not in this lifetime ;-P, need to change my avatar.

    Novica said:

    http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/27370/
    follow her thread here as she explores it-installing it, using it. :)
    Cathie

    Post edited by AJ2112 on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,895
    edited December 1969

    awesomefb said:
    ROFL ! She ! Not in this lifetime ;-P, need to change my avatar.

    Novica said:

    http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/27370/
    follow her thread here as she explores it-installing it, using it. :)
    Cathie

    OOPSIE, will change that! Yeah, go with something rugged, daring- like you I'm sure! I just adore SLOSH's- but I could his great-grandma!(heading toward 60) I'm very happy with my age, but I think when people hear I bought a spirited Arabian last year, they think I'm a lot younger in age. I bought Nova to STAY young, lol (and get away from this computer. Speaking of which, after I change my post (and will check the other one to see if I said "she"...) I gotta head out.

  • AJ2112AJ2112 Posts: 1,416
    edited December 1969

    Your tutorials/illustrations will help countless people :-)

    I'm still learning to use spolights/surfaces, Lol !!! I'll punch in coordinates. Where did my light go ? rofl ! My renders are becoming more realistic, opposed to glossy, thanxs to Mark128 tutorial and a few of your illustrations/settings. I messed with shadows a bit too.

    Have fun with specular lights/UE2,. Looking forward to your new adventures.

    Novica said:
    Thanks, just having fun! Hope the light reviews can jumpstart folks when they go to select presets and product lights. (from World Center.)
    I do find using a Specular light as others suggested in the product release and Adam's tips, really makes a difference to help get rid of that chalky look. It also made a difference being by the main light, but I found personally one on the opposite side TOO also balanced it out. I'm still reading that thread by Adam but needed to get going on UE2 and experiment with it.

    I have Luxus and haven't tried it, so please let us know how that goes and any tips you come up with. You're tooling right along!

  • AJ2112AJ2112 Posts: 1,416
    edited December 1969

    Hi Cathie, it's all good. I enjoy fantasy art. Trying to create one with a woman riding a unicorn, inspired by movie Legend. So, I'm learning using female model, tossed up as an avatar. Not to many fans of werewolves/vampires on Daz. In the future, going to try creating a werewolf scene. Also a fan of Underworld :-)

    Oh goodness, your still young, age is only a number ;-) Enjoy your evening.

    Novica said:
    awesomefb said:
    ROFL ! She ! Not in this lifetime ;-P, need to change my avatar.

    Novica said:

    http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/27370/
    follow her thread here as she explores it-installing it, using it. :)
    Cathie

    OOPSIE, will change that! Yeah, go with something rugged, daring- like you I'm sure! I just adore SLOSH's- but I could his great-grandma!(heading toward 60) I'm very happy with my age, but I think when people hear I bought a spirited Arabian last year, they think I'm a lot younger in age. I bought Nova to STAY young, lol (and get away from this computer. Speaking of which, after I change my post (and will check the other one to see if I said "she"...) I gotta head out.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,895
    edited December 1969

    L’Atelier + La Dolce Vita Restaurant


    Photo 6
    Using The Fabricator- I put something floral there just to go with the tropical theme. A placeholder. Reminder- for the Fabricator, you select the object in the Scene tab that you are applying the materials to, select the Surface Shader tool (3 black pieces of paper by Universal Tool) then with Surfaces Tab active, when you click on the materials (and the tile size you want) the material will be applied to the surface of the object selected. It's easy folks! Just don't forget and try it with the Universal Tool, you'll be wondering what's going on! (aka, Nothing!)

    TIP: Fabricator: Use Tile X Large x 2 for big canvases and areas. (Common sense, but I tried different ones anyway.)

    Photo 7
    Replaced the other one next to it also. Placed a spotlight to spot render and see if it looked okay, it's fine. Not really worrying about that until the entire scene comes together though. Now, look at that absolutely gaudy back wall. I used the Fabricator and chose a plain weave with the medium (25) tiling. You'll see it in the next image. Bye bye gaudy! Have not even test rendered it yet, but it HAS to be better than what's there in this image.

    Photo 8
    Note the walls. Much better.
    Okay, here's the most time consuming, and rewarding part so far. We're getting rid of those pictures on the wall and replacing with tropical. How about Hawaii? Works for me. Here's where I got a rather unpleasant surprise. The frames and the images are all one thing. You can't just pick the surface of the picture like we just did for the canvas. The frame is included! (Hint, not very artist friendly. Ironic, isn't it- an artist studio....)

    TIP: How To Create Your Own Wall Paintings If The Frame And Painting Are One Piece
    http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/19756/P1155/#407596 Go here first and look at the three images (small ones) on the wall, that is what we are going to replace in the scene.

    So we're going to create a plane and manipulate that sucker to cover the square inside the frame. Then use the Fabricator. Or, you can do what I did, and use your own image. HERE'S where the time consuming trial and error began.

    First, click on the middle of the painting. Write down ALL the coordinates. We'll call these the Framed coordinates.You'll be bringing your plane right there, easily.

    THIS IS FOR THIS SPECIFIC TUTORIAL SO YOU CAN ACTUALLY DO ONE IF YOU GET THIS SET.
    Go to Create>New Primitive> Plane. This is important- for these smaller sized paintings, start with 40 cm (very important to use centimeters) and 25 divisions, it gave me the smoothest images. You're going to have to tweak it later (I'll give you that) and that will get you homed in nicely on the zebra painting with a really good fit. But when getting it in the frame, be sure you USE those coordinates for that zebra painting and didn't try to "manually" guess. The first one, I thought I'd tweak and see next image when I checked the view from different angles. (Which you ALWAYS do newbies!)

    Photo 9
    Wheee! That zebra sure isn't going to get covered up THAT way, eh? Poor Hawaii poster is floating in front of it. That's why you use the coordinates for the picture frame- all of them, the translation and rotation, whatever you have! Don't rely on your eyesight. 3D is exactly that!

    Photo10
    This is with the blank canvas (with the size I gave you) fit into the frame. But I wouldn't recommend leaving it there when you are adding your photo (that's just me.) The frame was too distracting. So after I get the perfect size, I take it back out. If you are using Fabricator with just patterns, go ahead and just do your Fabricating at this time. But with photos it's MUCH easier to take them out of the frame to see what you are doing.)

    TIP: Write down the coordinates for your plane BEFORE you take it back out, then it's easy smeezy to just plug them back in after you have your photo fit the way you want it to the plane. ZIP! Back in the frame. :) It will NOT be the same coordinates as the frame. You are INSIDE it.

    I did not move the L'atelier set from where it loaded, so this should work for you.
    For the zebra print, FIRST get the right size: (Using the plane dimensions I gave you earlier)
    Scale 100%
    X Scale 65.6
    Y Scale 60.4
    Z Scale 57.8

    Then, starting at X translation and going down the list (and enjoy the 25+ minutes of tweaking you don't have to do!) use this for coordinates:

    X translation -1.71
    Y translation 19.78
    Z translation -1.86
    X rotation: 92.21
    Y rotation: 2.64
    Z rotation: -89.92

    In Surfaces tab, for your photo, put all your Diffuse, Specular, and Ambient to white, with the Ambient being around 44.5% and the others 100%.

    Then you go to Surfaces (again with the Surface Shader Tool Selected and the plane selected in your Scene tab) and in Diffuse, put the image you want to use. Now, why it was important to use CENTIMETERS for the plane. I got a converter because my image choices are cms, pixels, inches. So since my plane was 40 cms, I could downsize my image to as close to 40 in my graphics program as a starting point. Mine were at 309 x 450 pixels after conversion, but that's 8.1756 cm x 11.9062 centimeters. That is for the Zebra picture replacement. I had to muddle through figuring this out, just take my word for it and use those centimeters or pixels for that zebra print.

    Whew. So now you know how I did it. Keep in mind, the frame and image were one in the same I think, I couldn't find a way to separate them. But now that the image is covered, changing the frame color should be doable and I'll try that later and we'll see. The image will be hidden by our plane so it doesn't matter if I do something with the frame color.

    More coming, takes awhile to type up and read the notes.

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,895
    edited August 2013

    L’Atelier + La Dolce Vita Restaurant

    Photo 11
    Note the green ottoman, that will be Fabricated. And compare the walls- the one I fixed vs the original. And the paintings on the other wall are simply going to be taken away, I may use later but seriously, they take awhile to fix and this is just a tutorial on "how to" and not do every single one. Also:
    TIP: Consider whether objects add to the scene. Do you really need them? Negative space is a good thing. Just because it's there, doesn't mean you need to use it. ALWAYS consider kit bashing. (bits and pieces from other sets.)

    Photo 12
    So what if an image is too tall and you really want to use it? You can, if you have a graphics program. If not, don't pick tall vertical images if you have horizontal places to fit them to!

    TIP: Widening an image using a graphic program:

    1.) Open your Photo and create a new blank one right next to it. This one has to be the size you want. Using the color picker, pick a color from your Photo (I chose brown) and then use the Fill and fill your blank image. We'll call mine Brown.

    Photo 13
    2.) Close your Photo. Import it back onto your colored image, Brown.
    3.) Use your color picker and pick up some bright colors and create vertical bars (not horizontal, the illusion is this was made for a vertical image. You don't want to emphasize horizontal) You make bars with the rectangle tool (looks like a white box in Corel Photo Paint.)

    TIP: When tying in pictures on the wall, artists go for dramatic contrast or they match colors. If you have a theme- try bringing in a common color. The blue will tie Hawaii together. Compare this top image (totally yellow) with the one we just did that had so much blue.

    You'll see the bars in the next wall photo.
    Then export (so the images are now one)

    Photo 14
    This isn't going to be for a closeup, so the blue bars won't be very obvious. But it adds to the nuance. You'd follow the same procedure in loading this as you did the first one. Click on the original image to get the coordinates to load your plane (I used the same 40 cm x 25 divisions. The scales, in order, were 100%, 68.4%, 141.2%, and 84.1% That will save you another 25 minutes. The coordinates are easy to get and we've already covered how to do that.

    Photo 15
    Remember to double check from all angles. Believe me, once you get them in the frame, you'll feel so proud!

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    Post edited by Novica on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,895
    edited December 1969

    L’Atelier + La Dolce Vita Restaurant

    Photo 16
    The last image brought in. Sticking with the blue theme and a dark haired woman. The one that didn't match is on the top, I tried it in the middle (my first thought) but it didn't look at good. Again, those other paintings will be removed. Less is best.

    Photo 17
    Made that look easy, didn't I?
    Oh, I know. You want the scale on this one too for the plane to fit. :) (Using same dimensions as the first two The 40cm x 25 divisions.) You know how to find the coordinates that will get you ultra close to putting the plane IN the painting, by clicking on the framed painting and getting those coordinates. But this is the harder part so here is how to size the plane perfectly for this bottom painting:

    This starts with Scale then goes X, Y, Z Scales.
    100%, 47.8%, 59.2%, 58.7%

    Again, use the same Diffuse, Specular, and Ambient Settings as the other two. (In Surfaces) for the image.

    BEFORE YOU GO ANY FURTHER, parent these planes to their respective paintings! That way when or if you move the frame the plane goes with it!

    How To Parent Two Items:
    1. USING YOUR UNIVERSAL TOOL, click on THE FRAME (not your plane!) to locate its name. Go to the Scene tab and write down the painting number. It will be highlighted in gold for you. Don't forget it, you need it.
    2. Then click on your image which is covering your plane, it will give you your plane's number (like plane number 1)
    3. Go to Scene tab and the plane should be highlighted for you
    4. Right click the plane, and select change parent- and select the painting it covered. Ta-duh. They go together now. You can move the photos by clicking anywhere on the frame or image. (at least mine did, lol)

    Photo 18
    So with all that work, they barely show where they are at. They may be moved around later, who knows. But note how they tie in the painting on the easel, although I am looking for big flowers for that one. I just couldn't stand the art that was there and it gave me a better frame of mind to assist with the wall materials and the furniture we're about to do.

    Coming up- the furniture and filling in the rest of the walls.

    lAtelier18.jpg
    1973 x 1521 - 2M
    lAtelier17.jpg
    1472 x 1985 - 2M
    lAtelier16.jpg
    1883 x 1962 - 2M
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,895
    edited December 1969

    Time To Strut Your Stuff!

    I've gotten very nice PM's thanking me for the light information from the packaged products and my tips/tutorials throughout the thread on my lighting. There has been intense interest in the light presets- and quite a few PM's stating they were just starting out and glad the products were varied as they weren't ready for UE2.

    If you REALLY want to jump in with spotlights, point lights, and distant lights, I've spent a great deal of time (months) doing primarily that. (My first render was 6 weeks on just the lighting.) So if I can help you, and give you ideas, sure!

    And this can be interactive fun with your results (with or without your tweaks, read more below) posted too. There's usually 100 views to 230 views a day on average, depending on how often I post, with days 425+ (highest day 570 or so), so you're art will get seen too! (Was at 20,000 views a few days ago) So read on if you're interested in the lighting you've seen on the thread, and want to try it or tweak it! (You don't have to tweak unless you want to) I'd love to help feature your renders as you practice and experiment with these! :)

    Novica's Lights To Try And To Tweak! (TTATT)

    I've decided to give some tips on a dark figure holding weapons out to the side for the first part of the TTATT series. Decided to do a "Keeping It Simple Series" due to the number of new people who are totally new to lights, and also those who may benefit from getting better spotlight placement before tackling UberEnvironment2 and other light setups that benefit from well placed spotlights, distant lights, linear point lights, and point lights. So NO UE2 lights, etc in this series!

    These lights are all 100% MINE, the light presets I reviewed had no coordinates as experienced users know. These are from all of my renders, which were months before the light reviews anyway. (Example- this first one is Cassini holding the vase, I showed you how to make your own patterns and applied it to the shirt and the vase.) All of these are from works you have seen on the thread! :) Note: these light preset coordinates are for personal use only.

    And yes, would ADORE seeing what you're doing with them, feel free to post on this thread so we can all see it. This is a lot of work and I'd like to know someone is out there actually USING it! Again, you don't have to tweak anything, you can post the lights' results "as is."

    If you add other lights with mine and want to contribute, feel free- BUT ONLY SPOTLIGHTS, POINT LIGHTS, DISTANT LIGHTS, LINEAR POINT LIGHTS. Keeping it simple means keeping it simple! If you tweak mine, please only tweak the colors, intensity, and shadow softness. DO NOT MOVE THE LIGHTS. And yes, add your own to supplement mine.

    When participating with these light sets, this is important- when you post, reference the light set number please! PUT IT IN A TITLE AT THE TOP, such as TTATT Set #1 All you need to do is state what YOU added, copy and paste the required information (coordinates/intensity/shadow strength, etc) so it's in the same order as my lights information. Use ANY pose, any time of day, any scene.

    This could be fun! But also note-

    YOUR FIGURE HAS TO BE A WORLD CENTER TO USE THIS SERIES OR POST EXAMPLES. Otherwise, these coordinates won't work for you. So put your figure at Translations XYZ World Center (0/0/0). THEN MOVE YOUR SCENE if you need to. If you want to try this on your current render, save as a different scene. I am not responsible for any changes you make. Hate mail PMs are not my thing. :)

    Note: I only use Raytraced Shadows. All lights have soft shadows.

    I'll give the basics then you can tweak.

    My render settings will get you very nice results. This is what you can expect when you use:
    Bucket Size 32, Pixel Samples 9, Shadow Samples 32, Gain 1.0, Gamma off, Shading Rate .30, Filter Pixel Width 9.05 If you use Depth of Field, you'll need to adjust these.

    THESE ARE ACTUAL RENDERS. Enjoy the series, I'll put a link to all of the examples in my first post as they will be scattered throughout the thread. I try to respond when I see people need ideas so the thread jumps around.

    We'll not only use each light, but I'll show you combinations that you can try with it. Enjoy, hope this helps you, and hope you can participate so everyone can see how this works since I have coordinates for you that product presets don't. Tweak them (the intensity, colors, and shadows, but don't move them though!), add to them, rock n roll! :)
    Cathie

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,895
    edited August 2013

    This post has been changed to notify you that I am adding images showing you the lights without the mask. That way you can see the top of the head and side of the face too.

    Post edited by Novica on
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