Daz 3D is part of 
Connect
DAZ Productions, Inc.
7533 S Center View Ct #4664
West Jordan, UT 84084
Licensing Agreement | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | EULA
© 2024 Daz Productions Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Comments
You just need experienced at lighting ,rendering just keep at it till ya get what ya doing.
The more you practice the better you get at it.
Shaders can effect the look a lot also.
Here I used: curves, soft glow, and color (midtones, highlights, and shadows) all the gimp.
That's interesting, although I'm not sure that's the look I would want. I also would like to avoid postwork if possible, as I'm not very good at using Gimp.
I think part of the problem is you're too used to seeing the 'headlamp' lighting setup and aren't entirely confident in using alternate lighting strategies. Your experimentation seems to be focused on trying to achieve the same look as the headlamp, when you should ideally focus on what the scene requires.
Brightly lit scenes usually convey happier tones while darker scenes convey tension and horror. Not only should you pay attention to the type of lighting to use, another thing to consider is light colour. Using contrasting colours can pick out certain details which are otherwise missed as well as make scenes more lively. Tone down intensity for different lights to offer a different type of contrast across the image, and also so you don't 'blow out' the scene by making it over bright.
Lighting is one of those things which could take a whole tutorial to explain fully, and there are lots of ways you can go about it. The best way to learn, I find, is to begin with a simple light setup and learn what each of the various options do. Play around with different styles and don't be afraid to use additional lights to add more tones to the final scene.
Let's not forget Frazetta. He inspired generations of artists for the same reason. Any aspiring comic book artist would do well to look at the work of such masters of the medium lest they be quickly forgotten in the sea of information overload that is the internet of today. If one wants to be noticed, never settle for 'it looks good enough to me.'
Regarding LightWave-I'm just a doodler, my sons are going to go to a digital arts school which uses LightWave (plus other programs) so they are just trying to wrap their heads around it for now. But I know what you mean regarding the rest of you :) Newbies, however, could get it at that price and doodle for awhile to learn it. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYdKu3VRxoE
Take a peek at this if you get a chance- at 1:25 in the video, I turn each light off and on so you can see what they do- this has 3 spotlights and one point light, and shows you what a difference side, top, and lower front makes. A frustrated newbie had pm'd me and asked how I did some of the lighting so I did the video and actually give the coordinates of the objects, and for the lighting. If you have objects or figures anywhere near those, you'll get cool effects :) Or, get a good starting point. Why not re-save and try those coordinates for the lights (raise and lower as needed using Y translation) and see what happens? TURN OFF ALL OTHER LIGHTS. May be a bust, maybe not :)
EDIT: because I know these lights so well, you're going to get a lower glow on your front character, lighting from the left side as you view it, and lighting from the top.
I had just posted these lighting suggestions based on my second render in my art studio, but some of this applies to your last image I think :)
1. It’s not what’s lit- it’s what lit AND ISN’T LIT.You get depth with things which fade darker as you “go back.”
2. Working with point lights from the ground up gives you a nice filler glow on low objects
3. Lower the spread angle on spotlights and focus on one small area (such as the bridge and outline of a nose) to give it that thin strip of a glow. It’s what the backlight does for the entire area, but just targeted.
4. THIS IS JUST ME- don’t put lights directly ahead of the object or character. It’s more interesting from an angle.
5. Use your Surfaces tab to adjust the specular, diffuse, and ambient settings- you can tone down brightness using surfaces, not just lighting. This is a BIGGIE.
How many lights are you using, and what kind, usually? Where are they placed?
Cathie
I like the lighting in the image that shows at the top of this list best, but the real question should be, "where is most of the light in the scene coming from?" Are there overhead light panels across the whole ceiling? Then the light should be mostly from the top. Or there might be a smaller number of light sources, like strings of light bulbs in a hallway. Then the angle of the lighting would change more in each scene.
Regarding Lantios lights, there are some for particular outdoor settings, and some for times of day, but in general I think of them more as portrait lights than scene lights or illustration lights. The difference is that portrait lights will try to show a figure to its best advantage, rather than trying to reproduce realistic lighting in a scene.
If you're looking for a light set product to get you started, I'd recommend D.I.Y. DAZ Studio Lights: http://www.daz3d.com/d-i-y-daz-studio-lights because I think you will learn more about what you want for your own lighting style with this set.
I can't find an easy way to bake AO, which boggles my mind. I could have sworn I was doing it with UberEnvironment before, but it's been years since I tried anything of the sort. It can still work with an AO shader, overlaying the resulting lighting onto the texture maps...but that's about more trouble than it's worth as far as time savings. Might as well just use regular AO and get the accuracy.
As far as the lighting goes, I love that you're starting to experiment with it. One nice thing about DS is that you can look through spot or distant lights with the camera, and use the viewport to aim it exactly how you want it. I like the second of your spotlight experiments the best. It's not always bad to have something that looks something like a 'headlamp render.' But it is generally better to move lights so they're not shining directly from the camera's perspective, even if it's only a little, unless it's a fill light with no shadows just to brighten things up. That makes the scene seem more like it's being lit by something within it, rather than by a flashlight the viewer is holding.
If I was going to light that scene, I'd first turn off cast shadows for all the scenery. Then put two distant lights behind the girls aiming right toward the camera, with a little space between them, and adjust the position and angle of those until there is nice rim lighting just highlighting the characters so they stand out [the rest of the scene might very well be black at this point]. Then, add a spotlight from above and a little towards the camera that mostly highlights Max. This will help him and his expression stand out, while leaving the girls to loom very ominously in the background. After that, I'd add one or two distant lights without shadows and dim lighting to fill in the rest of the scene with light a little, and dim point lights if they're needed. Ambient glow on the girls' eyes, or point lights just in front of them, will make them glow in a very cool way.
Then, the colors of the lighting could be adjusted to change the mood. The rim and fill lighting especially could be tinted.
Another thing to do might be to add a dim distant light without shadows as another fill light pointing up from the base of the scene. With the girls left in the dark not highlighted by the spotlight, this will give them an otherworldly look, while just barely changing Max's lighting. The rim and fill lights will tie it all together, and the spotlight will focus the image, while leaving the girls just emerging from the dark.
Also, one of the main problems you're having with lighting making the characters look off, is that the shaders on all of them are set differently. You should have similar if not identical surface settings on all of them besides the textures. Ctrl-click on a preset you like in DS, then set the option to not change textures, and you can apply those settings easily to the other characters.
I don't know how many people here have played Silent Hill 2, Amnesia, or other similar kind of survival horror game, but they are excellent examples of the use of lighting to convey mood and atmosphere.
Amnesia was fantastic. So much atmosphere even in the more subtle parts. And it managed to convey darkness throughout, even in the well-lit areas where you were supposed to have it easy finding your way around. Most games don't understand how to show that without just making everything pitch black with no contrast.
This is one more point to discuss them here.
and we'll discuss it ... this topic can not close without this step we address. I'm not talking about blood but about what you said: "he makes you believe."
That's what you said: "The reason que Royo is a successful artist is because he mastered the medium of his art, first. Then he painted what everyone loves to look at, Half naked women in precarious positions. And he does it beautifully."
is the same point that "RorrKonn" notes.
we will discuss what is an essential step (vital) to produce a comic.
this is the part of ... angles, scenes shot, framing the shot etc etc..
you ever noticed that the trash can of a comic artist, every day must be emptied by that no longer fit crumpled paper?
for a single scene one comic artist, outlines dozens of drafts, to find the optimal scene. are quick sketches of scenes viewed from above, from below, in unusual angles, and even "forced perspective"
each scene is "studied" in drafts, until you get the framework, capable of expressing all the essence of the action / drama.
the sequence of comics (action / heroes / villain) is not defined by a bunch of frames drawn always at the same angle of vision, no.
a sequence of action to comics, is a sequence, "thought", where the frames are distributed in different angles, but in a harmonious sequence.
it must be with renders, too.
Let's not forget Frazetta. He inspired generations of artists for the same reason. Any aspiring comic book artist would do well to look at the work of such masters of the medium lest they be quickly forgotten in the sea of information overload that is the internet of today. If one wants to be noticed, never settle for 'it looks good enough to me.'
Interestingly, Frank Frazetta started out as a comic book artist.
Coldrake
This has been a really good thread. I have learnt so much.
The reason I use cel shading and toon lines is because sometimes I want to use motion lines, and I don't think motion lines would look that good with an unaltered 3D render.
Love esther
PS Jorgedorlando - I love your artwork and I found your motion pics very interesting (before and after examples - fantastic!)
How are you doing tests with the lighting?
can post how it is progressing?
And more examples ...
Here M4 rendered in Poser Pro 2012
Minor Technical note : Spartacus is made by Starz not HBO. It's easy to lump them all together.
Of course beauty and blood is in the eye of the beholder. I personally just LOVE Spartacus. As you watched from season 1 to season 3 you could tell the writing was getting better which is to be expected. Less anachronisms and a larger feeling that you were back in the days of the Roman lore. There was no due process. Freedom was bought and sold. I can certainly grant the show has shown blood and gore in wonderful slow motion high definition glory but one should understand that fighting with sword and axe wasn't a nice thing has we have been trained to see all of these years. An axe that tears into the side of a man will rip out his guts. Spartacus shows this. It's not nice. It's not for kids to watch and amongst my gentle friends, they share your opinion.
However, when I drive to Sacramento to see my brother, we watch every episode. The story is good, sometimes great as it draws to what must be it's logical historical conclusion. It's not charming, it's not sweet but for those who longed for more of 300 or just one more episode of Rome. it's wonderful ambrosia. It's not Sir Laurence Olivier in Wuthering Heights. It's a hard story about hard people who are fighting for their very existence. Personally I enjoy the acting which I consider to be simply top notch.
That said, the OP must consider his audience and what type of story he is telling. Blood and Gore does have their place. In Superman or Batman, no way. There are kids watching and reading. A small trickle is all that should be used. But if you are shooting for a more adult audience, I don't think one should shy away.
It's a difficult choice. In the 200 Odd pages of my current story line. Blood has been shown on 3 pages.
And Only when Necessary.
I can´t decide whether I like better picture 2 or picture 3. They are both great.
I can´t decide whether I like better picture 2 or picture 3. They are both great.
Thank you!
this effect is a filter gimp, and is very easy to apply!
Knowing the target audience is very important.
I'm currently trying to render my hubby's zombie graphic novel. It definitely not to my taste, but he has a specific audience in mind, him. So he want's girls in skimpy outfits fighting zombies. Lots of T&A, Lots of gore. If there is a man being torn apart by a zombie, he wants to see the gore out in the open. Thank God I have DAZ Anatomy sets and RawArt to help me. But I still need more body parts.
As for my distain for Sparticus, it was MY impression that the story was just an excuse to show hyper gore and sex.
That was the impression I got with Sparticus. I did not feel that the story was central to the show. I had a different reaction when I watched Dredd. I enjoyed it enough that I saw it twice and had discussed its good and bad points with Hubby. This is where expectations of the audience comes to play.
I expected a TV show like Rome, but left with a bad taste in my mouth.
I prayed for a halfway decent Dredd movie and was pleasantly surprised.
Has anyone made a new thread for comics done by various members in the forum? I remember there was a listing in the Art thread. Maybe its time for a new listing so we can see each others stuff and cheer each other on.
To your Hubby's defense, Perhaps he could resurrect the Graphic Magazine Heavy Metal! Certainly if he wants lots of T&A and gore, there is the audience for it. Tarantino has certainly helped desensitize a larger male audience. Spartacus has done the same. I will tell you that as Spartacus progressed, and characters were fleshed out (so to speak) It DID become a lot more like the series Rome. The women are bad girls. I mean really bad girls (the return of Lucy Lawless - Xena) but so lovely it left me a crush on the evil Ilithyia. The men aren't Julius Caesar and Antony but in some ways they are more fanatical. I will tell you that they haven't cut done on the blood quota or even how it's showed but I think it might be one of those shows you either love or hate.
I'll check out Dredd next weekend. The first one wasn't as good as I thought it would be even though I rather like Sly's action movies so I stayed away from this reboot.
I did another check for a comic thread and the truth is, they are just aren't very many. Most bring out a couple of pages and the critics weigh in accordingly. To everyone's credit, I didn't spot a single troll. Any criticism has been constructive even when the offering deserved to be flamed. Making a comic or graphic novel is a huge undertaking and not everyone has the patience for it. I personally would like to see more comics here. At least a good comic thread.
By the way, I do know you're not alone in your feelings for Spartacus. As I mentioned, some of my friends were turned off after the first five minutes for the very reasons you stated!
The concept of Spartacus has always been freedom from those that try to oppress you.
Same as 1984 ,V for Vendetta.
Shows like these target Anarchist.
http://www.renderosity.com/mod/gallery/index.php?image_id=2358849&user_id=48237&np;&np;
Hmmm! I love Xena!
although to date, television stations here in Brazil has reprized the older episodes.
I've watched dozens of times each episode, I stop everything I was doing and buy cookies for the time of transmission by television channel Record.
About two years ago that they do not transmit over Xena.
I get angry when someone talking in the room when watching Xena
How can anyone not love Xena? I did have my crush on her sidekick but at least she wasn't a bad girl!!
Xena was fun!
Was this Lucia ... Lucy Lawless? (Http://www.renderosity.com/mod/bcs/fwrd-lucia/98827/) ... ?
Lucy "Xena" Lawless played Lucretia in the series Spartacus but that Lucia sure looks a lot like her!!! Excellent Naming hmm?
I was wondering whether anyone did a Xena like character!
Ah, kinship! Essential Tremor here... I can still draw, but the shakes slow me way down. (Actually, working with DS can be pretty challenging some days as well.)