February 2021 - DAZ 3D New User Challenge - Lighting and Light Effects

24

Comments

  • jkpjkp Posts: 17
    edited February 2021

    Beginner Challenge:

    "Lighting"

     

    Here is my first entry, ever, in any type of art challenge. I'm very new to all of this and learning more and exciting things all the time.

    I wanted to try to bring darker more harsh shadows into the scene. Trying to bring in the essence of the bar and the dance with colored ligthing.

    Comments welcome.

     

    BurgandyBellyDancerV1.png
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    Post edited by jkp on
  • Alias52Alias52 Posts: 284

    aprilshowers2065 said:

    Second entry for Beginner's Contest

    Title: Alarm Bells Ringing

    Using a few different lights with this one - three red spotlights at different angles and a yellow point light, then the emissives on their uniforms, guns and visors. Would love to have feedback on how to improve.

     

    Love the look of the colours. I would like to see the faces of the characters a bit more. What about doing it as canvases with a separate beauty canvas for the skin of the models? That way it would bring them out of the shadow a bit.

  • Alias52Alias52 Posts: 284

    jkp said:

    Beginner Challenge:

    "Lighting"

     

    Here is my first entry, ever, in any type of art challenge. I'm very new to all of this and learning more and exciting things all the time.

    I wanted to try to bring darker more harsh shadows into the scene. Trying to bring in the essence of the bar and the dance with colored ligthing.

    Comments welcome.

    Great first effort here. I love the sweat sheen on the skin and the coloured lights work well. I would be tempted to try to ramp up the light a little more. Maybe the front spot to simulate that light on the stage. Maybe also a little rim lighting, but I am only a beginner here myself, so others can probably add a lot more!

  • Alias52Alias52 Posts: 284

    aki3d said:

    Intermediate Challenge:

    "Light Effects"

    cabin in the woods

    I was missing something in the picture, so I added a building, some animals and a little lake for the reflections.

    And a little less colour for a more realistic look.

    Wow! This was already a fantastic look. The extra elements have really added to it.

  • sueyasueya Posts: 826

    This is the second version of my image for the intermediate challenge

    I have lowered the intensity of the white distant light  (set at diffuse only) and changed the colour of one of the gel lights to orange.

  • vamokvamok Posts: 238

    jkp said:

    Beginner Challenge:

    "Lighting"

     

    Here is my first entry, ever, in any type of art challenge. I'm very new to all of this and learning more and exciting things all the time.

    I wanted to try to bring darker more harsh shadows into the scene. Trying to bring in the essence of the bar and the dance with colored ligthing.

    Comments welcome.

    This is an enchanting render. I am new as well, so I don't have any tips or advice but I love what you have done :-) I look forward to seeing more from you! 

  • vamokvamok Posts: 238
    edited February 2021

    Double post, sorry. Internet went whack-a-mole...

    Post edited by vamok on
  • vamokvamok Posts: 238

    A Bad End to Date Night - Version B

    Lighting - Beginner Challenge

    Changes for this version:

    A slight change in camera angle.

    Pop the hood up a little on the car in an attempt to simulate some damage.

    Added Iray shaders to the car (just had to buy 'em).

    Increase the lighting coming from the "headlights" (two horizontal spots lighting the scene).

    Reduced the blue tinting in the right spot.

    Toyed with a bloom filter.

    The bloom filter, with defaults applied, was a steaming, hot mess on the lightbar. This lightbar has around 16 emissive surfaces (bulbs and reflectors) so it looked like a nuclear bomb until I dialed some settings back. You have been warned, haha.

    For Version C I plan on filling the awkward hole in the scenery in front of the police car.

    Thank you in advance for any feedback whether it be positive or negative.

    date night v2.png
    1920 x 1080 - 2M
  • Aki3dAki3d Posts: 142

    Intermediate Challenge:

    "Light Effects"

    cabin in the woods

    This is now my final render, with soft shadows and a higher quality in details and antialiasing, which doubled the render time.

    4 hours is quiet a bit. The fog and the colors are now much more realistic.

    cabin in the woods.jpg
    1920 x 1080 - 2M
  • bastian2560bastian2560 Posts: 81
    edited February 2021

    Intermediate challenge. I used an HDRI as the mian lighting, also i renderd out twenty seven canvases with the bloom filter set to diferent valuse on each to get the lighting effect i was after, plus post work. (If this one dose not count please let me know.)

    Feedback welcome, Thank you.

    unknown title.

    Winter Spring.jpg
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    Post edited by bastian2560 on
  • bastian2560bastian2560 Posts: 81
    edited February 2021

    Intermediate challenge. I have used one ghost light (had them for over a year never tried them until now, very good product) and two gel lights. No other lighting used.

    Feedback welcome, Thank you.

    Model.

    Model.jpg
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    Post edited by bastian2560 on
  • vamokvamok Posts: 238

    A Bad End to Date Night - Version C

    Beginner challenge

    Put in some background objects. I am not sure what happened to the taillight on the police car...

    I fix that and maybe put a fence behind the train for Version D. I was also going to dial the fog back just a bit. Any other suggestions?

    date night vc.png
    1920 x 1080 - 2M
  • vamokvamok Posts: 238
    edited February 2021

    Taken - Version A

    Intermediate Challenge

    used Gobo Lights for DAZ Studio Iray

    The UFO has a surface called lights but it had no emission!? I have already fixed that for Version B. Other than letting this one render longer and fixing the poke through issues, and suggestions?

     

    Edit: I just noticed a seam in the fog scenery so I will fix that in B as well.

    taken version a.png
    1920 x 1080 - 4M
    Post edited by vamok on
  • TirickTirick Posts: 225

    vamok said:

    The UFO has a surface called lights but it had no emission!? I have already fixed that for Version B. Other than letting this one render longer and fixing the poke through issues, and suggestions?

    Check to make sure the surface is actually an Iray and not a 3DL surface. If it is 3DL you can convert it using the Iray Uber shader. If you hold Ctrl when applying the Iray shader, it will give you an option box that lets you retain the original textures, so the Diffuse will be used as the Base colour (and I think retain the normal/bump, etc). Sometimes I also find some Emission surfaces default to low (or 0) luminence so check for that.

  • vamokvamok Posts: 238
    edited February 2021

    Tirick said:

    vamok said:

    The UFO has a surface called lights but it had no emission!? I have already fixed that for Version B. Other than letting this one render longer and fixing the poke through issues, and suggestions?

    Check to make sure the surface is actually an Iray and not a 3DL surface. If it is 3DL you can convert it using the Iray Uber shader. If you hold Ctrl when applying the Iray shader, it will give you an option box that lets you retain the original textures, so the Diffuse will be used as the Base colour (and I think retain the normal/bump, etc). Sometimes I also find some Emission surfaces default to low (or 0) luminence so check for that.

    Thank you for the info. I will have to toy around with that in mind! 

    Post edited by vamok on
  • aprilshowers2065aprilshowers2065 Posts: 702
    edited February 2021

    Thanks Shinji Ikari 9th and Alias52. Second version, fixed the poke through and brightened up the faces a little.

    Alarm Bells Ringing3.png
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    Post edited by aprilshowers2065 on
  • LinwellyLinwelly Posts: 5,795

    @aprilshowers2065     you're already a good wa into the scene, very nice, and i guess this kind of scene is Shinji Ikari's special expertise area laugh

    To give the faces a better pronounciation you could try to add some pointlights inside the helmet, I made that for this image, though I positioned the too far to the sides, now he's got well likt ears, so improvement possible but it's just an example here

    besides that you might create an interesting effect if some white light comes from below the grid (if it's a grid) they are walking on

  • LinwellyLinwelly Posts: 5,795
    edited February 2021

    @vamok you've already mentioned some changes for the ufo abduction to come, so It will be good to see the lights working as they should. depending on that you could try to create a real beam from the ufo using some atmospheric effect like godrays.

    on a different topic, I can't identify the structure she's been dragged away from, so either zoom out a bit so we can see a bit more context or moce the camera in a way that we don't see anything of that

     

    about the accident scene, I think it could probably win from a depth f field effect, you can switch that to on in the camera settings, then you need to try a bit which area should be in focus. best thing to try this is with a second camera looking from the side on the first camera and have the first camera selected in the scene tab. that way you will see two "planes" at a certain distance from the camera one and between those your focus will be sharp

    Post edited by Linwelly on
  • TirickTirick Posts: 225

    Linwelly said:

    To give the faces a better pronounciation you could try to add some pointlights inside the helmet, I made that for this image, though I positioned the too far to the sides, now he's got well likt ears, so improvement possible but it's just an example here

    This is the secret they use in filming space scenes. It's terribly impractical as the astronaut would not be able to see a thing, but its great for highlighting the face.

  • LinwellyLinwelly Posts: 5,795

    @bastian2560  on the model image: you've got that ahead of me, I have a ghostlight set in my runtime as well and never used it. It certainly gives an interesting effect of the character being well lit while the environment is rather dark. the gel lights add a nice colourfull touch to it. the dress seems to make a bit  of a strange from on her chest, maybe try smoothing that (select dress in scene tab, go to parameters and increase smoothing iterations) I would like to suggest as well to use a bit of DOF (depth of field) with her.

    on the under water scene, I think your work with the canvases worked out, that's a very good effect of haze and diffusing things in the back, I would like to see the figures interacting a bit more with each other. as for the postwork, maybe add the pre postwork version to the final image, then you are on the safe side

     

  • LinwellyLinwelly Posts: 5,795

    @aki3d I like the additions you made, the fog really turns out detailed here and the effect with the light is stunning. these sort of renders do take a lot of time. That horse in the sun is maybe a bit too glossy, you could try to make a spot render (to a new window) with only the horse with a more rough pelt and add that to the right spot in post

  • LinwellyLinwelly Posts: 5,795

    @sueya  yes I like this version with the colours of the gobos getting stronger, now maybe add some furnitureor those music boxes on the back where the lights don't hit.

    you could as well try to make your own gobo lights with peoples shadows in them, so the space looks more populated (if that's what you want of course)

    if you're interested there is a small tutorial on that here: https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/1348011/#Comment_1348011

  • LinwellyLinwelly Posts: 5,795

    @jkp  great start on the light settings here! I like how you used the different light colours to emphasize her movement. You might want to try a different sort of backwall since that doesn't provide mcuh of a contrast. the DOF ist as well spot on

  • LinwellyLinwelly Posts: 5,795

    @aprilshowers2065  the scene areound the firepit has improved a great deal, now maybe try to make the ground less glossy, maybe you can find some grass to add to that as well?

    If the amount of people in your scene is slowing your render down a lot, you can try to hide all the bones on the people that are hidden by clothes

  • TirickTirick Posts: 225
    edited February 2021

    I sat on this challenge for a bit, waiting for some inspiration. Camera work and Lighting are big things to tackle. I made two versions of this shot, which uses a single strong light source and a series of gobo planes made from a rain system texture. I wanted it to look like the shadows from rain. It took quite a bit of fiddling to get it to work out quite as I had imagined it. I'm not certain however if I prefer the black and white version or the colour. This is my first render where I've tried a desaturation. Both were passed through a denoiser as there was a bit of noise left even at 99.9 convergence.

    Waiting on the Rain

    Intermediate Challenge

    FebNewUserGobov1_nvidia.png
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    FebNewUserGobov1bw_nvidia.png
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    Post edited by Tirick on
  • vamokvamok Posts: 238

    @Linwelly: Thank you for your feedback. I learn so much from your advice to me as well as your advice to others.

    My UFO is still rendering...it is currently at 1 day 0 hours and 10 minutes and is 45% done. I was thinking of the god ray thing. I will see if I can add that without ruining my gobos and gels.

    I still need to run another version of my accident scene...I should have time :-)

  • LinwellyLinwelly Posts: 5,795

    Tirick said:

    Linwelly said:

    To give the faces a better pronounciation you could try to add some pointlights inside the helmet, I made that for this image, though I positioned the too far to the sides, now he's got well likt ears, so improvement possible but it's just an example here

    This is the secret they use in filming space scenes. It's terribly impractical as the astronaut would not be able to see a thing, but its great for highlighting the face.

    devil hehe you are perfectly right but of course their helmet glass is not reflectant from the inside :D

  • vamokvamok Posts: 238

    Taken - Version B

    Intermediate Challenge

    Did you know you can run your simulation settings at -1 gravity? I gave it a whirl and got exactly what I was hoping for...loose fabric "drifting" upwards in the reverse gravity field. Fixed several issues for this one.

    Version C will introduce a visible ray from the ship, lighting adjustments, and a camera angle adjustment, Suggestions?

    Taken - Version B.png
    1920 x 1080 - 4M
  • TirickTirick Posts: 225
    edited February 2021

    vamok said:

    Taken - Version B

    Intermediate Challenge

    Did you know you can run your simulation settings at -1 gravity? I gave it a whirl and got exactly what I was hoping for...loose fabric "drifting" upwards in the reverse gravity field. Fixed several issues for this one.

    That is a great find, thank you for sharing! Looks like you found the emission for your UFO as well.

    Post edited by Tirick on
  • Aki3dAki3d Posts: 142
    edited February 2021

    Intermediate Challenge:

    "Light Effects"

    cabin in the woods

    This is now my final render, with soft shadows and a higher quality in details and antialiasing, which doubled the render time.

    4 hours is quiet a bit. The fog and the colors are now much more realistic.

    With some displacement on the horse it also looks better now. Thanks for the tip.

    cabin in the woods.jpg
    1920 x 1080 - 2M
    Post edited by Aki3d on
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