Iradium and shader lights?

Superdog

When in doubt start your own thread! I've read so many threads that touch on Iradium and shader lights but still don't understand if they're compatible. Can someone please explain:

1. What are shader lights and how do they differ from normal DAZ Studio lights?

2. Which DS lights are compatible with Iradium unbiased renderer?

3. Are shader lights compatible with Iradium? http://www.daz3d.com/uber-shader-pack

4. Are any Uber Environment 2 products compatible with Iradium?

5. Is the 'Advanced Studio Light Bundle' compatible with Iradium? http://www.daz3d.com/advanced-daz-studio-light-bundle

6. Is it possible to use skydomes and HDRI's with Iradium?

I'm trying to establish a thread that discusses Iradium lighting rather than anything else. It might be a lot easier than trying to dig through dozens of threads filled with a wide range of questions about other Iradium issues.

SickleYield

1. A mesh light is any object where you've set the Emission value to white rather than black on the Iray Uber Shader. I've never heard it called a shader light (I maybe missed a post in a thread?).
2. None of them, in my testing.
3. Nope.
4. Nope.
5. Nope.
6. Yes! You bet it is! Set the HDRI as the environment map in the render settings. I would set the skydome to emit with the Iray Uber Shader so it glows if you want to use a skydome.

Superdog

SickleYield said:

1. A mesh light is any object where you've set the Emission value to white rather than black on the Iray Uber Shader. I've never heard it called a shader light (I maybe missed a post in a thread?).
2. None of them, in my testing.
3. Nope.
4. Nope.
5. Nope.
6. Yes! You bet it is! Set the HDRI as the environment map in the render settings. I would set the skydome to emit with the Iray Uber Shader so it glows if you want to use a skydome.

Thanks for your succinct reply! As soon as you mentioned "emission value" I understood why the shader lights won't work. I use the Octane Render DAZ plugin where any surface can be turned into a light emitter but only OR surfaces can be emitters. Light emitters can't be imported from DS so now I understand why DS emitters won't work in Iradium.

My next problem is how to tell which DAZ products are shader lights. I'm thinking of buying the following but will they work with Iradium?

http://www.daz3d.com/architectural-lighting-rig

http://www.daz3d.com/rim-light-rig

http://www.daz3d.com/bwc-skies-the-bundle

http://www.daz3d.com/kaleidoscope

SickleYield

Pretty much zero DAZ Studio 3Delight lights will work with Iray. That means nothing you can currently buy in the store that is a light set will be useful with it.

You can use the BWC sky dome and Kaleidoscope props, but their lights won't work (if Kaleidoscope has lights, I don't see that it does?) and will have to be replaced with Iray lights. There are other combined light+prop sets where only the props will be useful (as with mine and Marshian's Celestial Bodies and Caustics sets).

Superdog

SickleYield said:

Pretty much zero DAZ Studio 3Delight lights will work with Iray. That means nothing you can currently buy in the store that is a light set will be useful with it.

You can use the BWC sky dome and Kaleidoscope props, but their lights won't work (if Kaleidoscope has lights, I don't see that it does?) and will have to be replaced with Iray lights. There are other combined light+prop sets where only the props will be useful (as with mine and Marshian's Celestial Bodies and Caustics sets).

Ok thanks! That's saved me some cash for when iRay compatible lighting sets are released. Will there be any updates to your own and Marshian's products to make them compatible with iRay? Or will iRay require completely new products?