February, 2016 New User 3D Art Contest “Lighting” (WIP Thread)

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Comments

  • ChoholeChohole Posts: 33,604

    Judging still going on

  • Okay, thanks, Cho.
  • dracorndracorn Posts: 2,333
    Linwelly said:
    Teofa said:

    Well, I suspect this will be an IRAY contest, so I will just wander off.

    I throw my hat in for 3delight, will try to help on that topic where possible. For all WIPs it would be important to note which renderer you are using (of which program at all as Cho mentioned Poser Carrara and Bryce) to help you best.

    3Delight for me too!  I have a great idea for my first render...

  • LinwellyLinwelly Posts: 5,802

    Anyway I am going to try this again today and see if I can get it to post: Yay it post thanks for the info about not spacing MN!!

     

    Hi Saphire, lets do first things first, did you activate the shadows on your lights? I believe the speed light shadows are not automatically activated. (BTW I like the new material for that set)

  • Kismet2012Kismet2012 Posts: 4,252
    Linwelly said:

    Anyway I am going to try this again today and see if I can get it to post: Yay it post thanks for the info about not spacing MN!!

     

    Hi Saphire, lets do first things first, did you activate the shadows on your lights? I believe the speed light shadows are not automatically activated. (BTW I like the new material for that set)

    Even now I sometimes forget to check to see if the shadows are on on my lights.

  • SaphirewildSaphirewild Posts: 6,653

    Yea I did forget to check the shadows on that. I will work on it again tonite.

    Here is my second WIP with the same lighting but this time the shadows came through :D

  • SaphirewildSaphirewild Posts: 6,653

    Here is the second draft WIP

    I changed the lighting from Deep Shadow to Ray Traced and changed the background and I think it turned out ok

  • Looks like I'm the first WIP this month.

    This is a nice start.  What are your plans for this image?

     

    Which program and/or render engine are you using?

    I'm using Daz 4.9/Iray to do my rendering now a days, but I haven't a clue as to what kind of senario will be happening when it reaches the end. 

    (Sorry about any spelling mistakes, it's about 430 in the morning where I'm at and I should be trying to get some sleep.)

    Sometimes you end up with the best images when you let the scenarious develop on their own.

     

    I am looking forward to seeing what happens ( after you get some sleep of course ).

    feb2016b is rendering as i type this. i'll have it posted once it's done. (don't mind my naming system, the first letters are the month, the numbers are year, and the last letter(s) is/are version.)

  • Looks like I'm the first WIP this month.

    This is a nice start.  What are your plans for this image?

     

    Which program and/or render engine are you using?

    I'm using Daz 4.9/Iray to do my rendering now a days, but I haven't a clue as to what kind of senario will be happening when it reaches the end. 

    (Sorry about any spelling mistakes, it's about 430 in the morning where I'm at and I should be trying to get some sleep.)

    Sometimes you end up with the best images when you let the scenarious develop on their own.

     

    I am looking forward to seeing what happens ( after you get some sleep of course ).

    feb2016b is rendering as i type this. i'll have it posted once it's done. (don't mind my naming system, the first letters are the month, the numbers are year, and the last letter(s) is/are version.)

    here it is.

    feb2016b.jpg
    1026 x 872 - 623K
  • KolossKoloss Posts: 3
    edited February 2016

    Hi! I've been a DAZ member for a few years, but I've never posted anything until today. Not sure if that qualifies me as a new user or not but this is my first upload to my gallery and it certainly has some lighting going on and I thought I'd share it here as well. Also wanted to use this opportunity to say hi, again smiley 

    Shoot, forgot to mention: Rendered in Iray in DAZ 4.9. Thanks Linwelly for setting me straight. Sorry 'bout that.

    Title: The Challenger

    Some notes- I used the Adaline character for G3, Dragonfly3d "Light it Up" light preset and skin shine are used. The hair is Galene hair- mostly default but with a few textures/maps (the reddish parts) custom made by my friend GXT6000 who is also a member of the DAZ community, the outfit top & bottom are G3 Vigilante outfit parts and the elbow pads/knife & holster are from the Apocolyptic outfit for G3. I wanted the character to appear to be readied up for an eminent sparring/training/combat scenario against someone or something. Aside from that I just wanted her to be very lit up- she's alongside a sun which is the environment pic and the lighting was added because the environment by itself just wasn't enough. There are 2 front lights casting white-ish light and behind her are 2 more casting yellow-orange light. The prop- basically a platform I modeled years ago.

    The Challenger_Koloss_logo.png
    1080 x 1080 - 2M
    Post edited by Koloss on
  • LinwellyLinwelly Posts: 5,802
    edited February 2016
    Koloss said:

    Hi! I've been a DAZ member for a few years, but I've never posted anything until today. Not sure if that qualifies me as a new user or not but this is my first upload to my gallery and it certainly has some lighting going on and I thought I'd share it here as well. Also wanted to use this opportunity to say hi, again smiley

    Koloss, you qualify as a new user for this contest for as long as you didn't win this contest twice or any other major contest on the DAZ forum once. No matter the wins or not wins, everbody is allowed to post their WIPS here on the forum as long as the topic of the month is kept in mind. That being said my first impression on your lights in this render is that you have done a nice job about it. For further support it would be helpful to know what renderer/ program you are using.

    Post edited by Chohole on
  • Kismet2012Kismet2012 Posts: 4,252

    Yea I did forget to check the shadows on that. I will work on it again tonite.

    Here is my second WIP with the same lighting but this time the shadows came through :D

    You have some nice shadowing going on in this image.  Is the background an image?  It looks like a beach scene.

  • Kismet2012Kismet2012 Posts: 4,252

    Here is the second draft WIP

    I changed the lighting from Deep Shadow to Ray Traced and changed the background and I think it turned out ok

    The shadows definitely make a difference but I find your background image a little too busy.  The pattern in the background is competeing with the textures on her outfit.  A rim light, especially around her head, might help to bring her out from the background.

  • Kismet2012Kismet2012 Posts: 4,252

    Looks like I'm the first WIP this month.

    This is a nice start.  What are your plans for this image?

     

    Which program and/or render engine are you using?

    I'm using Daz 4.9/Iray to do my rendering now a days, but I haven't a clue as to what kind of senario will be happening when it reaches the end. 

    (Sorry about any spelling mistakes, it's about 430 in the morning where I'm at and I should be trying to get some sleep.)

    Sometimes you end up with the best images when you let the scenarious develop on their own.

     

    I am looking forward to seeing what happens ( after you get some sleep of course ).

    feb2016b is rendering as i type this. i'll have it posted once it's done. (don't mind my naming system, the first letters are the month, the numbers are year, and the last letter(s) is/are version.)

    here it is.

    Looks like you have the beginnings of an interesting story here. 

  • SaphirewildSaphirewild Posts: 6,653

    Yea I did forget to check the shadows on that. I will work on it again tonite.

    Here is my second WIP with the same lighting but this time the shadows came through :D

    You have some nice shadowing going on in this image.  Is the background an image?  It looks like a beach scene.

    Yes the Background is a beach scene just mainly put it there to see if tat is what I wanted for a background still not sure yet.

     

  • SaphirewildSaphirewild Posts: 6,653

    Here is the second draft WIP

    I changed the lighting from Deep Shadow to Ray Traced and changed the background and I think it turned out ok

    The shadows definitely make a difference but I find your background image a little too busy.  The pattern in the background is competeing with the textures on her outfit.  A rim light, especially around her head, might help to bring her out from the background.

    I think with this one I will go ack to the snowish bg so she can pop out again

  • evilded777evilded777 Posts: 2,442

    I'm thinking perhaps we might want to include some details about the light(s)/render settings we have used and what we are trying to achieve with the look and mood of the piece.

    Lighting encompasses elements of composition, tone, color... I can see a lot of critiques going the same way if there is no input from the artist as to what they were going for, or what they feel worked and/or didn't work for them.

     

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548

    I'm thinking perhaps we might want to include some details about the light(s)/render settings we have used and what we are trying to achieve with the look and mood of the piece.

    Lighting encompasses elements of composition, tone, color... I can see a lot of critiques going the same way if there is no input from the artist as to what they were going for, or what they feel worked and/or didn't work for them.

     

    Good idea

  • TeofaTeofa Posts: 823
    edited February 2016

    Light is more than simple illumination.  It is color, how it reflects off color, the ambient lights. More than just a simple spotlight, it can determine so much, and is the sum of all the lights, shadows, reflections and ambients in the scene.   4 simple illustrations using 1 distant light at 88% in different colors (no shadow), and a west park floor prop that has had the ambient light adjusted to 50% and color added.

    Right to left

    Image 1.  White light, stock floor.  Image 2.  Yellow light, white ambient floor.  Image 3,  blue light, blue ambient floor.  Image 4.  hotter orange light, orange ambient floor.

    Note how her skin, clothing, bow all reflect different colors due to the spectrum of the light.  This can be done with softer lighting, point lights, spots, distance. It can be localized or full image.

    Ambient lighting can have a profound effect on props and how they impact a scene.

    This is in 3Delight.

     

    ex white stock.jpg
    522 x 700 - 144K
    ex yellow white ambient.jpg
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    ex blue light blue amb.jpg
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    ex hot orange.jpg
    522 x 700 - 154K
    Post edited by Teofa on
  • TeofaTeofa Posts: 823
    edited February 2016

    And "tone".  Identical figures and props, same light placements, totally different mood. Backgrounds changed to blend somewhat with the lighting.  Rough, quick examples.

    It's not enough to just "dim the lights" in my opinion.  Night has a far cooler palette into the blue spectrum, even pale grey lighting can be effective.

    Outside, day is more than just brighter, it is more into the yellow spectrum or even red at times.  

    Ambient color and strength on the floor prop was changed to suit the mood of the image, and I purposefully overdid it.

    3Delight

    somber.jpg
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    brighter.jpg
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    Post edited by Teofa on
  • TeofaTeofa Posts: 823
    edited February 2016

    An older unfinished render of mine just to point out a few things.  Overall the scene is lit in a very cool blue-violet main lighting.  Several red-Orange low intensity rim lights were used to bring out the copper of her accessories and to highlight the door frame, and add a tint to her eyes.  Her face was in total shadow and so there is a light Violet spot at her chin, low intensity, pointing upward.  The katana is lit with a low intensity blue-white point, with an added specular only light.

    The leaves were too green, this was toned down with grey ambient and darker diffuse.  The walls and doors were too bright, and also toned down with darker ambient light and diffuse.  The ground was as well.

    3Delight.

    This second image I removed the violet lighting and went cooler blue as I wanted more blue to her skin.  I toned down the orange lights a bit, but the biggest change was going into settings and reducing the reflection settings on the door..a lot, setting gloss to 100 (in my version of DS gloss settings are backwards.. 100 being 0), and then going to Lighting model settings and changing the door from gloss plastic to "matte"  You can see how this affected the overall lighting.  For some reason PA's are really fond of using glossy plastic settings on everything.  

    This is also unfinished.

    violetwrims.png
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    violetdark2.png
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    Post edited by Teofa on
  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548

    Wow the examples are most helpful!  Thank you guys for taking the time!

  • SaphirewildSaphirewild Posts: 6,653

    Thanks Teofa for taking the time to show us in detail about the different lightings there are!!!

  • Kismet2012Kismet2012 Posts: 4,252

    Excellent examples and explanations Teofa.  Thank you.

  • Any thoughts, suggestions or criticism would be greatly appreciated 

    Spaceroom.png
    1200 x 675 - 1M
  • Any thoughts, suggestions or criticism would be greatly appreciated 

    Light coming from down below illuminating the cat would be a nice touch.  Is this an Iray or 3Delight render?

     

  • TeofaTeofa Posts: 823
    edited February 2016

    Any thoughts, suggestions or criticism would be greatly appreciated 

    This is IRAY, I can't tell you how to fix it.  The floor reflections are too strong and pixellated, particularly the white one.  I see blue and white pixellated reflection effects scattered throughout the image.

    I don't know what the default IRAY settings for reflections are.  I do notice high reflective in many IRAY images that really don't need it.. like dry cobblestone streets reflecting like a highly waxed floor or brick walls reflecting like a mirror.

    Post edited by Teofa on
  • Kismet2012Kismet2012 Posts: 4,252
    Teofa said:

    Any thoughts, suggestions or criticism would be greatly appreciated 

    This is IRAY, I can't tell you how to fix it.  The floor reflections are too strong and pixellated, particularly the white one.  I see blue and white pixellated reflection effects scattered throughout the image.

    I don't know what the default IRAY settings for reflections are.  I do notice high reflective in many IRAY images that really don't need it.. like dry cobblestone streets reflecting like a highly waxed floor or brick walls reflecting like a mirror.

    Are you referring to the spots behind the cat on the floor?  Turning down either the glossiness or reflections in the surfaces tab for the floor, this will take some experimenting, should help.  This looks like one of Stonemason's sets and I do not have that one or I would try and find the settings.

     

     

  • Here's my newest rendered just last night. I gave our hero a weapon, due to the fact that who knows what's on the other side of that door he's about to open.

    feb2016c.jpg
    1026 x 872 - 622K
  • SaphirewildSaphirewild Posts: 6,653
    edited February 2016

    Here is my newest render using the same speedlighting Sun with Raytraced shadows set 95% and shadow softness set to 12% cause they are outside and the sun is strong :D

    Any comments or advice welcomed

    Angels Among Us.jpg
    1000 x 563 - 122K
    Post edited by Chohole on
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