This week I will be testing the scene lighting for the stained glass building.
I started by finding some videos of Arnold lighting renders on the web:
I found all these videos very helpful, and I will light my scenes mainly with three points of light. I also found some reference pictures of lighting in realistic scene towns.
To give the scene some realistic light response, I will add a [aiSkyDomeLight] with HDR mapping.
The effect with only white light and the effect with HDR mapping:
After adding the [aiSkyDomeLight] light with HDR mapping to the scene, you can feel the light in the scene is more realistic. This is because, at this point, the model will have reflections from the lights on the HDR map.
I am going to start by referring mainly to the lighting in this photograph：
I will design the scene with the main light source on the left side, as the clouds will be a little brighter on the left side. Also, colored buildings would have a better visual effect with more lights. I needed to keep only one of the lights created when creating the lighting effect, so I hid the HDR mapping [aiSkyDomeLight] first.
Tips:
There are six types of lighting in Maya: ambientLight and directionalLight, which have no decay. Other lighting control methods are as follows.
1. PointLight: pointLight properties in Decay Rate: you can achieve linear linear\square Quadratic\cubic three attenuation methods but can not control the attenuation range with the light intensity control simulation.
Another control method: in Hypershade – mental ray – MentalRay Lights – find mib_light_point and drag the middle mouse button into the pointLightShape property under mentalray on the LightShader channel, click on the back entrance, open mib_light_point light_point property panel, ensure that the Attenuation attenuation item is checked and adjust Stop to control it.
2.SpotLight: spotLight properties Penumbra Angle penumbra angle: control the degree of light edge defocus. Dropoff attenuation: control the light attenuation range.
[Intensity] The default value is 1. The larger the value, the stronger the light. Decay Rate] has four modes: No Decay, Linear, Quadratic and Cubic. The square decay simulates the real scene best and is the most common decay mode we use. Cone Angle] is used to indicating the size of the spotlight; Penumbra Angle] controls the attenuation of the light, simulating the real and imaginary changes in light. Dropoff] light inward attenuation, combined with the semi-circular angle to make the light more realistic changes in light.
3. AreaLight: areaLight to adjust the attenuation range combined with the properties of light [Intensity]and three types of attenuation to control
4. VolumeLight: properties volumeLight Light Shape to Cylinder cylinder or Cone vertebrae, then Penumbra properties open, adjust the value of selected Value can control the attenuation range.
I first created an Area light as the main Fill light for the scene, the difference between [Intensity] 20,000 and 40,000 with only white light. I chose an Intensity value of 40,000.
According to HDR lighting, set the time of the scene to [Noon],test the value of 5500-6500K.
Test：
The scene with Fill light added (the image on the left shows the scene without Fill light added)：
Now create the key light for the scene:
You can clearly see that the front of the scene is illuminated and that the mapped light from the stained glass on the right is also reflected on the stained glass building at the back.
The scene with the addition of Key light (the image on the left shows the scene without the addition of Key light):
Looking at the stained glass buildings on the right at this point, you will see that their translucency through each other has also increased, and the overall texture will have a more refractive feel of glass.
Adding Rim Light to the scene:
I have added a Rim Light on the right side, reflecting light to the yellow glass buildings.
Rim Light has been added to the scene (the image on the left shows the scene without the addition of Rim Light).
On the colorless glass building on the left, the reflected yellow light is more visible.
Current lighting effect of all lights on:
Now, add some lighting details to the scene:
Fill light on the stained glass’s right side (to add a light-transmitting quality to the stained glass).
Create a directional light that looked like this at first, but the light was quite strange.
So I changed the position of the direction light and the value of the [shadow color] and it looks much better this time:
But I was still not quite satisfied, so I continued to adjust. This time the houses on the left and the right are shaded.
I want to make two Area Lights to light up the front of the house.
But the reflections on the ground are not so wonderful, so I tried to cover them with a mask. But then the other lights wouldn’t work on the ground. So I considered relayering the rendering, but it was a little tricky. In the end, I found a simple solution.
In the [Rendering] screen click on [lighting/shading], then [light linking editor] and click on [Light centric]. On the left side, select the light; the illuminated objects will appear on the right side. By default, all objects are selected. If you do not need to light the model, click to cancel.
Current lighting Layout:
Current integrated lighting effects:
Summary of this week:
This week, I mainly tested the scene lighting of stained glass, but I feel that the lighting effect has not reached my expected goal. Because I have many projects simultaneously, I am worried about the production effect and time limit of the current lighting. I told Luke that I have tried to balance the time allocation of different projects. Luke told me that he understood my situation fine and told me not to pressure, just try to complete the schedule as much as possible. My anxiety was relieved a lot.
Although the time is very tight, I still try to consult with KK about modifying it and then do as many tests as possible. After KK gave me feedback on the colored glass materials and scene lighting production about my project, he said that I could book a session. He would help me analyze and put forward some suggestions. We quickly decided the time of the session.
I’m now working on the content of these links. The good news is that after this exploration of materials and lighting, I have more information and data about the research direction of the FMP project. This semester I will try my best to improve my materials and lighting. During the holidays, I will continue to study stained glass building materials and lighting rendering.
I really want to express my gratitude to my teachers and friends!