Thu, Jan 22th- Compositing/Rendering by J.P./Andrew
Wed, Jan 28th @ 11:59 PM - Final lighting of entire room
Summary
There are two noticable parts to this assignment. Both parts will be completed individually, not in groups. In the first part, you will be doing master lighting to create a compelling mood. The second will be to render out your scene in layers and then composite it to gain the best effect and to help accentuate the piece(THESE ARE NOT SPLIT UP IN DEADLINES BUT MORE TO HELP GUIDE YOUR FOCUS). The skills for these different parts require different skills and which we will examine in class. In this assignment you will be using the SAME scene you started in week one during advanced shading with Jason and continued with Koos in advanced FX. The point is to see the effect of the earlier created textures and effects upon your lighting. This is the last of the three projects dealing with the same scene. THIS IS THE TIME TO MAKE EVERYTHING YOU HAVE DONE LOOK IT'S BEST.
After spending considerable time learning the lighting tools and types available to you, please remember that good lighting is an art not a science . . . We're not looking for a perfect physical replica of the "real" world. We're looking for believable lighting that presents your scene well and conveys the mood you want.
Experience with the software tools, and the development of a critical eye is essential for those who wish to produce exciting CG lighting environments. You will be painting with light. Be sure to apply all of your experience with other art forms to this exercise. A light can be any color, don't forget this.
There are multiple examples we will use to display lighting techniques. These are not always going to be from the exact same scene you are working on. Also they are not absolute rules to be followed without question, but instead displays of techniques and ideas to help you. Basically you are not just replicating what others have done but instead creating your own beautiful and imaginative scene. "Lighting is an ART not a science."
This assignment is deceptively difficult, so please leave enough time in your schedule to complete it!!
Getting started
READ THE LIGHTING/RENDERING/COMPOSITION GUIDELINES UNDER THE READINGS SECTION ON THE WEBPAGE!!!!Lighting Readme.
Open up the scene you have been creating, when starting out you might want to hide the FX so the scene runs smoother.
Refer to the Example image. The goal of this project is to light the room as well as possible while conveying a mood. The lighting here is considerably more complicated than the pawn or fruitbowl, so be sure to take the time to determine how to approach it. Again, you may find that you can light the scene reasonably well, reasonably fast, but does it convey your mood and the best lighting possible? We will be looking for perfection from this assignment. Please be sure to analyze real life lighting, 3d lighting, and film lighting to compare with your scene.
To help you break down the lighting, examine this example from another scenewhich displays the contribution from each light. These lights are from the bedroom with lights image. Although this is not the same scen you are working on it is a good example of the amount of detail someone went into when lighting a small room.
The two questions I always try and ask myself are, "What are my sources of light?", and "What is the purpose of this scene?".
These may sound like a simple question but it often involves many different aspects of a scene. Many light sources are deceptive and people often overlook them. Light sources such as firelight, moonlight, bouncelight, lamps, glow, and reflections can have a subtle affect on a scene. Also, keep in mind that some lights may or may not influence different geometry so as to cast (or not to cast) the appropriate shadows on yet a different piece of geometry. For example, a light on the bed may cast a shadow on the nightstand, and/or a light may be shining on the bed but NOT casting a shadow on the nightstand. You can isolate the use of your lights by linking them. Try not to think too literally about lights. This is really more painting with light. You will add and subtract light from the scene through the clever and creative use of your selection of lights. The example scene from earlier, as it is given to you in bedroom_with_lights.jpg has more than 30 lights in it. Keep this in mind! Things are not always as straightforward as they seem....
Remembering the second question of "What is the purpose of this shot?" will obviously depend a lot on the story and mood you are attempting to convey. Some important things to remember though are to use light to highlight and accentuate what you want the audience to see. If the characters hand reaching towards the fire is most important make sure you highlight it. Also composition can have a huge impact here. You should only need to light your scene so it looks good from the camera angle you have chosen. This can help you pick what is most important and what we should focus on. The purpose of a shot does often reflect what the character is doing but don't neglect the background for this. The background can be just as important and how you light it will affect a lot how we view the character in it.
A very important aspect of lighting is motivation. Not just for the scene as a whole but especially per light. Each light you place should have a purpose such as highlighting the edge of this table, or adding a rim to this lamp, or filling in some blue light from the sky on this wall etc etc. One good way to do this and keep this in mind is every once in a while hide all of the lights you have made except one and go through them one at a time. On each light ask "why is this here" and see what it is adding or taking away. You can also single out shadows by changing their color drastically or just rendering that portion. Although you often need many lights, such as the bedroom example above has something like 52 light in it. Each one must have a purpose and be useful or it should be taken out. Every light you make adds render time and complexiting so remember the reason you made them.
Turn In:
January 28th
For the final turn in we expect you to have a tiny bit of animation on your camera, at least 10 frames. The camera can hardly move but there needs to be 10 frames of the scene.
Turn in one single image of your lit scene, AND one animated .mov or .avi of the same scene with a small amount of motion mentioned above.
Also turn in another single image of your lit scene at a different time of day.(This should change your lighting!)
Turn in your final maya file.
Although it isn't required, I WOULD STRONGLY SUGGEST using Render Layers and compositing. Often things like Occlusion and shadows on separate layers can help. IF you do use different render layers also turn in a single image of each of the layers.
Tips & What we're looking for:
As a general rule, be cautious when using "flashy" lighting techniques such as fog and lens flares. While these tools can be useful, they are overused and are often distracting. Use them sparingly and subtly.
You can't light effectively without using the IPR render or only rendering small portions. These techniques can save you a lot of time. Ask if you need help with this.
Be sure to consider the composition of your scene and the potential content of the story. You can make up whatever story you enjoy. Feel free to add other objects as needed. You should position the camera to best compose your shot. Keep in mind, however, set lighting can end up being angle specific -- meaning that it only looks right from a certain set of camera angles.
Make one good polished product. This is mainly a warning of "Don't bite off more than you can chew." You have all had a quarter of experience by now and thus know how long these projects take. Good lighting especially can take a log of time as you need to continuously adjust, and wait for renders. PLAN AHEAD so you don't turn in a half lit confusing scene.
Also remember this is the scene YOU have created the last two weeks. If there is something in it that you didn't finish from earlier or doesn't look as good as you want we suggest you fix it early!
In regards to the previous tip, don't forget all that work you did! If you think your log texture or spark effect or hanging cloth is awesome, SHOW US!
