AO Shadowcatcher

#1

Anyone know if there is a Matte / shadow material ( like max ) that will catch shadows or more importantly Ambient Occlusion.

I have ShadowCatcher.cob plugin - but this doesn’t seem to do it

Thanks

#2

multipass and render a AO pass

#3

Doesn’t that mean I have to have a floor to AO - which will come out in the colour pass?

I want a transparent floor with the AO reacting as tho there is a floor there and the resulting image - I don’t want the floor in the render at all - just objects

Don’t mind doing multipass - but don’t think that will work?

#4

Create a material with a filter shader in the alpha channel. Load the AO shader into the filter, check the “enable clipping” box and set low to 100% and high to 0%. There’s your AO catcher!

#5

Adam, that is very sexy. Nice.

#6

Isn´t it easier to invert the gradient? :wink:

#7

That too. :stuck_out_tongue:

#8

Great thanks. Perfect. Kudos.

Have made and attached the material in case anyone wants it.

The low to 100% and high to 0% setting is faster then moving the gradient diamonds - unless there is an actual inverse switch for it… couldn’t see one.

Thanks

#9

right-clic on the gradient -> invert nodes

#10

neat trick Adam! Thanks
This can be used for other things too…
-in reflection channel for floor reflections that fade off.
-in luminosity channel for Tron-like edge glows
-in luminosity and in bump/displacement with some added noise to make the sea’s foam that touches the sides of a boat

#11

Are you able to post an example? i’m not getting anything close to what you saying with the mentioned method?
Thanks

#12

Fede, I gave it a go… seems to work well.
I know this look could be achieved in lots of other ways, but the nice thing here is that you just add objects and the rest is automatic.

http://www.lewisrowe.co.uk/things/Tron-esque_AO_material.jpg
http://www.lewisrowe.co.uk/things/Tron-esque_AO_material.c4d.zip

#13

Hey lewisrowe, you are 100% correct and thanks for the scene. My set up was not correct, that is why it wasn’t working correctly. Now I know though, so thanks.

#14

Well, it took me a while to figure… the trick was to ramp-up the luminance colour brightness really high then let the multiplied AO act like a masks that the brightness shines through. Thats what gave the grads the nice white-to-cyan-to-dark blue look.

Now AdamT’s got me thinking, I might try the boat in sea idea next…

#15

Just beautiful lewisrowe. Having fun dissecting this shader.

#16

I’ve just tried AO in the bump and Displacement channels - they dont work there. pity. would have been good for liquid surfaces.

#17

When i was developing my boat system last year i spent a huge amount of time tinkering with this kind of idea, that really should work.

Great tron concept Lewisrowe, and thanks for sharing.

#18

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