VRay-like interior renders with mental ray???

[sixbysixx]

I think (I hope I’m right) you need to add more IBL’s (Indirect Bounce Lights)

Just a little note: when people are using the expression IBL they usually mean Image Based Lighting - for example the Mental Ray IBL node. So don’t get confused:)

[myself44]

hey thx guys for the replies, that was fast

But one thing, since Im a 3D beginner, I still have trouble … don’t know how to explain that… Im having trouble to make realistic materials. You know, there are Blinn, Anisotropic, Phong, etc. but I never seem to make , for example, wood look like wood, or aluminium look like aluminium or my worst nightmare… leather.
I’ve heard about mia_thing… what are those ? and could someone post a quick screenshot of the persp viewport of a interior scene setup ? I would like to see how the lights are placed. Because usually, I only use one spot light for photons and sun. Adding additional lights screw up the realism.

thx for your help, I hope this thread last long and will make me improve on shading and lighting.

Oh and a shot of some shading network (metal chair legs, leather sofa,etc.) could help me understanding material creation.tthx

re-edit: maybe im dumb, but what’s difference between ‘materials’ and ‘shaders’

[sixbysixx]

hey thx guys for the replies, that was fast

But one thing, since Im a 3D beginner, I still have trouble .... don't know how to explain that... Im having trouble to make realistic materials. You know, there are Blinn, Anisotropic, Phong, etc. but I never seem to make , for example, wood look like wood, or aluminium look like aluminium or my worst nightmare.... leather. 
I've heard about mia_thing... what are those ? 

It’s a MEntal Ray Shader that behaves more physically correct. To get photorealistic looks with Phong etc is bloody tricky - stick to the mia material - you can do most materials with these. It is documented really well in the Maya Help files.

and could someone post a quick screenshot of the persp viewport of a interior scene setup ? I would like to see how the lights are placed. Because usually, I only use one spot light for photons and sun. Adding additional lights screw up the realism.

Attach Physical light as a light shader to your lights. This usually looks a lot more realistic. Lighting an interior is not easy. If you don’t know how to do it in the real world you’ll find it hard to do it in Maya. Look at reality, where are lights placed? What kind of Lights? What colour do they have? Are they soft, directional, small or big, strong decay or not and so on…
There is no general rule. I suggest: start to place them as you see them in real life and slowly you’ll learn how to hack it, by reducing the number of lights etc, in order to make your life more simple

re-edit: maybe im dumb, but what’s difference between ‘materials’ and ‘shaders’

Especially Mental Ray uses the word ‘shader’ for pretty much everything: lens shader, geometry shader, output shader, light shader, material shader. A material is just - well a material (but also a shader of course)

[myself44]

wow sixbysixx, detailed response. Thx very much.
I read some article concerning mia_material and find out that maya 8.5 is required
Although the physical_light shader you mentionned is available in 7.0 so I’ll try that one out.

Im practicing interior lighting because my final (5th) secondary year (grade 11 -Junior year for US) is coming and I have to complete a Personal Project part of the International study program to obtain my intern. diploma. So my project consist of re-designing the school cafeteria and creating it virtually.
So if I can’t light properly, im in big trouble anyway not very worried about it though

[doodlerboy]

Just a little note: when people are using the expression IBL they usually mean Image Based Lighting - for example the Mental Ray IBL node. So don’t get confused:)

Very true, that’s why I use “()” parenthesis to explain that their Indirect Bounce Lights, insted of Image Based Lighting. I was thinking about that when I was typing it lol. BTW no one’s helped me with my issue. I have my room set up, the VRay Lights in place, and everythings rendering fine. But the darn Directional Spotlight won’t cast my window shadows! So the room looks too much like a cloudy day. The directional spot light has VRay shadows on but it’s still not casting anything. Any idea’s guys? I’m super ooger stumped hahaha.

[chocot]

but hey !!
about those shadows…it always come from 2 part of pb .
1–> wrong material shadow ( on the dgs param, theyre is one usefull for casting shadows on transparent mat from this type or not ( idont know them)so
2–> wrong glass material.

hum that’s all
i ve just tried the arch and design from 3dsmax 9 , does it exist on your soft ?
if so , the glass solid physic geometry work with shadows(less with simple param//)

[dagon1978]

ok, here’s the mies test with displacement (grass/statue), caustics and something else
is not perfect, but i think is my final test on this scene…

settings:

physical sky+sun (no other lights)

AA 0 2 (mitchell 4-4)
c.t. 0,03
FG multibounces (3 mbounces)
FG accuracy 300 (200 for exterios)
density 1
interpolation 50

tonemapping > buffer.api (different for interiors/exteriors)

rendertimes: ~20 minutes (exteriors) / ~40 (interiors)

ciau

mat

[tuuhia]

nice one dragon:thumbsup::buttrock:…just question…how did you manage to get a realy soft shadow from the sun on the second one…i mean on the first one directsun shadow is sharp and second is soft like if sky is almost cloudy :shrug:

[chocot]

YEAHAA
that’s also cool ones
i dont see your caustric yet, ill look another time. ( irecently used caustic to render swimming pool areas as photon didnt pass trough water, is it same for u or will i ll find caustic for real in your scene ? ?
Hum one question for your test.: is it because you didnt put min and max FG radius size thats your render time are so high for a ’ so simple scene’ ( i mean few object, few polygon…)
perhaps it would be more precise on ceilling and top of wall

Hav nice summer

[dagon1978]

nice one dragon:thumbsup::buttrock:…just question…how did you manage to get a realy soft shadow from the sun on the second one…i mean on the first one directsun shadow is sharp and second is soft like if sky is almost cloudy :shrug:

thanx
i’m usign 2 different maps for the “haze” (sun/sky) and adjusting the softness (5) on the sun

YEAHAA
that’s also cool ones
i dont see your caustric yet, ill look another time. ( irecently used caustic to render swimming pool areas as photon didnt pass trough water, is it same for u or will i ll find caustic for real in your scene ? ?
Hum one question for your test.: is it because you didnt put min and max FG radius size thats your render time are so high for a ’ so simple scene’ ( i mean few object, few polygon…)
perhaps it would be more precise on ceilling and top of wall

Hav nice summer

thanx
caustics are there, i can see it (you probably can’t distinguish to the map texture, but… look better… )
the scene is not “so simple” the mies seat are “high poly” models (this is not my scene, but a test scene from treddi.com)
poly cont is ~1.2 milions
and the rendertimes are quite “high” because of glossy (all surfaces have glossy shaders) and very aggressive contrast threshold
with some “trick” i can render this scene in 1/10, but this is not what i want there

[Spacelord]

YEAHAA
that’s also cool ones
i dont see your caustric yet, ill look another time. ( irecently used caustic to render swimming pool areas as photon didnt pass trough water, is it same for u or will i ll find caustic for real in your scene ? ?
Hum one question for your test.: is it because you didnt put min and max FG radius size thats your render time are so high for a ’ so simple scene’ ( i mean few object, few polygon…)
perhaps it would be more precise on ceilling and top of wall

Hav nice summer

Check out Master Zaps blog on pool water, he has the caustics etc working.
http://mentalraytips.blogspot.com/

[visua]

Home sick and bored beyond death so I took a shot at dagons scene, some curves
and grain i ps. Rendertime 16 minutes on a tiny white macbook

[RMutt]

Hey everyone. Lots of impressive renders.

 I'm working on an interior scene using FG Multibounce....no GI. I'm having a problem getting my floor texture to show up. I mapped my file texture to a gamma correction node, which is in turn mapped to the diffuse value of my Mia_Material. When i render, the floor comes out as black.:shrug:

Here are my render node settings:

If you see other stuff wrong with my render settings/node settigns please don’t hesitate to correct me.

Any help is appreciated. The scene (minus the car) is [HERE](http://rapidshare.com/files/63753127/RMutt_Garage.rar)

[epq]

Hey everyone. Lots of impressive renders.

  I'm working on an interior scene using FG Multibounce....no GI. I'm having a problem getting my floor texture to show up. I mapped my file texture to a gamma correction node, which is in turn mapped to the diffuse value of my Mia_Material. When i render, the floor comes out as black.:shrug:

Here are my render node settings:

If you see other stuff wrong with my render settings/node settigns please don’t hesitate to correct me.

 Any help is appreciated. The scene (minus the car) is [HERE](http://rapidshare.com/files/63753127/RMutt_Garage.rar)

Just flip the normals on your floor.

/eric

[RMutt]

wow…common sense that is not so common. Thank you epq!

Since the scene is already up and my question was answered so promptly, you guys are welcome to use the scene for any test renders if you wish. Let me know if you’d like the car model as well and I’ll throw it in.

[RMutt]

I have another problem right after solving the last one :sad:

 I fixed my normal (it was only that one object) and the texture rendered fine. Then I added a bump map to the shader and I got this when I rendered:

[img]http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/8506/renderbt2.jpg[/img]

 I searched the forum already and tried the following:

[b] - file texture --> bump 2D -->miss_set_normals-->mia_material bump
 - Alpha is luminance is checked
 - export shader nework is checked[/b]
 
Don't know what I'm forgetting to do. :shrug:I'm using a desaturated version of the same jpeg as a bump...with the levels adjusted in photoshop.

[Snowcat]

I have some difficulties with adjustment mental in maya and much small questions!

I want to concern with the architecture exactly with m & m can anyone be divided 2-3 ready scenes that I their detailed has studied?

please:)

[Snowcat]

I have some difficulties with adjustment mental in maya and much small questions!

I want to concern with the architecture exactly with m & m can anyone be divided 2-3 ready scenes that I their detailed has studied?

please:)

[floze]

I have another problem right after solving the last one :sad:

I fixed my normal (it was only that one object) and the texture rendered fine. Than I added a bump map to the shader and I go this when I rendered:

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/8506/renderbt2.jpg

I searched the forum already and tried the following:

[b] - file texture --> nump 2D -->miss_set_normals–>mia_material bump

• Alpha is luminance is checked
• export shader neword is checked[/b]

Don’t know what I’m forgetting to do. :shrug:I’m using a desaturated version of the same jpeg as a bump…with the levels adjusted in photoshop.

Are you using the ‘Use Fresnel Reflection’ flag in the mia_material by any chance? If yes, try without. There was a bug (at least in the Maya 8.5 versions) that rose difficulties with the fresnel option. Use the regular BRDF with <0.05 / 1.0 for the reflection values and 5.0 for the curve.

[Bitter]

RMutt, in the above image it looks like round areas of final gather interpolation. Raise the filter on your Final Gather settings as well as what Floze recommended.