Lighting Challenge #24: (WIP) The Cabin

[sagecgi]

Here is an update, about %50 complete. I’m still working on texturing all the little bits. I have not decided on the final view or color grading just yet. I have a neat idea for a MacGuffin but I’m keeping it on the down-low until it’s ready.

[Goico]

Hi, this is my last update, I´ve been working most in things that hindukush and xeltestic had mentioned. Thank you very much guys! :buttrock:

I´ve not worked yet in the whole cabin, just only in the atmosphere.

@xeltestic; I love your texture, and the ilumination you started doing is good, becareful with the side wall, where it join with the chimeny, try tu put some gradient shade there. I didn´t started to illuminate that part, but is a place where many of us had troubles.

@hindukush; hey, your picture is armonic, the light seems to be done by the sky you used. there is an equilibrium. I think the last one have too noise, and the transition behind the tree, between the ground and the mountain is too step, I´d try to make more similar the colors, maybe the mountain more like the ground (just an idea)

@tuffmutt1; your image was incredible from the begining, don´t miss this cool look, I think that things like the tree are too saturated.

@djprasun; I like very much the way you worked the image, I concide with Jeremy about the highlights on the shadow.

[tuffmutt1]

@tuffmutt1:

I really like your scene! The lighting itself is coming along wonderfully, much more contrast and depiction than mine. Hope you don’t mind but while our scenes are very different, I’ll try to bring my contrast closer to yours.

That said, and I know it’s still a WIP, but I think your leaf and grass shaders could use a lot more work to interact with your gorgeous lighting. You’re in Max, so I’m not sure how far you can push the Max/mia_x shader from your end, but translucency as well as texturing would really help. But it’s your scene, and realism isn’t necessarily the goal here, but artistic and powerful lighting of course!

But note the top-left-most leaf of your tree, for example. Why is it black? A bit of quick shading work can fix such issues. Also, if you’re not using the mia_material_x (arch material in Max, I believe), you could benefit from it greatly.

You can learn more about realistic leaf shaders here (Maya thread, but the best one online period for mental ray/plants) and here (based heavily on the first thread). Disregard the non-shader Maya-specific aspects and you should be fine, so long as Max’s MR implementation lets you use the mia translucency slots and a multiply operation.

The same technique would vastly improve your grass’s light interaction as well, and help nullify the “CG look”.

Also, I think for the sake of lighting, the vignette should be omitted until you’re 100% satisfied with the rest. If you already are, then continue being so, of course!

Great info. on that thread. took me some time to go through it. and some amazing work.
will try to fix that grass and tree. still got time.

[tuffmutt1]

worked a bit more on the grass texture. replaced the tree completely. also relit the scene with some gobo Lights. C&C welcome. straight render no post this time.

[Goico]

@tuffmutt1; now is much better the picture, I´d put again the mountains behind, very sutil. From where did you take the tree? It´s awesome!

[pmcb]

Hello, everybody, congrats for the challenge.
Very good work so far.

After some problems with my pc I can now participate in the challenge. This is my first post. I still work on it.

[Voigg]

Here is my next version, I made some of the changes that were suggested. Let me know what you think.

[bips03]

hey guys!! hows u all doing… got to see some nice works… really got inspired again and couldnt stop my self frm enterng into the challenge… so here is my first update… jus a rough setup… will work on dis concept nw on… will soon post my WIP :wip:

All da bst guys …
cheers!!!

[amitlighting]

wooooooooowwwwwwwwwwww…
nice challenge going on…
Here is my 1st test render hope u like it…& best of luck guys. thanks:bowdown:

[JackyLiang]

Hey guys, here’s my new update with the snow globe Did some basic base textures to test out my color tone and all that. The area inside the globe seems a little too dark, I’ll work on the translucency of the glass to see how it works. This images is composed with a simple ao pass. It’s rendered in vray with max. Thoughts and suggestions are always welcomed:

[InfernalDarkness]

Update on lighting, but I am calling this a failure right now for multiple reasons. Perhaps some technical critique would be helpful but that’s kinda outside the scope of this thread, so I’ll post it in a more appropriate forum. Long story short area lights aren’t working and I must find the cause!

Hi-res

Raw render

And here are some close-up progress renders. Getting close, I feel like the left window is emitting the proper amount of light (and the far left deckpost appears lit properly), but the right one doesn’t appear to be doing the same. The light settings are identical and their nodes appear connected identically. The right window shows up in the output alpha, though, and the left one doesn’t. Gotta figure it out!

Anyway I think I’ve picked my color scheme out mostly, but how does one go about altering light curves? xeltestic you had a great critique but I’m unsure how to go about fixing this issue? You were right about the risk of letting GI take over, but I’m unsure how to improve the brightness curve of my image without blowing out the wrong details…

@Tuffmutt1:

This one is incredible. Your image was already impressive and now it’s just amazing. Keep at it. I can’t think of anything to critique anymore! The foreground rocks could use some work in terms of geometry, but the lighting is coming along very well.

[system]

Here is my updated version :wip:… please give your valuable comments and critics:hmm:

[MiRe]

Hello, this is my first attempt to a challange, very good material in this thread!
I’ve still got a lot of work to do with textures, add grass etc., but i’m still not sure with the lighting.
I was wandering if moonlight can actually cast shadows in a situation like this or if it is unbelivable
Waiting for your comments and critics

[Goico]

@ramlighthunter; very cool image, I like the violet you used as key light, but you don´t have shadows, so it makes al the image looks flat.

@pmcb; awesome scene! Keep improving the light. I´d change the color of the trees, everyone are kind of black an only one is green, I´d change this black.

@amitlighting; great start, is it a colt? If it´s an adult horse I think is too small.

@JackyLiang, I think your image is going very good, you should work on the atmosphere inside there, one thing which would help you is to dim the place where is the objet.

@InfernalDarkness; everything awesome! I like he brightness you have in the top of the trees behind, I´d work to get more dark the under part of your image, where the light doesn´t get in, and go gradualy light straight to the top, where is lit by the sun.

[xeltestic]

worked a bit more on the grass texture. replaced the tree completely. also relit the scene with some gobo Lights. C&C welcome. straight render no post this time.

good job with the gobos! Helps break up that uniform grass nicely. I tried sth similiar as well with my scene. What is your approach if I may ask?

[amitlighting]

my second update…

[tuffmutt1]

good job with the gobos! Helps break up that uniform grass nicely. I tried sth similiar as well with my scene. What is your approach if I may ask?

I am simply using a tree render as a mask for my Light color. with some variations in how much i mix in for other lights.

[tuffmutt1]

@tuffmutt1; now is much better the picture, I´d put again the mountains behind, very sutil. From where did you take the tree? It´s awesome!

Thanks . The Tree is from http://rendering.ru/index.php/plugins/itrees_vol1_autumn/

[tuffmutt1]

Here’s an Update…with more trees added on to a background layer. and mountains with GroundWiz free Material .

[severin01]

Hi all!

First of all, thanks for the great model Dan & Andrew.

As this being my first lighting challenge I’m looking forward to all kind of feedback on the image below.
I’m somehow struggling with some snow on the tree’s branches so I’ve tried a couple of things (e.g. emitt nParticles from the branches or copy the branches asign the snow shader and move them a little up in space) but was not very happy with the results. And the indoor lighting seems a little flat. How do you guys manage to get this real warm indoor light?

However, I used an IBL node with a normal 8-bit image that I’ve tweaked a little to resemble “full-moon”-light as basic lighting and a directional light for the snow elements to make it a little brighter and to accent the small reflection of the moon light in the snow.

enough talking, here is my first shot, thanks a lot in advance for constructive comments!