Vray & Linear workflow confusion

#1

Hey I know its been brought up thousands of times but my situation should be (I hope) a little different.

I’ve been reading up on linear workflows and testing it out for ages now on MentalRay & Vray in Maya2010. In regards to product renders where companies provide their decals such as the print labels etc etc. If it comes in from illustrator. Doesn’t that mean that if I linearize that…I am changing the colors from what we are actually going after?

Also, I am a little confused on the whole sRGB. Do we want to preview the final image in sRGB?

Thanks guys.

#2

No, you’re actually preserving the colours they want better than if you didn’t linearize.

Yes.

#3

Ahh. So in my situation. I should still

  • Check the linear workflow box to apply gamma correction on my textures

  • Use Vray Physical Camera

  • Use 16bit png or exr

  • Do I leave the color correction to Linear multiply as compared to exponential or anything else under that tab?

  • Does it matter if I use the Vray frame buffer and click on the sRGB preview button?

  • If using Maya’s standard render preview window…should I have checked the apply sRGB button?

  • Do I apply gamma 2.2 in the gamma settings?

#4

I think so… sorry I can tell you about theory but I don’t know much about implementation in Maya. Basically you need to apply gamma correction to the texture. What you do to preview it I’m not sure, but you can test it just by applying the texture to a constant shader. Then when your preview settings are correct, the render should look the same as your original ‘uncorrected’ texture file.

#5

Check the linear workflow box to apply gamma correction on my textures

I don’t check the linear workflow box but instead I use the vray attribute in the file texture node to linearize my textures. From the documentation: “Note that this option is intended to be used only for quickly converting old scenes which are not set up with proper linear workflow in mind. This option is not a replacement for proper linear workflow.”

Do I leave the color correction to Linear multiply as compared to exponential or anything else under that tab?

That’s what I do and I deal with superwhites in compositing

  • Does it matter if I use the Vray frame buffer and click on the sRGB preview button?

    • If using Maya’s standard render preview window…should I have checked the apply sRGB button?

It doesn’t matter which framebuffer you choose but you should apply the sRGB profile. In maya’s render view switch image profile to linear an display profile to sRGB. For the vray framebuffer just press the little sRGB button.

Do I apply gamma 2.2 in the gamma settings?

Yes, do it but also check “Don’t affect colors”. Vray now takes gamma 2.2 for its sampling thresholds into consideration but still writes a linear image.

  • Use Vray Physical Camera

As far as I know the Physical Camera doesn’t make a difference for your linear workflow. Use it if you like.

  • Use 16bit png or exr

Use 16bit exrs. They can store multiple channels, they’re half float and relativley small for what they offer.

#6

*oops just noticed you’re using maya… sry

#7

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