Do Daz lights work at all with Iray?

lou618_2b45855fe7

I already know that Uber lights don't work, but what about Daz lights? And if they don't work, then what lights can I use with Iray? Using Iray has been a pain in the ass so far. 

Richard Haseltine

What do you mean by Daz lights? The distant, spot, point, linear point lights from the Create menu work, but their behaviour is no the same (the spot and point lights all have inverse square fall-off, as real lights do, for example, and the lights always cast shadows) and when the render engine is set to Iray they will display different properties.

lou618_2b45855fe7

Richard Haseltine said:

What do you mean by Daz lights? The distant, spot, point, linear point lights from the Create menu work, but their behaviour is no the same (the spot and point lights all have inverse square fall-off, as real lights do, for example, and the lights always cast shadows) and when the render engine is set to Iray they will display different properties.

Everytime I render a scene, its pitch black. I'm out of options with Iray at this point. 

fastbike1

@lou618_2b45855fe7

Do you have the Iray Engine selected in the Render settings tab (see Attached-1). At default settings there is always an HDRI map that will provide some light. See attached-2.

Have you perhaps put an old 3DL Skydome in the scene? That will block all light. You can also get a black render if your camera is in an enclosed space with no Iray light in the space with the camera.

Try a  scene with just a figure and nothing else. Don't both adding a camera, just render the viewport.

 

 

lou618_2b45855fe7

fastbike1 said:

@lou618_2b45855fe7

Do you have the Iray Engine selected in the Render settings tab (see Attached-1). At default settings there is always an HDRI map that will provide some light. See attached-2.

Have you perhaps put an old 3DL Skydome in the scene? That will block all light. You can also get a black render if your camera is in an enclosed space with no Iray light in the space with the camera.

Try a  scene with just a figure and nothing else. Don't both adding a camera, just render the viewport.

 

 

 Why do I even need an HDR map in the first place if I'm not trying to render a scene that takes place in an outdoor environment? I removed the HDR map entirely, and rendered a scene with nothing but a figure, and it worked. But then I make visible the enclosed scene I actually want to render and its suddenly giving me total darkness. I have no idea what you mean by a camera because I'm not even trying to use one. This isn't the Reality engine, so I don't even understand the relevance a camera would have at all with Iray. What good is Iray to me for rendering scenes in enclosed spaces? I'm starting to question why this software is even in Daz. I would be using 3Delight right now if it rendered scenes with the same level of realism, because apparantly it takes an understaning of rocket science to use Iray. Hell, I even prefer the Reality engine to Iray if I could right now, atleast the damn lights work in it. This is freaking ridiculous for petes sake. 

Richard Haseltine

In the Environment mode:

• Sun/Sky simulates the lighting at a specified date and time (during daylihgt)
• Dome uses an HDR map, if one iss et, or matches Sun/Sky with no map
• Scene uses the lighs added to the scene
• Dome and Scene mixes both Dome and Scene options

Here "camera" just means point of view, whether it's ana ctual camera or one of the views.

If you are using Scene lights, remember that Distant Lights shine in from outside (the avatar in the viewport sets diection, not location) so they will be blocked as an HDR is by a sky dome or enclosed room.

lou618_2b45855fe7

Richard Haseltine said:

In the Environment mode:

• Sun/Sky simulates the lighting at a specified date and time (during daylihgt)
• Dome uses an HDR map, if one iss et, or matches Sun/Sky with no map
• Scene uses the lighs added to the scene
• Dome and Scene mixes both Dome and Scene options

Here "camera" just means point of view, whether it's ana ctual camera or one of the views.

If you are using Scene lights, remember that Distant Lights shine in from outside (the avatar in the viewport sets diection, not location) so they will be blocked as an HDR is by a sky dome or enclosed room.

I'm using linear point lights with the environment mode set to scene only and its still dark. 

Richard Haseltine

In Iray a Linear Pointlight is just a pointlight - Iray 9in Photoreal mode) doesn't support things like non-inverse-square falloff or objects not casting shadows. If you are lighting with only a single pointlight you will need to adjust the Tone Mapping settings.

EyeOfCharon

You definitely want to use a camera to fix your viewpoint. Use the other windows for what they're designed for. Yes, iRay lights are tricky, but it's worth it. I bought this (worth every penny): https://www.daz3d.com/mastering-the-fundamentals-of-iray-lighting-and-rendering ;

fastbike1

@lou618_2b45855fe7 "I'm starting to question why this software is even in Daz. I would be using 3Delight right now if it rendered scenes with the same level of realism,"

You just answered your own question. The Galleries make it pretty clear that Iray works very well. i'm also willing to bet that every Iray gallery image wasn't made by a rocket scientist.

If you would have done the simple exercise I suggested, you may have started to see the light. 

 

DustRider

Try adding two zeros to the "Liminous Flux (Lumen)" value for your light(s). That should give you enough light in the scene, and you can adjust as needed from there. Iray needs very large values for the lights. See attached image for where you can find the value setting (note: the intensity setting is for 3Delight lights, and has no affect on Iray lights).

Edit: You can also adjust the default tone mapping values like a real camera to use lower values for the lights (i.e. like you would for making photographs in low lighting) and still have enough light for the scene.

DustRider

This turtorial by Sickle Yield may help too:

Lighting And Tone Mapping In Iray

prixat

fastbike1 said:

...you may have started to see the light. 

I see what you did there. lol

Alowe49

Point 1 - Don't use the old lighting.

Point 2 - Always use the Default Camera, like any half decent camera it has a built in light.

Point 3 - Practice - you are learning something different, it takes time - so try the following.

First, load as a new scene, the Scene Builder- Starter Essentials-Sci-Fi Level 19 (an indoor ready to render scene)

View through the Default camera in NVIDIA Iray, move the camera and the light moves, In the Scene Tab -select Default Camera, In the Parameters Tab - select Headlamp-offset then play with the position of the lighting to get used to it.

Next step - In the Scene Tab - delete JUST the Level 19 prop then MERGE the scene/prop you are trying to use, this keeps the Camera and Render Settings, so gives you a fighting chance to render something other than blackness. Best of Luck.

 

 

n.jmurov

I'm using DAZ 4.8.

There are a Point Light and a Spot Light in the Light Presets/ DS Defaults folder. These don't appear to work at all in Iray. There's no Luminosity setting for them either, only Intensity and Intensity Scale and I have cranked up Intensity to 2000% and Intensity Scale to 100. The scene is placed within a closed box to make sure there's no HDRI light.

So it looks like the advice given above is for some other default lights (I don't see any other default lights in the Lights or Light Presets folders), or is incorrect, or is incomplete.

MelanieL

After adding them, you need to click on the "Photometrics" button for those lights to get those other settings to appear. I can't remember exactly where this is, but if you use the Lights or Parameters tab and click "All" at the top you'll see it. (DS 4.11 does this automatically if you have Iray selected as your renderer)

fastbike1

@n.jmurov

If the render engine is set to Iray, the Point Light and Spotlight from the Create Menu will automatically be Photometric.

Realistically, Studio 4.8 is just going to be more and more limiting for you.