Iray updates? - Combining Environment Mode "Sun-Sky" with "Dome"?
linvanchene
Posts: 1,382
In Nvidia Iray you can light a scene either by using the Environment mode "Sun- Sky" or a "Dome" with an Environment map such as a HDRI.
Example: Environment Mode "Dome"
In the environment mode dome the scene is mostly light by an HDRI image set as environment map.
The strenght of the shadows in the scene depends on how the HDRI image was created.
Some allow for a very strong light situations with strong shadows. Other HDRI may be better suited for overcast skies with barely visible shadows.
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Example: Environment Mode "Sun-Sky"
In the Sun-Sky environment mode light and shadows are created by the sun position.
You can even set values for longitude and latitude.
The overall color scheme of the scene is also influenced by the color of the light dome that is created based on the chosen settings.
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Feature Request:
It would offer a lot more versatility to be able to use both light modes at the same time by combining the effects of the sun-sky mode with a custom HDRI image as environment map.
"Sun - Sky" mode would be responsible for the direct light and the haze settings.
An "Enviroment Map" with an HDRI could be added as in dome mode.
The environment map is not just used as a backdrop but also influences the scene with its own lighting.
Side Note: Just adding a distant direct light to simulate the sun in Environment Mode: Dome may be a workaround for simple scenes.
For advanced setups users may want access to the advanced parameters of the Sun-Sky mode and simply add an environment map there that is also calucated in the light situation of the scene.
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Submitted as Request #265596
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Comments
updated edited:
There are some other advanced options related to the environment and lighting that would also be very useful to have in Nvidia Iray.
I mention them in this separate post but do not want them to distract from the main request to be able to finally add an environment map directly to the "Sun-Sky" mode.
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More advanced options:
In other render engines there are features that would be very useful to have to work with Iray as well:
- set an image as backdrop in "dome" mode that is not used for lighting.
This means there are different parameters to just set the illumination of the backdrop itself and additional parameters to adjust how the backdrop affects lighting of the scene.
Side Note: The current version of the DAZ Studio "Environment" tab is not an alternative because it does not have the options of the Iray Environment Mode "Dome" to project spherical images.
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- world map to click on to set latitude and longitude
Side Note: The world map is integrated into the default UI of the render engine where the users can easily adjust it without the need to open a second window of a 3rd party plugin.
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- setting one environment map that is used for calculating direct light and one environment map that is used in calculating reflections or even refractions
Having the option to use different environment maps for different types of calculations offers up a lot of creative possibilities at render time without the need for post production work.
-> The user is able to create the look of the final image directly in the render engine.
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Who is responsible to develop and implement such features to Nvidia Iray?
In November 2017 Nvidia handed off sales and support for most of their plugins to new integration partners.
compare:
https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/design-visualization/solutions/rendering/product-updates/
The Iray plugins have now a new separate forum section on
https://www.irayplugins.com/
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Where does this leave the Iray implementation for DAZ Studio?
How should DAZ Studio users submit support requests for Nvidia Iray?
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edited to remove duplicate information that is explained in next post.
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You are confusinbg the plug-ins for suign iray with a aprticular application, of which nVidia used to dvelop soem for the big 3D applications while companies like daz and Allegorithmic handled their own using black-box versions or Iray to do the rendering, with the Iray render engine, which is what would provide most of the features you want.
I do appreciate that you take time to read trough my posts and provide valuable information. However this time I do not understand the meaning of your post because of a typo.
What I seem to get is that there were "plugins" and black box versions of Iray. So what kind of other applications were there?
I was not able to find any information how they are different or the same feature wise.
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To be more precise on my end why I listed the quoted information:
Until November 20, 207 there used to be subsections for the plugins on the "official" Nvidia ARC forum:
https://forum.nvidia-arc.com/forum.php
Now the sub sections of the "old forum" are "archived" and have moved to
https://www.irayplugins.com/forum/
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A dedicated forum section for the DAZ Studio "Iray" integration can not be found
- on the "old" NVIDIA ARC forum
- the "new" Iray plugins forum
- the DAZ Studio forum
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I submitted request 248404
Dedicated forum area for Nvidia Iray with sub forum
months ago.
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With the situation as it is the only thing I seem to be able to do is submit support tickets to Daz3D in the hope some of that information reaches those persons responsible.
But without an official forum section for the Iray integration for DAZ Studio it seems impossible for customers to keep track if other users submitted similar requests or if issues are known or not.
I was not able to find any "official" forum posts that indicate which features or changes are planned for the Iray integration in DAZ Studio.
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Sorry about the typos, I am trying to be better.
Essentially nVidia hnadled the integration with the big-name applications (3d Studio, Maya etc.) while for smaller applications it was handled by the developers, who had to prepare the data for Iray and pass it over to a module prepared for them by nVidia and over which they had no direct control. This came up when the 10x0 cards started to appear and people were getting confused over who needed to do the work to make Iray compatible with them - and again there were posts on how the nVidia plug-ins were being handled that people thought might be relevant to DS but which were not applicable.
Reporting bugs to daz is correct - then the developrs can work out which side of the divide the issue lies, and if necessary escalate it to to nVidia with - I would think - a lot more technical detail than we would be able to provide.
@linvanchene
The features you request would be very useful additions.
The first feature requested implies blending two HDRI images to light the scene, I know Photoshop can blend bracketed images into one HDRI, but cannot merge two HDRI(32 bit) images, that would required specialized software.
The second one could be plausible 'cause is an enhancement to the UI(User Interface), but there is already a product that can do something like that, https://www.daz3d.com/iray-geolocator
HTH
It would be great to be able to use sun-sky with dome & scene.
If you select None for the Environment map then the Sun-Sky settings will be exposed.