How Do You Create Stained Glass Windows?
Fauvist
Posts: 2,152
I need to make stained glass windows for a cathedral and I need to be able to light the windows from outside the church, so that the light goes through the coloured glass to the inside of the church. I don't need the glass to be translucent from outside, but it has to be natural looking from inside. Any ideas? Like this http://www.daz3d.com/the-church-props
Thanks!
Post edited by Fauvist on
Daz 3D is part of 
Connect
DAZ Productions, Inc.
7533 S Center View Ct #4664
West Jordan, UT 84084
Licensing Agreement | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | EULA
© 2025 Daz Productions Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Comments
Well, rays need a volume shader (like uberVolume with DS). Translucence is available in uberSurface, also in DS, and coloured shadows require setting the Opacity colour/strength to the inverse of the diffuse colour.
Not sure if this is any help.
http://www.dfly.com/
I was previously looking into this, but didn't find a tutorial.
Looked for free glass textures but didn't find any good ones. Will keep a eye on this post as I'm as interested in this as you are.
Thanks. I took a look at the link - it's great for designing the window, but it's not for making it into a 3D model of any kind.
Shape a cylinder, fix the colours, use a transparency for degrees of transparency, fix the opacity levels ... stick in window aimed inside as you please. Add appropriate real lights too to get the shadows, etc.
It's for stuff like this that I found Luxrender to really come into its own. If you don't own Luxus, you might want to at least give it a try as it's perfect for doing exactly what you're looking for. This one is just a quick example I did a while back to test the effect, but as you can see, the result speaks for itself. Using Merlin's 'The Church' in this render.
I was thinking that I'd create a plane in a 3d modeller, split it up into material zones then import into DS.
Usually the modellers have an option for background image, just trace over it with a polygon tool.
@HeraldOfFire
Took me ages to figure out when using Luxus that the 'Fogbox - Volumebox' had to have a clear line of sight between the sides, which meant poking it into a scene behind the camera, removing walls, or presumably you could zero down the opacity of the wall behind the camera. (thanks again for the IBL set), would like to add a night/moon sky but couldn't figure out how after making a pic. Any chance of a tut?
For the church windows I set the ambient colour to white and the ambient strength texture the same as the diffuse. The rays were modelled by extruding the shape of the window, scaling up the end furthest from the glass and adding a gradient map to the opacity strength.
Not sure if you're asking for a tutorial on how I did my Church image or one for night scenes (hint, I tend to cheat on the latter).
Merlin's Church, as described above, came with a separate surface which provided a rather nice effect but I hid those surfaces and used the fog volume for rendering in Luxus for a more natural look. With more time and the right settings, you can even get a dappled effect from the stained glass on the ground. Here's and old example when I was just getting to grips with Luxrender. I've progressed considerably since then.
Apologies Fauvist, for side tracking a mo.
I meant how to put a new HDR/IBL globe onto your IBL set. As I wanted a night sky.
It didn't appear to be achievable just by changing the jpg.
Sorry for not being clearer.
Just found a Gimp tutorial for a stained glass window effect.
http://www.beastwithin.org/blogs/wolfheadofselfrepair/2012/03/stained-glass-gimp-and-inkscape
I've just been putting images on a primative plane, image in the diffuse and a greyscaled inverted one into opacity.
Couldn't find transparent or translucent settings which I guess are Uber shader settings
/Edit. Just using a plane with image experiment, but in Luxus/Luxrender. Need to merge it in Gimp with some rippled glass texture though.
Thanks Merlin! It sounds coplicated to create. When I render your Church in Poser 2012 I can't get the rays of light to look right.
Not sure if you're asking for a tutorial on how I did my Church image or one for night scenes (hint, I tend to cheat on the latter).
Merlin's Church, as described above, came with a separate surface which provided a rather nice effect but I hid those surfaces and used the fog volume for rendering in Luxus for a more natural look. With more time and the right settings, you can even get a dappled effect from the stained glass on the ground. Here's and old example when I was just getting to grips with Luxrender. I've progressed considerably since then.
That's a great effect. I guess I'm going to get Luxus and try with it. Thanks!
Although I haven't tried it, there was also a stained glass related article on the DSA website that you might find interesting if you are working with stained glass:
http://www.dreamslayerartworks.com/vB3/showthread.php?9305-DS4.6-How-I-created-a-stained-glass-window-colored-reflection-on-floor
(Can't remember if you need to be a member to see the article or not.)
Would it be better, perhaps, to set the Opacity color to the Refractive Color inverse?
Would it be better, perhaps, to set the Opacity color to the Refractive Color inverse?
Possibly - the opacity map should be the inverse of the colour you want the light passing through the window and lighting objects or effects inside the room to be.
Yes, that was me. Here is the image I created for the challenge.
and here is the tutorial if it helps anyone
>>basic scene elements needed:
the stained glass image desired
two planes
- one for stained glass image
- one for floor to show the reflected image
a light posed from behind the stained glass image plane
- any light source should work
-- I used distantlight
-- also tested spotlight and it worked
- light must have a shadow
-- must use raytraced
- light must be rotated so that shadow will appear on floor
a default camera will work
the Image Map shader
>>basic scene setup
position the stained glass plane and floor plane at 90 degree angles
position the light behind stained glass image plane
remember to set the shadow type to raytraced
align camera so stained glass floor reflection can be seen
create the Image Map shader
- select the stained glass image plane in the scene
- select the stained glass image shader surface in the surface editor
- open shader mixer
-- ds4.6 Window>Panes (Tabs)>Shader Mixer
-- a pop-up window will open showing the DAZ Default Material shader
-- insert Image brick
--- ds4.6 right click in material window Insert>Bricks (Default)>Functions>Textures>Image Map
--- a brick will be added to the material window
--- set the connections from the Image Map brick going to the DS Default Material brick
---- connect Image Color (C) to Inputs>Reflection Color
---- connect Image Color (C) to Inputs>Refraction Color
----- it may not require both or may not require either, but this is what I did
---- connect Image Alpha (F) to Inputs>Diffuse Color
----- without this connection, it will not work
---click Apply to create the shader
note: if you always wish to use the same image in the shader you can set the in the Image Map brick on the Inputs>Image item
make desired changes to the shaded surface(s)
- select the desired surface(s) in the editor panel (should still be selected)
- scroll down to Image
- click the drop down arrow and browse for the desired stained glass image
render your basic image
- make sure raytrace value is > 0
-- higher raytrace values may increase render times
now tweak your image for best placement
and, add your remaining scene items
remember that reflection shows up best on lighter color floors
Since light rays are usually visible due to particulate matter such as dust, try adding a small amount of noise to the shader.
I would love to get light rays working. Could you be more specific on how to add the noise to the shader? I was learning to do caustics when I created the shader mentioned above and I just got lucky. I would welcome additional help on improvements to this shader.!.