How do I use 'Epic Skydomes: Cloud Haven HDRI'

denisnormandin

Hi,

I just bought 'Epic Skydomes: Cloud Haven HDRI' and don't know how to use it.

When I load it, there is a black sphere with some black clouds floating around it over a ground grid (in Texture Shaded view).

If I try to switch the viewport to INVIDIA Iray, or if I try to render to see what's going on in that scene... the program (DAZ 3D, 4.12.1.118 Pro Edition) craches in about 4 seconds: It just shuts off.

I'm using Windows 10 Pro 64 bits on a desktop equiped with an Intel Core i7-3770 CPU @ 3.40 GHz with 16 GB of ram.

The video card is a ASUS Pheonix GeForce GTX 1650 with 4 GB GDDR5 Video Memory.

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Are there some settings to tweak ore some other things to do to enable that Skydome environment?

MelanieL

First thing: when you load the environment that black sphere isn't really black, it's just that the preview lights need toggling (hit CTRL-L) then you will se it is actually a grey sphere which says "YOUR PROP HERE" - you replace it with your figure/prop at world centre.

Second, there seems to be a problem with loading the environment straight off in DS versions since 4.10. Not sure why it is still happening, but a workaround was given in a forum thread here: https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/3937791/#Comment_3937791

I just tried it myself and found that it still crashed in DS4.12, so evidently has not been addressed. However I can get it to work if I do these steps:

1. Load the "Render-Settings" you want first
2. Load any of the cloud props
3. Merge the "Environments" - "Skydome" you want to use into that scene
4. Render it.

Yes, this is not ideal! Hoever you can at least make it work.

The Commercial thread may have some more details about usage, you can find it here: https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/145761/epic-skydomes-cloud-haven-hdri-commercial/p3 - but I have the feeling that the PA is not monitoring it (he seems to have been awol since May - maybe sick? don't know)

You'll find a user guide in your content library under "ReadMe's" - it is called 37501_epicskydomescloudhavenhdri.pdf - it has some hints about using the product, but isn't what you might call comprehensive.

denisnormandin

MelanieL said:

 

I just tried it myself and found that it still crashed in DS4.12, so evidently has not been addressed. However I can get it to work if I do these steps:

1. Load the "Render-Settings" you want first
2. Load any of the cloud props
3. Merge the "Environments" - "Skydome" you want to use into that scene
4. Render it.

Yes, this is not ideal! Hoever you can at least make it work.

Thanks, I'll try that. Unfortunately, I work this weekend and won't have much time to experiment around it, and certainly not much time to read the forums and pdf documentation.
But I'll surly spend some time to at least find out if I can use it and avoid the crash.

So thanks again, it is much appreciated.

MelanieL

You're welcome, I just hope you can get it to work for you.

denisnormandin

MelanieL said:

 

You'll find a user guide in your content library under "ReadMe's" - it is called 37501_epicskydomescloudhavenhdri.pdf - it has some hints about using the product, but isn't what you might call comprehensive.

I don't see any "ReadMe's" in my Content Library. (!?)

A step by step "how to" would be a nice thing to add to the bundle, or a tutorial video.

 

MelanieL

denisnormandin said:

MelanieL said:

 

You'll find a user guide in your content library under "ReadMe's" - it is called 37501_epicskydomescloudhavenhdri.pdf - it has some hints about using the product, but isn't what you might call comprehensive.

I don't see any "ReadMe's" in my Content Library. (!?)

A step by step "how to" would be a nice thing to add to the bundle, or a tutorial video.

 

How did you install? I used DIM and it's there for me. It's also supposed to be available through the ReadMe in the store, but the link is broken - here's the correct one:

http://docs.daz3d.com/lib/exe/fetch.php/public/read_me/index/37501/37501_epicskydomescloudhavenhdri.pdf

denisnormandin

 

MelanieL said:

How did you install? I used DIM and it's there for me. It's also supposed to be available through the ReadMe in the store, but the link is broken - here's the correct one:

http://docs.daz3d.com/lib/exe/fetch.php/public/read_me/index/37501/37501_epicskydomescloudhavenhdri.pdf

I used Daz Central, for the first time, I was using DIM before.

Thanks for the link, I hope the answers to my other issues are somewhere in there.

 

denisnormandin

Another question about the skydome, this one or any other I guess.

Is there a way to change the light temperature, the presets for 'Epic Skydomes: Cloud Haven HDRI' are all in the warmer spectrum; brownish hue.

I'd like to get more toward a daytime bluish ambiance. Is there a way to do that?

In the attached render, you can see that the light at the bottom is lighter and bluer than in the upper background. I don't really understand how skydomes work, and the tutorial videos I have seen are not addressing that topic directly.

Though it is not very obvious (on purpose) there is ground below and mountains behind. I'd like the sky between the mountains to be the same hue as the one in the bottom.

MelanieL

Well if you have money to spend, this might be of use: https://www.daz3d.com/iray-hdri-reshade

All I can suggest otherwise is to experiment with the settings in "Render Settings" - "Tone Mapping". I can't remember what all the parameters are (I don't have access to my Daz Studio PC at the moment to check) but there may be something there which can help. Forum member Novica did a tutorial a long time ago which may help - it spreads over quite a lot of one of her Art Studio threads, starting here: http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/1003069/#Comment_1003069

ETA: And of course there's always that default solution: postwork!

denisnormandin

MelanieL said:

All I can suggest otherwise is to experiment with the settings in "Render Settings" - "Tone Mapping". I can't remember what all the parameters are (I don't have access to my Daz Studio PC at the moment to check) but there may be something there which can help.

Thanks, I was trying to avoid that solution. It looks prety much to me as a lot of guess work and blind shots, the result of which are only revealed after rendering.

Unless I am mistaking about what it does (and how it does it).

 

MelanieL said:

Well if you have money to spend, this might be of use: https://www.daz3d.com/iray-hdri-reshade

Well, it is not too expensive... if it works.

I purchased a few things so far that I wasn't able to use. Not necessarily because they were flawed, but because making them work was not as intuitive or easy as it seemed and time is not always on my side (reference to the Rolling Stones' song )

denisnormandin

OK, it did work, but not to expected results.

I used a backdrop instead and it's getting much closer to what I want to achieve. Much closer, but not quite there yet.
I had to turn off the Volumetric light cube, I can't seam to get the hang of it at this point. I'll have some experimenting to do.

I will open a new thread for another question (for the same project, but not on the same topic.

Thanks again for your help on this one.