Do I need to do something special? (Iray & old cyclorama question)
WillowRaven
Posts: 3,787
I have a v4-character I created for a book series years ago that is being re-used/revived for a sequel that also happens to require I render in Iray. Y'all know I'm still making the transition from 3DL, which is fairly easy with shader sets. But this character already has a set look and material (he's a mermaid with variegated blue skin). What's the easiest way to modify the character and her tail to play nice with Iray?
Post edited by WillowRaven on
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I like V3Digitimes' Converter: https://www.daz3d.com/iray-converter-for-generation-4
I use the results just as a starting point, though. I tweak the settings afterwards, sometimes extensively. Not sure if this is the best option if you're looking for a simple solution.
Does that also work with non-character things like the lost realms mermaid tails or old hair sets?
You put that "(Iray question)" in the title because you knew us smartasses would write something dumb or obnoxious if you just left it like that, huh?
Touché good WillowRaven... Touché.
:P ... I have been hanging around the forums since DS3, hehe. I've been watching y'all.
Vyktohria's store at Rendo has Iray converters which I use to convert older characters, hair, and sets. I even use them to convert things which have Iray settings but I'm not happy with. The base converter is a great go-to in a lot of cases. The caveat is that it works great when there's a texture map to work from but when there are procedural maps I'm better off using shader preset sets.
Hth.
I see https://www.daz3d.com/rssy-3delight-to-iray-converter is on sale. I like the 3DL to Iray set RSSY sells. Y'all like its counterpart?
Does iray have a plastic/matte/glossy spot like 3DL has?
In Shader Presets >Iray>DazUber there's Plastic- Glossy, Plastic-Smooth, Rubber- Matte, Rubber- Shiny; and many others. Those are part of the Default Resources Folder for Daz Studio 4.15 (good until the next version of D|S)
EDIT: totally unfamiliar with 3DL as I've used it for maybe like a total of 1 month years ago
Can't answer as I don't have it
So far, I'm liking RSSY's 3DL to Iray tool, but I don't think this particular problem I'm now having is due to the tool as much as me just not knowing Iray ...
I'm converting the very old background for the book to Iray along with everything else in the scene, but once switched, it sort of enhances, or rather, lightens, a specific panel (the center area). How do I remedy this?
Are the headlamps still on? I don't have your cyclorama so I tried it with what I do have and noticed there was a "hotspot". I turned off the head lamp and everything evened out. The headlamps being left on will ovrpower whatever lighting you're doing in a scene.
How do I turn that off?
Select the camera then in Parameters > Headlamp > Headlamp Mode> Off.
Alternatively DimensionTheory has a headlampblocker in his Iradiance Light Probes Expansion 3 sets. There may also be other ways to block it but am working on something now. Will update later if I find those.
Thanks ... :D
Another possibility might be to consider iRay freebies. You could use Namtar3D's underwater HDRI and then create the ruins from mesh objects. The HDRI is here: https://www.renderosity.com/freestuff/items/82773/underwater-hdri
Thanks for the link. It won't help me in this instance since the background has to be the same background used on book three's cover. But definitely will come in handy for other projects if I have to continue using iray.
Have you tried just using the Cyclorama 'as is' with Iray? I seem to remember that I did this a while ago, because back then I didn't even know you had to convert things to Iray :-) But it still looked fairly okay, and I think when I finally wised up and did convert one of the Cyclos, it didn't really make that much difference. Could be I'm misremembering things here, but it sure wouldn't hurt to just have a look in its original settings if you haven't yet.
EDIT: Or you could just use the textures from the Cyclorama as a backdrop image.
I find that when using cycloramas in IRAY it's best to make them emissive.
Base color -> drop your diffuse map here.
Glossy Layered Weight -> set to 0
Emission Color -> set to white, then drop your diffuse map here
Two-Sided Light -> off
Luminance -> you'll probably have to turn this up quite a bit. Try multiplying x10 or x100 and see what happens.
I was going to try to use it as-is, but the 'ground' part of it goes dark; too dark to see. I'll try the textures as the backdrop, too if I can't figure it out. Or maybe render in 3DL and layer them in photoshop.
Thanks for helping me figure this all out ... :)
I should add, now that you mention the ground: adding emission makes sense for the sky and distant scenery. You don't want to add emission to the ground your characters are standing on, or close objects.
I've been tinkering with the free CLS light system since I know practically nothing about iray and am trying to spend as little as possible for something I'm not all too convinced I'll even like yet, lol. I've also bought a few 'glowy' shaders so I can make what I want to glow without having to mesa round too much with too many settings. The more overwhelmed I feel the less likely I'll be to keep using iray. Hell ... I just recently started grabbing G8 figures having skipped all-new variants past VM4, lol.
So I tried a little experiment.... I tried one of the cycloramas, converted it to iray, removed all gloss, upped the emission settings, and rendered. Mmm.... that wasn't good so I tried adding a little depth of field to hide some of the shortcomings, as well as a Ghost light. The first point is that the cyclorama is old so the textures are very low resolution and grainy. Moreover, they are very dark so the scene must be flooded with light. Finally, they look less dimensional than a flat plane since the attempt to be more than 2 dimentional calls attention to the flatness. Anyway, here is my finall attempt:
Since I apply a mess of filters in photoshop post-render, and I don't do photo-real images, the resolution doesn't really cause a problem. I just need to make sure the center section doesn't look like an abnormal beam of light like a spaceship is about to suck up what's in the scene, lol.
It's kinda hard to retain a look and feel to artwork in a series that spans over several years. Between changes in technology and the idyllic tendency to get better at one's craft over time, it get's complicated. Thanks for all these tips. :)
I had a degree of success using cycloramas instead of hdris, but they require aggressive PS filters or DOF to hide their old look.
I'm not setting the surfaces to the emissive, though. Repeating the diffuse map in every gloss channel usually is enough. Sometimes setting the thin walled off helps too. Any lightning with them needs to come from the front or the sides anyway.
Part of the trouble with the Cycloramas is that they often convert dark over to Iray.
The Diffuse channel often has some some medium gray color behind it. IF there's something in the emissive channel, it tends to be over-dark as well. You need to overcome that part, for one.
DOF helps manage the resolution, of course. You can find freebie cyclorama things at places like Sharecg as well... the UV is the UV, and you just need to find stuff with higher res images underneath the hood.
This one, I don't think I even converted the cyclorama. I just threw it on the scene and hit render (Iray).
...
After Kota, I don't think I've used it lately, at least not with SFW images...
This one was okay.
Once more with the Cyclorama... a little old and new.
The background is all Cyclorama. (Didn't even convert it to Iray.)
2 lights only: default HDRI plus 1 Distant Light.
Triss Merigold, I converted the skin to the new PBR shader by hand in order to learn how it works. (So, she's Genesis 3, Iray uber skin coverted to the PBR shader.)
Hm, I'm usually having good success with them really, am attaching a render I did for my nieces a while ago. I THINK that maybe I do convert them sometimes with the RSSY tool, but I certainly don't do anything much beyond that. Of course, many of them are really low res, that can't be helped, but apart from that they're just fine for me. You know, maybe it all depends on the lighting you're using? I think I'm mostly using HDRIs with the Cycloramas. Maybe that's it?
Edit: Sorry for the size of the pic, had forgotten that I rendered it for a small print calendar for the girls.
I've used that same background on a book cover about a year ago, but not in Iray. I have little to no need for photo-real since I apply traditional art filters in post-render. The problem I'm having here is the lighter center panel. Not having much success evening out the colors in Iray.
Huh, couldn't you possibly just render the Cyclorama in 3DL as before, do the rest of the picture - the figure(s) I imagine - in Iray and then composite in Photoshop or Gimp or the likes? I imagine you'd want to get the job done rather sooner than later. If you're really gotten interested in Iray by then you can still start playing with it some more.
Otherwise I guess I'd really just use the Cyc as background and also composite. There's no special merit in rendering what's basically a 2D image in Iray, is there?
Edit: Good to hear that you've used that same background recently as well, I think they're really so lovely and painterly. Shouldn't be forgotten just because they're not photoreal.