7/28/2019 Studio Lighting Tdw63 Trade

1/2

ood advertising work isnt simply a matter of

recreating an object in 3D. In the real world,

photographers use the intensity and direction

of light to reveal the properties of their subject

matter: its texture, form, weight, colour, or even translucency.

If we, as 3D artists, are to create photorealism in our

renders, we must employ the same photographic principles.

In this tutorial, well be exploring the process of lighting

and rendering product images for print. This will be done by

deconstructing how the image on the right an unbranded

shampoo bottle was created, and examining how the virtual

set-up mirrors that of a real-world photo studio.

To avoid distracting edges in the background of a shot,

studios often photograph their subjects against a curvedbackdrop. Well be simulating this by creating and texturing a

suitable piece of background geometry.

In order to get a realistic look, well be using area lights

with raytraced shadows to produce physically accurate soft

shadows, similar to real soft boxes. By using Aim constraints, we

can ensure that the lights can be moved around the product,

without having to worry about whether theyre pointing in

the right direction. This will also enable us to ensure that the

reflections of the lights appear exactly where we want them.

Well also create a piece of geometry similar to a

photographers reflector behind each light, to which we can

assign any chosen texture map. This will give us a visible light

source, which will offer more flexibility in setting up lights, and

will help achieve optimal reflections in the product itself.

You can find the scene file for the tutorial on your CD. By

modifying it to suit your own needs, you should be able to

create template set-ups su itable for lighting any product.

Lee Griggs works for ART VPS, advising and training product

design, automotive and architectural visualisation agencies.

Alias awarded him its prestigious Maya Master title in 2004

[w] www.griggsgraphics.com

Create better renders for print ads withthis Maya lighting set-up, mimickingthat of a real photo studio BY LEE GRIGGS

Studiolighting

062 | 3D WORLD3D WORLD April 2005

TUTORIALS | Studio lighting

First, create the studio backdrop. You can do this by

either lofting two NURBS curves or, as in this case,

extruding the edges of a polygon. Make sure that

the bottom of the backdrop is perfectly flat so that you can

sit your product on it. Position the backdrop so the product

can be imported at 0, 0, 0. This will make setting up the

scene easier because you wont have to reposition every new

product that you wish to render.

01

Now assign a Lambert material to the backdrop.

Create a fractal with a Cylindrical Projection type

and connect it to the Colour channel of the Lambert

material. Scale and position the place3dTexture node so that

it produces an even amount of texture along the backdrop.

Now change the colour of the fractal texture to one of your

choosing. Weve picked two shades of brown.

02

TRADE SECRETSTRADE SECRETS

G

TDW63.trade 062TDW63.trade 062 11/2/05 5:48:37 pm11/2/05 5:48:37 pm

7/28/2019 Studio Lighting Tdw63 Trade

2/2

April 2005 3D WORLD3D WORLD | 063

Studio lighting | TUTORIALS

Create a point light and position it above and slightly

behind the product. Turn the Decay Rate to

Quadratic to give a more realistically attenuating

light falloff. Youll have to increase the Intensity to around

3,000 in order to compensate for the change to Quadratic.

Switch on Raytrace Shadows and set the Light Radius to 10.

This will give you a nice, even light across the backdrop.

04

Create a locator at 0, 0, 0 where your product is.

Create an area light and position it roughly as in this

screenshot. Constrain the area light to the locator

with an Aim constraint, making sure you pick the locator first.

Create another light and constrain it to the locator for the left

side, then do the same for the area light above.

05

Create a single polygon and position it slightly

behind each area light, then group it inside the area

light. To make sure the polygon is visible in the

reflections but not the render, turn off Visible in Reflections

in the Attribute editor. You can also turn off Double-sided on

the Polygon Reflector. Create and assign a Lambert material

and increase its Incandescence to at least 0.5.

06

Position your product in the centre of the backdrop,

which should ideally be at 0, 0, 0. This means

you wont have to reposition your products every

time you import them into your studio scene. Now assign

some materials to your product weve assigned a Phong

to both of the surfaces in this scene. Increase the amount

of Reflectivity to around 0.3 so that you can see our lights

reflected in your product.

03

Select Display > Heads up display > Object details

and select the product or locator at 0,0,0. Type this

figure into the Focus Distance attribute of your

camera and set your F Stop accordingly. If the scene size is

too large or small, you might have to tweak the Focus Region

Scale in order to see your depth of field. Finally, render the

scene, making sure Raytracing is switched on.

07

TDW63.trade 063TDW63.trade 063 11/2/05 5:48:58 pm11/2/05 5:48:58 pm