SketchUp & C4D

[craig.t]

Hi All,

I invested in Cinema 4D a couple of weeks ago have not really touched it since then. This is the first test image I have produced from it. The model was exported straight out of SU into C4D. Added a sky and a couple of lights and there you go. No where near the finished article yet but not bad for a beginner. Setup time in C4D 10 minutes once I worked out how to add lights and a sky, render time about 7-8minutes. I know the textures need tweaking but Please be gentle.

I don't suppose anyone would be generous enough to post a typical example of an exterior lighting setup would they. Many thanks in advance for any help you might be able to offer me. I have got the basic C4d R 9.5software with advanced render 2.5

Regards

Craig

[AJLynn]

I'm not sure which C4D 9.5 package you need for this, but I was messing around with the demo version and getting some really interesting lighting using the new sun/sky/environment features - you can load a sky preset from the browser then tweak away.

 

Good start. Of course there are some lighting and texture issues - get some bumps in there and do something with the glass (is that the Sketchup glass-reflecting-sky material? With the brick backside of the brick wall showing through...)

 

Keep it up. Sketchup -> C4d and Sketchup -> Max have made my life easier many times.

 

(Right now I'm trying to learn the finer points of Xpresso and come up with ways to use it as a computational design tool - I think it's got potential.)

[Ernest Burden III]

Right now I'm trying to learn the finer points of Xpresso and come up with ways to use it as a computational design tool - I think it's got potential.

 

I'm hoping you will expand on that...

[AJLynn]

I'm hoping you will expand on that...

 

Pre-thesis - I'm at an analytical / pre-formal stage right now. I'm working on ways to use animation techniques to generate form, not sure yet what exactly I'm going to use but I think it's going to involve a bone system and bring in urban analysis with Xpresso procedures. (But this is turning out to be pretty hard and I'm getting distracted way too easily with things like writing in forums and refining my site model - I think I need to remove the wireless card and the site file from my laptop and tie myself to my studio chair.)

[AJLynn]

Oh yeah, and we're having lectures by Sylvia Lavin on Tuesday and Greg Lynn on Wednesday - y'all are invited, of course.

[Ernest Burden III]

Oh yeah, and we're having lectures by Sylvia Lavin on Tuesday and Greg Lynn on Wednesday - y'all are invited, of course.

 

Wouldn't you be better off creating your own forms, rather than producing a 'generator'? Still, I want to hear more about your work on this. I know zero espresso.

 

By the way, it may not be a good idea to talk about Cinema in front of Greg Lynn. He's a diehard Maya guy.

 

 

Craig--

this was your thread, wasn't it? Sorry.

 

A typical exterior setup for me is a sun with hard, raytraced shadows. That's it. The 9.5 SKY system is interesting, and I used it for a final a few days ago (an interior though). But it is hard to control, and like so much in C4D is really deep, making mastering it difficult, but rewarding for those who do.

[skala67]

I typically use an omni light at about 60-70% brightness with an orange tint with hard shadows turned on as the sun. This will be your shadow casting light and create your contrast.

 

Then I use an HDR (usually a Doschdesign.com radiant sky map) in the luminance channel of the material on a sky dome and keep the brightness at 100%. Then in the illumination channel I make the GI strength around 150-200% (play with this number).

 

Then in the Global illumination setup under render settings I usually do Strenth 110%:Accuracy 70%: Diffuse Depth 1:Stochastic 300-500: Min Resolution 10-20: Max resolution 100-200.

(for testing, change accuracy to 50% and your Min/Max to 2/20. It will give you general results with artifacts, but saves alot of time.)

 

**Make sure you turn off the Auto light in the options tab of the render setup if you are using GI. It will saturate your image if it is on.**

 

This setup allows for a nice overall sky colored ambient light with an yellow/orange accent for the sunlight. This always takes tweaking for each project. Good Luck and let us know your sucesses and not so sucesses.

 

cheers,

[STRAT]

I typically use an omni light at about 60-70% brightness with an orange tint with hard shadows turned on as the sun. This will be your shadow casting light and create your contrast.

 

Then I use an HDR (usually a Doschdesign.com radiant sky map) in the luminance channel of the material on a sky dome and keep the brightness at 100%. Then in the illumination channel I make the GI strength around 150-200% (play with this number).

 

Then in the Global illumination setup under render settings I usually do Strenth 110%:Accuracy 70%: Diffuse Depth 1:Stochastic 300-500: Min Resolution 10-20: Max resolution 100-200.

(for testing, change accuracy to 50% and your Min/Max to 2/20. It will give you general results with artifacts, but saves alot of time.)

 

 

 

cheers,

 

similar here -

 

i use a infinate spot as my main sun light set at 50-70% brightness with a slight yellowy tinge with hard shads turned on.

i'll then use a sky object with a plain white (slightly blue tinged) material in the luminance channel, set anywhere between 100-150% typically. i hardly, if ever, use hdr as for general IBL it makes neither here ofr there difference that cant easily be faked faster with a normal bitmap if needs be. but, if you're rendering a heavey glassed model then hdri can be a wonderfull addition.

 

then in the gi settup i always use a strength of 100%. no more and no less. this is the global realism setting. if you need anything more or less i suggest use render tags, but hey, it's up to you of course.

 

my accuracy settings these days for a nice realistic render will be anywhere from 70% to 85%, stoch samps from 600 and above, diff depth of 1 (i use low light emmitting omnis to compensate if needs be).

 

the min and the max settings can be a hand full. typically you might find a min value of 25-50 works nicely and fastest. these days i'm up around the 100 mark i'm finding. and the max samps i use around 300+.

 

for testing and setting up, i'll use an accuracy of 50%, stoches of 100, a max of 50 or so and the mins will need to be determined to find the fastest/most pleasing solution.

 

skala67 - a min of 2 is definately waaaay too low whatever your situation. dont assume that even though a low low min sample figure for testing will not only give you splotchly low samples but will also speed up rendering. this is very wrong. you start upping that figure and i garantee your render speeds will get allot better. and dont worry about a ratio between the mins and maxs (ie, 1/10) as this is a missnoma. i'd strongly suggest to anyone wishing to fine tune their gi rendering skill in c4d to visit CGTalk's c4d forum and check out the gi settings thread in there

 

we bashed this problem out in great depth (10's of pages if memory serves).

 

also, in certain circumstances, you might find a min value of great numbers is needed. something that greatly outweighs the max value (of course, any min value higher than a max value renders the max value pointless. min and max act hand in hand doing a similar job, they're just at the opposite ends of the scale giving a different effect. but as i say, making the min value quite high will also act as your max value, and sometimes it's needed to eliminate all artifacts.

and again, dont assume just because you got a large min value your render speeds slow down.

 

when setting up your gi solution and testing, your min value is the very first thing you should establish as this will then remain a constant. as i say, i'm finding more and more a min value in the region of 50-100 is my norm these days.

 

every model is different of course

[skala67]

Thanks for the info Strat..I will read the lengthy discussion at C4Dtalk and try some new solutions...and keep you updated on the results. As a matter of fact have a project right now that I will try it on....

 

cheers

[Frosty]

Pre-thesis - I'm at an analytical / pre-formal stage right now. I'm working on ways to use animation techniques to generate form, not sure yet what exactly I'm going to use but I think it's going to involve a bone system and bring in urban analysis with Xpresso procedures. (But this is turning out to be pretty hard and I'm getting distracted way too easily with things like writing in forums and refining my site model - I think I need to remove the wireless card and the site file from my laptop and tie myself to my studio chair.)

 

We should talk via email. I completed my thesis last August. It was heavily based on similar theories, however, I used dynamics. I do have some references you may be interested in.

[Frosty]

Hi All,

I don't suppose anyone would be generous enough to post a typical example of an exterior lighting setup would they.

Craig

 

In my exterior work, I actually use a technique of ring arrays ala "Delfoz" (he was the first I saw do it). I typically dont use radiosity and tweak a bit in PS after.

[skala67]

Frosty,

 

where do I find the technique that you are talking about? The "Delfoz" one

 

thanks

[Frosty]

Search the forums for a thread by Delfoz..... I believe it was one of the early challenges. He demonstrates a the "ring technique" very well. I simply adapted it to C4D.

 

I attached my rig for demonstration. Tweak the colours and intensities to suit your tastes.

[skala67]

thank you for your generosity, I will test it out and post some results.

 

thanks again,