How to set an environment from a background picture?

[estyl]

Hi

I'm brand new Vray user, I've looked in this forum for technics or tutorials explaining how to set an environment from a picture (for example a cloudly sky) and how to make it reflects in glasses.

Unfortunely some explainations on this forum are to specialized and do not explain the beginning of the process. I would be obliged if some one is abble to guide me a little bit.

 

I'm using 3ds max 8 and Vray Adv. 1.50.

 

Estyl

[estyl]

I've forgot my manners....

Thanks for any help.

 

Estyl

[sterealkey]

you could go the easy route...

 

To get a background image. Press 8, this will open Max's environment/background settings. Tick the 'use map' box and map your image in the slot below it (environment map). Close this window.

Now press Alt+B, this will bring up your viewport background window, now tick the 'use Environment background' box on the top, and further down on the right you will se a 'display background' box, tick this aswell and say okay.

This will sort out your background but will not fix your reflections yet.

 

in your render settings go down to Vray:environment, and map your image in the reflection override. This will cause your image to reflect in all reflective objects. To get more realistic results in your reflections, do yourself a favour and work through this short HDRI tutorial, its very easy.

 

http://www.aversis.be/extra_tutorials/vray_hdri.htm

 

Good luck.

[estyl]

Thanks for the help that was mainly the way that i was doing it but on my reflexions I had my picture in small "Tiles", I mean imagine my environment picture reflecting on a large glace in many small tiled images...

 

Concerning the tutorial i did it already and this helped a lot, it's a great tutorial, it was just that I tried not to use HDRI in my reflexions.......or should I try?

 

Thanks

Estyl

[sterealkey]

I would say yes, go with HDRI - it works best for me

[estyl]

Thanks ... This will be my way then

[3D_IC]

To get rid of the small tiles:

 

drag the background pic from your v-ray/environment overide slot into an empty slot on your material editor as an instance. Now check the environment tab and change the mapping drop down to environment.

 

this will stretch your map to create a spherical environment. You will have to adjust the background map in the material editor to get the desired reflection positions on your glass etc.

 

hope this helps

[sterealkey]

Thanks for the tip 3D IC - I will also try it...

 

its almost exactly like HDRI but with out using an HDR image.

 

[estyl]

Thank you 3D IC, when you speak about the V-ray/environment override, you mena the slot on the Render menu?

 

This what I tried was to use, in the glass material, the environment slot in the maps' menu (last row), and then to adjust the param in the maps/environment sub-menu.

The problem is that i realize that by doing this my glasses become just to transparent and let you see the bakground behinds the pictures (see attached pic environ_screen)... which is looking like a reflection but in fact its not.

 

Sorry guys if my methods make some of you screaming, but I'm a new user and I still experiment. I'm going back to my labo...

 

And thanks again for your support

 

Estyl

[estyl]

Here is the attachment

[estyl]

dear 3D IC

I tried your method but it doesn't seem to work.

Did i do something wrong in my settings?

[sterealkey]

Your settings seem fine. I think the problem lies with your Glass material.

 

Show us your glass material settings, maybe theres something there thats not right.

[estyl]

Ok here they are

[sterealkey]

okay, first problem - make your diffuse completely black.

 

and set your reflective glossiness to 1.

 

that should do the trick

[Andrew1]

Hey,

 

Try unchecking the fresnel in your material and see if it works.

 

Cheers!

[estyl]

ok i did your changement, but it stayed the same, with glossiness less.

I just realize that when I play with the coordonate of the background (in the material menu), the glass windows' color was changing, so i desable the fresnel effect in the glass material and ... voila. We can see the environment but HUGE:p .

 

Is there any trick to scale it according the size of the building?

[sterealkey]

Nice one my man!

 

Check if there are some tiling options in your material settings (for the environment)

 

I dont have my programs open at the moment, so I'm talking under correction.