MR-Max 9...self-illum material

[studio2s]

Does anyone have a good method for a self illuminating material using MR in Max 9?

 

I am thinking of something as a light panel. Rather than insert a light behind something, just add a little self-illum. I am not sure what to add to the that slot.

 

I have tried the "lume" (glow) but I could not get enough light out of it.

 

Currently, I am using a standard Max material with a falloff in the the self-illum slot. I turn the multiplier up to 10-15 and get a good look. My only problem is that at certain angles, this method artifacts REAL BAD.

 

I can use free area lights, I think, to get the look, but this will result in about 2000-2500 lights in the scene. Instinct/experience tells me this is a bad idea.

 

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance.

[studio2s]

Nevermind...I will just read the thread on the next page...

 

..how embarrassing.

[Justin Hunt]

Use an A&D shader with an OUTPUT shader in the additional light slot. The output amount controls the amount of light emitted. Also you will need FG

 

 

JHV

[studio2s]

I don't think I have tried that...I'll give it a go!

 

Thanks!

[studio2s]

Well, the design changed and this method didn't work for me.

 

I have a "light reveal". Essentially, there is a slit, (2"x36"). The inside of this is lit from the sides. I hoped that the self illum material would wash the reveal in light.

 

I have to crank the settings up so high that I get funky artifacts. I tried a method where I placed a free area in the slot and pointed it towards the reveal so that only the inside gets washed in light. That works great, but I had over100 lights. My render time went from 15 minutes to 50. As I still have plenty to model, I knew this was a bad idea.

 

Eventually, I have settled on a self illum material that is about 30% opaque. This seems to simulate the effect quite effectively and keeps the render times down.

 

The output worked far better than the falloff. The settings didn't need to be near as high and the quality of light was much cleaner. So, at the end of the day, that was a great idea, I was just trying to stretch it beyond what that technique should be used for.

 

thanks again.

[studio2s]

no problem. i hope it helps someone out there or sparks some better ideas.

 

I think self illum/ object lights are pretty weak in MR compared to some of the "lesser" rendering engines.

[Justin Hunt]

This method works better with larger objects. I use it all the time especially when I am doing a shopping mall. I place the self illumination on the inside of the shops. Works a treat.

 

There are some CRTL_shaders available on http://www.mymentalray.com that do a better job. I havn't used them yet but I believe they are good.

 

JHV