Underwater Shot?

[Claudio Branch]

Anybody out there ever try creating a rendering with a camera view under water looking up through the surface?...and perhaps then animating it?

 

The behaviour of the light underwater is my main concern.

 

First off, the water surface hue is primarily reflecting the sky and the surrounding structure. So wouldn't the structure below the water be tinted with these colors?

 

Second, if the water has a slight current in it, would the structures underwater appear as slightly blurry as the light modulates?

 

Third, any opinions on bubbles...? If the water current is moving rather slowly, I'm not sure how many bubbles would be present.

 

I am just using Scanline for now. I may tackle it with GI/V-Ray in the future.

[chiquito]

You are right on everything you say.

If you were to take a picture underwater, you would hardly see any colors and everything looks like tinted in blue.

Thats why the use colored lights in undewater photography.

If you intend to have a real look, is one thing, you can even have dirty water. but I doubt it would look interesting

If you add some colored efects...

No bubbles. Cheesy option. try a projected reflection map or similar. if anymated, anymate water (surface) and reflections and lights acording.

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[shaneis]

Have a look here, it's Jeremy Birn's site. There's also a very informative discussion thread about the tips,tricks and techniques used. The guy's a lighting/ rendering god - if he can't do it, it can't be done.

 

http://www.3drender.com/challenges/UnderTheBoardwalk/index.htm

[notamondayfan]

for good reference, look at 3d games, such as halflife 2. although they arent photo realistic, or scientifically correct, they will give you good ideas and inspiration on what makes an underwater shot look interesting.

[PAWUK]

Found this tutorial awhile back havnt had chance to use it or test it out myself

 

3drockstar.com/index.php/3d-underwater-environment/

[Claudio Branch]

for good reference, look at 3d games, such as halflife 2. although they arent photo realistic, or scientifically correct, they will give you good ideas and inspiration on what makes an underwater shot look interesting.

 

I find myself doing this alot already! My kids love to play Halo...

 

I may have to become a gamer myself.

[Guest nazcaLine]

use a cellular map in the projection slot, and animate it. it'll render very fast and will look good.

 

Eduardo

[Sawyer]

from what I remember of diving the (incoming) light spectrum looses one color approx. every 30' going red, orange, yellow, green and blue.

 

So if you need to recapture colors you will need a flash.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underwater_photography

[Virgil Johnson]

Claudio

 

You might want to a copy of Darren Brooker's book,Essential CG Lightiing Techiques with 3DS Max (Focal Press ISBN 0-240-52022-x).

 

As great as Jeremey Birn's book but even better.

Lots more to learn and tutorials. Enough to keep you busy for a long time.

 

Daren Brooker has a tutorial on underwater lighting along with a ton of others well worth doing.

 

(Along with Pete Draper's Deconstucting the Elements, this is one of the best buys available.)

 

Virgil

[Dave Buckley]

have a look on vizdepot through the tutorials, theres one called 'submerge' i think and its perfect for a camera being placed under water and looking up through to the life above the water