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Need help with Fakeosity settings


Eric
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Hello all!

 

I'm trying to incorporate a fakeosity lighting setup into my current exterior project. I got the settings from Michael Scholz's tutorial page.

 

I've taken the tutorial word for word, step by step and created the setup described in the tutorial, and saved it as a fakiosity lighting template. I want to merge this file into my current project, with a building that is approximately 200'x250'.

 

My question is this. What settings to I need to change in the shadow sizes, etc., to utilize the fakeosity light dome on a building this size? Also, do I need to leave the ambient light set to 0? Shouldn't the light dome illuminate the bottom sides of surfaces well enough that I don't need ambient turned up?

 

I've never used fakeosity before (beyond the tutorial of course), and want to make sure my settings are correct.

 

On a final note, these images will be rendered out at around 1500x2400 for print. Not sure if that affects the shadow size settings.

 

Thanks,

Eric

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Hi eric, If you're concerned about shadow size just use raytraced (specially for print), other wise increasing the shadow behond a cerntain point will take just as long to render as raytraced. However, I have found that shadow intensity for exteriors works best between 0.6 - 0.8 even with radiosity. As far as making it big enough to accomodate your model, just import the lights; goup then and scale them, maybe you may need to play with the multipler and make them a little higher.

 

One thing that also works great is setting up rings of omnis like 8 or so. One on the very top on on the center and bottom of your scene.

 

... U know what?! Just get a radisity render. haha

 

take a look at last months challenge winner, that image was rendered using that same technique.

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Originally posted by Cesar R:

Hi eric, If you're concerned about shadow size just use raytraced (specially for print), other wise increasing the shadow behond a cerntain point will take just as long to render as raytraced.

Use raytracert Only For the Sun, for the Skylight shadowmap r OK !

 

U can See here how the Bias, Size and Sample Range Work . Tutorial

 

I hope this help to u :)

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Thanks for all the input! I think the tutorial at The 3D Studio will help me figure out the effects of the shadow settings. I thought I'd give the fakeosity a try for the rendering I'm working on to see if it can come close to the results of Viz4's radiosity. I'm tired (already) of waiting on Viz to recalculate the lighting every time I make changes. A scene that would have taken 20-30 minutes for the radiosity calculation took 1-2 minutes with the fakiosity to get similar results with the light dome.

 

I still love radiosity, but for complex buildings and speedy delivery, fakeosity might be the way to go until I can get a faster computer.

 

Thanks,

Eric

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Here is the first rendering I did with the light dome. Preliminary. Colors need to be tweaked (such as the bright yellow), as well as add slate shingles to the roof, but otherwise the modeling is finished, except for the site and extra stuff.

 

3.5 days to model using Autocad 2000. All solids. Rendered with light dome in under 2 minutes in VIZ4.

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Hi Eric,

 

Here are the basic setup values that I use before tweaking (based on a combination of the tutorials mentioned).

lightdomeradius: 30.000cm or 90.000cm (depending on the size of the project)

Upper Dome lights: Cast shadows SM / multiplier: 0.02 / bias: 0 size:64 sample range:4

Down lights (mirror of the forth circle of lights): No Shadows / multiplier:0.02

Sunlight: Cast shadows RT / multiplier around 0.7 / quadtree depth: 9 / (tip: tweaking contrast as a fake for exposure control)

 

Global RT setting: maximum ray depth 2 or 3

 

After this setup I start tweaking: To start I place the sun for a good shadow direction (all domelights off), next I tweak the overal lightdome with the sun turned off first(0.02-0.012 are common) / next tweak the suns multiplier / next contrast settings

 

 

rgds

 

nisus

 

 

ps: Cesar: are you mad? recommending using over 100 raytraced lights in a single scene?

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