Need help on a shadow type

[Robin3D]

I'm making this CGI version of a photo of some interior scene. Though, you can clearly see the pic is made in a studio with one diffuse box as "sunlight"

 

Now, i'm using Mental Ray renderer, but mr doesn't support area shadows. I need a kind of shadow like this example:

 

Is there any other way to get this result with a raytraced/shadow map shadow?

[odouble]

Choose Mentalray Shadow Map under your Light General parameters in 3ds Max.

[Robin3D]

A little more detail please. I seem to be getting really diffuse shadows now. You actually hardly see them now. How exactly do i get the same kind of shadow as in the image?

[odouble]

Not quite sure how to help without an image but you can check your shadow map parameters in the modify panel. First thing to do is make sure shadows are turned on under the General Parameters.

 

You can adjust map size (higher values=higher shadow resolution=more detailed shadows), sampling (higher values=higher shadow anti-aliasing=less jagged shadow edges).

[Robin3D]

It's not the size. The value is 3000. Also the samples value is 20.

The shadows are still the same.

 

As you can see, the second pic's shadows are good, only a bit too hard. I need some softer shadows. The shadows are ray traced. The other image are the mr area shadows.

[shaneis]

Something like this perhaps?

 

http://cg-india.com/tutorials/3dsmax_adv.html

 

(About 2/3 down the page)

[Robin3D]

This is exactly what I needed! Thanks a lot!

[odouble]

Is your main light outside the room and coming through a glass material maybe? If so check enable under mentalray shadow map options for the light to have an effect on interior shadows. I can see from the image with the raytraced shadows that the lighting is brighter.

 

The other thing is that if you are using an area light, the larger the size of the area light the softer the shadow and the smaller the size the harder the shadow... keep this in mind.