Mental Ray Night Interior Scene

[PeggyM]

I am a beginner in 3dmax and the only scenes I have done have been intense day-light scenes. Now I need to a night scene of a Restaurant and do not know where to begin. I have started searching through the treads to get any direction. Does anyone have any advice to someone starting a night scene blindly?

 

Thank you for your time.

[hkbasravi]

There's many ways to create a night scene, but my saying that doesn't help your situation.

 

My advice is to learn how to set up omni lights with attenuation. Omni lights, attenuation parameters.

 

I hope that lights the way a little...

 

hkb

[DanGrover]

Also, use an mr Photographic Exposure, under Environment (8). It's nice and helpful, especially for stuff like this.

[Camby1298]

When using mr, use mostly photometric lights, you can use web based distribution or standard cone or omni distribution. These will help in the realism of lighting.

 

Also, use GI, with night scenes, there will be a need for a good amount of indirect lighting. So multiple light bounces are needed. Dont depend on fg alone for this, use GI to aid the lighting solution.

 

Night scenes are more intense than day scenes as they generally require more lights than a day scene (which is lit mostly by one light source [the sun]), so make sure you give yourself enough time for longer render times than what youre probably use to.

[PeggyM]

Also, use GI, with night scenes, there will be a need for a good amount of indirect lighting. So multiple light bounces are needed. Dont depend on fg alone for this, use GI to aid the lighting solution.quote]

 

Everyone talks about playing with GI and FG, where/how should I alter these?

 

*want to add candles to tables, and plan on adding great Chandeliers to path. Not sure how to create these specific types of lighting.

 

*I attached WIP + settings + error message I recieved when finishing most current rendering

 

 

"14".jpeg_ most current > Fixed a couple settings of 12 from advice given in the posts above! -not sure what Exposure value was- its a little bright.

"settings jpeg 12.jpeg"- my settings that resulted in "12.jpeg"

12_jpeg- 2 photometric free lights, 2 omnis.

1_chandelier.jpeg- photoshoped early rendering and added the chandeliers. _Direction I want to go.

 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME & INPUT!