Reflected Environment Map

[aflack]

I have attached a small white texture .bmp file as the background and I have also applied it to the envirnoment map.

 

The background renders white but the reflection in the floor and ceiling renders as black.

 

Any ideas why it isn't rendering as white? Thanks for your help!

[rivoli]

i can't see the point of using a map as environment if you only need white reflections. just set the environment color on white. if you want to use a map instead just make sure that spherical environment is checked.

[aflack]

It still doesnt work if I set to Spherical Envirnonemt. I assume when you say just set the envirnment colour to white you mean the little Background Colour tab next to the the envirnment map one? You will have to excuse me I am really new to this.

 

It doesnt make any difference which way I do it using an white envirnment map or setting the background colour to white the reflections still come out dark. I achieved it before but now I can't duplicate the same affect. I've attached two little images showing what I want to achieve the one on the right is the one I want.

 

Thanks.

[rivoli]

yes, that is what i was referring to. that's strange, it should work. can you please post the settings of your material? this might help us to understand what is the problem.

[aflack]

I am using the MentalRay renderer and the settings for the floor are attached.

[rivoli]

strange, i just tryed with your settings and it works just fine. no background map, just white enviroment, and final gathering. no direct lights.

try using a raytracing material with a fresnel falloff in the reflection slot instead of an architectural material and see what happens.

[aflack]

If I delete the light from my scene you can see the whiteness or more of a greyness in the reflections. Is there a way to illuminate the background colour so its a lot brighter so the whiteness will be more apparent.

 

Thanks.

[rivoli]

i don't know, it really depends on your lights settings, mainly indirect in this case. i'd try to make the material more reflective.

[aflack]

Thanks for yoru help rivoli. I just can't understand how I didn it before yet can't do it again.

[rivoli]

anyway, you need both direct and indirect light. your scene is quite dark at the moment. you should judge the reflectivity of floor and ceiling after setting the right light type.

[aflack]

I'm not sure if it has anything to do with direct illumination if I turn it off and just use the mental ray renderer to render the screen the reflections render as almost black.

 

What type of light would you recommend I have tried teh Sunlight system and a target light but neither make any difference.

[aflack]

If I render the same screen using the scanline rendered then the reflections render as white as seen in the attached image. So it is pretty much something to do with the mental ray settings. Any ideas?

 

Thanks