Vray Interior Light Solutions

[Mandy_Moo]

Hi Everyone!

 

I am a newbie so like to say anyones help will be much appreciated!

 

I am working with a company that I have to visualise Work Office Furniture. I have been getting into using Vray, and as much as i am now familar with settings etc, I am still really a beginner with this software. With your help and advice I would like to know how I can further the visual to become better and to higher quality of visuals I have seen on this website.

 

I have attached one project I am working on at the moment. It is quite simple 2 desks and 2 chairs in a room. As I say, as a beginner I am quite familair with the basic settings as you can see in my visual and getting a standard lighting. However, I am finding it hard to further the qaulity, despite internet reaserch. It seems like what settings I do it never seem to have the same results.

 

As image 1 shows I have simply lit the scene with Vray sun + sky and at this stage find do have good quality etc. I then as tutorials have shown added a Vray plane light to lift the brightness of the scene (as shown in image 2).

 

I always fine that when I add this light or even more lights the quailty decreases and it looks more washed out maybe, or fake like.

 

So would just like peoples advice to see where I'm going wrong, or other methods I could try (I have tried photometric lighting but still feel like get some result).

 

Any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thank you for you help!

[luckyluc]

I think the 1 image is not that bad. Maybe if you use photoshop to give it more light and it can be even nicer.

[Ismael]

Amanda,

The lighting details are poor…, like the mouse and the binder have shadow all around their base…

Details are very important.

Using Vray Sun and Sky you have three sources of light in your scene; Sun, Sky and GI. Calculate the lighting to a higher precision. Materials must be proper. Say something needs to be white; but since you will be lighting the scene, the material must be less that white (meaning less than 255, 255, 255). Avoid clamping output when at all possible. Use a Physical Camera always and learn a bit about illumination and the best camera settings to capture that illumination (Exposure). Use the Pseudo Color Exposure with Vray once you realistically light your scene, then finalize camera setting to capture the space.

 

I always use:

http://www.999-wed.com/pg/pg9-infrared-conversion-tables.htm

Modified that first table, added a column for Foot candles. So if I have an object which the Pseudo Color Exposure says that it is illuminated by 119 Fc (1280 Lux); that translates to EV=9. Whenever possible, I leave the default F-Stop of vray camera at 8 and the ISO at 100 so then I only change Shutter Speed. So then, for the scenario I created I would enter 8 for the camera shutter speed. That number Vray will use internally as its reciprocal (1/8). [ s ^ -1 is equal 1 divided by s).

Have to go now, the wife is calling. Whatever I said that you know all so well, will perhaps help another that knows less.

PS,

Your rendering looks otherwise fine…

 

*****edit*** Including reference images.

Edited February 5, 2011 by Ismael
Adding reference images

[matthewgriswold]

IMHO I think it looks like is someone turned off all of the lights, pulled up the blinds on a sunny day, and tried to take a photograph. It's really gray. Are your plane lights located only at the windows? You could have too much horizontal light going on. Try creating some interior lighting from above, casting some shadows across the desk.

 

Also, try loading a background into the scene. Some of the metallic objects don't seem like they've got anything to reflect. Keep pushing. It seems like you're learning a lot.

[aristocratic3d]

I highly appreciate to reduce the ambient occlusion radius and density also increase the sampling there. and again use vray physicall camera for better control. I have never used fixed image sampler for my professional output. went through some test. but what I got is it takes longer than others. cause it calculates every samples properly. However we dont need the pixel calculated that good what is in far distance from camera. Anyway, I see pixellation issue there.

 

hope it helps

[Mandy_Moo]

Hi guys!

 

Thank you all sooo much for your advice. Sorry took me a while to reply, I don't have the Internet at weekends so had to wait to get back to work! So when saw your advice it was a great sight to see!

 

Talking on all your advice I have been working on the view this morning, and have attached what I have got so far to what had before. Hope looks like going in right direction.

 

As advised Ismael, I have placed a Vray camera in the scene, however I got a little confused in regard to the exposure settings. As when i used that exposure it made my rendering go all red :-S haha so I know doing something there wrong! But the adding the vray camera I feel I understood/helped and have just played around with the F-Number, ISO and Shutter Speed.

 

Matthew, you are right I had been using plane lights at window and then placed one behind the scene as thought help brighten the desk up behind thats not getting any light by window (i know very silly now thinking about it.) So yea a lot of horizontal lighting! But yea taking your advise, I have placed a spot light above at a angle. I tried using Vray IES, and a photomentric light but it majorly made my render look really bright even if being at a lower setting!? can only imagine thats to do with my Vray camera?

 

And, Aristocratic3D, I know i have major problems with the pixellation side of it all. If I'm being honest alot of it a lack of understanding. But at moment settings are just basic to get a quick render out. I def take your advice, whats the best sampler to use in your opion?

 

I know i def need a lot more educating in Vray but you guys have helped me lots and made me think about things alot more! thanks again guys!

 

Let me know what you think?

[Ismael]

A Vray camera, like any camera and that goes for lights; IES or otherwise, they do not have a brain...

When an experienced photographer goes to make a shoot, he measures or somewhat instinctively knows the best settings for the camera, the right EV. Changing or adding lights may require adjustment of the camera settings. My only variable in my camera is the SS (Shutter Speed). With the Physical Camera, "Vray plane light to lift the brightness of the scene..." is not the way to go first off. With a regular max camera and Vray; well, of course adding or removing lights for brightness is a yes.

My workflow for a similar scene,

Decide the time of day to be rendered and the geographical location of my Sun by using a Daylight System. Set my Phys cam and materials. Render probably be too dark. By default, the Camera is set to daylight outdoor scene. Either do a false color rendering next and get an approximate illumination on the area of interest and/or start decreasing the SS until it “looks nice” or until it looks like that given illumination would either to my eyes or to a properly exposed camera… (I own a Light Meter which displays in Lux/Foot candles). A program like Dialux or like Max Design, help zero in on the actual illumination…

Issues along the way,

Perhaps there is no direct sunlight or very little entering the space and the room is illuminated by Skylight only. Start decreasing SS until illumination is best. Skylight is also called at times Ambient Light. Actually Vray has such a light but I would personally recommend it for outdoor daylight scenes only. Too little light may require higher processing to get a clean render. Maybe add a skylight portal at openings like windows. Re-adjust SS, re-adjust materials, re-render, finalize, finish…

In the end, Lighting is as much a Science as it is an art. I recommend at first to take ‘measured steps’ whenever possible. It might be in the end that art is a highly calculating science!

Light (Bright) is relative…

[izymode]

hello Mandy,

I must say that you have very little to worry bout. You are very on track just some little tweaks I believe is left for you. I scanned very fast though all the comments made bout you work/rendered small office space. Hope I did not miss any good comments though.

My opinions are like questions

1. Do you now bout linear workflow? well i guess you do.... one of you pictures seem brighter. Bit if you dont then i urge you to give it a trial. It requires less light intensity and results in faster renders.

 

my style any way could be cheating but its great- I believe.

a. i use the standard max camera and not vrays'

b. i use also vrays sun and sky for direct light but reduce the intensity of the sun drastically to bout 0.15. in vrays colour mapping i use exponential method and affect the gamma also to 1.5. The result is not bad at all

 

well the image i am attaching was very rushed just to try out my setting on an idle day. Its was also a tutorial i was following

 

 

2. Do you also like to cheat ones in a while if its faster? Dont mind my second question though.

 

I will be attaching a render i recently did using vray....