Two lighting solutions?

[RevitGary]

I have a very complex model. I have a dining room area and a bar area.

One is lit for day one for night.

 

What is the easiest way to bounce from two different light / exposure settings?

 

I tried xrefing the scene into another file. This will not let me control the lights on objects the way I need to. Some objects need to be excluded from some of the lights. xrefing the scene does not give me this control.

 

I believe I can put lights on layers and turn them on and off but that doesnt help with my other exposure and scene setting needed for each view.

 

What is the easiest way to accomplish what I am try to do?

 

Thanks so much!

[Crazy Homeless Guy]

Typically I would do what you described with making a master model file, and then having separate light rig files to Xref the master model into.

 

...however, if that is not going to work, I would prefer to key frame the different lighting conditions. Frame 1 is day, frame 2 is night.

 

Some will suggest that you use scene states, but I am not as found of this method because I find it easy to loose track of what each scene state has associated with it.

 

With key frames you can simply look at the 2 keys and see what the adjustments are, and then modify them without needing to reset the scene state.

 

As for geometry that is included and excluded from lights. I don't know if that can be keyed, but it more than likely would work with scene states. To get around this via keying I would simply duplicate that geometry. Then make one visible to the light, and one not. Now if you key one to move out of the scene on frame 1, and the other to move out on frame 2 while the replicated geometry moves back into the frame you would have the result you want.

 

I do it this way because I want more control, and fewer surprises.

[RevitGary]

Thanks I forgot about key frames. I have done renderings in the past that has many different views and I would key frame one camera for each view.

 

That worked well I could hit render frames and have all my views rendered.

 

I never thought about lighting settings in these frames.

 

I will give it a try.

You have been amazing help over the past year during some difficult professional times.

I truly appreciate all your comments.

 

I tried to contact you on linkedin. Feel free to contact me there if you like.

[Crazy Homeless Guy]

Thanks for the compliment. I enjoy helping as much as I can.

 

I am not on Linked In much, I will log in soon.