Material test scene

[TomD_Arch]

I am starting to get a material test scene started and wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions or recommendations to share before I go wasting time.

 

I am working in Mental Ray. No ifs, ands or buts so please don't waste a response with: "Why aren't you doing it in Vray?"

 

I have a completely enclosed room with a few planes with self-illuminated material applied: set to a fluorescent cool white and the Luminace: Unitless. I started to develop my sphere and ground plane pattern.

 

I am using Grant Warwicks' as a reference and inspiration.

 

Thanks in advance!

[Chris MacDonald]

Surely the first thing to do would be to change the lighting from unitless to something that has a real-world-value and is thus translatable to things such as camera exposure, etc? If you're going for realism, that is.

[RyderSK]

Just use Grant's ball :- ) It can't get much better. But if you want to get your own design, it's worth not to reinvent wheel either.

 

Use simple single IBL lighting from nice HDRi (any contrasty from HDRLabs free repository). Faster, better, more akin to real scene lighting than any odd combination of analytical lights, emissive materials,etc..

 

You're only setting yourself for trouble by doing such complicated setup. You would need to compute GI (or restrict GI but then it would be sort of problematic on ball itself too), have much longer render times, rectangular room would not provide sufficient speculars,etc.

 

As Chris said, it's also good to keep identical setups as in production scene, natural color balance, unit size, exposure.

[TomD_Arch]

Just use Grant's ball :- ) It can't get much better. But if you want to get your own design, it's worth not to reinvent wheel either.

 

Believe me I have considered spending the $200 just for that, but am reluctant as I don't use vray. I am very interested in applying his techniques in mental ray however.

 

Part of it is also trying to push myself to learn more on my own.

[RyderSK]

I see, I figured you would have the course. Well, to be honest, atleast the material stuff is pretty universal, lot of people including me have just replicated it inside Corona to some degree so it should definitely be possible to do in MentalRay.

 

For replicating: You're following this guide ? (attachment)

 

[TomD_Arch]

I saw that once, like three weeks ago and have not been able to find it since. I was at work and our browser history resets every time we reboot so I was not able to go back in time. Thanks Juraj! Very helpful indeed .