Techniques for shadows of entourage

[archkre]

What is your best technique to add shadows cast by the things existing behind the camera(trees,buildings, etc)?

I mean in the 3d modeler(Max, XSI,or whatever it is), not in Photoshop

If I use gobos with projector lights, how do I do to avoid that light to be computed by the GI calculation process and burn the image?

Thanks a lot!

[kippu]

keep a 3d tree and a flat box and say cast shadows this is in max

[archkre]

Very funny!!

Are you street-smart or book-smart?

Sorry for the bad joke, but what I meant was some tricks to get shadows of the entourage without using 3DMeshes!!

[Crazy Homeless Guy]

do this exactly like you would do for background tree in the distance, 2d billboards, except face the trees towards the sun and not the camera. i wouldn't use projector lights, unless you can assign a negative light value to them, otherwise they would just be adding more light to the scene.

[Ernest Burden III]

do this exactly like you would do for background tree in the distance, 2d billboards, except face the trees towards the sun and not the camera.

 

The tree geometry would NOT cast a shadow, the proxy polygon with the tree inage and alpha map WOULD cast a shadow and be excluded from being seen by the camera.

[archkre]

I have a world behind the camera, not just a tree!

like houses, illumination posts, antennae, cars, busses, a hole urban scape across the street...

[Crazy Homeless Guy]

i am not clear as to what the question is actually about? when you say behind the camera, i am assuming you mean not seen by the camra. if i were taking a picture, what is behind me.

 

if the items are not to be reflected, then just create simple shapes for buildings, busses, or whatever you want. for trees read ernest's and my posts. the same for people, and giraffes if you want them also.