Project 3 : Lighting

Date Assigned: November 5, 2002
Basic Lighting – The Orange Due: Tuesday, November 12, 2002
Set Background -- Due: Thursday, November 14, 2002
Character Lighting: Thursday, November 14, 2002
Final Lighting Revisions Due: Tuesday,November 19, 2002

Summary

There are three distinct parts to this assignment. All parts will be completed individually, not in groups. In the first part, you will be doing character lighting on a simple object—an orange—in order to familiarize yourself with character lighting concepts. In the second part, you will be doing master lighting (a.k.a. background or set lighting) on a portion of a complete scene. The skills for these two types of lighting are different and we will cover with you in class how to approach these projects and how the skills differ. Finally, in the third part, you will be given a completed scene with the master lighting already done. Your task will be to pose and light a character in this scene, using the knowledge you’ve gained in the previous parts.

After spending considerable time learning the lighting tools and types available to you, please remember that good lighting is an art not a science . . . We're not looking for a perfect physical replica of the "real" world. We're looking for believable lighting that presents your character and set in a well composed environment -- all in support of your compelling story.

Experience with the software tools, and the development of a critical eye is essential for those who wish to produce exciting CG lighting environments. You will be painting with light. Be sure to apply all of your experience with other artforms to this exercise.

Getting started

·        Browse to x:\cse458_au02\_Shared\class_stuff\project3. Here you will find two pairs of files:

1.      orange4.mb and orange.tga

2.      bedroom4.mb and bedroom.tga

These files will be used for parts 1 and 2, respectively. Copy them to your personal directory. If you have trouble opening either of them, use the orange.mb and bedroom.mb respectively. The files for part 3 will be made available following the second critique.

·        Read the lighting section of the Maya manual (Help->Library->Rendering-> 3.Lights and Shadows) and play around in Maya with the various types of lights.

·        An additional resource is the Mastering Maya Complete book (chapter 20), if you can find it. It may be in the lab. There are also many tutorials on the web—some better than others. You can find a good general (not Maya specific) lighting tutorial here.

What to do

 PART 1 (due Nov 12)

1. Review the Orange image (orange.tga, see above, or as jpg) that has been provided for you, and the demo information from class. Make sure that you understand the difference between all of the lighting types available to you in Maya. To help you break down the lighting, examine the contribution from each light in the sample.
2. Open orange.mb and light it, matching the provided image. Note that you will be able to get reasonably close, reasonably quickly, but to get a really perfect replica should take you several days.
3. Do NOT change the camera or any of the geometry in the scene; work only with the lighting.

 PART 2 (due Nov 14)

1.      Review the Bedroom image (bedroom.tga, see above, or as jpg) that has been provided for you, and the demo information from class. The lighting here is considerably more complicated, so be sure to take the time to determine how to approach it.  To help you break down the lighting, examine the contribution from each light in the sample.

2.      Open the bedroom.mb scene file and chose one of the two "corners" of the room (see #4), and light that portion of the scene, matching PRECISELY the lighting in the provided image. Again, you may find that you can match the look reasonably well, reasonably fast. We will be looking for perfection from this assignment. Please be sure to analyze the image you are given and work very hard to match it. You will be at a distinct disadvantage if you miss the demo in class, so be sure to be there.

3.      Do NOT change the camera or any of the geometry in the scene. Work only with the lighting.

4.   The two "corners" from which you may choose are the following:  The Nightstand and The Window . Each of them has special challenges, but generally they both have a LOT of good lighting issues to deal with. You may choose to do the other one (i.e., the one you didn't choose initially) for Extra Credit (up to one full letter grade).  This assignment is deceptively difficult, so please leave enough time in your schedule to complete it!!

5.   The Nightstand's challenges lie in the multitude of objects which are all casting and receiving shadows and being affected by multiple lights in the room. The lamp is a light source in itself, and is also lit by other lights in the scene. You may find it challenging to get the light FROM the lamp to match the reference image while also getting the light ON the lamp to match. Other challenges include the many contact shadows (if you don't understand what this is,  ask!), the subtle lighting variations across the flat surfaces, and getting the sharp definition of the edges without blowing out everything else.

      The Window 's challenges are: (1) the fog/mist that is coming through the window, (2) the objects on the bookshelf cast and receive shadows (including contact shadows!), and (3) matching the shape of the light shaft that appears in the scene and on the other objects in the scene. The moonlight is interesting, because it is coming from outside the scene (i.e., through the window), and there may be blockages and/or barn door techniques (these are attributes on spot lights) that can create this shape. In addition, controlling the effects of the moonlight and other lights in the scene that hit the bookshelf while still getting the necessary shadows and intensity on the books should be the focus of your work.

      BOTH of them will force you to contend with the idea that not all the objects in the scene will be affected by all the lights in the scene. You will be using the concept of "linking" lights to objects to be able to accomplish this. For example, it is possible that a light from the right side of the scene may be affecting the wall behind the nightstand but not the nightstand itself, while the lights affecting (i.e., linked to) the nightstand may not be linked to the wall. Also, keep in mind that some lights may or may not influence different geometry so as to cast (or not to cast) the appropriate shadows on yet a different piece of geometry. For example, a light on the bed may cast a shadow on the nightstand, and/or a light may be shining on the bed but NOT casting a shadow on the nightstand. You can isolate the use of your lights by linking them. Try not to think too literally about lights. This is really more painting with light. You will add and subtract light from the scene through the clever and creative use of your selection of  lights. The final scene, as it is given to you in bedroom.tga has more than 30 lights in it. Keep this in mind! Things are not always as straightforward as they seem....

6.    REMEMBER CONTACT SHADOWS!!!!

PART 3 (due Nov 14)

1.      Browse to X:\cse458_au02\_Shared\class_stuff\project3\part3\bedroom_solution and copy the file bedroom_with_lights4.mb to your personal directory. If you have trouble opening this file, use bedroom_with_lights.mb. Note that this file will not be available until Nov 12 after critiques.

2.      Import your two objects into this scene and choose one of them to be a “character” in your story. You will be asked to apply all of the information that you have been given thus far to compose a complete shot with character lighting that supports your “story”. Light the “character” so that the object can be clearly identified, and all of the detail and the color are accurate. Remember that your "character" need not--and probably will not--be humanoid; it can be a cockroach, a coptic jar, or any of the objects created by your group.

3.      Be sure to consider the composition of your scene and the potential content of the story. You can make up whatever story you enjoy. Feel free to add other objects as needed. For Part 3 ONLY, you should position the camera to best compose your shot. Keep in mind, however, set lighting can end up being angle specific -- meaning that it only looks right from a certain set of camera angles.

4.      The master lighting in this scene is FINAL. Do not modify the existing lights or do anything else that will affect the master lighting. Only light your character(s) and objects.

Tips & What we’re looking for

• As a general rule, be cautious when using “flashy” lighting techniques such as fog and lens flares. While these tools can be useful, they are overused and are often distracting. Use them sparingly and subtly.
• You can’t light effectively without using the IPR render. Load the image you are trying to match in the render window so you can toggle back and forth and see how close your renders are to the target. Ask if you need help with this.
• In parts 1 and 2, we are looking for perfection. Don’t stop too soon.
• In part 2, we basically want to be able to crop your rendered image so all we see is the part you worked on. Be sure to have it match the The Nightstand or The Window. Don't worry what the scene looks like outside of this cropping. Just make sure it looks exactly like the reference.
• In part 3, make sure the main character looks good: not too flat, not overworked; not too shiny, not too dull; not too ruddy, not too sickly.
• In part 3, make sure the main character does not fade into the background. You might do this with a kicker light, or by making the character lighter or darker than the area immediately behind it.
• In part 3, the main character should look like it belongs in the scene, as opposed to something that has been rendered separately and pasted in. The light colors and directions used for the character should match the background. Shadows help here.
• In part 3, light the scene so that the main character stands out. Think of this as "hero lighting." Some standard lights that you might want to use include:
  1. Key light—The brightest light and main source of illumination. Often comes from one side and above.
  2. Fill light—Fills in the dark areas and softens shadows. Usually non-specular.
  3. Rim or Kicker light—Illuminates character from the non-key side to define shape and contour.
  4. Bounce light—Reflects up from the floor or other surfaces. Fills in dark areas on the undersides of the character.
• DON'T FORGET CONTACT SHADOWS!!!!

Turn in

Each part of the project will be critiqued in class on their respective due dates. You should prepare for critique in the same manner as previous assignments. For Part 1 (the orange), your critique can be shorter than usual.

Remember to allow for adequate rendering time.

Copy only your final rendered image (.TGA, Production Quality) for each section to the X://cse458_au02/username/TURN_IN/proj3_Lighting directory. Render them at the same resolution as the images provided.