Project #4: Lighting!
- Assigned: Tuesday, Oct 14 2006
- Due: Monday, Oct 30 @ 11:59 PM
Reference text and tutorials:
Tools/techniques:
- Types of lights in Maya
- Spot lights
- Directional lights
- Point lights
- Area lights
- Volume lights
- Ambient lights
- Three-point lighting
- Key light - The strongest, main source of light that defines the shape and surface of the subject matter.
- Fill light - Soft source of light, used to bring up the shadow area created from the key light.
- Back/Rim/Kicker light - Placed behind the object from the camera's perspective, brings out the object from the background, adding a separate layer for the object.
- Bounce light - Reflects up from the floor or other surfaces. Fills in dark areas on the undersides of the character.
- Shadows
- Light-linking
- IPR Rendering
Remember to allow for adequate rendering time.
Summary Part 1:
Create a simple three point character light set up on a simple scene paying special attention to light color and shadowing. Review Three-Point Lighting.
- In this assignment, you will be doing character lighting on a simple object -- an orange or pumpkin -- in order to familiarize yourself with character lighting concepts.
- 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.
- 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 art forms to this exercise.
What to do:
- Download three_point_scene.mb
- Refer to the orange with lights image for an example a lit scene. The goal is to create a scene with primarily three point lighting to give the best look possible.
- To get a better sense of how the reference image lighting is broken down, refer to the following images which show the contribution from each light:
Orange Light Contributions. This is obviously more than primary three point lighting, but will give a good example of high end lighting.
Summary Part 2:
Create "mood" based lighting in an unlit bedroom scene. Pick TWO moods to light the room. For example: morning, a hot sunny day, dusk, night, a dimly lit scene in winter, a scary place!!!... etc. See below for a night version.
Additional examples of Mood based lighting:
here and
here.
What to do:
- Download bedroom_base.mb
- Refer to the Night_Room_example.jpg image for an example a lit scene.
- To get a better sense of how the reference image lighting is broken down, refer to the following image.
Turn-in:
- Please turn in your Maya .ma or .mb file of your scenes, as well as a final render of your scene with lighting 800x600 jpg.
- Be sure to name your files: "lastname_firstname_projectname".mb or .ma, "lastname_firstname_projectname".jpg
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 often distracting. Use them sparingly and subtly.
- You can light more effectively by 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.
