Project 3 : Lighting

Reading: Chapters 6 and 7 (Kerlow)
Also Recommended: Pixel Cinematography: A Lighting Approach for Computer Graphics (copies will be left in LA2)

In this assignment you will experiment with character and mood lighting.

This time, you will have a new group to work with. Each member brings along all the models used by his/her groups in the previous two assignments. Choose from these at least two shaded models that fit together well. Compose these models into a scene, position the camera, and light the scene in the ways described below. You may divide the work however you please, but we expect you to stay in communication with each other, and to work together as much as possible.

Please note: if your scene includes any model that requires a RenderMan shader, then your entire scene will have to be rendered using RenderMan. However, you can still do your lighting tests in Alias for quick testing.

Getting started

To get used to creating and manipulating lights in Alias, look at Learning Alias, pp. 209-230.

What to do

1. Get together as a group and decide on a scene composition, and the stories you want to tell. Sketch things out on paper. You might use colored pencils to experiment with possible color palettes for the different shots.

   You will then create a simple setting that makes sense for the objects your group has chosen -- a room, or a backdrop and a surface. You are welcome to add whatever set pieces or props as needed for your composition. Choose one object to be the main character and place the models in the scene. The main character does not have to be in the foreground; lighting can be used to direct attention to the main character wherever it is. The camera you create here will be used for all of the images you turn in.

2. Light the scene so that the main character stands out. Keep the background lighting as simple as possible. Think of this as "hero lighting." Some standard lights that you might want to use include:

   Key light.

   The brightest light, the main source of illumination for the character. Chosen to make the character look good. Usually comes from the side and above.

   Fill light.

   Fills in the dark areas, softens shadows. Usually a non-specular light.

   Rim light (a.k.a. kicker light).

   Illuminates character from the non-key side. Helps to define shape and contour.

   Bounce light

   Light "reflecting" up from the floor or tabletop. Fills in dark areas on the undersides of the character.

3. Using the same objects, composition, and camera, light the scene again. This time, try to make everything different: choose a different object to emphasize, and try to convey a different mood, time of day or season. It is critical that as a team you come up with a definite mood or atmosphere that you are trying for. As in the shading assignment, the mashed potatoes defense will not stand.

4. (Optional) Imitate the style of your favorite fine artist or illustarator. Rembrandt, Matta, Mapplethorpe: anything goes. Get as realistic or as abstract as you want. Try to capture the particular quality which makes that artist's work unique.

We have different expectations for the results of each part of the assignment.

1. The first part is just to give you something to light. Focus on achieving an interesting composition and a sense of relationship between and among the objects. Remember to model for your scene; clever use of camera angles and/or background paintings can minimize the need to actually build things like walls and floors. Also remember that you will be using the same composition and camera for all of your images: the only thing you're allowed to change is the lighting. With this in mind, try to make the composition something that can work in several different ways.

2. The second part is an exercise in character lighting. Play with the color and placement of the lights in your scene to get a feel for the kind of effects that they can have.
   • Make sure the main character looks good: not too flat, not overworked; not too shiny, not too dull; not too ruddy, not too sickly.
   • 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.
   • Make sure that the main character looks 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.

3. The third part is an exercise in the power of lighting as a cinematographic and artistic tool. Think about the interplay of light and shadow, the use of color, the variation of lighting within a scene. Tell a story with a single image.

4. You have free rein here.

Two or three quality rendered scenes:

1. hero lighting
2. mood lighting
3. art (optional)

Projects will be critiqued in class on Wednesday. Before class, you should prepare for critique by doing the following:

1. In /home/cse458/critique/lighting, create a directory for your group. This directory should have a name that hints at the contents of your scene.

2. Put in this directory your renderings, one for each part of the assignment:
   • hero.rgb
   • mood.rgb
   • art.rgb

3. Create a README file with group members and who-did-what info.