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User lamp control
Hi all,
I have been working on full user lamp control, which enables a user to select both light size (the larger the light the soft the shadow produced) and also light intensity.
Here are some samples using the new controls.
First image is just one render, has a wall down the centre to separate the lights, so shadow differences can be seen, the foreground light is the same light set at different intensities:
Next without lamp control:
Lastly same scene with lamp control:
I have set the lights so they start of dim and can be adjusted to very, very bright levels. No more needing lots of lamps (as whippetsleek and others have found) to light a scene!
I know most people don't provide feedback but please let me know if you think this will be useful for you.
Please understand that this is work in progress and needs refining. Thank you.
PS: Have also found a way to fix the multiple light sources through opposite windows bug.
db4tech
Edit: to fix a typo.
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Importantly: The new BasicPlusExtraLights.sh3f or basiclights.sh3f (if only wanting the original white lights, which are included in BasicPlusExtraLights.sh3f) file is needed for it to work!
I would personally like to thank Emmanuel, firstly for adding my light control idea, and also for helping improve my math formulas in connection with the user light control.
I have lots of great ideas but am not the best when it comes to maths, can usually get my ideas working but then appreciate help to improve certain areas.
By the way, have several other ideas and things I want to add or see added (have sent a list to Emmanuel) to help improve renders and the plugin further (you may notice one extra one already included!) others are secret for now, and some that even Emmanuel doesn't know about yet!
Hope you and others really enjoy this new plugin, I look forward to your feedback and seeing your renders in the gallery.
Joined: Jul 31, 2010
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Re: User lamp control
Yes, I just tried it out and I absolutely love it!! It works wonderfully.
This is a fast attempt and you can see how much of a difference it made to the sink and sunlight. I forgot to adjust the height on my bar stools, so no making fun of my midgets... lol
This is a great program and I thank you so very much for all your hard work on it.
The glass behind the sink was made extremely clear to work with the old render but with this renderer, the glass came out so pure looking, you can't even see it.. lol!
I'm going to be addicted to making renders now.. and it's all your fault!
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UK
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Re: User lamp control
I'm going to be addicted to making renders now.. and it's all your fault!
It's one of those rare times when its nice to be accused.
If you'd like to make your Yoda (keeping a previous theme here!) size bar stools, a nice shiny, but slightly diffused chrome. Settings these you must use!
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Re: User lamp control
A lady's friend, silk is. This Jedi has learned the ways of the forced render and has her settings on the silky mode already. Has only so much RAM with many programs also open, not as good quality as the Techmaster Yoda. Techmaster forgive the poor unfortunate whippet (at least until this jedi has only one light saber going at a time...)
I am currently working on a new texture for the stools, and they will be matte, seeing I'm not really a gloss lover. I'm the odd female in that I don't like shiny things... lol... But I do want to fix the texture for the oven, it should be a slight bit shinier, and more stainless looking. I believe that is a problem with my texture settings though and not the renderer.
I say again, I love this plug-in!
Now if I can just get the forum to stop kicking me out and telling e I'm invalid...
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Re: User lamp control
I did a second render with furniture that I had trouble with before, and these pieces look alot better with the new light controls. But there are still some little questions I have.
The wall lights have black in parts of them, and I know the glass was made with 4 layers or faces in the Blender program so that it would diffuse the light from Blenders render in a certain way, so I am asking if the extra layers in the file is what is causing the black spots? I would love to get the diffuse soft light that I have seen from these wall lights but I'm not exactly sure how to modify the file so that it renders correctly.
The table is from Google and was a dae file. I kow there were issues with dae files, and I was wondering if the glass of the table top is considered a transparent texture, and that is why the table top is not visible? The table should have a golden glass top. I have tried making the top less transparent in Sketch up, but I still can't make it visible, though I must admit, the floating look is kinda nice..
The complex shadows under the sideboards are really lovely. I should have moved my sun a little bit more though. Did I say how much I like the new plug in?
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UK
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Re: User lamp control
Hi whippetsleek,
The black spots on the lights inside the lamps are caused by the light source being partially inside the shade so photons are lost.
If you reduce the size of the light source slightly (it will harden the shadow a little but not too much) or move the light source further, maybe even slightly into the wall, will also overcome the problem, this may cause a bit more noise in the shadow areas of the render though, due to lost photons.
How does the scene look with different light intensities?
Don't forget that, not only can light sources be made bigger, they can also be made smaller down to 1 x 1 x 1 if needed.
This information is for all users: If it is helpful, the best method is to always keep the bulb (light source) slightly smaller than the object it will be inside, or a black spot will appear at the point where the light source intersects with an object or objects.
*****
As for the glass top table, have you tried loading it into a new instance of Sweet Home, then export it as an obj which can then be tweaked in Art of Illusion?
If you can't get that to work please find attached a golden glass top for your table. Hope the colour is about right.
Here's a render of how it looks:
Remember the Light Source is strong with this one!
Joined: Jul 31, 2010
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Re: User lamp control
Say will I, great advice from the Master Tech. Check out this render will he, much better will he notice the source has made it.
The moving of the lights was good advice, and I had a sheepish moment since I should have thought of that. But the mesh within the file was alsoquite messed up. I've never (in my very short time of editting meshes) seen such a contorted mesh. So I tweaked the meshes for the glass and this is the result....
There is still one little black spot, but I think that is just the way I put the light in the lamp. Look at the light underneath the lamp though, it is pretty neat how it can compute the refractions.
And the table glass, that is exactly the color I was going for. Is that a shower door? What was the color you used?
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and some that even Emmanuel doesn't know about yet! 
