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Lights in Photolux(ARX)

wyzewun

New member
What does the Light Intensity Control do ? If I change value for one light, the same gets changed across all. The light color for *ambient* is a dark grey (PTC default), which if I change to lighter grey or white causes the image to wash out or appear metallic etc?

ARX appears good for bright, renderings but not so if you want to get an understated effect . Has anybody got an alternate experience?
 
well the first thing I do is turn off the default grey light - I think it's quite terrible! ..


Then I'll ad some spot lights and maybe one distant light. play withthe intensity and the fall off -the room plays quite a large part of the overall scene also.. I thin k it's just a matter of practice!


I havent done much rendering in a while nowbu I did play around with ARX a few months ago (forgive the speaker mesh - I didn't have time to make a texture map!)


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James
 
James,

The silver colored Sony piece is the effect we are looking for. What are the average rendering times you encounter. Can you post the material settings for the silver, we either get it too flat or two garishly reflective.

Thanks in advance
 
wyzewun..


Those images were done almost last summer (I know I was playign around with WF3.0 preprod at the time) I'm not sure if I have saved the dmt or scene files.. I'll do a search when I get home of my archived stuff - maybe I saved it!


I'll get back to later today or tomorrow
 
Sure,

But if you are using WF3, we may have aproblem for I am on WF2 and may upgrade only by July.
smiley19.gif
 
there is a hidden config option in WF 2.0 to enable wf 3.0 rendering functionality in wf 2.0. it is for testing. I cannor remember it but ti is in in the rendering Q&A topic in modelling Isair mentioned it.


Materials a A LOT more tweakable in WF 3.0..
 
it was a variation of PTC's Ceramic default texture - colours changes to a type of cream close on white with a slicgtly darker highlight colour. refletionset to 6.


The thing abotu this though is thatit is higtly dependant onthe colour of the lightsand room settings (not saved unfortunately!) adn I havnet got time to reproduce it.. - it would have been a cyl room woth no texturemaps - probably quite dark


I'dsay 5 lights - one primary spot with fall off, maybe 2 or 3 distant lights with quite a low intensity (intensity of all lights shouldn't really be above 2-2.5..


probably wouldn't have used a puer white lighteithermaybe an ever so slight hint ot of yellow or blue (very slight)
 
Average render times without anti-alaising (sp?) is maybe 3-4 min for each of them on a dual 3GHz Zeon and 2GB ram and 256 MB graphics card. image output of approx 1500 x1150 pxels


They are still essentially preview renders - turn up the settings and it's hitting for over an hour! The above models are quite simple also.. pretty much just the outer surfaces of the models. This has quite an affect on render times


ARX is the only addon I've seen to actually avail of dual processors and hyperthreading.. speeds things up quite nicely!
 
Whats your graphic card ? We are using 2.66gHz Dual Xeon, 1 GB Ram, 64 MB Elsa GLoria II graphics card ?

I have used Isair's option "adv_photolux_options" in the config.pro.We will give it ashot here and let you know. BTW, how do you think, ARX compares with Flamingo ?
 
unfortunately ARX does not compare with Flamingo, Brazil, Maxwel, Mental Ray etc etc ec.... maybe in time but not yet!


Of coursethe one major advantage is tho that it's parametric.. set up your scene, textures etc and as your model progresses you hit the render button and presto!


I think youll find the extra options very useful! I know I do!
 
Hi James,

We set the intensity to 2. Then rendered. When we opened the light editor, the intensity value shows zero ? Any idea why this happens ? Does it happen to you too?

Thanks in advance
 
can you save the light file and upload it here for me to investigate? no it doesn't happen to me..


the overall (combinded) intenstiy of all the lights sholdn't really be over 2 or 2.5
 

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