V-Ray Sun System Now that we've tackled some important theoretical aspects in the previous chapter, it's time to see how ‘0 apply them using V-Ray: We will analyze the V-Ray Sun System — made up of the sun, sky and camera —as a whole. A couple of simple exercises will then show you how simple it is 10 use these tools to illuminate exterior scenes in just a few steps. We will also look at a logical way of substituting the sky background generated by V-Ray with one ofour own choice. We will conclude by simulating an exterior by night. Again, this lighting situation doesn't appear out of nowhere, but is another ‘example that adheres to the most important of rules: setting the correct light balance.PHOTOGRAPHY & RENDERING with V-RAY (Meneame een ncaa Lighting in Exterior Simulation There are three useful elements for re-creating the brightness and light typical of exterior simulation: the Sun (the primary light source), the sky (the secondary light source) and a camera with which to capture our renders. In V-Ray three tools put these three elements into practice. If used together, they can make life easier and create a very realistic result. They form the V-Ray Sun System. This system is made up of the following tools: + The W-Ray Sun, Figure 9-1; + The V-Ray Sky (which is automatic and related to the sun}; + The V-Ray Physical Camera, Figure 9-2, (see Chapter 4- The DSLR Camera) sARonr 9 /B| R012) A| OORigaxy O@sBaxs FigweSt fge———| | fen The Lights pel with - “The Came panel theViaySin wot [= SI ane with he Ps ames 0k ns nel a highlighted teeta —_ highghced Note: It is recommended that you use tiese three tools together without altering their physical nature, This will maintain their reciprocal calibration, allowing you to optimize your time and keep all the parameters coordinated to ensure your scene has the correct lighting and hues. “The VeRay Sn Sytem int ke a huge photographie sao wit te on (erimary Hehe sours), the sky Gecondary light source) anda Considerations: An exterior is actually just like a big photographic studio. There's a primary light source, the sun, and a secondary light source, the sky. Not changing the intensity of these two components is equivalent to not changing the light balance that Mother Nature has made us accustomed to, Figure 9-3. Note: Changing the default value of the sun's brightness (intensity multiplier = 1,0) is an ‘example of altering the natural bafance of the elements and should be avoided.CHAPTER 9 - V-RAY SUN SYSTEM ininnttttineajinceeninanaSeeatnsn eaSeaeeansonasnsinassnsaviscasscesill Exercise: How to Place the V-Ray Sun ina Scene In this first exercise you will see the main characteristic ofthe V-Ray Sun lighting effect. 1. Start V-Ray and open the file Chap09-01-FirstSun-START.max, located in the folder P&R-VRay \ Chapter 09 \ Exercises. The Global illumination (see Chapter 3 - Global Mumination and irradiance Map) has already been set in ths file and all the objects in the scene have the same generic matefal assigned to them. 2. Use the Lights panel, Figure 9-1, to place a V-Ray Sun and a Physical Camera, Figure 9-2, in the scene as shown in Figure 9-4. Figure 9-4 Top view of the postions of the Vinay Figure 9-5 An example of the render obtnned Pye! Camera (A) and the Vay Son (Bin seme 3. Once you've placed the V-Ray Sun in the scene, a dialogue box will appear, Figure 9-6, telling you to add the sky element and link it to the sun. Accept by clicking on ¥ Figure 9-6 ‘Ray Sun dake bor asking you if yo would eto ad the sy oe not 4. Launch the render by pressing the SHIFT + Q keys together to obtain the image in Figure 9-5. You can check this by opening the file Chap09-02-FirstSun-FINAL.max. You need only place a camera and the sun, without touching any of the parameters. As you can see in Figure 9-5, the intensity ofthe light, the hues of the sky and the sharpness of the shadows are all in sync with one another. Ths isthe great thing about the V-Ray Sun System. In the following pages we will analyze some sarametric aspects that willgive you even more control when working with the V-Ray Sun. ‘Considerations: To position the sun and camera, I followed the simple rules outlined in Chapter 8 - Rendering Exteriors, The cemera and the sun form an angle of about 40° and I've avoided overexposure problems by not placing the sun too high. Finally, I've sought the right balance between the areas illuminated directly by the sun and the areas in shadow.igus 97 Pato he Ve males wcncl ent steht inci ee, aipeal aor wl Apion oF iting chime showing the V.Ray Physi Camera RaySa (ith the na igh inside we (A) and the corresponding nd A depiction of ihing ‘heme shereog the ‘eRay Physical Camera and the VRaSun (vith the slow) a ade lew PHOTOGRAPHY & RENDERING with V-RAY Aspe V-Ray Sun Although the control panel has quite a few parameters, Figure 9-7, it actually carries out ‘most of the work automatically In fact, you only need to place the V-Ray Sun in your scene, as shown in the previous exercise, to immediately obtain an acceptable result. =_wnsaresnces |. TheV-Ray Sun automatically casts light whose intensity and colorare directly proportional to its ttt angle, just like in nature. The midday sun is strong, generates marked contrast and casts almost white light, while at sunset the sun is much milder and encompassing and generates softer light with hues ranging from red to blue. To change the hue and intensity, you only need to change the position of the V-Ray Sun object in the space. The distance doesn't ‘matter. What counts is its angle of inclination to the horizon, Figure 9-BandFigure 9-9. Figure 98 sender B) Figuee 99 render 8) The intensity can not only be changed through the position of the sun, but also using the intensity multiplier parameter, which works just ike the potentiometer ofa light bulb. Considerations: It’s completely unrealistic to imagine taking a photo and changing the sun when there's too much ight. During my workshops | always maintain that chan the sun isa kind of megalorrania, Jokes asicle however, these kinds of alterations should bbe avoided, especially as they set off a chain of effects that ruin the realism and take us far away from our goal. Too much light should be treated as an exposure problem, 2s ‘we've already seen in Chapter 7 - Exposure.CHAPTER 9 - V-RAY SUN SYSTEM pn eeeneenneeeenc =i ‘Another interesting parameters the size multiplier, Figure 9-7, whichis setto 1.0 by default {a setting that mimics reality). This parameter is used to change the degree of blurring in the shadows, while with shadows subdivs, Figure 9-7, we can control their definition, Let’s take the photo in Figure 9-10 as an example. Here, solar rays encounter a tree. The shadow is very sharp close to the roots, but the further away we go from the tree, the more the shadow tends to blur. This effectis the consequence ofthe real relationship between the size of the object and the size of the sun, Figure 910 A agin dtevwng hat he greater hep sdizance of the Shadow che me Dare iti In physical terms the size multiplier changes the size of the solar disk without changing, its intensity, thus creating shadows with mote marked blurring. This is a clear example of an alteration of reality that isnt too invasive. When you need a bit of atmosphere, you can. Use this effect in moderation to help make the image more poetic, without changing the light balance of the V-Ray Sun System. if you increase the value of the Size multiplier to 3, the shadows will be blurrier, Figure 9-11, than with a value of 1, Figure 9-12. You can improve the inevitable increase in grain using Shadow Subdivs, Figure 9-7. Higher values create cleaner shadows in exchange for a longer processing time Figure 9-1 ‘Atenderlmched fier incresing te size mop rom 101 30. The blurng of dhe shadows mach more evident, igure 9.12 A tende launched swith the sire rule et ite ‘ef waie of 1.0PHOTOGRAPHY & RENDERING with V-RAY There is actually always grain in the shadows, even with the normal default values. It is ‘even more significant when the shadows are very long or cast from a distance. Imagine for instance, a tree in a garden, casting shadows onto the wall of a building, Figure 9-13. This, is a nice effect but, given the projection distance, the outlines of the shadows will appear significantly grainy. igure 913 ‘Asindiesbon of st cnlnged area of the render with shadow subs se to 3 (A) sed 308) In Figure 9-13 (A), the size multiplier option is set to 1.0 (the value that adheres to the real proportions of nature) and the shadows cast onto the wall appear grainy. If we increase the value of shadows subdivs from 3 to 30, we obtain a softer effect, Figure 9-13 (B) Considerations: It's best to carry out ths perfecting process after completing Step-4. If the shadows still appear grainy, I take acvantage of the Rencler region to concentrate on ‘one area and find the right minimum value to make the grain disappear. How to Set a Specific Place, Date and Time There isa system in 3ds Max that allows you to assign a apecific place, date and time to the sunin your scene. This option is called Daylight and it'sa system that the V-Ray Sun can easily interact with. Just select the Systems icon, Figure 9-14, then Daylight, and finally create the ‘object in the scene. You can also change itin the Modify tab, Figure 9-15, by setting VRaysun asthe type of sun. Baaoar eWaiema Figuese OSS 80 sf] = Parrot the ied e915 Pattof the Create panel Modify panel showing the ae serwng the System icon and | _rae | ra “VRS and the Setup button ee dl So a] ved to acess 4 thepenmers Ss for changing the ace de nd A rollout menu will appear at the bottom of the Ran Fake a panel, containing all the controls typical o'the V-Ray | esas —> Sun. Ifyou click on Setup, Fiaure 9-15, voull access a sea panel in which you can set your desired coordinates, | < st including the city, time and year, ¢ eosCHAPTER 9 - V-RAY SUN SYSTEM V-Ray Sky ‘As we mentioned earlier, once you've created the V-Ray Sun, a box pops up asking you if you want to add a VRaySky as the “Environment map’, and in fact itis to here that we will add this ‘new element. Just open the Environment and Effects dialogue box, Figure 9-16, by pressing Bon the keyboard, Figure 916 “The Envioament and Effect dine box shosing the ‘VRaySky cleent, (obi une the VRySunie not peentin the sine), td he Use map option Note: When working with lights, it may be necessary to turn them all off and only work with one at a time. n these cases, it can also be useful to turn off the sky. To do so, just deactivate the Use Map option, Figure 9-16. In some cases, after agreeing to add the VRaySky, you could come across a warning window, Figure 9-17, notifying you that the slot is already occupied by another VRaySky: Would you like to replace it with the new VRaySky?" You've probably deleted the sun and added a new one. Click on “YES" to proceed, Figure 9-17. Figure 917 box showings waraing about replacing the map with anew VRasSky ‘The V-Ray Sky isnot simply a background image. Apart from generating a sky that physically corresponds to reality in terms of colors, it affects the scene by casting a very blue light, just as the sky normally does. n real fe we may not notice i, but ths effect is very common in real photos, Figure 9-18. Figure 9.18 A photograph ia ‘ohich the bse component of the yi om the shadowed Side ofthe status, while the areas Iaveswar dominant colorPHOTOGRAPHY & RENDERING with V-RAY ES NN How to Control the V-Ray Sky Accessing the parameters of the V-Ray Sey is very simple. Once you've created the V-Ray Sun, you first ofall need to open the Environment and Effects dialogue box, Figure 9-19, by pressing 8 on your keyboard. Also open the Material Editor dialogue box, Figure 9-20, from the Rendering > Material Editor > Compact Material Editor menu. Drag the Environment Map: DefaultVRaySky toa free slot in the Material Editor, Figure 9-20. You will be asked to specify the instance (Copy) Map method via a dialague box, Figure 9-20. Choose Instance to obtain all the parameters for the V-Ray Sky, Figure 9-20. fo |S 131% 10) IS ne tae Figure 919 The Havirooment and Efcts Figure 9:20 Tae Material alto showing the VRay dialogs: box showing the Exvtonien Map, Sky parameters and the Instance (copy) Map dialogue which you need to drag into re dot the bo Mate toe ‘Considerations: In nature the sun and sky are not two distinct elements. The solar rays actually generate the blue sky as they rass through the atmosphere. For this reason, it is logical that all the values of the V-Ray Sky are a direct consequence of the inclination we assign to the V-Ray Sun. In V-Ray however, you can also separate them. You just need to tick the manual sun rnode check box, Figure 9-20, and fron that moment the two elements will work independently. Looking at an example, if you reduce the “sun intensity multiplier” of ‘the VRaySky, Figure 9-20, you can lowerthe brightness of the sky without lowering the direct light of the sun. ‘As you might imagine, this can easily lead to unnatural results, so | would advise against altering the set balance, especially if vou are stil earning.(CHAPTER 9 - V-RAY SUN SYSTEM energies sesemeneeseeesmeeeenesiiiil Exercise: How to Replace the VRaySky with Another Sky in Post-Production In this exercise you will carry out all the steps related to working with the V-Ray Sky and you will ee how to place a new sky asthe backcround fora render. 1, Start 3ds Max and V-Ray and open the dle Chap03-03-building-FINAL.max, located in the folder P@R-VRay \Chapter 09 \ Exerctes. Everything is allready forthe final rendering, Launch it by pressing the SHIFT+Q keys. 2. Save two versions of the render, first 2s a .PNG (ensuring you have ticked the Alpha Channel check box, Figure 9-21), and then asa JPG. Note: if your JPG and .PNG images appear washed-out after you've saved them, it ‘means that the Output Gamma option in the Gamma and Lut tab, located in the menu Rendering > Gamma/Lut setup... is set toa value of 2.2 instead of 1.0. Figure 9.21 ‘The PNG Configuration dialogue laos, which appears once you've thick onthe Save tage on of the Vy Fame llr window ‘The Alpha Cann option awe you tse the whole age, leaving transparency the ea of te temncla wich no hj ee physi prevent 3. Start Photoshop and open the two renders (,PNG and JPG) you just saved, together With the file New-Sky,ipg, located in the folder P&R-VRay / Chapter 09 Exercises. 4, Drag the JPG render over the image New-Sky.jpg, holding down the SHIFT key so that you obtain two perfectly centred layers 5. Next drag the .PNG file over it to obtain the layer sequence in Figure 9-22, igure 9.22 Lage pace in Photoshop stereng the ence of lays commepondtingns be gard ims 6. Now activate and deactivate the Render JPG layer, Figure 9-22. The differences in terms Cf hue, intensity and saturation between the VRay Sky and the one we want to use as a new background will appear evident. 7. Use the Hue/Saturation - Color Balance -Curves adjustment layers to try to get the New- ‘Sky,ipg layer to look as much as possible like the layer containing the render with the \VRaySky, Figure 9-23. After several attempts and a bit of experience, this becomes easy. To obtain a nice effect it actually doesn't matter whether the two skies are identical, as long as they are more or less similar. Note: You can check the final result by opening the file New-Sky-FINAL.psd, located in the folder P&A-VRay \ Chapter 09 \ ExercisesPHOTOGRAPHY & RENDERING with V-RAY Figure 923 Alistof the agjstmet layers fn the Layee poe sed adjust the [New-Skripgimage vo make appear ‘more srr t0 ‘he "Render JPG” conzining the “VRyShy Figure 9.24 The New Shyjpg background before ‘Figure 9:25 The New Skype background ater being Ting acted in Photoshop sated in Photoshop We can obtain notable improvements simply by correctly replacing the VraySky with another one rich in clouds and details, but still consistent with the one generated by V-Ray. It’s obviously a subjective matter. You may like Figure 9-24 more than Figure 9-25, but reaching a beautiful final result is not the purpose of this exercise. This is just a simple ‘method for obtaining skies that match those generated by V-Ray and Figure 9-25 appears objectively more consistent. Considerations: In Figure 9-23 you car see an “Exposure” adjustment layer. Thanks to ‘a atadient mask, this helps to make the left side of the sky slightly darker, This det shouldn't be underestimated: the sky dees appear darker on the side opposite to where the sun is. Even in the JPG render with the VRaySky we used as a reference, this is very clear. So, if we use a new sky that doesn't have this gradient, we have to re-create it, Using Photoshop to improve the consistency of the image.(CHAPTER 9 - V-RAY SUN SYSTEM Nene Exercise: How to Simulate a Night Render Even for night renders we have to reason in terms of primary and secondary light sources. In this case we don’t have the sun and the sky, but instead we have artificial lights (1st light) and the sky (2nd light). The idea therefore remains the.same: to create the right balance between these elements. In this exercise you will carry out all the steps to achieve the correct exposure of a scene containing VRayLight and the VRaySky, recreating an exterior by night. At first glance the exercise may appear to be complex and very articulated, but actually the following ten steps ‘were designed to help the reader understand a way of reasoning, rather than simply obtain arender, 1. Start 3ds Max and V-Ray and open the file Chap09-04-night-START.max, located in the folder P&R-VRay \ Chapter 09 \ Exercises. In the scene there is a V-Ray Physical Camera with the default values set and a number of artificial lights set to 200 watt. Launch a render to see the starting point, Figure 9-26, 2. It's dusk so you'll have to increase the exposure time. A shutter speed set to 200 works well with sunlight, but here we need ¢ longer exposure time, given that there is low lighting. First select the V-Ray Physical Camera and set the shutter speed to 10 in the Basic parameters section of the Modify panel. Also set the white balance to Neutral, given that you don't have a blue sky, as you would in daylight. Now launch the render, Figure 9-27. Figure 9.27 The sender with Tights caperPHOTOGRAPHY & RENDERING with V-RAY eens Here we'll allow ourselves to use a ltt "trick” to imitate the subtle azure light of dusk. Were going to take advantage of the V-Ray Sun and the V-Ray Sky in a particular way: 3. Place a Dome type V-Ray lightin the scene, Figure 9-28. For Units use the default” (never tse watts in this case!) and set the multiplier to 0.01, Figure 9-29. Figure 9.28 a Dome VR Light (A), hie 4. From the TOP view add a Ray Sun, (with its relative VRaySky), behind the VRay Physical Camera, at about 45° to the horizon. Turn it off by unticking the enabled check box, In this case the Ray Sun has only been placed and deactivated because we need it to control the V-Ray Sky. Press the 8 key to open the Environment panel and drag the VRaySky into the Texture slot of the VRayLight/done, copying it as an instance, as we saw on page 128 in the paragraph How to contral the V-Ray Sky. Click Render Production (or launch the render in real time RT) to obtain the image in Figure 9-30. Figure 930 The night re with aac shin Note: For some strange reason, the light emitted by the V-Ray Sky sometimes isn’t correct ifthe V-Ray Sun hasn't been created in the top view.CHAPTER 9 - V-RAY SUN SYSTEM i nese SE nee 7. The balance between the artificial lights and the dusk is working fairly well, Now try to enhance the scene by adding chromatic contrast (see paragraph Chromatic contrast on page 57). Set the color temperature of the V-Ray Lights to 3500°K to obtain the effect in Figure 9-31, e931 ‘This seems okay, but our eyes, which are probably accustomed to it by now, dont realize that we can still do something to improve the “night” effect. We can balance the Camera on the warm hues so as to eliminate them and make everything cooler, This is done in photography to eliminate the warmth of theartificial lighting that reverberates in the night sky above cities. 8 Set the white balance of the V-Ray Physical Camera Figure 9-32 from Neutral to 4500° by selecting the Temperature he Vy a po option from the drop-down menu, as in Figure sisal Ga ca 9-32. Now launch the render, Figure 9-33. (renee raking the oy cookerPHOTOGRAPHY & RENDERING with V-RAY eae Lnaaeamenen ae 9. This last inevitable setting has ‘drained’ a bit of warmth from the sky, but also from the artificial lights. Correct this by changing the color temperature of the V-Ray Lights from '3500° to 3000° to obtain the final render in Figure 9-34, Figure 9.34 Th blaine with sgh w 10. The jagged-edge effect visible along the edges of the V-Ray Lights, Figure 9-35 (B), is due to the anti-aliasing, which doesn't always work well in the overexposed areas, especially with lights. To eliminate the problem, activate Sub-Pixel Mapping and Clamp Output in the Color Mapping rollout menu, Figure 9-35. Figure 9.35 aor === nem | er Pa | imectreiher || Seem — 3] betas nto ‘ aoa | pe a ae ~ = es = © Acted ‘von: Pemoectve > 8) Figure 9.36 sie pcyings slight carve using VRay Frame buffes €nap 09.5 nigh FINAL max THIS EXERCISE CAN BE SEEN IN P&R-VRay \ Crapter 09 \ Vineo \ Viveo-09-1.MP4 Fi