Ok, I’ve seen some really nice images with HDRI reflection maps and HDRI images as light source(like attached image by Xtaz), but I haven’t seen a tutorial on how to use this new feature in AM. Can some one please point me to the right direction. p.s. I can’t see a so called ”null shader”?! in my render window.
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I second that, a tutorial on hdri / ibl would be great.

Hi spliners ...

Il try to explain how HDR works in AM...

IBL just works on A:M v13...

HDR's are images that contains information about the existent illumination in an enviroment, in other words, when we worked with them, we didn't need to use other lights.
There is several sites where you can find HDR images, I indicate to begin with the http://www.debevec.org/Probes/ , in this place Paul explain how it works. You must download some HDR images as well as HDRSHOP to manipulate them.

Ok lets start this simple tutorial ....

- Download galileo_probe.hdr from debevec'site / open it in HDRSHOP - go to FILE > SAVE AS > low dinamic range - TGA
- Open A:M > import images > HDR and TGA
- Create a material - in attribute (right click) > change type to > plugin > hash,inc > projection map ... in properties choose TGA image - method PLANAR
- Create a Sphere ( call it enviroment ) in the center of WS ( 0,0,0 ) and drag material for it ... in properties got to OPTIONS and change CAST OCCLUSION TO OFF.

we have just created the atmosphere that it will be reflected in our scene.

Now lets set the IBL ...

- Create a new Choreography... Delete all lights... in properties go to Global ambience type > Image based lighting ... set ambient intensity= 100% / ambience occlusion to 95% / environment map = choose HDR image / Mapping type = Light Probe
- drag eniroment and scale it up
- create models whit reflectivity and use them inside Enviroment ....
- dont forget all models in the scene must be inside the enviroment until the camera.

As I said ... this is a very basic tutorial but you can begin for here and then to continue making tests ahead, changing paramaters....

I will be here to explain any doubt, but the master in this subject is Yves Poissant, I suggest that you contact him for larger information....

Awesome, I got V13 OSX, going to try it out now, Thanks a bunch!!!
by the way, what does IBL stand for?

Image-Based Lighting.

Ok, here are a few problems. So by using HDRshop and saving the HDRI image as a low dynamic range TGA file, the image file that will be import into AM isn’t a HDRI but a regular targa file?

And here is the second problem, when I do import image from AM, it only gives me Import Image/Animation
and Import Images sequences. I don’t see import images > HDR and TGA at all.

Third, I am on OSX and I ain’t got HDRshop but I do have another freeware and can generate HDR images. Does that matter, or not...Since I think you are talking about importing a good old Low Dynamic Tga file into AM...So AM doesn’t really support HDR images, but a work around? am I right?

I think I may know what the problem is. I checked the AM version. It is version 12.on+ Tiger. okay, then I went to download the software update that says it is Tiger13. After installation and check the version again, still version 12.on+Tiger.. what is going on here??!!

Also where is Choreography Properties > Global ambience type>....? I don’t see that at all
Scratchin my head real hard...help me....

I would just make a slight modification to those instructions. Personally, I like to have HDR data for the reflections too so I would not save the HDR file to TGA to get a low dynamic range image for the skydome. I would, instead, use the HDR image. So my instructions would be:

• Download galileo_probe.hdr from debevec'site.
• Open A:M > import images > HDR
• Create a material - in attribute (right click) > change type to > plugin > hash,inc > projection map ... in properties choose the HDR image and method Spherical.
• Create a very large Sphere ( call it enviroment ) in the center of WS ( 0,0,0 ) and drag material for it ... in properties go to Otions and change Cast Shadows and Cast Occlusion to OFF.

I prefer to use HDR data for the skydome because it will produce nice and bright reflections even in dark reflective objects.


Only available in v13. For your v13 installation issues, please contact support at hash dot com

Thank you sir, I’ve sent an email to support already, I will post the solution here if there is one.

Wow!

This is definitely worth trying. I had seen vague references to HDRI in A:M but it never sunk in that now you can use an image to light a scene.

A:M has this way of tucking fabulous new features away in far corners, so you can easily miss them.

Can I use OpenEXR files instead of the HDR files?

Richard Harrowell.

Yes.

I downloaded the latest update for Mac, and all seemed to work but one thing. HDR just could not be loaded into a project. At this point, I just use a low dynamic image for the IML...Sad...for a Mac user

I too am interested in working with HDR (v13).

Anyone have any good freeware HDR editors for an XP equipped PC?

If not, any tutorials on how to create such an image (.hdr, or IML) using Photoshop CS?! I know you can do it with CS2, but not sure about CS.

Also, anyone that has cool free Plugins for A:M for any area, pass them along as well!

One more thing, is there a way to create HDR references from video? I do alot of compositing and editing, transferring footage from Sony Vegas, and After Effects 7 Pro.

Thanks!

Not unless you have a camera that shoots HDR (not even sure if such a thing exists) or 10 cameras filming from the same point at the same time (again nearly impossible)

Sony Pictures Imageworks has software and a way of capturing the lighting data of a shot for later compositing and relighting work, but thats the closest thing I've heard of.


something like this

http://gl.ict.usc.edu/Data/LightStage/

Thanks!

Anyone know if After Effects 7 would work? I know they have the 32bit HDR lighting range in there, and you can export it as photo or video, but I just thought of that, and haven't tried. If anyone else has, and succesfully perform this operation, please share.

yeah I have AE7, but you are thinking of HDRI in AE the wrong way.

The stuff I posted is more like applying a displacement of Normal map to footage, and Using the HDRI stuff to alter the lighting with an environment.

If you don't have the Mapped footage, you wont be able to do it.

HDR in AE is mainly about altering the color and lumininance of an image globally but with greater resolution. Think Levels, color correction, etc.

You won't be able to alter lighting on a subject unless you can somehow map the individuals reflectance properties into a map.

http://gl.ict.usc.edu/HDRShop/

Software that allows you to create a HDR image from a series of regular photos. (I tried this - tripod neccessary)

HDR video:
There is a paper out the on the subject..
http://www.mpi-inf.mpg.de/resources/hdr/

I have some home-made hdr probes free for the taking... only thing is the ball I used is quite scratched.
http://www.rastermon.com/hdr/hdr.htm

Rob

Sounds like you got results..
Can you post a prj or at least a render?
I have a simple setup as explained...
import EXR image - make material, apply to large sphere, chor set to image base lighting...etc.

I can do a quickrender, but when I try to render to file (.tga) it crashes... does it need to render as EXR or hdr?

Mac OSX 10.4 AM v 13

Rob

Hey, Rob, looks like you are a Mac user, any luck loading a HDR image into a project? I tried but it would just say"problem loading HDR"

I have that problem aswell, when I try to load a HDRI on my mac.