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Integrated BIM tools, including Revit, AutoCAD, and Civil 3D
Professional CAD/CAM tools built on Inventor and AutoCAD
Assign physically-based shaders and adjust parameters.
Type:
Tutorial
Length:
7 min.
Tutorial resources
These downloadable resources will be used to complete this tutorial:
Transcript
00:04
Before we begin developing physically based
00:06
materials with the Arnold Standard surface,
00:09
we need to finalize our environment lighting to get accurate previews.
00:14
We've got environment lighting in the scene already,
00:17
but we want to change that up a little bit.
00:19
So let's select the Skydome,
00:21
go over to the modify panel
00:24
and we'll see down here in color intensity. We do have a texture map assigned.
00:28
Let's edit that texture map
00:30
to do that. We'll want to open up the slate material editor.
00:34
Click on that button
00:36
once the slate material editor opens,
00:39
let's drag this texture map button over into the slate material editor view.
00:44
We get a pop up dialogue asking if we want to instance or copy this map.
00:48
We want to choose instance so that any changes that we
00:51
make in the material editor will actually affect the skydome.
00:55
So choose instance and click. OK.
00:58
Now we see a node in our graph
00:60
and that's the OS LHDR environment map
01:03
with it selected. Let's rename it.
01:05
We'll call it ENV map
01:08
just to verify that that map is actually instanced into the sky dome.
01:12
We can refresh the command panel
01:14
we see here down here it still says map number something,
01:17
we can switch over to the crate panel and then back to the modified panel
01:21
that refreshes the display. Now it says ENV map there.
01:25
OK. Let's render this
01:27
right click in the physical camera viewport
01:29
and choose from the main menus Arnold
01:32
Arnold render view.
01:33
And as before
01:35
click to initiate an interactive production rendering,
01:38
we get very soft shadows and suffuse illumination.
01:42
This panorama was taken on a cloudy day.
01:46
Let's store this in a snapshot to compare it to other renderings.
01:50
And we can swap out that HDR image for a different one.
01:53
Back in the slate material editor parameters.
01:56
In the HDR file, we can click to browse
02:00
and in our current project scene assets images, I've got another one
02:04
Urban Courtyard four K monochrome dot HDR.
02:07
Again, a modified version of a file from the website
02:11
HDR I haven.com
02:14
select that
02:15
and click open.
02:17
The Arnold render view will update automatically
02:19
and we can see that we'll need to change the exposure
02:22
back in the skydome parameters
02:25
under color
02:26
intensity exposure.
02:27
Let's bring that up to a value of positive two.
02:32
This panorama was taken on a partly cloudy day.
02:35
So we're actually getting some hard shadows.
02:38
We can rotate the environment either by rotating the sky dome
02:41
or by adjusting the rotation parameter here in the map.
02:45
Let's do it in the map.
02:47
I can click and drag on the rotation spinner
02:50
and release the mouse and we can see that the light has actually moved,
02:54
let's set the rotation amount to 100 degrees.
02:58
And now we've got pretty strong key lighting coming from camera, right?
03:02
That's going to better approximate the lighting in my final rendering,
03:06
we can store another snapshot to compare this version.
03:10
Click to create a snapshot.
03:12
Here's the rendering on a cloudy day
03:14
and here's the rendering on a partly sunny day
03:17
and this is going to be better because it's actually going
03:19
to show the highlights and specular a little bit more clearly.
03:22
OK. I'll go back to a live interactive production rendering.
03:25
We also want to make sure that the exposure is correct.
03:29
And when we're developing materials,
03:30
we don't want to have underexposed or overexposed previews
03:34
to set the exposure,
03:35
we can temporarily assign a bright white material to all objects
03:40
over in the slate material editor.
03:42
We'll create an Arnold standard surface
03:45
in the material map browser.
03:46
We'll see materials
03:48
and Arnold, we can open that up if it's not already open
03:51
surface
03:53
standard surface
03:55
drag that over into the view
03:57
and select it
03:58
and let's rename it
03:59
ideal diffuse.
04:02
To make this perfectly white,
04:04
we'll increase the base color weight, bring that up to a value of one
04:08
and to make it perfectly rough,
04:10
we'll set the specular roughness to a value of one.
04:14
Now, we can assign this to all objects in the scene
04:17
from the main max menus, choose edit,
04:20
select all
04:22
and with that ideal diffuse material selected in the slate material. Editor,
04:27
click the button to assign the material to the selection.
04:31
And again, the Arnold render view updates
04:33
and we can see that it's slightly over exposed.
04:36
We can verify that by viewing the pixel data
04:39
and that's done by clicking on this little gear over here
04:42
that's going to show the display panel.
04:46
Then we can go over to the pixel tab
04:49
and move the mouse around
04:50
and we can see statistics for the pixel underneath the mouse cursor.
04:55
We don't want any of those R GB A loom
04:58
or display values to be over one.
05:02
So we'll reduce the skydome accordingly.
05:05
So I'll reselect that sky dome.
05:08
So like the sky dome only
05:11
reichlin in the physical camera to give focus to that once again.
05:15
And then in the modified panel,
05:17
we can change the exposure value.
05:19
Let's bring it down to a value of 1.8.
05:22
And then as we move the mouse around in the Arnold render view, once again,
05:26
we'll see that those values never go over one,
05:29
which means that we're not over exposing our shot.
05:33
OK. We can close that panel once again.
05:35
At this time,
05:36
the Arnold render view does not support the three Ds max exposure control
05:41
and that is a sign to a physical camera when that camera is created.
05:46
So, in fact, right now, physical camera exposure control is enabled,
05:51
but the Arnold render view does not show that.
05:54
So we can go into the rendering menu
05:57
to exposure control.
05:59
We'll see that exposure control is enabled.
06:02
Well, let's just turn it off because
06:04
it's not actually doing anything.
06:06
It's going to work in the active shade or production render windows.
06:09
Just not in the Arnold render view.
06:12
I'll set the exposure control to no exposure control
06:15
and just to make sure that in fact, nothing really changed.
06:17
I'll go back to the Arnold render view.
06:20
And in the Arnold render view menu,
06:22
we can choose render
06:24
update full scene
06:25
that's going to force the render view to reread all of the scene parameters.
06:31
And once that's done, we can see that nothing is changed
06:33
and that proves our point. Once again, that
06:36
currently exposure control is not supported in the Arnold render view.
Video transcript
00:04
Before we begin developing physically based
00:06
materials with the Arnold Standard surface,
00:09
we need to finalize our environment lighting to get accurate previews.
00:14
We've got environment lighting in the scene already,
00:17
but we want to change that up a little bit.
00:19
So let's select the Skydome,
00:21
go over to the modify panel
00:24
and we'll see down here in color intensity. We do have a texture map assigned.
00:28
Let's edit that texture map
00:30
to do that. We'll want to open up the slate material editor.
00:34
Click on that button
00:36
once the slate material editor opens,
00:39
let's drag this texture map button over into the slate material editor view.
00:44
We get a pop up dialogue asking if we want to instance or copy this map.
00:48
We want to choose instance so that any changes that we
00:51
make in the material editor will actually affect the skydome.
00:55
So choose instance and click. OK.
00:58
Now we see a node in our graph
00:60
and that's the OS LHDR environment map
01:03
with it selected. Let's rename it.
01:05
We'll call it ENV map
01:08
just to verify that that map is actually instanced into the sky dome.
01:12
We can refresh the command panel
01:14
we see here down here it still says map number something,
01:17
we can switch over to the crate panel and then back to the modified panel
01:21
that refreshes the display. Now it says ENV map there.
01:25
OK. Let's render this
01:27
right click in the physical camera viewport
01:29
and choose from the main menus Arnold
01:32
Arnold render view.
01:33
And as before
01:35
click to initiate an interactive production rendering,
01:38
we get very soft shadows and suffuse illumination.
01:42
This panorama was taken on a cloudy day.
01:46
Let's store this in a snapshot to compare it to other renderings.
01:50
And we can swap out that HDR image for a different one.
01:53
Back in the slate material editor parameters.
01:56
In the HDR file, we can click to browse
02:00
and in our current project scene assets images, I've got another one
02:04
Urban Courtyard four K monochrome dot HDR.
02:07
Again, a modified version of a file from the website
02:11
HDR I haven.com
02:14
select that
02:15
and click open.
02:17
The Arnold render view will update automatically
02:19
and we can see that we'll need to change the exposure
02:22
back in the skydome parameters
02:25
under color
02:26
intensity exposure.
02:27
Let's bring that up to a value of positive two.
02:32
This panorama was taken on a partly cloudy day.
02:35
So we're actually getting some hard shadows.
02:38
We can rotate the environment either by rotating the sky dome
02:41
or by adjusting the rotation parameter here in the map.
02:45
Let's do it in the map.
02:47
I can click and drag on the rotation spinner
02:50
and release the mouse and we can see that the light has actually moved,
02:54
let's set the rotation amount to 100 degrees.
02:58
And now we've got pretty strong key lighting coming from camera, right?
03:02
That's going to better approximate the lighting in my final rendering,
03:06
we can store another snapshot to compare this version.
03:10
Click to create a snapshot.
03:12
Here's the rendering on a cloudy day
03:14
and here's the rendering on a partly sunny day
03:17
and this is going to be better because it's actually going
03:19
to show the highlights and specular a little bit more clearly.
03:22
OK. I'll go back to a live interactive production rendering.
03:25
We also want to make sure that the exposure is correct.
03:29
And when we're developing materials,
03:30
we don't want to have underexposed or overexposed previews
03:34
to set the exposure,
03:35
we can temporarily assign a bright white material to all objects
03:40
over in the slate material editor.
03:42
We'll create an Arnold standard surface
03:45
in the material map browser.
03:46
We'll see materials
03:48
and Arnold, we can open that up if it's not already open
03:51
surface
03:53
standard surface
03:55
drag that over into the view
03:57
and select it
03:58
and let's rename it
03:59
ideal diffuse.
04:02
To make this perfectly white,
04:04
we'll increase the base color weight, bring that up to a value of one
04:08
and to make it perfectly rough,
04:10
we'll set the specular roughness to a value of one.
04:14
Now, we can assign this to all objects in the scene
04:17
from the main max menus, choose edit,
04:20
select all
04:22
and with that ideal diffuse material selected in the slate material. Editor,
04:27
click the button to assign the material to the selection.
04:31
And again, the Arnold render view updates
04:33
and we can see that it's slightly over exposed.
04:36
We can verify that by viewing the pixel data
04:39
and that's done by clicking on this little gear over here
04:42
that's going to show the display panel.
04:46
Then we can go over to the pixel tab
04:49
and move the mouse around
04:50
and we can see statistics for the pixel underneath the mouse cursor.
04:55
We don't want any of those R GB A loom
04:58
or display values to be over one.
05:02
So we'll reduce the skydome accordingly.
05:05
So I'll reselect that sky dome.
05:08
So like the sky dome only
05:11
reichlin in the physical camera to give focus to that once again.
05:15
And then in the modified panel,
05:17
we can change the exposure value.
05:19
Let's bring it down to a value of 1.8.
05:22
And then as we move the mouse around in the Arnold render view, once again,
05:26
we'll see that those values never go over one,
05:29
which means that we're not over exposing our shot.
05:33
OK. We can close that panel once again.
05:35
At this time,
05:36
the Arnold render view does not support the three Ds max exposure control
05:41
and that is a sign to a physical camera when that camera is created.
05:46
So, in fact, right now, physical camera exposure control is enabled,
05:51
but the Arnold render view does not show that.
05:54
So we can go into the rendering menu
05:57
to exposure control.
05:59
We'll see that exposure control is enabled.
06:02
Well, let's just turn it off because
06:04
it's not actually doing anything.
06:06
It's going to work in the active shade or production render windows.
06:09
Just not in the Arnold render view.
06:12
I'll set the exposure control to no exposure control
06:15
and just to make sure that in fact, nothing really changed.
06:17
I'll go back to the Arnold render view.
06:20
And in the Arnold render view menu,
06:22
we can choose render
06:24
update full scene
06:25
that's going to force the render view to reread all of the scene parameters.
06:31
And once that's done, we can see that nothing is changed
06:33
and that proves our point. Once again, that
06:36
currently exposure control is not supported in the Arnold render view.
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