Essential CG Lighting Techniques with 3ds Max
Dedication
To Georgina for being my guiding light.
Essential CG Lighting Techniques with 3ds Max
Darren Brooker
AMSTERDAM • BOSTON • HEIDELBERG • LONDON • NEW YORK • OXFORD
PARIS • SAN DIEGO • SAN FRANCISCO • SINGAPORE • SYDNEY • TOKYO
Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier
Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier
Linacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP, UK
30 Corporate Drive, Suite 400, Burlington, MA 01803, USA
First edition 2003
Second edition 2006
Third edition 2008
Copyright © 2003, 2006, 2008, Darren Brooker. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
The right of Darren Brooker to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book is availabe from the Library of Congress
ISBN: 978-0-2405-2117-6
For information on all Focal Press publications
visit our web site at ww.focalpress.com
Printed and bound in China
09 10 11 12 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents at a glance
1 Introduction 1
Part 1 > Theory
2 A little light theory 9
3 CG lights examined 29
4 Understanding shadows 45
Part 2 > Techniques
5 Basic lighting techniques 63
6 Further lighting techniques 79
7 Radiosity techniques 99
8 Indoor lighting techniques 117
9 Outdoor lighting techniques 149
10 Rendering with mental ray 175
11 Match lighting 203
12 Lighting Analysis 225
13 Lighting and lens effects 237
14 Compositing 255
Part 3 > Tips & tricks
15 In production 283
Part 4 > Taking it further
16 Composition and drama 303
17 Camerawork and technicalities 329
18 Looking further 349
Appendices
A About the DVD 365
B Glossary 371
C Bibliography 383
Index 389
vi CONTENTS
Table of contents
About the author xii
Acknowledgments xiii
Chapter 1 Introduction 1
Who this book is for 3
How to use this book 4
Tutorials 5
Software requirements 5
Part 1 > Theory
Chapter 2 A little light theory 9
Real world lighting explained 9
The visible spectrum 10
Color mixing 11
Our perception of light 12
Color temperature 13
Color balance 14
The behavior of light 17
Understanding the qualities of light 20
Chapter 3 CG lights examined 29
Lights in CG 29
Standard lights 30
Sunlight and Daylight systems 38
Photometric lights 39
The anatomy of a CG light 41
Chapter 4 Understanding shadows 45
The importance of shadows 45
The technical side of shadows 48
Faking it 54
When to fake 56
To use shadows or not? 57
Shadow saturation 58
CONTENTS vii
Part 2 > Techniques
Chapter 5 Basic lighting techniques 63
Learning to light 63
Basic three-point lighting 64
Key light 65
Fill light 68
Backlight 69
Key-to-fill ratios 71
Contrast 73
Tutorial > three-point lighting 74
Chapter 6 Further lighting techniques 79
Making light work 79
Other light types 80
Area lights 81
Tutorial > area lights 82
Arrays 85
Tutorial > light arrays 87
Skylights 90
High Dynamic Range imaging 91
Tutorial > HDR skylight 93
Chapter 7 Radiosity techniques 99
Global illumination 99
Light distribution 100
Raytracing 102
Radiosity 103
Radiosity workflow 104
Tutorial > radiosity workflow 109
Chapter 8 Indoor lighting techniques 117
Indoor lighting 117
Outdoor light indoors 121
Tutorial > radiosity techniques 125
Tutorial > simulating global illumination 128
Tutorial > HDR lighting 134
Artificial lighting 141
Tutorial > three-point artificial lighting 142
viii CONTENTS
Chapter 9 Outdoor lighting techniques 149
The great outdoors 149
Sunlight 150
Skylight 153
Sunlight and skylight together 155
Tutorial > sunlight and skylight together 156
Night time 159
Moonlight 159
Tutorial > moonlight 161
Street lighting 165
Tutorial > outdoor lighting fixtures 166
Tutorial > neon lighting 169
Chapter 10 Rendering with mental ray 175
Physically-based lighting 175
Tutorial > indirect illumination workflow 180
Tutorial > Global Illumination 182
Floating-point images 186
Tutorial > floating-point images 188
Tutorial > outdoor lighting 192
Ambient occlusion 195
Tutorial > ambient occlusion 196
Caustics 198
Tutorial > caustics with mental ray 199
Rendering options 201
Chapter 11 Match lighting 203
Background plates 203
Lighting reference data 205
HDR 207
Match lighting in practice 210
Match lighting without reference 213
Tutorial > match lighting 214
mental ray production shaders 220
Tutorial > match lighting with mental ray 221
Chapter 12 Lighting Analysis 225
Lighting analysis 225
The Lighting Analysis Assistant 226
Tutorial > lighting analysis 230
CONTENTS ix
Chapter 13 Lighting and lens effects 237
Visual hooks 237
Inside the lens 238
Glows 238
Tutorial > glows 242
Lens flares 246
Tutorial > lens flares 247
Highlights 250
Tutorial > highlights 251
Chapter 14 Compositing 255
Post production 255
Compositing 256
Render Elements 259
Tutorial > Render Elements 265
Combustion 269
Tutorial > combustion 270
Taking compositing further 278
Part 3 > Tips & tricks
Chapter 15 In production 283
Working efficiently 283
The first step 284
The key 285
Fills and backlights 286
Rendering 287
Revision 288
Production pipelines 289
Modeling issues 290
Texturing issues 291
More revision 293
Preparation 295
Pitching for business 297
Experimentation 299
x CONTENTS
Part 4 > Taking it further
Chapter 16 Composition and drama 303
Visual storytelling 303
Composition 304
Unity 308
Grouping 309
Emphasis 310
Depth 315
Mood and drama 319
Positive and negative space 325
The rule of thirds 326
Chapter 17 Camerawork and technicalities 329
The camera in 3D 329
Technical aspects 334
Broadcast standards 335
PAL and NTSC 337
Aspect ratios 338
Film formats 341
Reframing 344
Overscan 345
Fields and motion blur 346
Chapter 18 Looking further 349
Looking beyond lighting 349
Brazil 350
finalRender 352
Maxwell Render 354
V-Ray 356
MAXScript 358
Plug-in away 360
Useful websites 362
Studio websites 362
CONTENTS xi
Appendices
Appendix A About the DVD 365
The companion DVD 365
Software requirements 366
Tutorials 366
Bonus chapters 367
focalpress.com 367
stinkypops.co.uk 367
Calibrate 368
Software 369
Other menu items 369
Appendix B Glossary 371
Appendix C Bibliography 383
Index 389
Bonus DVD content
Chapter 1 Lighting for games 1
Games environments 1
DirectX 3
Texture baking 6
Tutorial > texture baking 7
Chapter 2 Antialiasing & Supersampling 1
Antialiasing 1
Supersampling 5
About the author
Darren Brooker is an award-winning CG artist, writer and
illustrator with over a decade specializing in texturing, rendering
and lighting in architecture and post production. He works for
Autodesk’s Media & Entertainment division in London, where he
specializes in 3ds Max.
He has previously worked for leading UK production studios
Cosgrove Hall Digital, Pepper’s Ghost and Red Vision. It was at
this company that he was part of a team that won a BAFTA for
Best Visual Effects. He was also runner-up in the European
Junior 3D Animator’s Award and has been shortlisted for the
British Book Design and Publishing awards.
His writing credits include The Guardian, CGI, 3D World,
Computer Arts, Broadcast Engineering News and Creation.
Acknowledgments
First of all comes the team at Focal Press who’ve made this title
possible. From Marie’s initial approach for a first edition at
SIGGRAPH 2000 to the final proofreading stage of this, the third
edition, the professional manner in which the production has
been overseen has been very much appreciated. This applies
equally to the amount of control in terms of layout and design
that Focal were willing to give me, which has resulted in a very
close match to my initial vision for a definitive lighting text.
Particular thanks goes to the folks at Autodesk Media &
Entertainment for their continued help and support over the last
decade. The European and Canadian Application Engineer teams
deserve a special mention for their support and guidance, not to
mention the occassional shameless promotion!
The majority of renderings featured in this book were carried out
at my home, but a lot of this work builds on previous
collaboration with London Guildhall University, where the
guidance of Mike King and Nigel Maudsley was an enormous
amount of help. The design and layout of this book also took
place between London and Montreal, with occasional work at
the homes of various friends, who deserve thanks for their
patience, not to mention their food and accommodation.
Thanks go to all the studios and individuals that kindly gave me
permission to talk to them about their projects and use their
images for print, and also to the individual artists who have been
very supportive in this project. You know who you are.
CHAPTER 1 > INTRODUCTION 1
‘Light and illumination are inseparable components of form, space and light. These
are the things that create ambience and feel of a place, as well as the expression of a
structure that houses the functions within it and around it. Light renders texture,
illuminates surface, and provides sparkle and life.’
1
Le Corbusier
F rom architecture to animation, film to photography, the vital
role of lighting is understood across a whole spectrum of
creative disciplines. The modernist architect Le Corbusier
poetically summed up the considerable role it plays in his quote,
above. Though speaking specifically about architecture, his
words express succinctly just why lighting is so important in the
world of 3D. Equally, he speaks for those working across the full
spectrum of visual arts.
Though maturing at a rapid rate with each passing software
release, when looked at in context of its complementary
disciplines, 3D remains a comparatively young industry. As such,
many of the techniques that have become established in 3D,
particularly around lighting, have grown out of the tried-and-
tested conventions from these complementary disciplines. As an Image courtesy of:
industry arguably still in its late adolescence, it is still short of Weiye Yin
the established techniques of these more mature art forms. http://franccg.51.net
2 ESSENTIAL CG LIGHTING TECHNIQUES WITH 3DS MAX
Indeed, the conventions that exist in the world of cinema took
decades to become established, and the pioneers working with
the new medium of film started the development of the language
of cinematography as we understand it today. As the world of 3D
continues to mature, conventions similar to those that now exist
in cinematography are becoming established and adhered to.
Any medium- to large-scale CG production is has its workflow
stratified by specialism, with separate modeling, texturing,
animation, lighting, rendering and compositing teams working in
parallel on the same production.
This mode of operation demands of 3D artists a skillset that is
focused on one specific area, yet this knowledge cannot exist in
isolation. An understanding of the full production pipeline – from
first concept to finishing – is also necessary in order to
understand the needs of fellow workers in other teams.
In answer to this demand for specialized skills within 3D, this
book aims to provide a single volume that looks at both the
technical and practical aspects of lighting in CG. It aims to assist
you in becoming skilled at using the lighting tools available
within 3ds Max, whilst placing this in context of the world of
lighting in the complementary visual arts and always looking at
this in context of the real world of professional computer graphics
production. This book does not only aim to teach the reader the
skills demanded of a 3D lighting specialist, it considers the
fundamentals, both aesthetic and theoretical, of the real world of
lighting, placing this technical knowledge in a wider context.
To become skilled at 3D lighting, one must first have a basic
understanding of how light works. The emotive power of
different hues and color schemes must be comprehended, as
must the manner in which the construction of a system of lights
unifies a scene, bringing everything together as a cohesive whole
that reinforces the atmosphere of the script. Composition and
staging need to be appreciated, as well as the psychological
effect that these considerations will convey to your audience.
Only once a thorough understanding of all of these factors has
been gained can anyone really call themselves a lighting artist.
Fortunately, the established rules of cinematography, painting,
photography, stage design and architecture can provide many
valuable lessons in helping us to understand the wider context in
which 3D lighting exists.
With a firm grasp of the principles of lighting, you will
understand how to set off the hard work of the other teams in
your studio (or occasionally even to hide the bad work), bringing
about a cohesive image that reinforces the emotions of the
storyline. Until a 3D scene has been lit, it remains nothing more
than a bunch of polygons, and with the lighting carried out
professionally, the work of every team involved shines.
CHAPTER 1 > INTRODUCTION 3
This book will use as a cornerstone the lighting conventions that
have already become established within CG, and it will examine
those just emerging within professional production environments.
It will do this whilst drawing on the complementary arts to look
at the lessons to be learned from these time-honored disciplines.
Of its four main sections, the first will examine theories to give
you a firm foundation on which to build before moving on to
sections covering techniques, then tips and tricks – from
painting, photography, film and television, stage design and
architecture. The final section will reinforce this content with
practical knowledge and advice from the real world of 3D
production to enable you to take this knowledge further.
Whilst all the science will be explained in plain English along the
way, this book’s main concern is not with the theory of lighting;
its aim is to teach the reader how to apply these lessons in CG,
with every ounce of theory backed up by tutorials, and every
tutorial placed in context of the holistic world of the visual arts.
Who this book is for
Professional users:
This book is designed to help the experienced 3ds Max user
supplement their existing knowledge with new techniques that
will provide further creative possibilities and help negotiate the
continuing trials and tribulations of the production world.
Intermediate users:
This book is perfect for the user who already has some working
knowledge of 3ds Max and wants to produce more professional
results by learning about the techniques of lighting.
Beginners:
This book aims to cover extensively the skills of 3D lighting in a
modular approach that guides the reader step-by-step, using
tutorials aimed at teaching the general processes involved rather
than the technicalities of dealing with complex 3D scenes.
Though the level of content of this book is of a high enough level
to appeal to existing 3D professionals, the modular nature of the
contents makes it perfect for those relatively new to the subject
who wish to gain a particular knowledge of the skills and
techniques of lighting.
The tone of the book is intended to be clear and concise without
being packed full of jargon. However, rather than avoid
important industry terms, these will be clearly explained, and
4 ESSENTIAL CG LIGHTING TECHNIQUES WITH 3DS MAX
backed up with clear and colorful images. Tutorials are provided,
using both 3ds Max and Combustion, and demo versions of these
Autodesk applications are included on the book’s DVD. The
tutorials are written in such a way that their content is
transferable to other 3D solutions.
How to use this book
This book is written in a modular fashion, with the information
organized into relevant sections to provide a more effective
teaching aid. The first section deals with the important
theoretical aspects of lighting in a clear and informative manner.
Whilst not going into the theory to an unnecessarily deep level, it
does attempt to outline the basic principles of light that will
serve as a guide to the lighting tasks that lie ahead, before
moving onto the theory of lighting in 3D.
The newcomer in particular will find that the two theorecitcal
components of this section will combine to provide an invaluable
reference to appreciating the physical properties and nature of
light and how this relates to computer graphics.
The second section deals with the specific techniques applicable
to 3D lighting and forms well over half of the book’s content.
Armed with an understanding from the last section of how
lighting operates, both within the real world and the 3D
environment, the reader will move on to examine different
aspects of 3D lighting, where every ounce of theory is backed up
by clear hands-on tutorials. This takes both the aesthetic and
theoretical fundamentals of different lighting tasks and breaks
each down into a method that fits in with professional 3D
pipelines in terms of efficiency and output.
After absorbing these technicques, the third section will provide
guidelines for using the methods introduced so far in an efficient
fashion, as well as tips and tricks for breaking all the rules that
have been introduced through faking and cheating, which are
both very valuable skills in the world of CG! Knowing which
tricks save rendering time and which give the most controllable
results allows you, the lighting artist, to work in the most
appropriate and flexible way possible.
The fourth section looks at wider aesthetic considerations, and
how, as a lighting artist you should be concerned with more than
just the illumination of your scenes. This final section will show
that an appreciation of composition, drama and staging is also a
fundamental skill, as is a grasp of the more technical aspects of
the job. This section reinforces the concepts introduced thus far
and provides several junctions to explore from. From here you
should be ready to explore and create all on your own!
CHAPTER 1 > INTRODUCTION 5
Tutorials
Rather than being laid out in a methodical and mechanical
fashion, the tutorials are designed to be readable and
understandable, with decisions put in context of why they were
made. However, an attempt has been made to ensure that each
numerical value required has been provided so that the reader is
not left guessing. Whilst these numbers will yield results that are
faithful to the accompanying illustrations, these should not
necessarily be taken as definitive, and experimentation and
deviation from these values should be encouraged.
Software requirements
Whilst the concepts discussed throughout the book are
applicable to all the major commercial 3D applications, the
tutorials are designed to be used with the demo version of 3ds
Max (and in the later chapters with Combustion) that can be
found on the accompanying DVD; their subject matter can also
be easily adapted to any software application. Should you use
Maya, Softimage XSi, LightWave or another commercial solution,
the techniques and concepts contained in these tutorials will be
just as applicable, as lighting skills can be learnt and applied in
any of these environments.
The more experienced user will be able to transfer the tutorials
straight from the page into their particular 3D application, but
the less experienced user might first want to run through the
tutorials with the demo version of 3ds Max. For the newcomer,
the tutorials together with the demo version of 3ds Max provide
the perfect starting point to dive headlong into the world of 3D
lighting techniques. However, it should be stressed that software
is not the main focus of this book – terrible results can easily be
produced using the best software and vice versa – its focus is
rather an appreciation of the many factors that go together to
produce well-lit output.
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