HDR composite sample scene (3ds Max 2010)
Posted in Freebies by Jeff
I thought this file might make for a good kick off on the new site...provided I don't exceed my bandwidth for this month. You'll find a link to the scene as well as a brief description of it after clicking the "Read more..." option.
I zipped the file using the 7zip application because it does an outstanding job on compression. Don't worry, it's a small application and won't take long to download or take up much space.
Hope the scene & associated maps are helpful. 
This is a fairly basic scene that uses the first panoramic HDR image I created. It's not a very detailed HDR & only contains three stops of data so don't get your expectations up too high. Unfortunately at that particular time I didn't think ahead enough to also capture the back-plate image in a high dynamic range format so it's a LDR jpg photo.
The scene includes the panoramic HDR (4k resolution) and this panoramic image is used in an environment/background switcher for the scene environment/reflections. The background portion of the environment/background switcher uses the background photo.
For illumination I used a skylight with Final Gather. The skylight uses a small, blurred version of the panoramic .HDR image for it's color. Using a small, blurred HDR gives smooth FG results with low FG settings...of course you lose a bit of lighting data/detail with this method, but that's ok a lot of the time.
The gargoyle and text objects are sitting on a plane with the matte/shadow/reflection material applied. The gargoyle uses a super basic A&D material as do the text object(s). Although the text objects also make use of the environment blur shader to help smooth those glossy reflections.
Click here to download this 3ds Max 2010 scene
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February 18, 2010 at 10:46:18
Great, but getting missing file:
C:\Users\Jeff\Documents\3dsmax\Maps\Saluda02a.hdr
It seems like it's needed since my render isn't close to yours
February 18, 2010 at 11:21:18
Thanks for the info. I had changed the names of the .hdr's in the file I uploaded and forgot to relink to the "new" files.
I've just fixed the .max file to point to the .hdr's that are included with the archive so the updated archived file should work as expected now.
February 19, 2010 at 16:36:19
Hi, nice to see a new website, this is a big change compared to you old website. ;o)
February 21, 2010 at 23:35:21
I love itâ
February 24, 2010 at 11:44:24
Thanks for the file Jeff, It's really helpful seeing how other people set things up.
Let me know if you blow you bandwith and I'll host the file for you.
Thanks
Mark
March 01, 2010 at 04:31:01
Thanks! the file is very helpful..
March 01, 2010 at 21:21:01
great to see your new site Jeff, all the best for 2010
March 07, 2010 at 03:10:07
Hi,
thanks again for all your cool stuff Jeff.
I'm following your site, your Holy help since almost the beginning and it's allways been precious.
keep on the good stuff
kab
March 07, 2010 at 12:06:07
Wow, a new and revamped site. I love the clean background.
March 15, 2010 at 06:32:15
Hi Jeff! Can you can convert the scene to max 2009?
Love yout work! It makes me think on changing from vray to mental
Regards,
Nuno
March 16, 2010 at 03:20:16
Hi! Thanks for the scene, it was very intresting to explore it. I notice that for text metal mat you use the "Arch: Environment Blur" shader, they are declared in MAX by the "hand"?
March 16, 2010 at 08:18:16
Nuno Braz: "Can you can convert the scene to max 2009?" - No, I did not install 3ds Max 2009 on my new machine. I think Zap posted some production shader examples on his blog a while back that are probably 3ds Max 2009 compatible.
March 16, 2010 at 08:18:16
MikeMS: "I notice that for text metal mat you use the "Arch: Environment Blur" shader, they are declared in MAX by the "hand"?" - I'm not sure what that means but if you're asking whether or not I had to manually unhide the environment blur shader then yes. It's in the architectural_max.mi file if you need/want to do the same.
March 16, 2010 at 13:41:16
Thanks Jeff! Yes, i mean exactly that, sorry my english )
March 19, 2010 at 09:18:19
Great to see your website back up Jeff. I want to unhide the environment blur shader is it justa matter of deleting the line "hidden" in the
architectural max.mi file ? Thanks for your time.
March 19, 2010 at 10:50:19
Yes. But instead of deleting it I recommend putting a pound sign (#) in front of it to disable the hidden code instead of deleting it. Less destructive and easier to change back if needed.
March 20, 2010 at 10:50:20
No sweat Jeff. By the time i posted minutes later i managed to open the scene with max 2010 trial.
Thanks again
March 20, 2010 at 17:26:20
FWIW users don't have to unhide the shader for this file to work. The shader will work even if it's still hidden.
A user will only need to unhide a shader if they want to use it in a new scene where it's not already exposed.
March 27, 2010 at 11:54:27
Headed to Europe in two months. I want to develop an HDR image library from Spain to Belgium. Street scenes, landscapes, etc. Should I use a chrome ball or 8mm fisheye?
March 27, 2010 at 18:27:27
Well, it depends. chrome ball is easy and fast but you get a pinched image on the side and you will get much more detail and resolution with fisheye lense. But if you use fisheye lense, you will need a paralax-free setup to get a perfect nodal pan.
I don't know if it helps.
March 27, 2010 at 20:49:27
When traveling I just take my fisheye lens. I don't use a nodal head and I lose a bit of resolution because of that but it's fast to setup & I don't carry much stuff with me. If resolution beyond 4k is important & setup time isn't a factor I'd go with a wide angle lens & nodal head.
March 27, 2010 at 21:26:27
Thanks. I'm going to use the 8mm fisheye and take a ball bearing with me as well. If all goes well y'all can download the HDRs when I'm back. I'm thinking santiago de compostela street scene. They have ancient cobble stone streets. Thinking red Ferrari on the street.
March 27, 2010 at 23:55:27
Sounds awesome! Just don't do like me and overlook the HDR back plates. :/
March 31, 2010 at 01:03:31
Hey Jeff, I downloaded your example file and everything seemed to load up (no bad paths) but when i go to render it the creature always comes out really dark. Now I'm new to mental ray side of rendering and was wondering what I'm doing wrong and how to improve my results... Thanks for your time.
March 31, 2010 at 12:14:31
Dark renders usually mean incorrect gamma settings. When you load the scene make sure to accept any gamma changes. A friend (John Martini) also found that 3ds Max holds the .hdr bit-depth/internal storage settings. <continued below>
March 31, 2010 at 12:18:31
So if you've previously loaded a .hdr file as 16bit or 8bit then you may need to reload the .hdr in my scene as I have it configured which is: Real Pixels (32bpp) with the Def. Exposure option enabled.