By James Ball
In this Third and final instalment of the 3D Pipeline,
the subject matters that I will be discussing are as follows . . . Lighting,
Rendering and Compositing. Then to end it all off, I’ll show you an interesting
short animation I found online recently called “A Tale of Momentum &
Inertia”. But until then, as the Joker would say . . . “Here We Go!”
Lighting
Lighting techniques that work
well for an interior environment usually make very little sense for an exterior
shot. Similarly, "studio" lighting for product or character rendering
requires a very different procedure from lighting for animation and film. In
the end, every situation is different, but certain light types work well for
certain scenes.
Here is a Quick summary of different
lighting options offered in most 3D Programs:
-
Point/Omni
Light: Light-bulbs, candles, Christmas tree lights.
-
Directional
Light: The sun or moon.
-
Spot
Light: Streetlights, desk lamps, overhead cone lighting.
-
Area Light:
They are useful for simulating
florescent light fixtures, back-lit panels, and other similar lighting
features.
-
Volumetric
Light: A volumetric light can be set in the shape of any geometric
primitive (cube, sphere, cylinder, etc.), and its light will only illuminate
surfaces within that volume.
-
Ambient
Light: Ambient light is relatively similar to the light experienced at
dusk, just after the sun has set.
Rendering
In the context of animations for
feature films and video, the Individual frames are rendered much more slowly. Rendering
in this way, enables you to use as much processing power in your machine or
render farm to obtain a higher image quality per frame. Rendering times for
individual frames may vary from a few seconds to several days for complex
scenes. These frames are then displayed sequentially at high frame rates, typically
24, 25, or 30 frames per second, to achieve the illusion of movement.
Compositing
In these final stages of the
3D Pipeline, this is where your animation will get that added extra bit of oomph
or (in a phethpian voith) that added bit of “Phparkle!” During this stage, you
will take your final 3D animation render into a program like Aftereffects and
add in your Michelle Bay Lens flares, Colour Corrections and any other effects
and audio necessary to make you final scene and movie POP!
Image
1
To conclude this final 3 part instalment of the 3D
Pipeline, I would to share with you this video that I recently found online
called “A Tale of Momentum & Inertia”.
Until next time, this is James Ball Signing out.
References
Retrieved on 26/02/2015 -“A Tale of Momentum &
Inertia” - From User HouseSpecial https://vimeo.com/105788896?from=facebook&fb_ref=embed
Retrieved on 28/02/2015 - Standard 3D Lighting Techniques
- By Justin Slick - http://3d.about.com/od/Creating-3D-The-CG-Pipeline/a/3d-Lighting-Techniques-Standard-3d-Lighting_2.htm
Retrieved on 28/02/2015 - 3D rendering - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_rendering
Retrieved on 28/02/2015 - The Importance of Compositing:
A Layer by Layer Breakdown in After Effects - http://greyscalegorilla.com/blog/tutorials/the-importance-of-compositing-a-layer-by-layer-breakdown-in-after-effects/
