Global defocus possible with VrayPhysCam?

[rjohnson33]

Is it possible in any way to use the DOF built into the VrayPhysicalCam to apply a constant level of defocus either by overriding the aperture settings entirely or by using the camera settings in a particular way?

I'm trying to avoid the sharpness of those areas that are entirely in focus and I really like the way the DOF looks just at the edge of the field of focus.
I'm wanting to get more of this effect without having to use an extremely narrow field.

I've been playing with increasing blurring AA filters (Area and Blend) to achieve this but nothing seems to look as good as that small amount of Vray DOF.
Defocusing in post is another option but again Vray DOF always seems superior! Does the depth of field calculation in the VrayPhysCam have to be locked to the camera settings?

[DanielBrew]

I don't think you can apply the exactly same level of defocus to objects very close to the camera and those in the distance. However you could try saving your render as a 32 bit unclamped image and applying either a box or Gaussian blur to that.

One the reasons the blur created by the VrayPhysCam looks better than a blur done in post is that the VRay DOF blur will be using a 32 bit unclamped image. This page from the After Effects online help explains why using an image with a greater dynamic range produces a more natural looking blur:
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/AfterEff...D00A0ECC7.html

[rjohnson33]

Thanks Dan, I do have Frischluft Lenscare for After Effects so can use their Out of Focus effect in post and yes, in 32 bit unclamped gives better results.

My understanding was that VrayPhysCam's blur was better though not only because it's working with 32 bit unclamped but also because it has the full range of sample information available during render to accurately create a defocused pixel.
There's a better explanation on Frischluft's own page under 'issues' at the bottom. http://www.frischluft.com/lenscare/

Anyway, these post solutions do look quite good but it would still be nice to have more flexible control over the focus in the VrayPhysCam.

[DanielBrew]

Ahh sorry I assumed you were talking about the dull highlights when blurring 8 bit images in post. If you're a Lenscare user then I'm sure you do understand why VRay's DOF blur is superior to anything you can do in post.

Have you tried using a small aperture and a very distant focal point? That should give a relatively constant amount of blur for objects in the near ground.

[rjohnson33]

Ahh sorry I assumed you were talking about the dull highlights when blurring 8 bit images in post. If you're a Lenscare user then I'm sure you do understand why VRay's DOF blur is superior to anything you can do in post.

Have you tried using a small aperture and a very distant focal point? That should give a relatively constant amount of blur for objects in the near ground.

Not yet but I'll give it a go. Might be a fair amount of trial and error involved in setting up the camera that way.