using a spherical image - HDR - for reflections in interior shot

[tricky]

I have a simple room with a couple of pieces of furniture and a camera. There are a couple of windows in one of the walls through which I will have the vray sun and vray sky illuminating the scene. However, I want to fake some of the reflections and lighting on the furniture as the room interior is quite boring without much detail.

What is the best way to achieve this? If I add a vray dome light, for example, and assign an interior HDR image to it, the interesting light (and reflections) will only enter through the windows of the room I think.

[Jorq1H]

Perhaps you could model a low-poly set based on the hdr map and make it visible for reflections/refractions only? I did something like that a while ago:

The env map:



The virtual set:



And some renders also using the light from the virtual set.

The set wouldn't have to be that complex, maybe just a cylinder inside your room.

[voltron7]

Perhaps you could model a low-poly set based on the hdr map and make it visible for reflections/refractions only? I did something like that a while ago:

The env map:



The virtual set:



And some renders also using the light from the virtual set.

The set wouldn't have to be that complex, maybe just a cylinder inside your room.

That's a really neat idea!

[tricky]

Useful idea.

At the moment, I have 2 HDR lights in my scene, one called 'INTERIOR' and one 'EXTERIOR'.

My interior is set not to cast shadows from the main walls and ceiling and the exterior is just a normal 'affect everything' light. It isn't perfect but seems to get me part way there.

[cheerioboy]

Perhaps you could model a low-poly set based on the hdr map and make it visible for reflections/refractions only? I did something like that a while ago:

The env map:



The virtual set:



And some renders also using the light from the virtual set.

The set wouldn't have to be that complex, maybe just a cylinder inside your room.

the HDRI is mapped on using spherical uv mapping?

[Rens]

Yeah projecting on low-poly works really well! For live viewport feedback you could give the objects a uvw_map modfier set to spherical and link the gizmo to a helper, now if you move and rotate the helper your texture will update as well.