How to make object invisible yet appear in alpha or as a matte ?

[JezUK]

I'd like to do this for some people I wish to have in my scenes as silhouettes which I can then manipulate in Photoshop.

Please can someone advise me ?

Many thanks.

[Morne]

Not sure what you mean.

1) Why do they need to be invisible?
2) What do you want to do with them in PS?

[JezUK]

Hi Morne,

I'm doing an interior scene and wish to put people in as silhouettes (so, 2d cutout type people). I don't like adding these sorts of things usually as they typically take away from the realism - however the client wants them in !

And I'm doing it this way, rather than directly in PS because I need their matte information (plus also, I like to get scale of people correct).

So.....

My idea, is to use Illustrator splines of 2d business people I've found on the internet (in AI vector format), extrude them with a thickness in 3ds max, and then render my scene with them NOT visible but having their shadows visible AND their matte information, so I can utilise all of that in PS, adding my 2d people in that software.

Make sense ?

I want them to be invisible so that they do not hide the interior of the space that is behind them.

[Morne]

So you're rendering type1 person, but replacing that person with a totally different person in photoshop?

[Morne]

Maybe something like this could be of some assistance?
http://mornestudio.com/render-3d-obj...aytoon-simple/

You could modify my example, and make the refraction 255,255,255 (fully transparent) and UNTICK affect shadows. Give all the people a GBuffer ID, add a multimatte render element and assign it the same number as the GBuffer. Switch off VRayToon
That way you will get fully invisible people, but with shadows, and you will get a mask for size etc in photoshop


Have fun!

[JezUK]

Morne, you are a star

That is EXACTLY what I'm after.

Thanks dude