Vraysoftbox

[Yannick]

Hi is the Vraysoftbox only in 3dsmax?
I just discovered it on Brett Simms' blog (http://blog.simmsimaging.com/) and I was wondering if this is in Maya?
I currently use a network of 5 to 10 nodes to create this effect and it would be good if this can be acchived using only 1.

Thanks,

Yannick

[Metzger]

I don't really think it's needed if you actually have a nice library of HDR's. You also won't get the folds of cloth around the edges like you would with a good photo. No one should ever use a Rectlight without a proper HDR attached. This is my opinion though.

Here is a picture of an HDR of a softbox. To the left you have the original intensity. To the left I have the exposure turned down a bit. Depending on the surface normal and frenel you will get a dip in the intensity which will reveal the light correctly on the shader. If you want photoreal you don't use a rectlight without an HDR. The V-Ray softbox won't get you the imperfections of using real lights. Those imperfections of real life is what sells an image.

[vlado]

Hi is the Vraysoftbox only in 3dsmax?

There is a corresponding plugin for V-Ray Standalone, but we have not included it with the installations yet.

Best regards,
Vlado

[Yannick]

Hi,
Scott: Thanks, i also agree a good HDR image is the way to go. However it lacks any interactivity. I would think the Vray softbox would allow you to move the intensity around the light. This what my current set up does allowing to create a fading in all the directions.

Vlado: thanks, it would be good to add it in the future.

Yannick

[aweidenhammer]

Wow. Nice! While I use HDR images of softboxes, I agree that there is a real lack of interactivity that this would totally help. In a studio lighting situation, I would love to be able to adjust my source location, and any other light parameters more easily. Big +1 on adding this to vray in Maya!

Andrew

[aweidenhammer]

Oh yeah. To be clear, My current level of interactivity is based on custom softbox rigs I built in Maya that has simple toggles for going through a set of about 3 different hdr maps for each light type. Softbox, Umbrella, Ringlight, Kino, and spot/fresnel. Nothing magic, but there is a lack of granular control that I would love to have in a more advanced rig. I've always thought about creating a better rig myself. But alas, time has not allowed. What is Brett doing in this? What are the controls? Is it more than just repositioning the grad intensity source?

Andrew

[Metzger]

Wow. Nice! While I use HDR images of softboxes, I agree that there is a real lack of interactivity that this would totally help. In a studio lighting situation, I would love to be able to adjust my source location, and any other light parameters more easily. Big +1 on adding this to vray in Maya!

Andrew

Shoot HDR's of multiple soft boxes. I am not impressed with what I have seen by this. It still gives you CG looking reflections no matter how you move the gradients procedurally. I think using this would be bad lighting practice.

[hellobard]

You guys should sell your HDR lightboxes / lighting setups somewhere, some of us would love to get a hold of these ^__^

[Metzger]

I will give out a bunch when I finish my current job along with some video's. I have hundreds, but most have color temperatures matching the filmed footage in which they were shot from.

[hellobard]

I will give out a bunch when I finish my current job along with some video's. I have hundreds, but most have color temperatures matching the filmed footage in which they were shot from.

That would be absolutely amazing, Scott! Thanks!

[Yannick]

you can get a few for free with sIBL ( http://www.hdrlabs.com/sibl/framework.html)

[jasonhuang1115]

I will give out a bunch when I finish my current job along with some video's. I have hundreds, but most have color temperatures matching the filmed footage in which they were shot from.

Wow....that will be truly fantastic!!

[marcovn]

here are some more for 10$ : http://www.turbosquid.com/FullPrevie....cfm/ID/628012

[aweidenhammer]

Shoot HDR's of multiple soft boxes. I am not impressed with what I have seen by this. It still gives you CG looking reflections no matter how you move the gradients procedurally. I think using this would be bad lighting practice.

Just to clarify Scott, I've done a lot of beauty product lighting and we often ran into situations where we were asked to remove lighting reflection details that would be created by having wrinkles/folds and small freq texture detail in the hdr maps. They ended up getting retouched out, so we adopted a less is more approach to studio lighting. Clean CGI with a good eye for lighting setups in general was the winning touch for that sort of thing. By no means am i against having that detail, I just see good reasons not to use it. Not all clients want photoreal. Sometimes they want the retouched, idealized fantasy of a photo. In a studio situation, having very tight control over the placement of the grad can be really useful. not being locked to maps is sometimes better than the detail they provide. But that is only my opinion... and thus I still very much welcome the softbox plugin for Maya! Also, no reason not to have the best of both worlds, by editing the hdr maps to even out the light intensity, bring them down, then add the artificial source behind to control the grad and intensity. I would find that useful. Just turn on the detail (map) when you want it, and turn it off for clean control. There, everybody's happy

[ricoholmes]

I couldn't have worded that better. It's a frustration I come across fairly often when the client feels their product shot looks too photographic (!) and they prefer a cleaner, idealised image.
I'm really looking forward to the softbox for the very same reason.