I am trying to create some interior renderings of a salon space, and I need some help. I would like to do a ‘bird’s eye’ view of the space with all of the fixture, etc using the nice reflected lighting used in the main renderings. However, I need to removed the ceiling.
the problem is that I need the ceiling to reflect the light so I get the nice effects, but then I need to be able to see through the thing too. I have tried unchecking the ‘double sided’ parameters in the material, but this has no effect. Can someone suggest another way to get a surface that only renders form one side, and appears visible from the other?
Thanks in advance.
-Brandon
Creating ‘Invisible Ceiling’
“invisible for camera” is not implemented now. I miss it too and have wished it some weeks befor. I hope it will be implemented in the future.
My way is to remove the wall/ceiling and use a low environment light in the color of the mood of the room. Not perfect, but better than nothing. Look at my interior tutorial. 
Trick? - I’m not sure, but maybe there is a way to render the room and create GI caches. Than open the room and render based on the caches. Make a quick test: take a simple room and set your ceiling at very light transparency. Render the scene and create LC+IM caches. Than render the scene with the caches but with a very high transparency of the ceiling. Maybe it works. I’m curious.
Creating ‘Invisible Ceiling’
The trick seems to work. I will do some more tests and post an example later.
Creating ‘Invisible Ceiling’
Look here now: