# Proper Workflow for 30m Drone HDRI and Resolving Reflection Distortion in V-Ray

**URL:** <https://forums.chaos.com/t/proper-workflow-for-30m-drone-hdri-and-resolving-reflection-distortion-in-v-ray/124508>\
**Category:** General\
**Created:** [March 10, 2026, 6:11pm UTC](https://forums.chaos.com/t/proper-workflow-for-30m-drone-hdri-and-resolving-reflection-distortion-in-v-ray/124508 "2026-03-10T18:11:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![sami\_bashammakh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@sami\_bashammakh](https://forums.chaos.com/u/sami_bashammakh)\
**Post date:** [March 10, 2026, 6:11pm UTC](https://forums.chaos.com/t/proper-workflow-for-30m-drone-hdri-and-resolving-reflection-distortion-in-v-ray/124508/1 "2026-03-10T18:11:08Z")

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Hi everyone,

I’m currently creating custom HDRIs using a drone at an altitude of approximately 30m, stitched via PTGui. While I’ve managed to get the lighting/GI working to my satisfaction, I am struggling with reflection accuracy on my architectural models.

The Issue: When using a standard V-Ray Dome Light, the reflections of the ground and nearby landmarks appear heavily smeared or “stretched” across my glazing and reflective surfaces.

My Questions:

1. Finite Dome vs. Infinite: Given the drone’s low altitude (30m), is the “Finite Dome” the correct solution to resolve ground-plane distortion?
2. Manual Mapping: I’ve tried using the HDRI in the Reflection channel override, but I’m struggling to control the scale of the reflections. Is there a better way to map these HDRI so I will be able to adjust the scale of the map?  
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;​

​Alternative Workflow:  
Is a drone HDRI actually the “best” way to achieve site-specific realism? I’ve heard of people using:

- **Camera Projection:** Mapping drone stills onto simple “proxy” geometry of the surrounding site.
- **Backdrop Plates:** Using the HDRI only for lighting/GI, but using high-res 2D drone plates for the actual reflections.

Thank you  
​

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**Author:** ![konstantin\_chaos](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/chaosprd/user_avatar/forums.chaos.com/konstantin_chaos/32/52929_2.png) [@konstantin\_chaos](https://forums.chaos.com/u/konstantin_chaos)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 12:10pm UTC](https://forums.chaos.com/t/proper-workflow-for-30m-drone-hdri-and-resolving-reflection-distortion-in-v-ray/124508/2 "2026-04-29T12:10:06Z")

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Hi sami\_bashammakh,

If you can share a render showing the issue you’re trying to resolve, it would really help.

I can also recommend testing the Ground options in the Environment bitmap.  
There you can change the dome radius and ground distance. Both options will change the appearance of the reflections.

 ![image.png](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/chaosprd/original/3X/8/d/8d30941c9ac345094de86ac6a1c6162d1b471428.png)

In general, if you have the ability to do it, you can generate a Gaussian Splat based on the drone footage and load it as a renderable object in V-Ray.  
In V-Ray 7.3 we’ve even added the Gaussian Splat relighting feature which might help you with the lighting matching.

[![](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/chaosprd/original/4X/e/a/e/eaeded64593aae71aa858bea6df6ff8ede346a01.jpeg "3D Gaussian Splatting with V-Ray for Rhino") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsjUNfxKnrI)

> - **Camera Projection:** Mapping drone stills onto simple “proxy” geometry of the surrounding site.

This is a viable option if you can invest the time to do it.

> - **Backdrop Plates:** Using the HDRI only for lighting/GI, but using high-res 2D drone plates for the actual reflections.
> 
> ​  
> This workflow isn’t going to help as the backdrop plate is usually only used as a background and doesn’t affect reflections.

Regards,  
Konstantin