Become a 3D Lighter
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Learn to be a 3D Lighter
Effective lighting can make all the difference in a 3D image. It's an art as much as a science and, while it's important to learn the tools and the techniques, only practice will make you a master. On the art side of the equation, the budding lighter can, I believe, learn most from studying photography and, of course, cinematography. The best lighting adds narrative, not just illumination, to the image.
This page is devoted to the zen of CG lighting, specifically in 3D environments. For a more general introduction to 3D and CG, check out CG Jobs.
This page is written and maintained by Gimpy, the avatar in chief at myCGpimp.
I work night and day, as every good gimp should, and this lens is a work in progress so check back often for new improvements and content.
This page is devoted to the zen of CG lighting, specifically in 3D environments. For a more general introduction to 3D and CG, check out CG Jobs.
This page is written and maintained by Gimpy, the avatar in chief at myCGpimp.
I work night and day, as every good gimp should, and this lens is a work in progress so check back often for new improvements and content.
Online tutorials for budding lighters
There are hundreds, of course, here are a few of my favourites...
- Amaan Akram's advanced lighting tutorial
- This article is also available in French and Spanish.
- LIGHT - a detailed tutorial by Richard Yot
- Richard is great at explaining how light 'in all the guises in which we encounter it on a daily basis' can be recreated in a CG environment.
- CGarchitect semi-outdoor lighting tutorial
- Another great tutorial by Montree T
- Computer Arts: Get started in CG lighting
- CA Mag's introductory series is a great place to start
Real-life classes
For getting smart fast
- World Class Animation and Post Production Instruction from Autodesks Top Instructors
- Butt-ugly site, but they really are the masters.
CG lighting books
A little 'light' bedtime reading on the science/technical side of things
The Art of Light
I have found these books inspiring, illuminating!
Creating a showreel
Advice from Jeremy Birn, the lighting guru.
You don't need to show light-by-light breakdowns unless it's something really interesting that people couldn't have guessed. For compositing exercises, showing before/after sometimes shows what you accomplished.
Your showreel should show that you can integrate 3D elements into a live-action environment, and also that you can light fully CG environments.
Composite a 3D creature, character, or vehicle into a live-action environment. Show that you can get the colors, lighting, shadows, and reflections to match between a real environment and something that you have lit in 3D. Demonstrate your range by lighting and rendering a variety of subjects, including some that are reflective, some that are organically textured or translucent, and some that are furry or have hair.
Show that you can light all-3D environments, including interiors and exteriors. The mood of the shot should be reflected in the lighting and colors as well as the content of the scene.
In addition to still images, it is a good idea to include some animation - not to prove that you are an animator, but only because most professional work involves dealing with moving footage. If you don't have any animated characters, you could animate aspects of your environment such as the time of day, or different weather or seasons. Moving objects such as curtains, tree branches, or doors that cast different shadows and change the lighting during the shot. Some of the best lighting demonstrations involve studying a single location as the time or weather or mood changes; this shows how much lighting can add to a scene. If you are also interested in an effects TD position, then some effects animation-such as water, fire, or smoke-could be a good addition to your reel as well.
Developing something original, unique, or personal will make your showreel more memorable and reflect well on you as an artist, instead of doing fan-art or rip-offs of feature films.
(first written on a CG Talk board: http://forums.cgsociety.org/archive/index.php/t-289785.html)
Your showreel should show that you can integrate 3D elements into a live-action environment, and also that you can light fully CG environments.
Composite a 3D creature, character, or vehicle into a live-action environment. Show that you can get the colors, lighting, shadows, and reflections to match between a real environment and something that you have lit in 3D. Demonstrate your range by lighting and rendering a variety of subjects, including some that are reflective, some that are organically textured or translucent, and some that are furry or have hair.
Show that you can light all-3D environments, including interiors and exteriors. The mood of the shot should be reflected in the lighting and colors as well as the content of the scene.
In addition to still images, it is a good idea to include some animation - not to prove that you are an animator, but only because most professional work involves dealing with moving footage. If you don't have any animated characters, you could animate aspects of your environment such as the time of day, or different weather or seasons. Moving objects such as curtains, tree branches, or doors that cast different shadows and change the lighting during the shot. Some of the best lighting demonstrations involve studying a single location as the time or weather or mood changes; this shows how much lighting can add to a scene. If you are also interested in an effects TD position, then some effects animation-such as water, fire, or smoke-could be a good addition to your reel as well.
Developing something original, unique, or personal will make your showreel more memorable and reflect well on you as an artist, instead of doing fan-art or rip-offs of feature films.
(first written on a CG Talk board: http://forums.cgsociety.org/archive/index.php/t-289785.html)
Great lighting showreels
It's always enlightening to check out what others have done
- Amaan Akram's showreel
- You can really see Amaan's lighting philosophy in action here.
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