Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Many beginners in 3D operate under the myth that it is somehow best to have a “pure” render. That retouch-
ing and postprocessing are forbidden. Nothing could be further from the truth, and trying to work with an
animation project in this fashion will almost certainly make you want to throw yourself down a well. If you
are not on board this train already, start right this second to think of compositing, color correction, and post-
processing effects as just another part of the renderer. Compositing and postprocessing are, in fact, integral to
solving the confl ict between high quality and low render times. Good postprocessing can drastically increase
the quality of your fi nal frames while reducing the large amount of work the renderer itself has to do.
Figure 15.1 shows a raw rendered frame from The Beast alongside the fi nal composited, postprocessed, color-
adjusted frame. The render time of the frame without any compositing effects was 16:51; the composited
version was only 4:55. If you multiply the difference out to 4,000 frames and consider that many shots were
rerendered due to technical glitches only made visible at that stage, the time savings was signifi cant. In addi-
tion to the difference in render times, there are other, more obvious changes as well. The compositing pipe-
line gives much better control over elements such as shadow density, color, and overall brightness.
Figure 15.1A
A raw, noncomposite version of a frame
Figure 15.1B
The fi nal frame
Lighting Your Shot Files
In Chapter 13 you learned about lighting your sets. This
was done without regard to your characters and their
actions or locations. Now, as you prepare each shot for
rendering, you will need to address the direct lighting
of your characters. This new lighting can be integrated
directly into the lighting solution for the entire shot, or
it can be confi ned to the characters themselves. In the
case of a shot like the one in Figure 15.2, the lighting
is added to the scene, illuminating both the characters
and the set. This is because the characters, the Beast in
particular, directly interact with the set within the frame
and need to generate shadows that follow the set.
Figure 15.2 Shot 01, with integrated character lighting
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