BSW - CAAyr3 - Lighting Research

 Lighting Research

I will be updating this blog post if more research is done...

The first steps include finding an image HDR of something close to what you want the scene to be lit like. Look at the tone difference and shadow values to see if it is similar. Play with the exposure of that image to get the desired result. 

Start with an ai skydome and plug the image in and be sure to set it to the same desired exposure. 

use a chrome ball - standard surface shader with IOS set to 2.5 and a small amount of roughness. This shows a good representation of how the scene will be lit including where the main light source will come from. 

The next steps include setting up a localized light source. E.G. Area light - Set to disk as it gives a more natural fall-off compared to the default rectangle. Spread is the softness of the light

Using light blockers in the attributes of the light means you can add more of a focused light. Set the density to under the value of 1 otherwise the scene can get too dark. Setting a small value to the ram in the blockers means the fall-off will be softer. USE BLOCKERS effectively to create beams of light that will be very visually interesting in my scenes.

Adding accent lighting: 

using area lights, you can create more popping lighting around the edges of objects like a rim light. 

Using light linking you can also set the light to a single desired object using the relationship editor.

To break up dark shadows, add a directional light with subtle exposure, without casting shadows so it doesn't conflict with the desired shadows already set up in the scene.

AiAtmosphere

Fog