Lighting questions.......... ???????

[ed_the_atom]

I could bugger about for twenty years here with lights.

From what I gather I have to set my lights per layers.......by saving each layer or the main layers separately......then apply lighting.....then somehow bring them all back together ??????????? For a final flattening of layers.......is that correct?
Then the big bake?

Normally I just paint on what I need....in a fumbling manner after baking a layer (not all) then using the baked layer....which is a composite of all?........or just one layer...can't seem to get that right.....

So far for me if it looks right I just go for it...ignoring all the bells and whistles, including best render. This I may have to do again if I can't figure all this out.......I just don't have the time.

Thanks if anyone can point me in the right direction.

Below is what I got to date....more to do yet.......

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1011341603ymz.jpg

[cneofotistos]

I didn't understand the question properly. I'm sure it must be that I haven't slept two nights in a row.

BUT, I want to congratulate you on your portrait =D, and show some Kubric enthusiasm myself.

this very crappy pic is of me in my room, with the spanish poster of C.O., one of the original 200 first-printed in Spain. wheee

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1011345975ixh.jpg

[ed_the_atom]

Thanks Cneofotistos.......

I'm not sure I wrote the question properly either.......I've had only four hours more sleep than you in the same time frame.

Yup C orange........amazing pic.

BTw...........great scorpion........in fact bloody excellent. :tu: :tu:

[Pixolator]

Hi :)
ed_the_atom: The answer to your question is greatly depended on whether you are trying to achieve a ‘realistic’ or a ‘painterly’ look. If you are interested in achieving believable ‘true to life’ illumination than you are most likely be using the same light configuration for all layers as to avoid inconsistent illumination (needless to say, this rule can be broken when a ‘special’ case is encountered). On the other hand, if you are interested in a nonrealistic painterly look, then you may utilize the inconsistent/varied illumination technique in pursuit of your artistic goals (and happiness :) ).

The image above seems to have high degree of blur/smudge and forced shadows/highlights that have been added manually. I highly recommend that you use such free-hand additions only after you have reached a stage in which lights and materials properties have already been finalized. If you apply such free-hand additions too early, any further lights and material changes may cause your image to be inconsistently illuminated (the manually applied shadows will not coincide with the 3D calculated shadows).
One important ZBrush-feature is exactly this capability for the artist to overwrite the mathematically-calculated-3D-shading by his own ‘sense of reality’, manual adjustments (enhancing shadows & highlights, smudging, sharpening, blurring…) can add significant amount of artistic-value to the image but, if applied too early, may end up being too distracting.

As your image does not contain transparent objects, you may want to simply merge all layers, adjust lights and rendering properties, (if needed) apply Best Render (with or without shadows) , and then bake the image (it is always a good idea to save the pre-baked version of your document). After you have done that, you may add your ‘artistic’ brush strokes to further enhance the image.

:b3:TIP: As you get closer to completing your image, I recommend that you ‘play’ with some of the “Color Adjustments” sliders and curves within the ‘Render Palette’, this will allow you to tweak the color, intensity and contrast of your image before adding (and committing to) your final ‘artistic’ brush strokes.

Hope this helps,
-Pixolator

[ed_the_atom]

Hi Pix,

Thanks for the info.......I needed that. Much appreciated. That all makes sense. For some idiotic reason I could never understand the need for the ZDOC layer business. Except it seemed better, and easier to achieve what I wanted.......rendering/lighting/baking.....not in any order... though, because of my ignorance destroyed many a good piece. Not that, that often worried me.

I have read the tons of material on this problem I keep confronting.....some material seems confusing...or missing vital points...and others a little contradictory...all to my mind of course.

I have scores of images where all has fallen apart. Now I know precisely why, not the vague ideas I laboured under. I just get carried away creating, and forget all else.

Oddly I have a technical mind, but don't like that intruding when I paint. It's a miracle I managed to finish anything by the looks of things.

Thanks again.

Onward....onward :)

[ed_the_atom]

What I shall endeavour to do in this thread is to go through this process of producing Malcolm above.

Some of you maybe interested in learning, others in showing different methods of producing the same pic, or not it depends on interest level, and people wanting the models I used...or create their own.

I fell in love with portraiture as a kid....around the time of The Magna Carta, I went to a show. At this show was a woman who used scissors to cut profiles of people out of 5 inch square pieces of paper. One profile every two minutes. All perfect......the queue at her stall was a long one all day. Try it with scissors and paper. To date I have never seen talent like hers.

I tried many approaches at copying the human face perfectly........eventually I found two methods which suit me, however they may not suit others, but they may awaken ideas in other people to produce images that resemble their target.

Would anybody be interested in partaking this exercise?........we all may learn a lot

[DM]

I should be interested in your methods for capturing a likeness. I have methods when sculpting normally, but find they don't translate to monitor modelling.
Dave

[WingedOne]

I would be interested as well.

[3D affects]

verry cool, I like this one, nice modeling,& texture. :tu: :tu: :tu: :tu:

[ed_the_atom]

Ok.........a couple of private messages as well wishing to be included.

My hope here is to involve as many people as possible posting results/techniques etc images......no matter what. I can't promise perfection.....digitally I'm lagging behind my real world work.

Various styles are welcome ie Robos great approach.

It is a level playground......all have different approaches, and knowledge of zbrush....we all learn.

Honest constructive criticism needed and wanted.....we all learn.

I would hope to interest Southern...for his ability and knowledge of texture/materials.....Pix for ability and knowledge.......and others, for the good of the All.

I shall get things together in my tomorrow and begin there........16 hours.
All should voice their own approaches.
Should be fun.

I have to add, you will be horrified by the model I began this with, however I will explain.

[3D affects]

here is some lighting effects
http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1011363747wfs.jpg

[Digits]

3D Affects I am sure Ed is talking about lighting in Zbrush and not a Photoshop filter.

[3D affects]

Digets I used amdient lighting in z brush to,& lighting in photoshop . :cool:

[thelonious]

I thought it was Dr Who. Maybe John Pertwee I think?

[Digits]

I'm no expert, I just fiddle about, fiddle about but I thought it would be interesting to show lighting, shadows and hightlighting of a single point light moving around a face in realtime.
A Southern Dwarf besieged by a light ball (http://www.cyber-webs.com/zbrush/Digits/lighttest.html)

As you can see using Zbrush lighting creates shadows and highlights on real surfaces in 3D space and will react to material properties.

[WingedOne]

That dwarf looks really annoyed, like he's about to take a swat at that little light buzzing around him. LOL.

By the way, it looks like that light might have been set with the radial button set to "on". It might look more like a point light if the radial button is set to off.

[Stonecutter]

Ed, I'm intersted in everything you have to say, and your approach is so different from mine, that logically I must benefit from the cross-pollination... :tu:

[Zoid]

Yes Ed, I'm very interested in whatever it is you're cooking up.