Background method for interior and exterior visualizations

Hey Guys, i have posted this same problem on cgarchitect.com anyway moving on...

When i have looked at some CG artist's portfolio, i have been taken notice on how amazing the outdoor background (map or texture??......that's visible from window or structural openings) are done, made, or composited (i don't know) from an interior viewed scene and even the exterior scene looked just as amazing.

1. I have tried using a mapped plane using a landscape or cityscape texture, then positioned just right outside the windows parallel to the building or room space with the "cast shadows" option unchecked. But i have come across another method saying that you need to place the plane 'perpendicular' (at 90 degrees) to the line of sight of the camera.

2. I have tried putting a landscape or cityscape texture within the "environment background" slot while using an HDRI sky just for the lighting.

3. I have tried using an HDRI image of a landscape or city scape on the "environment background slot" mapped spherically, as well as using the HDRI for ambient lighting using a 'dome light' or 'within the environment skylight slot'; but in the end it didn't look quite right plus will i be able to tweak it to my liking within Photoshop (if its possible to do a render pass on only the "environment background").

4. I have tried assigning it as an actual background on the grid but i think this is not right.

5. There is also one where your model/space/room/building is right center of a cylinder or hemisphere then you map a landscape or cityscape texture onto it with the 'cast shadows' option unchecked.


This is pretty much my desired questions, if its no trouble i would like to know how you guys place or assign you backgrounds with the possibility of tweaking it in Photoshop (if its possible to do a render pass on only the "environment background") or not. Cheers!

a lot tweak it in photoshop, much flexible than the others. just save you rendered image into png and do the compositions on photoshop.

1. better to do it 90 degrees to get the perfect look of the background, may tendency kasi na magslant din ang background, hindi na magiging realistic.

2. HDRI will produce some blur. You may use a simple jpeg image on the enviroment slot and adjust it brightness on the materials editor. Check on our tutorial section, I have prepared a simple tutorial there about the environment slot.

3. When using a plane as background, you may use vraylightmtl with bitmap. I think it's better since the plane itself is also providing illumination to the scene.

4. No need to uncheck cast shadow, since most of the renders have there sun behind the camera, you can only do that when you are rendering a scene with your sun in front of you.

Again, it's hard to get good results using hdri. Good luck!

Salamat bro for the advice it really helps, so i guess gamit ko nalang yung HDRI map for ambient lighting instead, then i'll be using the vray plane, light material with a texture mapped onto it kc it also provides illumination as well compaired to the diffuse channel's color brightness. Ill check out your tutorial, thanks again bro, Cheers!

ok good luck! show us your progress para makatulong din sa iba.

Hey Bro tanong ko lang im kinda new kc, i have browsed around the 3dmax and vray tutorial page, where do i find your tutorial about the environment slot, ano yung title? Sorry for the trouble.

Ito yung Background
http://www.cgpinoy.org/3d-studio-max-tutorials-f46/background-manipulation-made-easy-t2909.htm

Ito naman yung HDRI
http://www.cgpinoy.org/vray-for-3d-studio-max-tutorials-f35/easy-hdri-updated-t908.htm

And night scene with HDRI
http://www.cgpinoy.org/vray-for-3d-studio-max-tutorials-f35/making-of-a-night-scene-with-hdri-or-a-sky-bitmap-t9384.htm

Actually madami pa dyan at internet mismo, google mo lang. good luck again!