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well... what's multidome... ?

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let's say you have a free camera move to track and want some reflection of the environment to be seen on the integrated elements. (plus image based lighting ) but the move actually crosses thru totally different lighting schemes and thus cannot be matched with one hdri panorama. so basically to approximate the «tube lighting» needed, a series of hdr domes with trimmed nurbs spheres could do the job...

see this image (don't judge this pre-school mouse-only sketch ! ):


has anybody tried a light rig like this before ?

certainly there are some «clipping» issues that would be visible in «mirror-like» objects or at close-ups. but things like that are the base of the discussion...

Not sure how much advantage there is in sausage shaped environment maps.

realviz VTour 1.2 (hdr) may be the ticket here. Basic Photo Modelling with hdr textures.

The realviz website shows good workflow with Maya & Max. I'm sure it would work equally well with Maxwell.

Bit overpriced though!

ah i see ...

i've seen that product on their website about two weeks ago. so it is basically the successor of image modeler 4 ...

this is very interesting ...

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holy crap... but that's expensive, !!

yo.
yup ive been struggling w/ this same issue..

the fact that those hdr domes r just a pont and if you move the lighting toatlly changes.. so really thos hdr domes are only accurate if your models are static..

ive bben trying to figure sumthing out..
I know i saw someone once posted something -dont think it was on this site- migh have been a siggraph paper/exp. but the did a hallway and took mulitple domes thr the hallway so as the 3d opbject(in that case a 3d rabitscan) passed the onpen door that let light thru it lite the object correctly..
dont have a link.. but still taking multiple light dones along a path is a way f'd up work flow to be effecient..

the only thing i can think is to shoot hdr video(red camera anyone ?).. or shoot 8 bit video aond fake the hdr to it..
i think shooting the video on the red camera that records raw video and shooting your scene w/ a fishey or wideanlge and then using that to modle out your hdr env. ala realviz(now owned by autodesk) vtour.. maybe to get full 20 youd need a 3-4 camera rig.. (big $$$ if shooting w the red cam!!! hahaah almost funny to think about)

I know back a few years ago my buddy was working at the orphanage on the movie catwoman.. and he said that their 3d scnes were lit using video hdr env's.. but as a character animator on it he wasnt prevy to all the tech background.. but for that movie i can see it being simpler to do video hdr's.. cuz its all night shots.. (esp if you have a motion control rig for your video camera you can just have the camera do multiple passes at different shutter speeds to get your hdr exposures. .and then craeate a hdr video via after effects)... also if you dont over expose your night elements you can do this at home using a reg video camera.. shoot a scen and then in after effects you set yor workspace to 32bit mode and you have your base video footage as a basse layer and then duplicate that video crush or blow your levels and layere your video onto itself in "additive" mode (multitplle times).. and export a 32bit mov out of ae..
thats a quick hack for creating 312bit footage from 8bit video.. works better at night were you dont have the variation of light dark that youd have in the day ie sun lit day and going under tree and back into direct sun..
anyhoo im rambling not enough sleep and big head ache..

i feel ya man. .this question of your has been bouncing in my brain for maybe 2 years now and still frustrating me.. cuz hdr domes are just not all that ppl make em out to be.. you mofdle your object away from the center of that dome and youve lost your realitly of the lighting scenerio..

I will try vr tour.. but im not a sure of using hdri textures -thats a WHOLE new set of headaches.. you need to have scnee lit w/ hdri texture yet render scene using non hdri textures so that the lights accurate on the env... ohh boy more headach a comin..

gotta write mo when im not dizzy

and pls anyone throw in your suggestions.. I wish i could talk to paul devbec about this..

l8r