[richardyot]

The price is insane.

[Bubbaloo]

The price is insane.

For some it may seem insane. For others, it may be a small price to pay for such an improved workflow.

[Maximus3D]

Perhaps both parties would have much to gain if they ran a campain now with dropped prices per package and complete packages with both Maxwell and HDRLight Studio in one for X price. And then throw in something special for existing licensed Maxwell users. Everybody wins on that sort of deal, not just the highend users with thick wallets.

/ Magnus

[Half Life]

Certainly, if your "bread and butter" is doing architectural interiors then I see this as almost useless -- however if you specialize in advertising rendering then this is cheap... a proper lighting setup for a photography studio would cost much more...

For me it would be more of a toy -- but I may find unexpected uses for it once I have it

Is anybody else (besides Aniki) having crash issues?

Best,
Jason.

[Half Life]

Perhaps both parties would have much to gain if they ran a campain now with dropped prices per package and complete packages with both Maxwell and HDRLight Studio in one for X price. And then throw in something special for existing licensed Maxwell users. Everybody wins on that sort of deal, not just the highend users with thick wallets.

/ Magnus

I like the cut of your jib! +1

Best,
Jason.

[Polyxo]

I meant in terms of setting up the lighting itself -- the setup and modification of these HDR Light Studio IBL is lightning fast, almost anything can be done and changed instantly... huge amount of flexibility and speed which I can't see as even remotely comparable to the time it would take to setup "physical" lighting, even in the form of simple planes.
If I was doing commercial product, car, or advertising renders then this workflow is a "no-brainer" as It would likely take me many hours to set up and tweak "physical" lighting which I can set up with this plugin in Studio in just a few minutes.

I see your point but don't agree.
I guess it all boils down to the usefulness of Light-Manipulation-Widgets available inside the 3D-App.
In my Software I can switch the View to "Though Light" (=as if it was a Camera) It can't get easier in my opinion.

I'd many times prefer that over a distorted 2D representation of an Environment Sphere - by underlying concept,
not result-(output)wise.
Also Integration of HDR-Backgrounds with physical lights should not be an issue - in fact it happens already in conventional
Plugin-Workflows...

To me the question remains:
What makes HDR's perform better than any realtime-created Lighting information inside 3D-Applications (CG-Lights or Emitter-Planes)?
Does anybody know?

[Half Life]

Gotcha, I'm not sure what software you use but that sounds like a nice feature.

If you haven't used the demo yet it does have some features that may be time consuming to set up (certainly not impossible) -- things like: bulb length, bulb position, and falloff... it's worth a try (if you haven't).

Generally I find it many times faster to move a slider to adjust the width and height and position in the scene via the plugin than try to modify the geometry in my app or in studio...

My interest in modifying the HDR or EXR background is the same -- no geometry to muck about with makes me happy

Best,
Jason.

[Aniki]

now that is interesting, lightmap offers HDRI maps too:

http://www.lightmapstore.co.uk/products.php?cat=5

guess what, these images are not done by their flagship application but shot in reality via Spheron Cam. Which I used myself some years ago.

It was never my intention to insult anybody, nor discouraging further improvements and development. If this was requested by the majority of users, I take it they are actually using the full version of HDR Light Studio already.

Still I cant believe that so many people afforded to buy this for the current price. I'd rather buy two more maxwell nodes

cheers

Aniki

[Half Life]

now that is interesting, lightmap offers HDRI maps too:

http://www.lightmapstore.co.uk/products.php?cat=5

guess what, these images are not done by their flagship application but shot in reality via Spheron Cam. Which I used myself some years ago.

It was never my intention to insult anybody, nor discouraging further improvements and development. If this was requested by the majority of users, I take it they are actually using the full version of HDR Light Studio already.

Still I cant believe that so many people afforded to buy this for the current price. I'd rather buy two more maxwell nodes

cheers

Aniki

I certainly undertand that -- actually this software will cut into money I was saving for RealFlow... which as you know isn't cheap either. Too many cool toys to buy, not enough money

That spheron camera is a awesome piece of kit as well -- another toy I'll likely never get



Best,
Jason.

[Polyxo]

Gotcha, I'm not sure what software you use but that sounds like a nice feature.

Rhino. But it's also available in 3DSMax and probably other Plugin-Hosts too.

If you haven't used the demo yet it does have some features that may be time consuming to set up (certainly not impossible) -- things like: bulb length, bulb position, and falloff... it's worth a try (if you haven't).

I have had a short play with it and found the Light it creates / the direct Fire response without need for Bitmap-Saving first pretty cool.
All that the sort of Control however is precisely doable with common Light-Widgets too.
Sketchup or Studio which I believe only can deal with planes and not with native lights may not be the best reference for stuff like that.

Generally I find it many times faster to move a slider to adjust the width and height and position in the scene via the plugin than try to modify the geometry in my app or in studio...

Well - as said before - I don't
One is fumbling around "somewhere" in space - HDR-Studio even comes with some "Indicator-Bitmaps" which are only there
to help telling you where you are.
I don't ever have that question when directly navigating my 3D-Scene...

The Output is cool, no question...
The underlying Concept however is about as elegant as using Oil to make Electricity which again gets used to melt Steel in a furnace.

[Half Life]

I thought Rhino native lights were not recommended for best quality... has that been changed?

Sketchup is my main app and Studio (and this plugin) really compliment that well -- so for that workflow this is a fit, sounds like Rhino users would find it less valuable but it doesn't mean that there isn't a true value to this workflow... Sketchup can do things easily that Rhino can't as well... so apples and oranges really.

Best,
Jason.

[Aniki]

now that is interesting, lightmap offers HDRI maps too:

http://www.lightmapstore.co.uk/products.php?cat=5

guess what, these images are not done by their flagship application but shot in reality via Spheron Cam. Which I used myself some years ago.

It was never my intention to insult anybody, nor discouraging further improvements and development. If this was requested by the majority of users, I take it they are actually using the full version of HDR Light Studio already.

Still I cant believe that so many people afforded to buy this for the current price. I'd rather buy two more maxwell nodes

cheers

Aniki

I certainly undertand that -- actually this software will cut into money I was saving for RealFlow... which as you know isn't cheap either. Too many cool toys to buy, not enough money

That spheron camera is a awesome piece of kit as well -- another toy I'll likely never get



Best,
Jason.

What I wanted to express, but obviously messed up here, was this:

Maxwell is a professional Software to me. As is Realflow. So they are certainly worth the money they cost. HDR Light Studio might be helpful to some, but doesnt generate what others would call realistic/pro images of studio setups. It just doesnt feel right, especially for that high price.

See those images they offer onsite, they look way better, cause they are real . Or go to moofes, to see nice examples of hdri images, too.

granted this software was available for, say 150-200 $, even I'd go for it just for playing's sake.

just my two cents on the issue.

cheers

Aniki

[Polyxo]

I thought Rhino native lights were not recommended for best quality... has that been changed?

Hmm - native lights just didn't work until release 1.something.
They now do. That has changed

Sketchup is my main app and Studio (and this plugin) really compliment that well -- so for that workflow this is a fit, sounds like Rhino users would find it less valuable but it doesn't mean that there isn't a true value to this workflow... Sketchup can do things easily that Rhino can't as well... so apples and oranges really.

A comparison of different 3D-Apps was not my intension here, really.
I just want to know by Next-Limit why a 2D-Interface saving out to Bitmaps performs better than CG-Light placed in a 3D-Environment.

[Half Life]

I'll look into that then -- I've been nurbs-curious for a while

IBL actually does not perform better:

See this thread: http://www.maxwellrender.com/forum/view ... 97&t=36001

In short, more noise at lower sampling levels and reflective caustics need massive SL to render clear... if anything IBL has some ways to go before even being equal.

Best,
Jason.

[Polyxo]

In short, more noise at lower sampling levels and reflective caustics need massive SL to render clear... if anything IBL has some ways to go before even being equal.

But why then all these recommendations to use IBL or to save out Physical Sky to load in as IBL-again?
Would you say that this is obsolete? How would you recommend dealing with situations which need rich reflections which
can't get acheived by CG-Lights only?