environment background with Alpha

[abstrax]

Because it's my workflow. In all renderer i've used before (vray, mental-Ray, max scan line, maya software, AR, even renderman), activate alpha channel don't disable the render of the environment background in the viewer.

In my intermediate rendering I need to see the whole image (seems obvious).
So I do a bunch of test rendering and in the picture viewer I choose some image to save, then I do a simple compositing, or chromatic correction, the more often on the background. Except that now (since I work with BG visualization, thus without alpha) the chosen images have not their Alpha.

As i say before I can live with that, but with this behavior I have to anticipate when a rendering will be saved or not.

Sorry, the problem seem very simple, may be my english is not very clear.
What I want to know is if it's really the new behavior or if I'm missing a setting somewhere.

I removed the "keep environment" option a while ago, to simplify the kernels and because the keep environment option was encouraging bad behaviour: You can't separate foreground from background with an alpha channel alone. You actually have to render background and foreground separately or you will get visible artifacts after compositing, resulting in crappy final images.

[Flcc]

Ok now its clear.

But as a user i would like to be free to decide the way I work.
For final render I use all the new nice functionnality render pass etc... and I'm very happy with it.

But for intermediate work, if "crappy" images simplify my workflow, why not ?
Please if it's just a "simple" task restore "Keep enviroment" button.

In any case thank for your reactivity and all your nice work

[pxlntwrk]

Hi,
i'm agree, for work stages its very usefull (not for final image , i had sometimes artefact in compositing, true).

[seriks]

yup, also agree!

[ten]

It was kinda useful for quick pre vis images. Would be great to have the option!

Ten

[dbalzer]

I would like to have that option back as well if it's no hassle. Same reason, even if it's just for quick discussions in front of my screen with colleagues it's been helpful.

[augdalmo]

I also agree!

[abstrax]

Ok, ok, since everybody is missing that feature so much, then I will bring it back, with one change: If the environment pass is enabled, the keep environment option will be ignored (otherwise you would have the environment in the beauty pass and in the environment pass as well).

But please, when you do compositing do it right. Just taking some scissors (alpha mask) and somehow trying to cut out your foreground doesn't work and will always to visible artifacts on the borders.

[Flcc]

Wow Awesome.

Thank you Sir.

And Yes, I promess, I do the thing the right way, and I don't come to moan if things are not perfect this way.

[pxlntwrk]

Fresh!