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Hey guys--I use DAZ to import scenes into the Standalone and I was wondering how to get deep dark shadows when using textured environments. I've seen a few tutorials on mesh lighting and render passes/layers but I am confused about those processes.... I have a slight learning disability so when technical process becomes too lengthy I have a difficult time comprehending it non visually ( without a ton of hands on repetition with an instructor). Is there a simpler way to create shadows in the standalone?

Hi,
it largely depends by the HDRI chosen. The gamma setting has a great impact on the shadows deepness, but you can have an unwanted saturation of all the colors. The default gamma value for good HDRI is 1. You can work with the kernel setting instead, reducing the light bouncing. Also the GI Clamp with very low value can help with dark shadows
As always, a couple of screenshots helps a lot in finding the correct answer
ciao beppe

editing HDR itself (by adding small bright dot where the sun is located) might help too =) see on YouTube, You might find tutorials how to do that =)

glimpse wrote:editing HDR itself (by adding small bright dot where the sun is located) might help too =) see on YouTube, You might find tutorials how to do that =)

Thanks Glimpse--I looked on YT and most of them talk about render layers and such--the process seems confusing and complicated to me though as explained... Do you have any links?

bepeg4d wrote:Hi,
it largely depends by the HDRI chosen. The gamma setting has a great impact on the shadows deepness, but you can have an unwanted saturation of all the colors. The default gamma value for good HDRI is 1. You can work with the kernel setting instead, reducing the light bouncing. Also the GI Clamp with very low value can help with dark shadows
As always, a couple of screenshots helps a lot in finding the correct answer
ciao beppe

I find most texture environments have this issue -- I have resorted to trying to use emissive lights, but not all scenes make sense with that kind of lighting and it can be hard to maneuver and use them to get the shadows just so...this picture a case in point--I want hard shadows beneath her feet and a bit behind her so she looks more in the scene -- Octane's default natural lighting is very white--when I add textures HDR's the scenes just look dark and I don't find much shadow to use...

Here's another image I am playing with--I did a screen shot so you can see the settings -- I want a hard shadow cast of his body and the objects in the room without trying to go through confusing, complicated processes...

You could remove your ceiling/roof and use daylight (desaturate sky and sunset colors).. or use a small emitter.. by making plane a couple inches big, import it, and make it an emitter.

Also, your HDRs may not be working to your liking because [A] they suck.. many bad HDRs out there... your HDRs are at 2.2 gamma when you bring them in. They should be closer to 1.0... and you can tweak gamma, based on needs. Increasing gamma adds contrast, but also adds color, so you would likely need to pull back saturation.

Are you using diffuse materials?.. on everything? Everything looks flat. Dead. Lifeless.

My advise: take a couples steps back. Make very simple scenes with very few light sources. Get your materials looking kick-ass, then add lights and really learn the ins and outs of lighting. Then build on that.. into more complex scenes. You're juggling too many chainsaws and bowling balls here. Too many variables, when you are clearly still learning a bunch of crap.

FrankPooleFloating wrote:You could remove your ceiling/roof and use daylight (desaturate sky and sunset colors).. or use a small emitter.. by making plane a couple inches big, import it, and make it an emitter.

Would I be able to hide the emitter or move it around? I am trying to create 360 environments so I need all the light sources hidden -- I also need ceiling and walls or it looks kinda weird in 360 as per this image, where you can see the third wall and ceiling are missing. With spherical environments there doesn't seem a way to hide things in the room ...

Luv, you can make anything you want Invisible to Camera... including emitters. Use Placement node to move... have you looked at the manuals at all?

FrankPooleFloating wrote:Luv, you can make anything you want Invisible to Camera... including emitters. Use Placement node to move... have you looked at the manuals at all?

I have but they don't really answer questions in regards to VR --- if you mean did I read the entire manual--I have a life and I don't have that kind of time ... like I said I try to find a way to solve problems but not all solutions are easy to find or grasp...