reading by candlelight

[thejobe]

was trying to see if i can do a one point lighting but came off a little to dark have to back and boost the lighting up a bit

tell me what you think from what you can see

[John Bigboote]

Is that a darktree 'Plush' material on the metal? It's getting there...

[thejobe]

its a gold tarnish but there is like a weird abiance problem got to see whats causing it

[robcat2075]

If it's a shiny metal object I think it will need more of an environment to reflect in its surface. But that will be tough in a very dark scene.

[thejobe]

ok made it much brighting to get more detail in

not a full size render yet but just wanted to make sure it was ok to go with the whole thing

tell me what you think

[the_black_mage]

diffrent wood texture...

 

try wood work shop to make a new one

[thejobe]

i tried it but the file it saves doesnt seem to be compatible with AM

[MattWBradbury]

Try this site:

CG TExtures

 

The candels no longer look like they are the source of the light.

[thejobe]

i will have to play around with it more keep getting weird anomalies

[DarkLimit]

I find the wall texture very overpowering and distracting, maybe add some grime to make it dirty and less apparent..As Matt mentioned the source of light is lost so priority must be given to the candle radiance themselves...

 

 

But the overall mood is solid!!!

[Eric2575]

Make the candles different heights; add wax droppings to them and the candle holder; give the holder more specular and reflective properties; give the wall material less specular and add a dispalcement map to it; change the wood texture on the table as already metioned; add several grunge maps to the table and use three light sources, since you have three candles.

[ypoissant]

For a lighting provided by only 3 candles, this is quite high. The wall, especially is it is natural rocks, would be darker. And there must be some gradual falloff (attenuation) of the light as it is further from the candles. We don't see that. I suspect your candle lights falloff distances are very large. Reduce the light falloff distances to some very short distance and increase the light intensity. This will give you a nice attenuation overall in the scene and produce bright highlights on the top of the chandelier.

 

Apart from the other suggestions (different candle heights, wax drops, wood texture), I would add to turn the chandelier so it is not just facing straight at the camera.

[thejobe]

the 3 light sorce is the candles (3 seprate lights) the wall does have a dispalcement map but i think i have to bump it up a bit

as for the wood textured it has already been redone

as for the candle itself im still expermenting with mats and havent gotten the color and spec down yet

ill try the wax drip idea

[NancyGormezano]

I would add to turn the chandelier so it is not just facing straight at the camera.

 

I will add - try to not center your focus of interest (offset it from center) - perhaps add some other elements for balance, and to lead the eye for a more asymmetric composition.

[thejobe]

ok some changes

still having some trouble with lighting but this was the best result out of it

[LeeAnderson]

Hey this is looking better all the time! Are you using SSS on the candles themselves? That would be cool! Also, this link may provide you with some inspiration. Keep up the good work!

 

Lee

[PeterS]

Compare the length and thickness of the candles to the book. I would make the candles proportionally thicker with bigger wax residue. I know this does not address the lighting, but it will add to the overall feel of the scene. JMHO

[Kelley]

The candle flames aren't hot enough. I'd try making the candelabra an object, and make a single candle, then assemble all three candles on it in the Choreography. Put a Bulb light above each candle with a yellowish light and then make a light list for each candle. Adjust for a steep fall-off so the top of the candle is brightest. Then put a fourth bulb over the whole candelabra and light the scene.

[Kelley]

Tonight I tried my own advice with mixed results. Here's what I got [did]. The candle is three pieces assembled in the Choreography. [1] the flame [2] the upper candle with deformed lip and [3] the lower shaft of the candle. The stumbling block was that you can't make a Translucency map [as near as I can see], just a Transparency. [someone please correct me] Each object has its own light put into a Light List so only that object is lit by it.

 

The Flame has a Transparency map. It's a radial gradient done in Photoshop with the 100% transparency spot near the bottom. It has a photo-flame decal applied twice: front and back. The Flame mesh has a Glow applied in Properties>Surfaces.

 

The Upper Candle [with a pale yellow decal] has it's Transparency map set at 80% [as I recall] most transparent at the top, opaque at the bottom. The Bulb Light [in a Light List] is half in and half out of the mesh, set at 111%, and very yellow/gold. Since we're in a Light List, the lower part of the candle is [basically] black, as it gets no light.

 

So I duplicated the lower 7/8 of the candle, colored it red, re-applied the Transparency Map, brought it into the Choreography, centered it on the Upper section, then scaled it up to 102% on the X and Z, gave it its own light, and put that into a Light List

 

Last, a spotlight overhead, also in a Light List so it falls only on the table top. Since the light from the candle can't shine straight down, there should dark area at its base. A gel on the spotlight with a dark circle at the center should do it. But that's for another night.

CANDLE_PROJECT.prj

[MattWBradbury]

Are you using a reference picture? I found one on the web. Candle light is not white, but orange.

 

 

Is it for a still? You might consider photon mapping if it is, but only if you're keeping the wall. Otherwise, most of your photons will escape the scene without bouncing back into it.

[bentothemax]

I did a little test of my own using radiosity. Took about 13 minutes to construct and about 40 minutes to render.

 

I'll post it if you want

 

 

 

Ben