Best settings for toons?

[sb4]

Are there some recommended settings for A:M if you are working with "toons" style rendering that will be most efficient for rendering and overall workflow?

 

-SB

[robcat2075]

I think you really have to test it on a per scene basis and find what suits your taste. For example a Hanna-Barbera look might need very thick lines and no shading. Anime might have thin lines and some level of shadowing visible.

 

 

Render time itself won't vary much because of different toon settings.

[Rodney]

Yes, some toon styles don't even require the toon renderer settings.

 

One way to approach the stylistic options is to find the desired look and then work backward to get the right effect.

In other words... it helps to have a target to aim for.

[sb4]

Yes, some toon styles don't even require the toon renderer settings.

 

One way to approach the stylistic options is to find the desired look and then work backward to get the right effect.

In other words... it helps to have a target to aim for.

 

Thanks all.

 

I was wondering if there were some advanced light reflection options that could be turned off and such. I'll experiment.

 

-SB

[robcat2075]

Yes, some toon styles don't even require the toon renderer settings.

 

One way to approach the stylistic options is to find the desired look and then work backward to get the right effect.

In other words... it helps to have a target to aim for.

 

Thanks all.

 

I was wondering if there were some advanced light reflection options that could be turned off and such. I'll experiment.

 

-SB

 

If you post a result you get that you don't like, that would be a starting point for discussion.

[sb4]

Yes, some toon styles don't even require the toon renderer settings.

 

One way to approach the stylistic options is to find the desired look and then work backward to get the right effect.

In other words... it helps to have a target to aim for.

 

Thanks all.

 

I was wondering if there were some advanced light reflection options that could be turned off and such. I'll experiment.

 

-SB

 

If you post a result you get that you don't like, that would be a starting point for discussion.

 

Ok, will do. It was actually more of a rendering performance question, any settings you could forgo for tunes that you need for 3D.

 

Regards,

 

-SB

[robcat2075]

Toon rendering generally doesn't need many lights in the scene. Typically one. Fewer lights save render time.

[Gerry]

I did have an experiece with toon rendering, where if you have any transparent decals it creates a lot of artifacts and unwanted toon lines. FWIW.

[Rodney]

I did have an experiece with toon rendering, where if you have any transparent decals it creates a lot of artifacts and unwanted toon lines. FWIW.

 

I'm not sure if Gerry can confirm but...

When using transparency in images for decals and such it's generally best to steer clear of the PNG format. For some reason it's just not as good as TGA, EXR and such when it comes to Alpha Channels/transparency.

 

Think of it this way: The PNG format was designed for display on a webpage (as a still image with or without transparency) ...not primarily for use with sequential images. TGA and EXR were specifically designed with sequential images (with transparency) in mind.

 

My experience: Whenever I want to use Alpha Channels or transparency I try to remember to use TGA or EXR *unless* my goal is to put the image directly online (such as posting to the forum). Even then I might use TGA/EXR first and then covert the final image to PNG.