3dmax is the most popular 3D software, which can be used to build models, make materials and lighting, set up animations, and render pictures and videos. 3dmax can be applied to many fields, such as interior design, architectural design, landscape, industrial products, games, animation, illustration and so on. If you want to be a designer and are teaching yourself 3dmax, you can take a look at the 3DMAX tutorial there. There are tutorials such as basic introduction, intermediate promotion and advanced development.

Introduction to the Development History of 3DMax Lighting

There are two kinds of lights in the big category. One kind of light that comes with 3DMax is photometric light and standard light.

Standard light is also called analog light, and the other is called VRay. VRay also provides us with some lights, such as VR ambient light and VR sun. We also have a certain degree of understanding. Before that, we also briefly understood the difference between analog light and VRay light. Let's talk about the lighting of 3DMax first.

Because the VRay renderer is also compatible with these two kinds of lights that come with 3DMax, there is only one standard light in the previous old version, and there is no photometric light, which was added later.

Then the standard light is generally called analog light, which has many shortcomings, such as it does not consider the actual size of the object in the scene, that is to say, no matter how we change a unit, its lighting effects remains unchanged, and its lighting effects, such as contrast,

We need to adjust it manually, and then we also said that this analog lamp has no volume and cannot display the volume effect, and its shadow needs to be adjusted manually.

So it's very troublesome to use, that is to say, if we want to achieve an effect, I'm afraid we have to adjust many parameters to simulate the effect, which is why we call it analog lamp.

At the same time, if you look at all the standard lights, the parameters of standard lights, spotlights and parallel floodlights are very close, almost the same, except for a little difference.

For example, our brightness, for example, this value is 1, and we change it to 2.

The scene will be brighter,

For example, if we set it to 3, it will be brighter, but this value has no reference significance. For example, does 3 represent brightness, such as100W light bulb or 200W light bulb? This value is a simple value without any reference, and it has no specific meaning, that is, the larger one will be brighter and the smaller one will be darker.

The color can also be adjusted at will,

This is very different from the real light in life, which is why we always call it analog light, and it is almost impossible to judge an effect when using it. For example, if we turn on a lamp, we will double it to 2. It is difficult to judge what kind of lighting effect it will produce simply by adding attenuation.

We can only render first, then look at the rendering effect, and then adjust the insufficient value to simulate the desired effect back and forth, so the first point of this simulation lamp is that it is very troublesome to use, and everything needs to be adjusted by ourselves, and the second point is not realistic.

Then 3DMax added a photometric lamp to improve it. The characteristic of photometric lamp is to set the value according to the unified provisions of the standard. Photometric lamp, also called photometric lamp, represents a parameter set that completely conforms to the unified standard of Lighting Association, and it is very convenient to use.

For example, we now use V-RayRT,

So if you just adjust the value, you will find that the effect is changing, so delete this light now.

You will find that the scene is brighter because there are default lights in the scene. If there is no light, the default light will be turned on and hidden. Now let's add a photometric light to have a look. There are two kinds of photometric lights. One is the target light and the other is the free light.

After adding photometric lights, the scene darkened.

This is because V-RayRT, that is, real-time interactive rendering, does not support metering lights, so we have to really render to see the effect. As for the lamp we see now,

What are the characteristics of this lamp? First of all, you will find that its parameters are all in accordance with the unified standards of the International Lighting Association, just like its color, you can't change it at will.

For example, low-pressure sodium lamps, phosphorescent mercury lamps and incandescent halogen lamps are all the same as those in life.

I can click Kelvin,

This is what we usually say, so it is called the color temperature of light, and we can define its color by Kelvin. In fact, light can't display all colors, but it can be defined by Kelvin.

The latter color cannot be adjusted, but the color of the light will change due to this value. It seems to follow the unified standard of photometry to define this value, which is closer to real life.

Then we will add a lampshade to the lamp in our life, so that we have a filter color.

The color of this filter is equivalent to the color of the lampshade we put on the light bulb. For example, a yellow lampshade or a blue lampshade can be set.

We just rendered it dark, because the photometric lamp has parameters defined according to the standard, such as whether the brightness is lumens, candlelight or lux, such as 1500 candlelight.

Of course, our country generally doesn't like to use this kind of unit. We usually talk about tiles, such as a 50-watt light bulb, 100 light bulb and so on. Here is 1500 candle, which is the unit of brightness. Of course, if you are not used to it, you can choose from the template.

For example, there is a light bulb of 100W. Can be converted into a 100W light bulb. How bright it is. 100W light bulb is 139 candle.

That is to say, a light bulb of 100W is equivalent to the brightness generated by lighting 139 candles. Of course, the brightness of this candle is a customary unit. If you make a particularly thick candle look like a big torch, it is possible that three or four candles can hold a 100W light bulb, so don't be too far-fetched to understand this candle. This is just a designated lighting device.

But let's render it and see what it looks like.

It's still dark, because our current unit uses rice. Let's see how big this box is.

He is one kilometer. The light bulb of 100W obviously cannot illuminate a one-kilometer box, so this photometric lamp has taken into account the actual size of the object. Now, if we change the unit to millimeters,

System units are also millimeters,

Now we are rendering it,

As you can see, this scene is illuminated, but it was black just now. Of course, we chose V-RayRT to have a look.

It's still black, so V-RayRT doesn't support photometric lighting, so we use the standard renderer directly.

Then it can be seen that the photometric lamp has been improved to a certain extent. At the same time, for example, if we move this lamp online,

Then look at the rendering,

The light is obviously dimmed, which means the farther away from the object, the weaker it is, so its attenuation is automatic and we don't need to adjust it.

Of course, the color of 100W light bulb in our life is yellow, so we choose the template here, although we choose 100W light bulb.

We can still change this value, such as 100W bulb, then its color temperature should be 2800, showing such a color effect.

Its brightness is 139 candle,

That doesn't mean we can't change it. We can change its color. We know that there are two ways to specify the color of the lamp.

One is to use Kelvin,

Let's change it to, say, D65 reference white and see it in the rendering.

In this way, although it is still a 100W bulb, we changed its color, because that kind of headlight is rarely used in our life now, and it is usually some incandescent lamps or energy-saving lamps.

This photometric lamp can be said to be an improvement, but unfortunately there is still no volume, so if there is no volume, its lighting effect and shadow effect still need to be adjusted manually, precisely because there is no volume. Regarding the importance of volume, we have talked about its importance in previous articles.

Therefore, it should be said that 3DMax has added a new photometric lamp, but it has not changed in essence, only slightly improved. Obviously, the lighting effect will be better if we use VRay.

But photometric light adds a light distribution, that is to say, how is this light distributed? We see a light distribution here.

Is it like a unified sphere? Does the unified sphere mean to shine in all directions like a floodlight, or is it distributed like a spotlight? Let's render it and see what the spotlight looks like.

In addition, a photometric network can be selected for light distribution.

This is an important parameter. What does this mean? It means that it can be transmitted to the optical network now, and each lamp can generate a unique optical network file. People will ask where this optical network was obtained.

The light bulb manufacturer will provide the optical network file of each lamp. This optical network represents the light distribution when the lamp is on, so that designers can know how the light is distributed and know what kind of lamp to choose when designing. This is the so-called optical network.

So this light source with light distribution points, that is, the unified spherical spotlight, you can also choose the photometric network, so its light distribution can choose the photometric file.

Let's click here to select photometric files, and then we can look for optical networks here. After searching a lot on the Internet, the optical network can be downloaded casually, because each light bulb manufacturer not only provides a photo-like optical network distribution map on a piece of paper or manual for you to see how the color temperature is how bright and how the optical network is distributed, but also provides network files. Here, for example, we choose a multi-lamp.

Here, you can see that this is its light distribution, so we can choose one at random and see its light distribution here.

Let's see what it will look like if it is rendered, because it's only 1000 mm now.

However, it has more than 8,000 candles.

Our scene is too small and must be exposed. Let's change it to 600.

Then render it to see the effect,

As you can see, there is a downlight here. In our life, everyone should know that we have downlights and so on. The effect of this lamp irradiation is such a light distribution, which is a little too bright here. Let's set it a little darker.

We are rendering it,

Everyone should have a little common sense of life. Different lighting produces different lighting effects. Let's look at it from another angle.

This is the so-called optical network, and different optical networks produce different effects. For example, when we choose other optical networks, we choose this one.

It's exposed here, so we need to change the brightness.

Let's change it to 500 and look at the rendering.

Its light distribution is like this. We have many optical networks here, such as chandeliers, wall lamps, slot lamps and so on.

You can choose that they all have different performance effects, or let's choose an optical network of desk lamps, for example. Everyone knows that a desk lamp must have a lampshade, so the effect it produces must be special and the brightness is not very bright.

This is an optical network generated by a desk lamp. The desk lamp shines under the lampshade, so what does the optical network file refer to? Refers to the distribution of light, so it is closer to our real life. This is a feature of photometric lamps.

Compared with simulated lighting, it has considered the actual size of the object, and now we change it back to choose a unified sphere for lighting distribution.

In this way, its optical network disappears, so we should pay attention to adjusting its brightness to avoid exposure.

This change has not changed in essence, and there is still no volume, just considering the actual size of the object. For example, we now change the unit to centimeters.

Then we changed the display to centimeters,