Use the scale-independent
environment to position objects in front of an imported image. Scale-independent
environments are useful for quickly compositing a decorated model
against an image.
Types of scale-independent environments
- Planar: an image
on a static 2D plane. This kind of environment always faces the
camera and appears behind the objects in the scene. As you rotate
around the objects or zoom in and out, the environment image retains
the same size and orientation.
- Cube: a “vertical
cross” image on a 3D cube that is centered around the camera. Provides
a full 360-degree environment without distortion behind your objects.
As you rotate around the COI, the cube will rotate as well. However,
as you zoom in and out, your objects will appear to shrink or grow in
relation to the environment.
Create a cube scale-independent
environment from an HDR panorama
This is similar to creating
a geometry environment. The lighting and Cube background can be
derived from a single HDR image. See
Create a custom environment for
more information on image requirements for environment creation.
- If the Environments interface is not
already visible, press the E key
(or select Scene > Environments).
- Click the Create > Scale-independent environment button
at the top of the Environment interface, or choose the menu item Scene
> Create Environment Scale-independent environment.
- Browse to an HDR panoramic image.
After a few moments,
the Create Environment dialog box will appear and a preview of your
environment image will be displayed
- Make adjust the image so that it looks
good in the preview using the following tools:
- Exposure:
adjusts the overall brightness of the input HDR scene when creating
IBL maps and the background image. The slider has a range of -3
to +3, but values beyond these can be entered numerically. This
is useful when the IBL effect is either too dark or too bright.
- Saturation:
sets the overall saturation of the scene. More saturation results
in fuller and brighter colors, while less results in more muted
lighting.
- Non-Linear Brightness:
adjusts both the brightness and saturation of the image at the same
time, in a non-linear amount. Useful if the image is extremely dark and
contrasted, or light and lacking contrast.
- Click the Create
Environment button to begin the process of
creation.
After the process completes,
the new environment will be shown in the scene and automatically
saved to a temporary folder. The Create Environment dialog box remains
open for adjustments and recreating the environment with new settings.
Edit scale-independent
environment properties
- If the Environments interface is not
already visible, press the E key
(or select Scene > Environments).
- Right-click on the icon for the environment
you wish to edit. From the menu that appears, choose Environment
Properties. (Or, select Scene >
Environment Properties.)
The Environment Properties
window opens.
- Alter the following parameters to adjust
the environment:
- Mapping
-
Determines what type
of scale-independent environment is presented.
- Cube—The
default when a new scale-independent environment is created from
an HDR panorama. Maps a Vertical Cross backdrop to a cube of infinite
dimensions always centered on the camera location. Useful for placing
objects inside a panoramic scene.
- Planar—Maps
any 2D image to a plane that is infinitely distant and always facing
the camera. Useful for positioning objects against a photograph
of a scene.
NoteThe Mapping can only
be altered when the current backdrop file is a Vertical Cross. If
the mapping disabled, and Cube is desired, load a Vertical Cross panorama.
- As the main window resizes
the scale-independent environment image
-
Determines how a scale-independent
environment image is resized when the main window is resized.
- Resizes to fit horizontally—The
image resizes to fit the window's horizontal dimension. The image may
be cropped vertically, or there may be a blue band at the top or
bottom edges.
- Resizes to fit vertically—The
image resizes to fit the window's vertical dimension. The image
may be cropped (or there may be a blue band) at the side edges.
- Resizes to fit the window—The
image resizes to fit the window's vertical dimension. The image
may be cropped (or there may be a blue band) at the side edges.
- Scale
-
Scales the image or cube
to better fit the objects in the scene. Move the slider or type a
value to resize the image.
- Horizontal Offset
-
With a Planar scale-independent
environment, offsets the image left or right. With a Cube scale-independent
environment, rotates the panorama around the camera.
- Vertical Offset
-
With a Planar scale-independent
environment, offsets the image up or down. With a Cube scale-independent
environment, moves the panorama up or down along the vertical axis
of the camera.
Tips for increasing scale-independent photographic
realism
For the best lighting
effects, a matching HDR panorama and photographic “location” image
is recommended. For more information on where to find these files,
see:
Create a custom environment
To create a scale-independent
planar environment with matching HDR panoramic lighting:
- Click the Create > Scale-independent
environment button at the top of the Environment
interface, or choose the menu item Scene > Create Environment
> Scale-independent environment.
- Create a scale-independent cube environment
from an HDR panorama as defined in the preceding section.
- When the Cube is shown with correct lighting
and reflections, click the folder icon under Use
environment backdrop file: and browse to your photographic
image from the same location.
Create and edit a scale-independent
planar environment from the Library
- If the Environments interface is not
already visible, press the E key
(or select Scene > Environments).
- In the lower section, "Environment
Libraries", click on the “Scale-independent” environment
to add it to the scene.
- In the upper section, "Environments
in this Scene", click the icon for the scale-independent
environment you just loaded
The 3D view changes to
show the default scale-independent environment.
- Double-click the Name field
to type a new name for your environment.
- Right-click on the environment icon.
From the menu that appears, choose Environment
Properties. (Or, select Scene >
Environment Properties.)
The Environment Properties
window opens.
- Click on the folder icon beside the Use Environment
Backdrop File field.
The Import File window
appears.
- Browse to the image you want to use,
select it, and click Open.
- The image appears in your 3D view.
- Use the Environment Properties for the
scale-independent environment to resize or offset the image.
- Pan, zoom and tumble (Alt, plus
the mouse buttons) to fit the model into the image.
NoteFor Planar environments,
camera pans, zooms, and tumbles only appear to change the objects
in the scene. This is because Planar environments stay “locked”
to face the camera and an infinite distance away.