Create a Cube Backplate from an HDR panorama

Similar to creating a geometry envrionment. the lighting and Cube background for a backplate can be derived from a single HDR image. See Create a custom environment for more information on image requirements for environment creation.

1. If the Environments interface is not already visible, press the E key (or select Scene > Environments).
2. Press the Create > New Backplate Environment button at the top of the Environment interface, or choose the menu item Scene > Create Environment... New Backplate Environmentor right-click on an editable Cube backplate environment like BP Generic, and from the menu that appears, choose Create New Environment.
3. Browse to an HDR panoramic image.

   After a few moments, the Create Environment dialog will appear and a preview of your environment image will be displayed

   

4. 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 will result in a more “colored” environment lighting, while less will result in a more “neutral” 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.
5. Press 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 directory. The Create Environment dialog remains open for adjustments and recreating the environment with new settings.

Edit Backplate environment properties

1. If the Environments interface is not already visible, press the E key (or select Scene > Environments).
2. 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.

   

3. Alter the parameters below to adjust the Backplate:

Mapping

Determines what type of Backplate is presented.

• Cube—The default when a new Backplate is created from an HDR panorama. Maps a Vertical Cross backrop 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 backplate image

Determines how a Planar backplate image is resized when the main window is resized.

• Resizes to fit horizontally—The backplate image resizes to fit the window's horizontal dimension. The backplate image may be cropped vertically, or there may be a blue band at the top or bottom edges.
• Resizes to fit vertically—The backplate image resizes to fit the window's vertical dimension. The backplate image may be cropped (or there may be a blue band) at the side edges.
• Resizes to fit the window—The backplate image resizes to fit the window's vertical dimension. The backplate image may be cropped (or there may be a blue band) at the side edges.

Scale

Scales the backplate image or cube to better fit the objects in the scene. Move the slider or type a value to resize the image.

Horizontal Offset

If a Planar backplate, will offset the image either left or right. If a Cube backplate, will rotate the panorama around the camera.

Vertical Offset

If a Planar backplate, will offset he image up or down. If a Cube backplate, will move the panorama up or down along the camera’s vertical axis.

Tips for increasing photographic backplate realism

For the best lighting effects, a matching HDR panorama and photographic “location” backplate is desired. For more information on where to find these files, see: Create a custom environment

To create a Planar backplate with matching HDR panoramic lighting:

1. Press the Create > New Backplate Environment button at the top of the Environment interface, or choose the menu item Scene > Create Environment... New Backplate Environmentor right-click on an editable Cube backplate environment like BP Generic, and from the menu that appears, choose Create New Environment.
2. Follow the process to Create a Cube Backplate from an HDR panorama as defined above.
3. When the Cube backplate is shown with correct lighting and reflections, click the folder icon under Use environment backdrop file: and browse to your photographic backplate from the same location.

Create and edit a Planar Backplate from the Library

1. If the Environments interface is not already visible, press the E key (or select Scene > Environments).
2. In the lower section, "Environment Libraries", click on the “Backplate” environment to add it to the scene.
3. In the upper section, "Environments in this Scene", click the icon for the Backplate environment you just loaded

   

   The 3D view changes to show the default backplate.

   

4. Double-click the Name field to type a new name for your environment.
5. Right-click on the environment’s icon. From the menu that appears, choose Environment Properties. (Or, select Scene > Environment Properties.)

   The Environment Properties window opens.

6. Click on the folder icon beside the Use Environment Backdrop File field.

   The Import File window appears.

   

7. Browse to the image you want to use as the backplate, select it, and click Open.
8. The image appears as the backplate in your 3D view.

   

9. Use the Environment Properties for the Backplate environment to resize or offset the backplate image. (See the properties descriptions below.)
10. Pan, zoom and tumble (Alt, plus the mouse buttons) to fit the model into the image.
    NoteFor Planar Backplates, camera pans, zooms, and tumbles only appear to change the objects in the scene. This is because the Planar Backplate stays “locked” to face the camera and an infinite distance away.