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Watch the Latest mental ray Rendering Tutorials and Training
course Transforming Robot Production Pipeline Volume 9: Lighting and Rendering
1 hrs. 35 min. | Released on April 1, 2012
Required Software: Maya 2012 Project Files Included (334 MB) In this Professional Series course, we will explore some the techniques and concepts used during the lighting and rendering of our transforming robot project.
In Volume 9 of this 'Transforming Robot Production Pipeline' series, we will discuss the techniques that were used and some of the issues that were encountered during the lighting and rendering of this transforming robot project. We will look at how we went about matching the lighting between our CG and live-action elements, setting up our materials and textures, and rendering all of the passes and other information that our compositing artists will be using during Volume 10 of this series. course Studio Lighting Techniques in Maya
1 hrs. 4 min. | Released on April 1, 2012
Required Software: Maya 2012 Project Files Included (39 MB) In this series of Maya tutorials, you'll learn how to create dramatic studio lighting results using Maya and mental ray.
We will begin the tutorial by learning the importance of a proper linear workflow whenever dealing with lighting scenarios where realism is of the utmost importance. We will learn how to set up and place light sources within our scene, we will discuss concepts regarding real-world light behavior, and how those principles become very important during the lighting of our scene, as well as many additional topics, tips and techniques that you can put to immediate use in your own studio lighting scenarios. course Creative Development: Exploring mental ray Materials in Maya with Ed Whetstone
2 hrs. 50 min. | Released on March 1, 2012
Required Software: Maya 2012 Project Files Included (3 MB) In this Maya tutorial we will walk through creating a variety of challenging material types.
These videos will walk through the essential tools for creating photorealistic materials. We'll start with establishing our shading toolkit through the various models of simulating real-world light interactions. Then we'll jump into a series of challenging material types, and develop the basic shading networks required to make them happen.
course Creative Development: Using HDR Images for 3D Lighting in Maya with Jon Tojek
2 hrs. 27 min. | Released on January 2, 2012
Required Software: Maya 2012, Nuke 6.3v1, Photoshop CS5, PTGui v9.0 Project Files Included (459 MB) This tutorial is a guide to using HDR panoramic images for lighting with Maya and mental ray.
Throughout the tutorial, we'll cover all of the hidden details that are needed to use HDR imagery for lighting in Maya. We'll start with physically based lighting, world scene scale, color management, proper render preview and verification of valid floating point linear color images. Once the rules for using HDR images are clearly laid out, we will take a look at how you can create your own HDR images at home using a DSLR camera, tripod, nodal head and software. Lastly, we'll go over examples of using and editing these images for a variety of indoor and outdoor lighting situations as well as covering light extraction and making HDR kooks from an HDR photo of a light.
course Linear Workflow Rendering Strategies in Maya
1 hrs. 2 min. | Released on January 2, 2012
Required Software: Maya 2012 Project Files Included (15 MB) In this Maya tutorial, you will learn how to dramatically improve the realism of your lighting by incorporating a linear workflow into your rendering pipeline.
We will begin with an explanation of the linear workflow process, and help to clarify exactly why a linear workflow is needed is order to get lighting results that are much more realistic. From there, we will learn the various steps for setting up a linear workflow in Maya, including the use of Maya's Color Management features, gamma-correcting images and textures to be rendered and displayed correctly, maintaining a proper linear workflow during the compositing phase, and many additional tips and techniques that will help you get much more realistic lighting results with significantly less effort. course Introduction to mental ray in Softimage
2 hrs. 27 min. | Released on August 2, 2011
Required Software: Softimage 2012 and up Project Files Included (20 MB) In this series of tutorials, we will be exploring the core tools and features of mental ray in Softimage.
Having a solid understanding of the features of mental ray is a crucial step toward becoming an efficient and productive rendering artist in Softimage. We will begin our tutorial by learning several methods for simulating realistic indirect lighting in Softimage, such as global illumination, final gather, as well as Importons and Irradiance Particles. We will also explore the use of caustics to simulate the light patterns created as light passes through refractive surfaces. In addition, we will also explore Image-based lighting techniques, camera and environment shaders, utilizing render passes and render channels, as well as many other tools and techniques that will allow you start rendering high quality work for a multitude of projects. course Creative Development: Guerrilla Lighting and Rendering Tactics in Maya with Ed Whetstone
3 hrs. 3 min. | Released on August 2, 2011
Required Software: Maya 2011, mental ray Project Files Included (106 MB) In this tutorial, we will tackle a lighting challenge with small-scale production needs in mind.
Intended for small-scale productions, this tutorial walks through one lighting and rendering workflow that introduces new tools, techniques, and workarounds. We will exploit the environment-sampling power of portal lights, build a fake GI solution with projected light fields, and use MEL scripts to automate tedious tasks. These methods won't work for every scenario, but they can be very useful tools for the guerrilla CG filmmaker. course Rendering Interiors with mental ray and Maya
2 hrs. 35 min. | Released on April 4, 2011
Required Software: Maya 2011 and up Project Files Included (34 MB) In this series of lessons we will explore techniques and workflows for setting up realistic lighting for your interior scenes, and rendering these scenes using mental ray.
The ability to realistically light an interior environment is a skill that is highly sought after in the CG industry. It is a skill that is used very heavily in areas such as feature films, games, and architectural visualizations. This course will explore the entire, step-by-step process of lighting your scenes. We will start by learning how to make sure that our lights are behaving in a way that is physically accurate by utilizing real-world light data in our scenes. From there, we will learn how to incorporate realistic secondary illumination into our scenes, learn how to create physically-accurate materials in Maya, and explore many techniques and workflows designed to help you overcome many of the common issues that you are likely to encounter in your own scenes. course Motorcycle Modeling Techniques in Maya
7 hrs. 58 min. | Released on January 21, 2009
Required Software: Maya 2009 and up Project Files Included (73 MB) Learn a time-saving workflow to modeling motorcycles and production-ready techniques to hard surface modeling with design constraints, building complex machined and man-made parts, and methods of adding detail for realism. Contains over 8 hours of self-paced training for artists using Maya.
Popular highlights include: Hard Surface Modeling; Polygon Modeling Techniques; Understanding Fabrication Process; Motorcycle Parts and Components Overview; NURBS to Build Motorcycle Frame; Adding Realism with Modeled Detail; mental ray Shaders to Blend Complex Geometry; Booleans to Create Complex Shapes; Creating Seam Detail; Adding Welds to Metal Pieces; Adding Bevels to Edges; Modeling Different Types of Materials; Adding Imperfections and Details; Applying Different Surface Materials; HDRI Lighting; Car Paint Shader; Using Naming Conventions; Setting up Hierarchies for Posing; Re-purposing Geometry; Tire Treads with Bump Map. course Automotive Modeling in XSI
10 hrs. 10 min. | Released on January 21, 2009
Required Software: XSI 6.0 or higher (XSI 7.0 required to open project files) Project Files Included (30 MB) Learn a production workflow to automotive modeling using XSI and several time-saving techniques that can be used for film, games, and automotive design projects. Provides 10 hours of project-driven training. Perfect for intermediate artists and experienced artists learning new techniques.
Popular highlights include: Modeling with Blueprint References; Establishing Automotive Line Flow; Building Volume with Curves; Shaping Geometry to Avoid Dents; Generating Curves from Geometry; Modeling Contoured Panels; Re-directing Edge Flow; Adding Scoops to Curved Surfaces; Re-paramaterizing Curves; Converting Geometry Types; Mirroring Detail; Merging and Extracting Geometry; Welding Points and Edges; Creating Fitted Panels; Creating Complex Body Details; UV Mapping Techniques; mental ray Materials; Building Car Paint Shaders; Creating Brushed Metal Effects; Overcoming Modeling Challenges; mental ray Lighting Setup; Adding Tire Tread with Bump Maps; Final Gather for Indirect Lighting. course Rendering Interiors in XSI
4 hrs. 3 min. | Released on August 30, 2007
Required Software: XSI 6.0 and up (XSI 6.02 is required to open project files) Project Files Included (14 MB) Learn a time-saving workflow to rendering interior sets and production-tested mental ray techniques that can be used for Film, Games, and Architectural Visualizations.Contains 4 hours of project-driven training. Ideal for intermediate artists.
Popular highlights include: Emitting Photons from Light Sources; Fine-tuning Global Illumination Results; Smoothing Global Illumination Results with Final Gather; Using Architectural Materials in XSI; Overriding Photon Properties; Adding Realism with Ambient Occlusion; Utilizing Multi-bounce Final Gather as GI Alternative; Outputting Images to 32-bit .EXR Format; Modifying Geometry for Optimal Global Illumination; Setting up Render Passes in XSI; BSP Memory Optimization Techniques; Using Custom XSI Shaders; Compositing Rendered Passes in External App; Adjusting Exposure Settings. course Creating Digital Humans 4: Shading and Rendering
2 hrs. 53 min. | Released on August 27, 2007
Required Software: Maya 8.5 and up Project Files Included (37 MB) Learn a production workflow to shading and rendering using innovative techniques for creating realistic humans from reference. Contains 3 hours of project-based training for artists learning the technical and artistic processes of creating digital doubles for use in Film and Games.
Popular highlights include: Fast Skin Shader in mental ray; Sub-surface Scattering Techniques; Generating Sub-dermal Maps; Generating Epidermal Maps; Creating Shading Networks; Adding Bump Maps; Adding Specularity; Scene Maintenance; Creating Hair Strands with Paint Effects; Adding Digital Makeup; Creating Lighting Setup ; Effects of Light on Skin.
Disclaimer: Some photographic reference contains nudity and is intended for mature audiences. course Maya Modeling Techniques: Automotive
9 hrs. 52 min. | Released on May 2, 2007
Required Software: Maya 8 or higher (Maya 8.5 required for project files) Project Files Included (14 MB) Learn a production workflow to automotive modeling and a multitude of techniques that can be used for film, games, commercials, and car design with 10 hours of project-driven training. Great for intermediate artists seeking fresh techniques.
Popular highlights include: Establishing Automotive Line Flow; Creating NURBS Curve Framework; Modeling Contoured Panels; Adding Sub-D Resolution; Avoiding Creases and Dents with Edge Spacing; Adding Scoops to Curves Surfaces; Extracting Useful Geometry; Mirroring Detail; Troubleshooting Common Edge Loop Issues; Creative Uses of Extrusions; Converting Between Geometry; Moving Points Along Normals; Adding Tire Tread with Bump Maps; Modeling using Deformers; HDR Lighting Setup; mental ray Shading Techniques; Automotive Terminology and Concepts. course mental ray Rendering Techniques: Interiors
3 hrs. 51 min. | Released on April 2, 2007
Required Software: Maya 8.5 or higher Project Files Included (18 MB) Learn a production workflow to rendering interior sets and time-saving mental ray techniques that can be used for Film, Games, and Architectural Visualizations. Contains 4 hours of project-based training - Great for intermediate artists.
Popular highlights include: Setting up Environmental Geometry; Light Placement Techniques; Emitting Photons from Light Source; Visualizing Photon Maps in Viewport; Tuning Photon Intensity; Smoothing GI Photons with Final Gather; Incorporating Maya and mental ray Materials; Adjusting Photonic Attributes of Materials; Altering Geometry for Optimum GI; Rendering Images to HDR Format; Adding realism with Ambient Occlusion; Fine-tuning Renders with External Apps; Adjusting Exposure with Camera Lens Shaders; Using Multi-bounce Final Gather as GI Alternative; Creating and Storing Rendering Presets. course Introduction to mental ray in XSI
2 hrs. 27 min. | Released on September 22, 2005
Required Software: XSI 5 Foundation Project Files Included (15 MB) Learn the fundamentals of mental ray and begin adding visual richness to your work with 3 hours of project-driven training. Ideal for beginner to intermediate users.
Popular highlights include: Global Illumination; Final Gathering; Photon Emission; Render Speed Optimization; HDR Lighting; Caustics; Subsurface Scattering; Realistic Skin Effects; Cartoon-style Rendering; Depth of Field; Render Map; Lighting and Shading Nodes; Render Tree. |
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