INSIDE 3DS MAX® 7 [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Chapter 13. Lighting for Film, Video, & Games

By Jon McFarland

Lighting for a project designed for media broadcast (or even print production) differs significantly from lighting for other projects. Broadcast lighting usually entails lighting a CG model that will be composited with a background plate. This gives us the luxury, within the project's time constraints, to tweak the scene's individual components (such as shadows or specular highlights), but it also requires careful matching to the actual illumination in a real-world scene.

Video gaming, including console, PC, and online, is one of the fastest-growing entertainment sectors, and new titles and technologies push the need for qualified artists, especially lighting and technical directors who understand the particular needs of game production. Game lighting must illuminate what the designer chooses, but must also allow the scene to process quickly within the game engine. This often requires the effect of the lighting to be reflected in the objects directlya process called "baking"even in the absence of the lights themselves.

We'll cover several aspects of production lighting for film, video, and games, including:

• Using Light Tracer

• Rendering light elements

• Key, fill, and special lights

• VertexPaint

• Baking lighting