CompuServe Thread

s_H_A_D_O_W_s_

6 messages in this thread
#128159From: Gary L. AngleOct 10, 1994 2:13 PM
G I'm having a heck of a time understanding the shadow popup and some other related things: 1. I don't understand the effect that Bias, Sample & Range have on my image's shadows. Just experience and tutorials will help I'm sure but why is shadow creation so complicated? Am I supposed to know these attributes before the shadow comes up? I probably can't see the creative potential that these concepts will give me in other types of work. 2. Why couldn't there be a preview window in the shadows pop-up for shadow optimizing. 3. The best possible shadow I can get from a smooth edged building is still detatched and looks like the shadow cast by some gothic-spired cathedral! (cool where appropriate like in the case of very plain bldgs) It's kind of like a model of a box casting the shadow of a bat wing. This whole thing is casting a shadow over me..yuk, yuk, Gary
#128207From: Yost GroupOct 10, 1994 7:39 PM
Tutorial #13 and the Shadow Parameters section in the Reference book give you a detailed description of what the buttons do. Once you understand that, you should make a simple scene with a single shadow-casting light and experiment. A preview window wouldn't work because the effects are all scene-dependant, and it would take just as long to do that as to render a region of the screen. If you best shadow you're getting is still heavily aliased, then your map res isn't high enough, your light is too far from your scene, or the light's falloff cone is too wide.
#128244From: Gary L. AngleOct 10, 1994 10:27 PM
G Thanks for the response. I can understand that the preview wdw is not workable but couldn't the materials editor take part in shadow creation? Shadow mapping could have as much color complexity as real world shadows. The reference bk and I will be as one, I will be tutorial 13! Thanks, Gary
#128477From: Arturo SinclairOct 12, 1994 12:01 AM
Hi, I have an intermittent problem with shadows. I have a very large scene with 15 spotlights, all casting shadows. if I render a single frame all shadows seem to be right, but if I render a sequence of targas or an FLC then some shadows dissapear or show only on the las frame, I have tried different resolutions, checked all the lights etc. Since every frame takes at least 20 min on my Pentium 90 it is very frustratin to see an animation after a long night without the proper shadows. Any ideas?
#128544From: Jonas Ruikis [ADESK]Oct 12, 1994 10:10 AM
Arturo, << . Any ideas? >> Sure.. review pg 7-160- 7-163. Note the use of MAP BIAS, MAP SIZE, MAP SAMPLE RANGE, etc.. Note especially the default map size and how this relates to your scene. jonas[adesk]
#128550From: Yost GroupOct 12, 1994 10:18 AM
Are they all mapped shadows, raytraced or a mix? – G