I'm experimenting with different lighting but my experiments keep failing. Texture maps for v3/m3 are very pale when viewed in an image editor, but when applied in poser they're extremely.... ethnic? And I'm thinking this has a lot to do with the lighting. So, anyone out there have any suggestions for the best light setup for poser 5?

Use anything but the P5 default lighting. ;-) RuntimeDNA has the best free light sets. If you're a DAZ Platinum Club member, there's some nice light sets for $1.99 each as well. Hope this helps, Cres

Don't use Poser! ;0) But if you must, Crescent's suggestion is best.

It's worth just fiddling with the lighting. I've noticed that if you're looking from the wrong direction, relative to the main lights, you do get the effect you describe. The default sets are not good for all-round viewing, but you don't need a lot of lights if you arrange them for the render you're planning. Unless you want in-scene light-sources, the default global lights can replace what would be a lot of light sources out-of-shot on a film set. Don't forget the colour of the lights. It's tricky to do colour temperature well with RGB, but a clear sky is going to put significant blue light into shadows, compared to the yellowish sunlight. And then our eyes adjust the whole scene so we "see" white light.

I guess it depends of what style of lighting you want. I am very impressed with the premium lights by JenniSjoberg myself...

Environment creator seems to be kinda fun to use, but be ready to push a good machine on it and fiddle slightly with python script fixes. Its not a clean install but it is workable.

Lighting is always render specific - especially in P5. There is no "generic" lighting that will look good from all angles and for all pics. Lighting must be learned for P5 -- even purchased sets only go so far. and for 4140 -- wait a sec. I've been doing it to the east. OMG!! Best switch now...

The default lights have one advantage: They provide a nice, even lighting when posing and settig up the scene...

When it's render time, delete them and set up something else. I have a few "start sets" I have created for different purposes, I load them as a starting point and adjust them for the specific scene. They usually consist of a few white spotlights arranged in a photo studio fashion. From there, I can add any additional spotlights I need for the scene and get a good result.

There are a few tutorials around that deals with lighting set-up, you should be able to find something in the "Poser back room" here by clicking on the Poser Forum banner above. Arranging a simple light set by yourself isn't that tricky once you get a feel for how the Poser lights behave. It takes a little time experimenting, but it's worth the effort!

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/messages.ez?ForumID=12356&Form.ShowMessage=1963848&Reply=1964200#8

Hold on to your socks for a few days- I discovered a whole new lighting technique for use in P5 that will create a whole new type of light source that we poser users havn't had before. I've been working on it for more then a month to get it's limitations down right. Should only be a couple more days if I can get the time before I post it. and no 4140- it's not the holy grale-lol-it's something else. "pointlight, pointlight, pointlight." "pointlight, pointlight, pointlight." "pointlight, pointlight, pointlight."

Poser 5 with firefly renderer needs other lights (less) than other rendering. The 3 lights setup (main, fill, back is often a good starting point except when you want something special. There are many free light sets available, also here at R. Try them out and try to grasp why and how a result is obtained. Then try to tweak to see how you can come closer to your ideal. Then use Save as to create your own set. Also don't forget to use the Point at option. And start with white lights.

My own experience with spotlights is that Poser doesn't handle them well. The little lighting palette is great for setting up global-type lights, but it only changes the direction of lights, and for spots you need to move the actual light source. So remember that you have more than one camera. Set up a second camera with a wide view angle from a considerable distance, so you can see where the spotlights are, and use those views to adjust their position. One of my weaknesses is that I still struggle to connect some of the numbers on the parameter dials with the scene. I find I need to see the lights.

And don't forget that each light has its own "shadow lite" cam.
Looking through this can help you position a specific light ('cos if you bring up the properties for the same light, as
you alter the x/y/z etc values, the view shifts accordingly)

Once you've got the light positioned, you can work on the values..

But it's still "suck and see"; what looks good in preview mode often sucks in the render:-))

Chers,
Diolma
(Can't spell "Cheers.. I've drunk too much..)

Message edited on: 10/13/2004 17:06