Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/contest.ez?contest_id=435&ShowQuestion=13674

Hi I have been doing some tests with LDR using Environment mapping. Now, although this is a powerful technique in that the ground plane is also mapped (allowing you to have realistic shadows), the problem I was finding was that the background was always blurred. I have discovered that by playing around with the focal length of the camera you can bring certain parts of the background into focus.

This image link demonstrates a backround mapped using environment mapping ( This is an entry I have done for one of the comps running at the minute). Basically we are throwing away all Vues scenery generating ability and just using it as a model importer and LDR renderer. You can see a bit of distortion in the bottom left of the picure cased by the change in focal length. If I could come up with a way of avoiding this distortion then I think this would be quite a powerful technique.
I will try and maybe put together a tutoial at some stage if anyone is interested

Let me know what you think and thanks Veritas for putting me on this track :-)

DOH! Just realised that the competition I entered requested the entry be done in Poser so the link above may get deleted at some point. Actully come to think of it, since postwork is allowed on the image theres no reaon why it can't be a heavily postworked (by Vue) image (and the bus WAS exported out of Poser). Oh well, thats a separate topic I guess ;-)

A step by step would be nice stealth1701 :)

dotn forget stealth that you can put the lrd source on a alphaplane in front of the background which would still give you the ibl source but a non distorted background, and btw you can still include terrains/trees etc even tho ibl is @ its best used in closed environments theres nothing preventing you from using trees and stuff.

not sure if this would achive the result I'm looking for war2. Although the background image would be in focus there is no way to create a seamless ground-plane to cast shdaows onto using an alphoplane . Using Environment mapping, the ground-plane is created 'magically' and will receive shadows. I'm trying a few more tests and will post some results if I get any further

That's a scary render. Why school buses on the edge of a cliff with no guard rails? Carl