You know how lots of people got Vue 5 and tried all kinds of crazy images for HDRI image based lighting? I had the inspiration to try a large all black image with a big white spot on it. I think the results are very interesting. Once you have the map loaded up for IBL, you can highlight everything in your picture including the camera and spin it to change the position of the light. You cant effectively change the image position so just spin everything in your scene. Now the only thing to work out is how you have to fill the scene from top to bottom for this to work otherwise you see the image map in the background and I dont want to see the image map since it is a black void with a big white spot on one end. Let me know if you have any solutions or if this is something you have known about for months, or if it is something you are trying.

Interesting experiment...may give this a go

That is interesting. It seems like you can add lights by adding spots on the image map, huh?

I am having trouble uploading images here, but just tried a quick example and got pretty good results. Thanks for the heads up tlaloc321, and for the kind words in your IM

You should be able to use a different image for your backdrop. Am I wrong?

That is the thing, as far as I can tell (and I have read this on the net as well) when you set up Vue 5 to do an IBL thing with either Global Illumination or Global Radiosity you are stuck with that image pasted on a sphere surrounding your models. You can put a 2d plane or mountain or building or something up to block the IBL image but you can't use skies in the background. You can choose not to have Vue paste the IBL image onto the ground plane but as far as I can tell that is it. If anyone knows differently please let us know.

You could always render a sky in Vue, then use that as an alpha plane...just a thought, or as I like to do, use a real world photo :-)

now i have to admit my complete lack of knowledge - I need to go get schooled on alpha planes :( Thank you.

Finally able to upload pix again (swapped to Firefox browser). Here`s a quick render using a simple image for lighting

and here`s the image used for lighting. Simple but effective. Tlaloc321...do you want a few pointers with regards the use of alpha planes?