I know this is probably silly, but I cannot figure out how to light a sky dome without over-lighting the forefront scene.  I have tried an infinite light pointed up without shadows, but this lights scene props and people from below.  I put a spotlight above my scene and aimed it up, but it seems difficult to brightly light the sky dome no matter how high I drive the spot light.

Does someone have a good technique?

Thanks.

Make it 'self-illuminating'. Just plug a shader into alternate diffuse.

IsaoShi:

Thanks for the advice.  Do you know where I can read up on plugging in shaders?  I haven't developed any expertise at attaching or using nodes other than to fiddle around and see what works.

Thanks.

Klebnor von der Untenkeller

Umm.. not sure about tutorials -- look for any on using the Materials Room.

But for now... select the sky dome, then go into the Materials Room. Select the Advanced tab. If there is something plugged into the diffuse socket (top one) you can leave it there, but click and drag the plug for that node onto the Alternate Diffuse socket. Then set the Diffuse and Specular values to zero - the Alternate Diffuse node takes over the lighting of the skydome.

If there is nothing plugged in anywhere, click on the Alternate Diffuse socket, click New node, click math, then click simple colour. Select the colour you want. Also make sure the Diffuse and Specular values are zero in this case.

I have attached a screenshot of the materials of an envsphere that I use. This is a more complicated shader setup that gives a double gradient.

To anyone listening, when adding a node to alternate diffuse to make a sky dome self-illuminating, do I want to add a diffuse lighting node, or a 2d diffuse node with a sky jpg image map?

Everything I try either makes the sky completely white, or black (I have no lights pointed at the sky dome).

Thanks.

IsaoShi:

Thanks for the help.  I tried what you suggest and here's what I get.  Still black.  I think the problem is that the node I have is an image map of the sky for the sky dome, rather than a math node.

Klebnor

Hey!  I got it to work!

I plugged the existing 2d diffuse image map node for the sky dome into the ambient color channel and ... Voila!

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

Now if I could just figure out how to get a screenshot into my post!

Klebnor der Grosse

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?thread_id=2746233

Not sure what is happening, then. I wonder if your skydome is set up correctly, with the normals pointing inwards. I can only suggest you try bagginsbill's EnvSphere, available from the link on the above thread. As always, he gives lots of explanatory information too.

Hope this helps.. I'm off to my bed now, work tomorrow.
Umm... I mean today.

Quote - Now if I could just figure out how to get a screenshot into my post!

Down below the reply box, where it says "Attach a File:" - click on "Choose..." to pick your screenshot, and it will be included with your post.

Hey, English Bob, thanks for the reply.

I assume you mean click on "browse", at least that's what is says below here.  That's exactly what I did, and selected the JPG of my screenshot which I had put on my desktop.  When I read the post, there was no file.

Is there a filesize restriction I may have violated (I think it was about 500k as I didn't use much compression).

The funny thing is, there was no warning and it took a few seconds to post - I assumed the file was transferring, but my post showed up - without screenshot.

Regards,

Klebnor

What the button says is browser specific, actually and language specific too. The file size limit is 200k, so that was what did it for you. :) 

Bob's yer uncle!

Not sure what it means, but is sounds appropriate.  Like baked beans with breakfast - sounds and looks strange, but goes well with bacon and eggs - perhaps I am becoming an Anglophile ;)

Thanks,

Klebnor

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Jeder Zug Fährt nach Nichteinsteigen!

Use BagginsBill's Environment sphere instead of a skydome, all the hard work's done for you.