I am using Poser 8, and I am getting these huge, blotchy, over exaggerated highlights all over my models when I render using indirect lighting. It looks like someone has splashed them with clear coat. The thing is that it only happens occassionally, regardless of my render settings (it has done it with the Indirect Lighting Quality and Irradiance Caching nearly maxed out.) Even now I am trying to get Poser to do it so I can post a picture, but it won't. It seems to be unpredictable. It doesn't matter what material settings I am using and it does it with all types of lighting except the regular ones (Non-IBL).

Once it starts doing it, it usually keeps doing it. Things I have done that sometimes make it stop are changing camera positions and focal, or changing the render settings (for better or lower quality, it doesn't matter).

I think I remember reading that ambient occlusion can interfere with indirect lighting, but I don't believe I am using ambient occlusion.

I have been putting up with it for almost a year now, and it has become very annoying and wastes a lot of time. Does anyone know why it is doing this? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Do you have one or more point lights set to inverse square fall-off? If you do, check that the point light is not too close to a surface (wall, ceiling). If it is, the high intensity at the start can cause those highlights/blotches to appear. You can also set the light the linear fall-off which makes them go away as well (if the scene permits it)

Maybe this helps in your case

I am not using any point lights. The light set I used in this render is the HDRVFX Pond set that comes in Poser 8 if that helps. One is an infinite light and the other is a diffuse IBL.

I have never seen this. Are you at SR3.1? If not, then investigating is pointless, as the service releases do fix meaningful bugs. If you are at SR3.1, then we should investigate.

I was running at SR1. I have downloaded the latest update and the problem appears to be resolved. I have done a few of the types of renders that seem to aggravate this problem and it was fine. Only time will tell for sure, but it looks good. Thank you very much good sir; you have no idea the headaches this problem has been causing me.

Great!