P8, Windows 7.

I'm working on an IDL scene that is too ambitious for my computer so I want to break it down into layers. I don't have postwork software, so my layering is done render on render. Before IDL, I would simply render the background, export it as a jpeg, import that jpeg as a background  and then render the foreground with shadowcatcher enabled. But with IDL and a skydome, that poses a whole new problem because the skydome will block any background picture.  I have an IDL cove (background prop); should I texture the cove with my first render (background)?

Hmm. I think I would put the first render on a simple plane, image map connected to ambient, and put the plane where the render should be. A cove would work as well, but may distort the render. But putting something with the first render within the picture should work IMHO.

Just use the skydome out of sight to provide the lighting for IDL.  It does not need to be visible at all for effects.

I'll try both solutions.

Does shadowcatcher apply (work) in IDL?

It should.  I don't see why not.  No user outcry.

shadowcatcher works for direct lights, IDL or not. But from my experience, the indirect light isn't shadowed. If that's a problem or not will depend on your lights, mostly it's not a problem.

Hi there forgive me, what is IDL?  While I know what a skydome is but what is it in Poser?

As directly quoted for the PoserPor 2012 Reference Manual:

"Poser’s indirect light feature provides increased realism by adding light that naturally bounces off of objects to illuminate other surrounding objects. To use indirect light, create a scene that contains objects from which light will bounce onto your figure(s)."

This feature is activated in the render settings of PP2010 & PP2012.

In Direct Light is as the word says.
Light that does not come from a direct light source as the sun, a spot or a light bulb, or a candle.

Everything, including "we" diffuse light we recieve it on our surface.

This In Direct Light shines on all what is around us.
Light diffuses into the environment ans shines on other objects.
A dull surface diffuses less than a shiney surface.

A mirror is as close as you can get to Direct light, but it still is In Direct Light.

IDL was introduced in Poser8  / PP2010, and Poser9 / PP2012 have it too.

Before IDL came along, we had to "fake" it.
Using AO (ambient occlusion) and IBL (Image Based Light).

Thanks a lot for this about IDL.  in my work before with 3D I knew this as radiosity.  I bought Poser 8 over a year ago but never had much of a chance to work with it till recently and did not read the manual enough to see IDL mentioned. 

Another question and this is and this is what startind my inquiry.  Is there a sky dome light or effect?  I am trying to create outdoor scenes.

Thanks

Copy-paste from one of my older posts.

BEFORE Poser8 we had AO and we had Image based Light.
Both are fake and try to give the illusion of natural light.
Nothing more, nothing less.

All light sets, build and sold before Poser8 are useless with IDL,(In Direct Light) that was included in Poser8 and the newer versions.
Using an older light set, and turning IDL to ON in the render settings, is like trying to unscramble scrambled eggs. 

In Direct Light is closest to the light we see every day.
Everything around us diffuses light. (Otherwise the objects would be pure black as in a black hole in space.)

Everything diffuses and reflects light in some way for us to see it.
But Poser?
Poser is pure math.
You throw in a light, and we SEE because of the diffuse color-map-value in the node.
Most objects diffuse at 0.8, so we mostly use 0.8 as the diffuse_value.

Most objects are rough, or shine.
We use Bump and displacement to rough objects, and can use specular, or blinn to make them shine.

Ha-ha-, but most shiny objects also reflect.
So we use a reflection node to make them reflect what is around them.

And some object even emit light? Like a TV screen , or a lightbulb, or a candle?
Well we can give them a color or a color map in ambient_color, and control the emitting with ambient_value.

The mat room in a nutshell and understandable words.
All other nodes are refinements of the above.

For those that do not have it yet.
Goto BB's free stuff and download his free sphere.
The sphere is a 750 ft wide Poser environment.
And this gives the ILLUSION of how light behaves in air.
Air is full of dust to diffuse light.
Poser has no dust, (pure math remember) so we have to create a dust simulation for Poser lights; the sphere.

Now load the sphere, and load a DEFAULT infinite light, and you have ONE sun, shining in Posers interface.

This, together with IDL gives the closest one can get to natural light.
Yes, put a sky image on the sphere, but BB explains that on his site.

For all else in your scene, you can get away with diffuse, and bump, and displacement, and specular, and blinn, and reflection as needed.
In an ideal situation, EVERY material should have some ambient.
But mostly we can get away without it as you will see for yourself. . . .

One single default infinite light inside BB's sphere is mostly way overdone in light already and the light has to be reduced to . . . start with something around 50-60% in intensity.

Bagginsbills sphere can be found in his freestuff
The link is in his signature in any post from him here.

Happy posering