Question for the light boffins: using a meshlight (RealityLight), is it quicker than a material converted to light?

Quote - I like Windows 8, especially with the Start8 menu from Stardock. I've not been able to use Lux GPU rendering as it causes a crash each time. It might be my scene, I don't know. Reality works fine, so I'll install Windows 8 again sometime in the future.

I heard many good things about 8 from a guy who does comp stuff at work GPU rendering does not work for me in 7

Quote - Question for the light boffins: using a meshlight (RealityLight), is it quicker than a material converted to light?

I'd say thats a factor of the converted surface shape and enviroment, propbably the most efficient being an internal white sphere surface or white ibl.  

Not good in photogenic character though.  I come to beleive that attempting to max out efficency in lighting, detracts a lot form the image atmosphere

Quote - Question for the light boffins: using a meshlight (RealityLight), is it quicker than a material converted to light?

It's the same thing, an area light is an area light. What matters is how many faces it has (the fewer the better, remember quads are triangulated and count as 2 faces). Also, lights covered by another object will be very inefficient compared to an exposed lamp.

What I'm trying to do, is light up a carpark at night. The majority of carparks, especially large ones, have lights on top of tall poles.

Example

The lights will be out of sight. Somehow I suspect that one giant meshlight won't have the save effect as a multitude of single lights, e.g. shadows, etc. Think of lights around a stadium, same thing.

I'd bite the bullet and go for a numer of small mesh lights.

And if the eff is so low its impractical make them bigger,  increase their output in Reality and decrease exposure in Lux.

I'd use some fill, bounce and back light too

Quote - What I'm trying to do, is light up a carpark at night. The majority of carparks, especially large ones, have lights on top of tall poles.

Example

The lights will be out of sight. Somehow I suspect that one giant meshlight won't have the save effect as a multitude of single lights, e.g. shadows, etc. Think of lights around a stadium, same thing.

Doc, just getting caught up with the thread, but Reggie posted a matrix mesh light set some months ago. Looks like a 4x4 square of lights. I haven't tried it yet but scale it to size above your set and I should think that would give you your cross shadowing effects without manually arranging singular props.

http://www.sharecg.com/v/60375/gallery/21/DAZ-Studio/Reality-Lights-3---Matrix

On a separate note, I went and checked out all the links for the hair diddy program and Infinito. Looks cool enough to try, but like some others, I'm holding out for Allessandro's look at my hair plug-in. 

Looks like he (Allessandro) wrote the infinito terrain program too, coincidentally =D  I slapped that on the wishlist as well.

The thing I've found with using Vue to create a landscape is that they've made it exceptionally difficult to export a terrain. Everything has to go out as a separate prop, and it takes FOREVER for vue to write the save file for the texture and bump maps (talking a full day for one rinky dink 4kx4k desert set piece). They really want you to import into Vue and render in their program. It's nice, but its not Reality, not to mention the render engine is even slower than Lux when you get a rather complicated scene. 

End result, if you've got a renderfarm and extra horsepower, Vue can be great. Home users, ehh.. Just not worth all the extra effort, IMO. 

Not tried but you xould set the stadium lights up in a blank scene and create an IBL from it using LUX.

Not sure what you have to edit to get the EXR output in a usable firmat though.

Quote - On a separate note, I went and checked out all the links for the hair diddy program and Infinito. Looks cool enough to try, but like some others, I'm holding out for Allessandro's look at my hair plug-in. 

Looks like he (Allessandro) wrote the infinito terrain program too, coincidentally =D  I slapped that on the wishlist as well.

The thing I've found with using Vue to create a landscape is that they've made it exceptionally difficult to export a terrain. Everything has to go out as a separate prop, and it takes FOREVER for vue to write the save file for the texture and bump maps (talking a full day for one rinky dink 4kx4k desert set piece). They really want you to import into Vue and render in their program. It's nice, but its not Reality, not to mention the render engine is even slower than Lux when you get a rather complicated scene. 

End result, if you've got a renderfarm and extra horsepower, Vue can be great. Home users, ehh.. Just not worth all the extra effort, IMO. 

I downloaded the Vue PLE and it's nice, but too much work to try and use with Daz.  I've decided to learn Bryce since I already have it free from the same time I got Daz.  Sometime this weekend I'll do a Bryce to Daz scene and see how it all looks in Reality. 

Quote - Penny has an idea!

Boobies!!!!

First time I've gotten this error. I redid a scene to my satisfaction. (Luckily I've still got the first version saved and the Resources folder and the .lxs, etc.

But, when I tried to render this new version in Lux, it immediately aborted. In the Lux Log, it said:

[2012-11-24 14:34:16 Info: 0] Freeing resources.

[2012-11-24 14:34:16 Info: 0] Server requests interval: 180 seconds

[2012-11-24 14:34:16 Info: 0] Loading scene file: '/Users/s/ShimuzuPoseNo.lxs'...

[2012-11-24 14:34:16 Severe error: 3] Unable to open included scene file ShimuzuPoseNo.lxm

[2012-11-24 14:34:16 Severe error: 47] Unterminated string!

[2012-11-24 14:34:16 Severe error: 47] Parsing error in file '/Users/s/ShimuzuPoseNo.lxs' at line 42: syntax error

 Any clue as to why this happened or what this means? Is there any way I could easily fix this? (I really don't know much about computers or coding.)

Using Mac OS 10.8.2, the lastest version of Reality 2.5, and Lux 1.1.0

OK, quick thing I noticed. Does this have anything to do with the log error? The resources folder got named "ShimuzuPoseNo-Resources"

The other files got named ShimuzuPoseNo.2.lxm ShimuzuPoseNo.2.lxo and

ShimuzuPoseNo.2.lxs

In other words, the Resource folder does not have the "2" in its name. Could that be it?

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The naming occurred whend I "exported" the materials from Reality, before closing Reality and quitting DAZStudio.

By the way, I repeated this, shortening the name (the names given above are the new shortened names), to see if the "2" wold be included in the Resource folder name. Nope, didn't happen.

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I tired typing in the "2" for the Resource folder name. That didn't make Lux word either.

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So, I'm confused. I don't know what's going on.

Quote - The other files got named ShimuzuPoseNo.2.lxm ShimuzuPoseNo.2.lxo and

ShimuzuPoseNo.2.lxs

There is your problem. You have an extra period *No.2.lxm/lxo/lxs. Take out the period before 2 so that it reads No2. and try again.

Thank you very much, Doctorjellybean. That worked. Hmm, I guess Lux doesn't understand English language requirements. That is, No, as the abbreviation for Number, should be followed with a period: No., not No

This seems to be a no-no for Lux.  :D

Yes, but even Windows and most applications will throw a hissy fit with a period before the extension. The period denotes the start of a file extension.

I wanted to add more people, but Daz wasn't liking how much I already had in the scene and started crawling with one more Genesis figure. 

Quote - I wanted to add more people, but Daz wasn't liking how much I already had in the scene and started crawling with one more Genesis figure. 

Ambitious scene, love it. especially the person leaping from the top floor!

Next sale at DAZ get decimator, works great on reducing poly count and perfect for background figures.

I would have left out the aircraft and had another serpent coming up in the middle crushing a boat in two, LOL.

Nice one Bob, liking the green chick!

Thanks man its an alternate take on the Orions from ST

Attached Link: Cyclops

Attached Link: 'Hazy Day'

My first image I made in 3 months.. Not sure if this is the beginning of a new series or that it is the end of something.

Hope you like my 'Hazy Day'.

Quote - Hi guys.. (yes, I am still alive)

My first image I made in 3 months.. Not sure if this is the beginning of a new series or that it is the end of something.

Hope you like my 'Hazy Day'.

I hope it is the beginning of something And a very nice beginning this is too!

You have been missed! It's going to be very lonely around here this winter/Christmas if you wait another 3 months before posting again.

WB

Quote - Hi guys.. (yes, I am still alive)

My first image I made in 3 months.. Not sure if this is the beginning of a new series or that it is the end of something.

Hope you like my 'Hazy Day'.

beautiful image and welcome back. V4? Any chance of this in color?

So nice to have you back Charley

Thnx guys :)

yes, twice as big and in color will be posted. She needs another 24 hours 'in the oven' before I release her though..

Quote - Hi guys.. (yes, I am still alive)

My first image I made in 3 months.. Not sure if this is the beginning of a new series or that it is the end of something.

Hope you like my 'Hazy Day'.

Very sexy!  We've surely missed having you and your wonderful images here.

Attached Link: Cyclops

Attached Link: Cyclops

Attached Link: Cyclops

Attached Link: Full sized image

As promissed yesterday: the final version in color (final version is 66% of the original rendered size).

Quote -

 

As promissed yesterday: the final version in color (final version is 66% of the original rendered size).

I think this is what the Cyclops will want next LOL

Quote -

 

As promissed yesterday: the final version in color (final version is 66% of the original rendered size).

Wow!!!!!

Latest render fresh out of the oven.  This time.. I played around a bit in PS to see what I could do to it to change it up a bit.  Used a fave filter to darken her nipples and areola up considerably.  The high-passed them to bring the detail back out.  High-passed her lips to add a bit more detail.  Wanted to try for a bit of a glossy look on her skin w/o using reality's gloss settings... so i quick selected all the skin from the neck down... applied the plastic wrap filter and played around with the settings and opacity until it was nearly invisible.  I had intended for the floor to show the full parquet flooring all the way through the shot; but, the lighting added a bit of an interesting effect that I'm still undecided about.  Floor texture and wallpaper are freebies that I got off google images.

holy crap.. my post must have killed the thread

It is stunned silence :) Great render, btw. Where's you get that stool?

it's a freebie i found.. i can zip it and send it to you if you want.. no materials so i had to set them up myself

LOL but I am with you sharkey we need more native shaders!

Quote - it's a freebie i found.. i can zip it and send it to you if you want.. no materials so i had to set them up myself

I appreciate the offer my friend, but I doubt I'd ever use it anyway so not worth the bother :) Thanks though.

Quote -

 

As promissed yesterday: the final version in color (final version is 66% of the original rendered size).

WOW!! Stunning, much better IMHO in color.

Callad, that's a beautiful render! Love the pose too.

I have 4 different spots in the log with messages similar to this one: 

[2012-11-28 08:44:42 Error: 2] Error hashing file 'C:/Users/Brad/AppData/Roaming/DAZ 3D/Studio4/temp/d2.tif'

[2012-11-28 08:44:42 Error: 3] Unable to open image file 'C:/Users/Brad/AppData/Roaming/DAZ 3D/Studio4/temp/d2.tif'

your puter is french and decided u needed to render a mime?

Quote - your puter is french and decided u needed to render a mime?

:lol:

I suspect that when the PC was restarted, the image in the temp directory disappeared. They are supposed to be cleared when Studio shuts down, and recreated when starting Studio again. In cases like this, it is where one needs to check the Collect Textures option. The images in the temp directory are usually created by LIE, etc.

Quote - > Quote - your puter is french and decided u needed to render a mime?

:lol:

I suspect that when the PC was restarted, the image in the temp directory disappeared. They are supposed to be cleared when Studio shuts down, and recreated when starting Studio again. In cases like this, it is where one needs to check the Collect Textures option. The images in the temp directory are usually created by LIE, etc.

Yeah, I checked that folder and there's nothing in it.  

So is my only option to restart the whole render?

I'm really, REALLY unhappy with DS4.5.  I held off upgrading until just last week and I've had nonstop problems.  It took me forever to get this scene ready to render with clothes and hair that used to fit perfectly not going on at all, objects that I have to locate files when I load them in the scene, and now this. 

And I don't even have any use for the new stuff they added.

Me too its absolute garbage.  Stuff that used to work with autofit before like real world police V4 boots from shoe pack 2 pants from m4 cowboy no longer converts properly. When I re formatted I really thought of going back to 4.0 but did not due to wanting Reality 3 AND Paolo cant support past versions ect.

You could try reloading the scene in Studio, and see if that image file gets recreated. If it does (same filename), then see if resuming the render will fix it. Once it is going, then close DS and don't restart the PC until the render is done.