Wouldn't it be cool if Poser 5 offered atmospheric/volumetric effects? Your wish is our command! The beta Poser 5 Service Release 2 includes an all-new Material room root node, which allows you to create atmospheric effects such as fog, haze, clouds, smoke, etc. in your Poser 5 scenes. To select it, use the OBJECT pull-down menu in the same manner as if you were selecting the Background node. The Atmosphere node has the following attributes: - DepthCue_On: Checking the DEPTHCUE_ON checkbox enables depth cueing, which varies all surface material colors from their original lit colors to the specified depth cue color (see below). This gives an effect similar to enabling the Depth Cueing option in the Document window as described in your Poser 5 Reference Manual. - Volume_On: Checking the VOLUME_ON checkbox enables volumetric effects. You can enable depth cueing and/or volumetric effects individually. - DepthCue_Color: The color to use when applying the depth cueing. - DepthCue_StartDist: Distance from the current camera at which the depth cueing effect begins. This distance distances is not necessarily displayed in Poser distance units at this time. - DepthCue_EndDist: Distance from the current camera at which the depth cueing effect ends. This distance distances is not necessarily displayed in Poser distance units at this time. - Volume_Color: Color of the volumetric effect. - Volume_Density: Strength of the volumetric effect. - Volume_StepSize: Distance between rendering samples taken through the volume. Lowering this value increases render quality and increases render time. - Volume_Noise: Random factor added to the sample. This attribute can help balance out the effect of larger step sizes (see previous attribute). You can connect nodes to the color and density attributes for more complex effects. Note: Bright infinite lights can wash out volumetric effects unless you use a very low density. Volumetric effects are most successfully used with both spotlights and carefully controlled density numbers. Also, Volumetric lighting effects only appear over a rendered object. They do not appear over an empty background, even when a background shader is in place. You need at least one object in on screen in order for volumetric lighting effects to be visible. Note: This is a "bonus" feature that is not yet fully implemented or documented. As such, we are unable to offer technical support, although we always welcome bug reports. Anthony Hernandez Curious Labs

Anthony, Thanks for the heads up. It is well appreciated. --lb

WOW!!!! WAY TO GO BOYS!!! I am soooo glad and excited about this new gift!!!!I just can't wait to play with it.... Come on Download....come on.....LOL THANKS CL ...THANKS THANKS and thanks again! ;)

THANK YOU!!!

Now, how about particles?

• walks away laughing maniacally *

great stuff..Anthony :) how about render times ?

Anthony, would you mind sharing some of your settings to help us understand it and make good use of this new feature? You have done great images....can you just give us some details about them? It would be great! Mychelle-Anne

These images aren't mine, but I'll ask the artists (CL's Joe Grover and Al Wilbrand) to post their settings.

Anthony, Thanks! This is exciting. Hope this addresses some of the 'C Exception errors'. Looks from the 'read me' that it might. Mahalo! And Mahalo to CL!

Thanks a bunch!! it will be very usefull for us!! I am trying it as we speak...I had no prob instaling the patch so far! keep in touch! ;)

Too Cool!!!!!!!!

Wow! I was just wishing last night I would have something that for a Poser scene I was working on. See, dreams to come true!!! THANK YOU!

oh. my. stunned

Yeah yeah, particles!!! Nice work CL, thanks! Although one thing does suck, I work in P4 now and my wheel on my mouse doesn't work, making me crazy...er lol Marque

Anthony, I want to know how the object in the first image was made. It looks like some type of hair, but how was it made? Beth

It's P5 hair on a sphere. Hopefully lawndart can explain in more detail how he did it.

The atmospheric lighting will add on to the current lighting. It adds up as you step through space. You'll probably get better results just lowering the atmosphere color value to make it darker in the atmosphere node, or by setting the density to a lower number. You can also plug a 3D texture (like turbulence) in to the color input of the atmosphere node. This helps a lot. Scale up the turbulence to scales of 8 looks pretty good. Currently, all lights in the scene will add in to atmosphere, so too many lights will quickly blow out the scene. You can adjust rendering time of atmosphere by taking larger steps through the space (stepsize). If step sizes get too large, you'll start seeing banding. Then you can add noise to it (1 or 2) to make that better. This can speed up atmosphere. But, in general, for many renders, the atmosphere computes relatively quickly (for what it's doing). Larry

heya, Dave-so, you might need to turn on shadows for the light that has the atmospheric effect. In PowerAnimtor, and Maya you use atmosphere on a light, and the shadows are how you get the "rays" haven't tried it in p5 yet

Hi all.... It appears, as Larry stated, to lower the density... The renders I did above definitly washed out the character. It seems difficult to not do that and still see any atmospheric effect. Also, you have to have an object for the light to hit....or will affect visible light???

This is a very neat feature. Thanks! :)

This looks really cool. What I would REALLY like though is if you guys added a simple point source light so I could put a lightbulb in the centre of a ceiling and light up a whole room. Another great lighting feature that wouldn't be too had to implement would be a universal ambience setting that adds a user chosen amount to the ambience of every material on every object in the scene. That would make lighting much easier to fake in room interior scenes.

hmmm. I can't get the above at all...the light cone does not show up.... My parameter dials are different as well...dist start/end are below the angle setings..also, no point at function... or do you have an invisible primitive cone in the scene

No, a single spotlight.

Light parameter tab, check "Spot Light" Then Object > Point at... Pick the figure's head or something.

Another hmmmmm.... Then I can't see the light :) I must be doing something wrong... could someone run through step by step...render settings and so forth ???

same here Dave-So...I haven't succeed yet...and my panels are also different from yours nerd 3d...I wonder what I am doing wrong??? all I got is a white ball...shall I put a black background??or is there a global light setting?

I think we have a different program...again

Hang on folks, I've got a render running. I'll whip up a quick tute as soon as it finishes...

Thanks Nerd, for your help!!I feel sooooo un-smart right now!! LOL

I menat angle start =0 angle end =30

nope...if I put a primitive...make it about 98% transparent, I get light on it....can add turbulence etc..some cool effects, but the light itself does not show any volume....

you have to have a backdrop or something else in the scene ???? Sorry...just keep trying..I do have a cool one about to pop out :)

I really begin to think that CL sent me an earlier version of p5 and that the patches just won't work...why are my panels different from the ones I see here? Also I can't get any volumetrics at all...just on the object...not around it...I only get the flat background color? Anthony?? is it possible that some of us have not the same p5 version as the others??

Yo..neftis...my panels are different as well...were yo in that first shipment ?

I would say in the first 'in Europe'...and you?

I got mine on 9/13/02 and my panels are the same. But I'm not getting the volume in the light. :(

Gee...I feel better now that I have tried with a backdrop!!!! LOL If you don't want to feel idiot like I do now...just put a backdrop behind your scene ok? ;) THAAAT was my prob! little little neftis....so little....

can we clear the materials manually yet, or is it still "close down Poser and restart"?

No one said to use a backdrop...but in the readme it says that it only affects objects...in my early, terrible renders, I used a transparent cone, but I had the volume density too high, so it washes all out as its too bright. that last one has a backdrop, and you can see it in the one by alamanos. BUT, Anthony stated you only need the light..so I'm still not sure about the whole deal :) I have another rendering with turbulence in the volume color channel...but when you look at it, the light appears to be only at the backdrop, not enveloping the character.

Figures! Nerd gets it, he has his backdrop prop. ;) Maybe that could be added to the readme. Well it does work. :)

It does say that you have to have an object in there for the effect to render over (even if it's just a backdrop)

well guys...it really works...but I defenatly need some practice...not today tho...it is already 6:12 am here...I haven't slept all night...so I'm off to bed! Hugs to all! ;) Mychelle-Anne