I am trying to make a cool glass logo. When I make glass logos in a scene they work out great. the problem is that when I make a glass logo in space like above (I am makeing it an alpha) it comes out pitch black. I have over 15 lights on it and it is pitch black. So I noticed that it appears that light must bounce off something. I errected a huge wall behind the camera and then the lights reflected off the wall and hit the logo and it sort of worked. The ideal is for the lights to move around and the logo to sparkle and look all pretty. This first render had a really cool look..but it was to abrubt and freaky for the nice classy type look I am looking for. Any ideals anyone?

Here's what I'd do. Infini-D used to have a feature like your wall for reflections off chrome (and other reflective) surfaces. You can simulate it in RDS (and presumably Cararra, though I don't know the terminology used in C) as follows. Put some interesting image in the background in current scene settings. (I just did a little 128 pixel square blue and white cloud filter in Photoshop.) This will reflect off all the reflective surfaces you see. Then, put a solid color or some other map in the backDROP tab in current scene settings. Eureka! You have a solid colored background with your glass / reflective object. Hope this helps! - Chip

Actually it does a lot, but If I start putting things in the background can I still render an alpha around the orginal? With all that variance in the reflection I have a feeling that a standard Luma Key from an editing system will key right through the logo without a proper alpha in place. Ill be playing with this later on today so I'll let you know what I find..Thanks.

Another thought, then, would be to put your video clip in the backdrop, as opposed to the black. This way, RDS / C will create the composite itself. (Added benefit to this: if your glass refracts, it'll distort the images seen through it.) In this image, I put the same image that's in the backdrop into the background, tiled a few times horizontally 6 times (seamlessly) so the reflections in the letters will bear some relation to the backdrop we see behind and through the letters.

Here's the quick fix GIF.

And here's the still.

Wahoo!! Thats it! I just stopped my render..I really like how thats working..come on..share :) I have chips method working but I wasnt able to make a proper alpha...I was going to handpaint one in photoshop. Lucky for me this isnt needed 'till next week. I also started makeing a list for Carrara. Remember how you used to have infi-D and ray dream...one was supposed to be more for art and one was more for broadcast? I am making a list over the next week or so to send to eovia about what would be great for Carrara and Television production. ONce I get the basics in I'll post it and all you other TV people out there can add on :) I liked Chips ideal about just compositing it in Carrara but I cant make it accurate enough and Carrara's interlaceing leaves quite a bit to be desired.

Wahoo! Renderosity comes through for me again! I ended up useing both Mark & Chips method. I used the logotest1.zip as a base but then texture mapped some of the 'enviroment blocks' like Chip suggested above. Actually I sort of feel like a dolt..I was so close but yet so far :) Must be how all those scientists felt after they thru the weights off the tower of pisa (sp?) and found out that they fell at the same speed:) Its always easy after you see the obvious..... Thanks Everyone!