I am looking for links to tutorials on setting up and using Image Based Lighting in Poser 6.  Any pointers are appreciated.

Attached Link: http://market.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?thread_id=2662390

There are dozens of tutorials in that link.  Many on IBL.

"It is good to see ourselves as others see us. Try as we may, we are never
able to know ourselves fully as we are, especially the evil side of us.
This we can do only if we are not angry with our critics but will take in good
heart whatever they might have to say." - Ghandi

The current issue (available for free for the next day or so so grab it quick) of 3rd IDmension Graphics eZine, has a great tutorial written by Traveller from RuntimeDNA which covers in depth the IBL functions form start to finish.

www.3rddimensiongraphics.net

 

♠Ω Poser eZine Ω♠
♠Ω Poser Free Stuff Ω♠
♠Ω My Homepage Ω♠

www.3rddimensiongraphics.net

 

RuntimeDNA have a short one at the bottom of  their home page. And I'm sure I've seen more there I think its in their archive.

Attached Link: IBL tutorial at RuntimeDNA

This is a good one by Olivier.

All of those plus more  are in the list of links in the  thread I linked to.  :b_tonguewink:

"It is good to see ourselves as others see us. Try as we may, we are never
able to know ourselves fully as we are, especially the evil side of us.
This we can do only if we are not angry with our critics but will take in good
heart whatever they might have to say." - Ghandi

I know, but the request was specifically for IBL tutorials, so why have to wade through loads of links when one may suffice? I know which path I'd rather take :)

After wading through the tutorials, thanks Acadia, I think I have some things to add.

Olivier's excellent tutorial at RDNA got me thinking, so I set up a "flexible" IBL material using bagginsbill's matmatic and rolled my sleeves up:

No Lights - or 6 Lights
Folks often refer to the IBL as if it wasn't a "real" light.
However, the IBL map is often divided up into 6 areas, or directions (in fact they are infinite - but 6 is easier a lot to think of) from which the light is coming..
What people don't always get is that they can be considered as 6 seperate lights, where the area in the map defines the colour and the intensity of each.
The image posted shows the 6 areas (the outer part is all the "behind" llight) in the IBL map and the corresponding render.

This is where folks say, "That's cute" and stop, but let's go further.....

My favourite question is "Why?", my second favourite is "Why not?"

Let's test my little 6 light-theory* by turning each one on separately. Attached is a composite image of the 6 renders, the dark one in the bottom corner is from the "behind" light.

(* of course it works - or I wouldn't be posting it)

My favourite question is "Why?", my second favourite is "Why not?"

....so what?

Well, most of us are used to using a three light set-up.
I've got six here so I can do that (or better?).
What we need to do is to forget those wonderful psychodelic globes and do something more down-to-earth.
Let's put in a warmish Key light from the Right (upper),  a colder fill from the Left and a White profile light from behind. (I set up a shader tree in the material room to make this easy)

Here is a render of out-of-the-box Aiko - for "no" lights that's not too bad. A little dark maybe, but that's my fault, not the light's.
(Ambiente Occlusion is ON, so we get some shadows).

Seeing as the IBL map is just a material, I applied it to a one-sided square so you can see the map in the render.

My favourite question is "Why?", my second favourite is "Why not?"

Other observations:

It makes no difference at all to the render where you position the light.
However, if your IBL lighting has a direction to it - as is the case with Aiko above, then you should put the light at an angle corresponding to the "Key" light in your IBL to get the preview to look right.

Important: IBL is based on world coordinates. The lights will work as expected only if your camera is straight on from the front.  Shoot from behind and they get reversed.

Well, that's all I remember for now - just hope I cleared some things up, and didn't just add to the general confusion that seems to surround this topic.

Rô

My favourite question is "Why?", my second favourite is "Why not?"

Thanks for the replies.  Reading this and some of the tutorials that Acadia linked to have answered a lot of my questions.  I am currently working on an image that had me stumped and it is going better now.  Thanks again...