Introduction to Lighting Concepts and Rigs with Maya and RenderMan
Good lighting and lighting rigs are essential to any professional animator. In this course, you'll explore various scenarios to learn about the many components of any CG lighting and test your rendering with different lighting rigs. Software required: Maya 2016, RenderMan 20.8
What you'll learn
Knowing how to properly light your projects is essential for animators who consider themselves professionals. This course, Introduction to Lighting Concepts and Rigs with Maya and RenderMan, is an introduction to lighting and a look into development inside RenderMan and Maya and will help your projects reach the next level. First, you'll learn the main lighting technique (three-point lighting) while gaining a deep understanding of RenderMan for Maya. You'll also learn how to model a Cornel box, apply materials to test your rendering and materials surfaces, and use a basic HDRI to create a look development rig. By the end of this course, you'll understand how to use RenderMan for Maya in order to create projects that are well-lit and properly rigged--important skills you can apply to improve the quality of your future projects. Software required: Maya 2016, RenderMan 20.8
Table of contents
- Intro to Render Settings in RenderMan RIS 9m
- Intro to 'IT' Window in RenderMan 7m
- Intro to GI in RenderMan 7m
- Working with Area Lights Shapes 6m
- Understanding Light Color and Temperature 7m
- Understanding Light Components Weight and Light Normalization 9m
- Working with Barn Doors 6m
- Understanding Spot Lights and Distant Lights 7m
- Working with Environment Lights for IBL 9m
- Understanding Mesh Lights 7m
- Using Blockers and Gobos 9m
- Using IES Profiles 5m
- Three-point Lighting Overview 5m
- Initial Scene Setup 6m
- Creating the Key Light 8m
- Understanding the Fill Light 9m
- Creating the Main Rim Light 9m
- Creating the Secondary Rim Light 7m
- Adding a Kicker Light 7m
- Working with Emissive Lights 8m
- Fixing the Eyes of the Character 9m
- Working on the bg Lights 6m
- Setting up PxrVolume Material for Atmospherics 5m
- Rendering the Final Image 8m
About the author
Miguel Lleras Villaveces is a lighting artist and compositor with experience in animated feature films and VFX. He has worked for Blue Sky Studios, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and he currently works for MPC (The Moving Picture Company) in Montreal. His film credits include Epic, Rio 2, and the Oscar-winner Big Hero 6. He is currently working on The Fantastic 4.