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Starship registry lighting? (3ds Max)

farshotfarshot171 Posts: 0Member
edited June 2012 in Technical Questions and Answers #1
Hello, I've lurked around here every once in a while. I make starship models for a game called Star Trek: Bridge Commander, things around 20k triangles, but right now I'm making a high detailed Probert Ambassador for a friend. (Going to use it to make spacewalk renders for a forum-based role play we're doing.) It's based off of Wiley Coyote's version of the Probert Ambassador, so don't nitpick on the ventral saucer paneling, I'm just trying to stay consistent with my source. :p

This is my first somewhat CGI quality project I've worked on, and I'm trying to learn some new things. As suggested by the thread title, I'm not sure how to make registry lighting. In fact, I have no real idea how lighting really works in 3ds Max. My computer isn't very good (it's decent, not a p.o.s.) so I'm looking for a relatively simple solution. I'd like it to match the lighting in this image:

uss_ambassador_07.jpg

And here's what I've got so far:

wip4.jpg
wip5.jpg
96307.jpg
96308.jpg
96309.jpg
Post edited by farshot on
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  • iczericzer171 Posts: 0Member
    #2
    I'm no expert, and others can correct me... But the registry lighting are spotlights on a 30 deg angle (not sure about that number) coming from the central hub of the saucer aimed at the registry.

    The example I uploaded, may not be the best.. but it will show what i mean.
    96335.jpg
  • MadKoiFishMadKoiFish9786 Posts: 5,321Member
    #3
    Truth be it looks like he used a unconventional lighting of the saucer. By placing spots on the outer rim then targeting them to spill onto the registry. Being a game model it likely is all baked in so replicating it with that sill might be a bit hard. Prolly end up using a shape or bitmap as a "projector"

    Traditionally it is just a single spot with a soft beam/field settings. Then using the far attenuation to dim the beam over a distance. The screen cap shows 2 lights though to create that halogen hotspot (probably better ways to do this too)
    reglights.jpg
    Each day we draw closer to the end.
  • Chris2005Chris2005678 Posts: 3,097Member
    #4
    Yea, I normally use trial and error spot lights, but as MKF said, you can use projector maps, which can project a particular shape of light outward... a grayscale texture works best.

    Here's a video I found on YouTube...

    Direct Link:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWwgHpKT3Qk
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  • farshotfarshot171 Posts: 0Member
    #5
    Yeah, on Wiley's the lighting is baked in to the texture's alpha channel. It seems obvious to me that Richter's uses spots instead of any baking. Baking is not really an option for me anyway. I'm wondering if the light hitting the registry is actually cast from the saucer rim lights. Judging by the highlights on the phaser strip, it seems that all that light is generated from the rim, but I can't seem to replicate it closely. Is it possible that the light casting from the edge of the saucer rim and the light hitting the registry are cast from separate spots?
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