spotlight & rendering

[eamon]

hi all

I am still trying to crack how to render w/VW 2012.

I have drawn a fairly simple one truss plan on a stage. There are 6no pars & 6no mac entours. I wish to create a basic concert look ie 1 x blue back wash and the entours cutting through with gobo's and obviously haze.

My problem is that should I doing this in spotlight or renderworks? The controls for the rendering of the spotlight symbols seem to be very different to those used by renderworks and this is leading to my confusion. I have read manuals and online guides but I cannot seem to figure this out.

I eventually wish to submit this for a job proposal.

How does one achieve a simple look? I can never seem to import gobo texture's. I have attempted over the years and given up each time.

Can anybody give me a heads up with what to do? I just do not know to proceed.

The file is below. Please note, I am not looking for somebody to do my job but I am attaching it to give an idea of the scale and to help with any pointers etc.

many thanks

eamon

Edited September 1, 2012 by eamon

[grant_PD]

You could do everything you're looking to do in renderworks, minus the gobo breakups which are best done in spotlight.

If you're submitting for a job proposal, my recommendation is to get the look right without worrying to much about the details. You're probably experienced enough in the real world to know when you are being overly romantic with your rendering.

Looking at your file, it would seem much easier to me to drop in a light in front of your mfls, wide angled as a spotlight with smooth fallof, lit fog on. Place it just in front of each par, group them, angle them down like your pars are focused.

Do the same for each of your other lights (up lights, etc). You're halfway home at that point.

[eamon]

HI Grant

Many thanks for the pointer's.

To clarify, I have to place a renderworks symbol for every light I wish to render with? I was figuring this to be the case but it seems a case of double work load etc

One of the things that was confusing me was how to achieve colour's in the Lee & Rosco gel ranges or can you?

I know you can do some shaping with the shutter option within spotlight but how do you transfer this to renderworks?

As for the gobo texture's, I have never managed to import them properly!! Is there any tips or tricks you have for accessing them.

many thanks for the help.

eamon

[grant_PD]

You can go either way. If you fully utilize the spotlight function, you can turn the light on and it will set the symbols you are using to emit light, and then you can use the shutters in the OIP to adjuts, type in the gel color (it will match the color) etc. gobo textures are then available as are the ability to use the focus point tool..

the other way, the one I'm suggesting, is to just use the light tools available for renderworks and get the look the way you want it without having to get all technical with it. Unless you are doing some really specific shuttering, it's usually just a case of adjusting the beam angle (remember, it's not a real light, so it will do whatever you want it to) to work. Gel color is the color picker etc.

I always found the spotlight toolset to be cumbersome for rendering needs. The temptation to tweak endlessly became to great, and didn't really enhance the rendering, just made it more technical. But then, I'm not a lighting designer, I'm a concept rendering and production design guy.

There are tutorials I believe available to service select members for the types of in depth spotlight tools you are looking for if you go that way.

[eamon]

Hi Grant

Many thanks for the pointer's Sorry for the slow reply; the day job has kicked in!

I have taken your idea's & tips on board. I am getting somewhere with the render but am a long way off being top of the class...

Would you or anybody else understand how to render a gobo in renderworks? I have imported and placed a gobo texture and can see it but am unsure how to bring it into renderworks (if you can).

I can get the blue backwash to render and then it disappear's to black!Tis being a bit fun so far. I am just wondering what would be the method to have the gobo's cut through etc.

many thanks

eamon

[grant_PD]

Here's what I did to get a gobo to render with your lighting rig:

-made sure all of the lights were turned on by right clicking the light in the model.

-turned on lit fog in the light's OIP

-imported a gobo texture and assigned each light the same gobo in the lighting instruments' OIP

-assigned each one a focus point at stage level "G."

Using custom renderworks with everything set to medium.

Seems to work pretty well!