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Magic Panels/ Magic Blades / Pretty Lights.....Individual bulbs.


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Hey All!

I'm fairly new to VW16 spotlight/renderworks.

So far I am ecstatic with what i am achieving, which is more for tech drawings and renders for pitches (I'm not an LD as such).

The main thing that I REALLY want to achieve on top of where I have got to is to achieve fixtures such as Aryton Magic Panels / Jarags / B-Eyes looking pretty, with renders showing their individual bulbs glowing in that way that they do when positioned behind an artist.

I've tried editing a 3D component of a Magic Panel but is hasn't really shown up in renders. This was making a texture with a glow and adding to the bulbs.

Also, is it possible to see the bulbs glow on fixtures such as sharpys?

Apologies in advance if my terminology is off!

Many thanks in advance...

Edited by bronski14
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  • 2 weeks later...

Bronski,

I think you may find VectorWorks a little limited in it's ability to correctly handle fixtures like this from a presentation standpoint. A single fixture with multiple light sources is definitely a conundrum for Spotlight type symbols. That said, here is a thought:

Create your version of the fixture and use an actual "lens" image texture for each of the LED "pixels". Make sure the texture is set to "Glow" and that the image will receive it's color from the class color. Make sure the lens part of your fixture is assigned to the Spotlight "lens" class. Also, Make sure you have your Spotlight preferences set to allow the lens color to change color based on the selected color in the fixture. I have added a clip denoting those preferences. Note that the class name for mine is specific to my company's template file. Yours will be different.

Attached is an image of a pair of Source Four PAR fixtures from our library; one Narrow and one Medium. The lenses add a touch of realism without slowing down the render process, or at least, not to a point where I can tell.

As to atmospherics, this will be a problem and this is the drum I bang all the time regarding Vectorworks. There is really no useful control of the light output. There is no way to set the origination size of the beam (in the case of the S4 PARs, the beam should start approximately 8" in diameter and instead, they both start, like all VW light objects, at a pin point). Secondly, there is no way to control any sort of realistic fall-off. There are settings for realistic fall off, but they are mostly useless as the diameter of the beam defines it's brightness (apparently like it is a solid piece of geometry) as opposed to it's origination point. We could create realistic fall off prior to 2011....but I digress.

What I have done here is take a Magic Panel symbol and use six light objects (3 across the top and three cross the bottom) set to SPOT. I reduced their BEAM to 10% and SPREAD to 30% and increased their intensity to 300% (more on this in a bit). Also, to fake the origination beam size, I have moved the lighting objects to where they are behind the actual fixture and focus through it as seen in the wireframe attachment. This works because the fixture default texture does not cast shadows. This gives the impression that light is outputting at the full width of the face of the fixture.

By using 6 light objects, I can simulate light output of 25 pixels without bogging the processor down too much. Just keep in mind that this takes six times as long to render as a single fixture more or less.

As to setting the intensity to 300%.... this is the big downfall of the current rendering options in Vectorworks. To create something that approaches realistic light emanating from the fixture itself, I boosted the light output as noted. As the beams of light get wider, they intensify and therefore, just a few scant feet in front of the lighting fixture, you end up with a "blob" of light that will completely obliterate anything else in your scene in a completely unrealistic and unable fashion. As we all know, lighting output increases with distance and spread.... If that were the case we could replace all those Strong Gladiators with flashlights. Again, I am getting snarky, but that is because I have been complaining about this for four years. My point to you is that you would have to spend a bit of time with each scene render to get the effect you are hoping to achieve based on the position of the fixture, it's particular focus and where your camera is located.

Hopefully this helps and I apologize in advance for the rant.

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  • 5 years later...
On 3/13/2016 at 4:26 PM, scottmoore said:

 

That said, here is a thought:

Create your version of the fixture and use an actual "lens" image texture for each of the LED "pixels". Make sure the texture is set to "Glow" and that the image will receive it's color from the class color. Make sure the lens part of your fixture is assigned to the Spotlight "lens" class. Also, Make sure you have your Spotlight preferences set to allow the lens color to change color based on the selected color in the fixture. I have added a clip denoting those preferences. Note that the class name for mine is specific to my company's template file. Yours will be different.

Attached is an image of a pair of Source Four PAR fixtures from our library; one Narrow and one Medium. The lenses add a touch of realism without slowing down the render process, or at least, not to a point where I can tell.

 

This thread is 5 years old, and here I am wanting to see the sources of lights I'm trying to render.

I don't see the files, or images listed, probably because the thread is so old.

Scott can you share again?

Has there been a newer and better method to see the sources or dots?

Thanks

-mickey

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On 4/10/2021 at 4:00 PM, Mickey said:

This thread is 5 years old, and here I am wanting to see the sources of lights I'm trying to render.

I don't see the files, or images listed, probably because the thread is so old.

Scott can you share again?

Has there been a newer and better method to see the sources or dots?

Thanks

-mickey

I’ll scrounge up some images for you. To my knowledge, there is no new “magic” in the VWX department, though the ability to do this has been available for years. 

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Here is an image of some lighting symbols using more realistic lenses.  These are all my proprietary symbols, however, this is easily enough achieved with spotlight symbols as well.  You will need to add a class to the standard set of spotlight classes for the lenses.  I perhaps suggest calling it "Lighting-lens".  In each fixture you can edit the 3D component from the Resource manager.  Once in the edit window, click on the body of the fixture.  The body of the fixture should be grouped so double click on that to now edit inside the group.  In most cases a fixture will have a physical lens in the model so you should be able to select that.  Once selected, you can add a texture to it as I have done and that texture should have a glow shader included and receive its color by the object fill (see below on creating those textures).  You will also want to move the lens to the "Lighting-lens" class.  Then exit the group and exit the symbol.  

 

In the FILE menu, drop down to "Spotlight Preferences".  Select "Lighting Devices: Classes and Color."  In the middle of the resulting pane turn "Modify Lighting Device Color" ON and then select "Lighting device set by color field" which means that the lighting device will respond to the color filed in the Object Info Palette or by directly editing the lighting information for that fixture.  Select "use color field for the fill color" because we are wanting to basically change the fill color of the lens object.   Finally select, "Modify only geometry in the class _________________ which is where you input your personal lens class.  Note that my class is specific to my workflow so that will not be something that shows up in your file.  

 

So now the color filed for that fixture will modify the lens class for that fixture and the result should show up on your lens.  

 

As to creating the textures, I just snag a screen shot of a lens that I find online and make sure it is cropped nicely.  

- Create a new texture

- Upload your image file in the COLOR shader.  VERY IMPORTANT!  Make sure that under the "Filter Color" pane that select "Use Object Fill".  Once you do all of the above, Spotlight will adjust the fill of the object (the lens) based on your selection of color for the fixture.  When the lens class changes, it will need to change the texture as well and this is the functionality that allows that.  Very useful for any number of other things as well by the way. 

- Under the REFLECTIVITY shader, select GLOW.  I would suggest an output of at least 100%, however, much higher than that will cause your colors to bloom.  You can decide wether or not you want the texture to emit light.  Frankly I turn that off just to keep rendering as efficient as possible.  

- Set the SIZE of the texture to the. size of the actual lens you are emulating.  This will save time mapping.  

- Lastly, MAKE SURE that under the SHADOWS pane you turn off BOTH cast and receive.  The way Spotlight fixtures work, there is a light source placed back and the yoke location and it has to shine THROUGH both the fixture and the lens.  If the texture is CASTING a shadow, that basically means it s like throwing a piece of sheet metal where your lens is supposed to be.  Not good.  

 

I hope that helps.  

Screen Shot 2021-04-11 at 8.32.50 PM.png

Screen Shot 2021-04-11 at 8.41.10 PM.png

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