Posts Tagged ‘Poser’

Tonight’s Theatrical lighting rigs is one of the most commonly used solutions to the question of how to light an actor. It has been in use for at least seventy-five years and was first described by Stanley McCandless in his 1932 book A Method of Lighting the Stage.

Even the best funded production has a limited number of lights available. So a rig which is effective and only uses two lights is extremely useful.

Two lights are placed so that they light the whole of the actor. They are placed to the front and the side of the actor.

With this rig you get visibility from the light coming from the front. With the lights being to the side you also get modelling. So long as they are high enough above the actor the shadows cast don’t become too large and don’t fall on to scenery or the cyclorama. They must however be mounted low enough so that light reaches the eye sockets, mouth and teeth.

All of the above images were made using Poser 7 and Vue 6 Infinite. They could have been made using any version of Vue 6 including Vue 6 Pro or Vue 6 Easel.

Last weeks theatrical lighting rig for Vue placed two spot lights at 45 degrees on either side of the actor but this can create unsightly shadows especially down the middle of their face. This week the same rig is turned so that one light now points from the front and one from the back. We’ve already looked at Vue Lighting Rig #4: Single Spot In Front and Vue Lighting Rig #3: Single Spot Slightly Behind which are similar to the two lights that make up this rig.

It combines both the advantages and disadvantages of those rigs and adds a few of it’s own. Light may be cast on to scenery in front or behind the actor but lighting to the sides of the actor is tightly controlled with little spillage there. The two shadows that are cast can appear unnatural. It is quite an efficient rig as it only requires two lights.

Looking at the actor we seen their face is now lit but there can be unsightly shadows under the nose and chin. The lighting is quite flat with little modelling. The back light reduces the flatness of the lighting adding highlights to the top of the head and the shoulders. This can be enhanced by adding a very small volumetric setting to the light. With real lighting it also back lights the actor’s hair but this is difficult to achieve when rendering.

All of the above images were made using Poser 7 and Vue 6 Infinite. They could have been made using any version of Vue 6 including Vue 6 Pro or Vue 6 Easel.

Last week’s theatrical lighting rig for Vue, Two Spots Slightly to the Side, placed two lights at steep angles to either side of the actor. This week’s rig is very similar except the lights have moved out so they are now at roughly forty five degrees.

As the light now comes from an increasingly lower angle the shadow cast on the stage lengthens and a larger corridor is selected across the stage. There is now a greater chance of light falling on scenery. More of the face is now lit with more light reaching the eyes, mouth and teeth.

A variety of similar effects can be achieved using a pair of lights angled at between thirty and sixty degrees. As the angle lowers more light reaches the eyes past the eyebrows and the shadow under the nose lightens too. One shortcoming of this rig is the tendency for a dark central line to appear down an actor’s face where the lights meet. There is also the obvious shortcoming, as with last weeks rig, that two lights produce two shadows.

All of the above images were made using Poser 7 and Vue 6 Infinite. They could have been made using any version of Vue 6 including Vue 6 Pro or Vue 6 Easel and Poser 4, 5 or 6.

This week I’m continuing my series of basic lighting rigs for e-on software’s Vue inspired by theatrical lighting techniques. All the rigs so far have used a single light but this week’s is the first to use two.

With two lights there is now light to both sides of the face. There are fewer areas of heavy shadow on the actor but there are now shadows cast in two. This is most obvious on the stage although they may show on the face or on the actor’s body too. With shadows in two directions we move away from any attempt to create natural looking lighting and we focus on lighting for emphasis and to illuminate the performer.

Using two lights has very little impact on render times compared to using a single light.

All of the above images were made using Poser 7 and Vue 6 Infinite. They could have been made using any version of Vue 6 including Vue 6 Pro or Vue 6 Easel.

This week I’m taking a break from working through the most common forms of theatrical lighting to bring you a Halloween special. This lighting rig is a popular lighting technique used in theatre and once popular in film and television although now more often seen in parody.

A light source shines from below and close to an actor’s face casting shadows from the chin, cheeks and nose upwards. The eyes are often left in deep shadow. The overall effect is disturbing and unnatural.

On the stage positioning a light like this can cause some difficulty. A bright torch held by the actor or a prop concealing the source may be used. Spill light often needs to be avoided or the effect can be spoilt.

This effect can be very dramatic and the colour of the light can have a big effect on the mood created. A powerful white can turn the face in to a mask while less power can make it ghost like. Blue light gives a cold icy look. Red is demonic and devilish. Green can be sickly and is often used for witches brewing at a cauldron.

All of the above images were made using Poser 7 and Vue 6 Infinite. They could have been made using any version of Vue 6 including Vue 6 Pro or Vue 6 Easel.

1. A reasonably up to date computer with at least the recommended specification for any of the software.
2. For landscapes I use Vue. There are different versions Vue 6 Easel is the cheapest and a good starting point or if you have a bit more cash to spend get Vue 6 Esprite. Once you know what your doing you’ll probably want Vue Infinite, which I use and which was used for Pirates of the Caribbean II and III.
3. For adding figures Poser 7 and a willingness to overcome an interface which many find frustrating. The alternative is Daz Studio which is free and has a nicer interface but doesn’t work as well with Vue.
4. To touch up or play with your finished pictures Photoshop Elements is a good choice. I find Photoshop elements does most things I want to and isn’t going to set me back by a huge chunk of cash. If you want to dive into animation you can get Premier Element bundled in too but I’d get the hang of the basics of still 3D work first as animation is a lot harder to learn.
5. Vue 6 Revealed is a good book to help you learn.
6. For sea pictures Monsoon’s Sea Vue adds some nice extra stuff you can use in your pictures.
7. For space pictures Monsoon’s Postcards from the Rim.
8. For landscapes the TerraPak toolkit for Vue 6 is a great starting point.
9. Vue comes with some plants but you’ll probably want more. Realms Art, Martin Frost and Linda Daireaux’ Incredibly Lush plants at Cornucopia 3D are all well worth considering.
10. I’ve been a member of Daz’s Platinum Club since it launched. It lets you buy lots of Poser and Daz Studio stuff cheap or at a discount. Once you’ve got it you’ll probably want Victoria 4 and Michael 3 and some of their basic clothing packs. I’d suggest restraint though. Don’t get drawn into buying every shinny new outfit with a discount. Buy the ones you need for a specific picture when you’re going to make it.
11. If you got Vue 6 Infinite and you’re working with Poser figures SkinVue and the Daz and/or Poser plug in depending on which figures you use will improve the look of your figures in Vue.
12. Keep and eye on 3D World Magazine and to a lesser extent ImagineFX and some of the other computer graphics magazines like Computer Arts for useful free stuff and tutorials. I’d be careful of Digit as it’s cover disc often sounds more tempting than it really is, in my opinion.
13. Time to work through vue tutorials, time to spend on vue forums asking questions and time to play more.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

Made with Poser 7, Vue 6 and post processing in Photoshop Elements

This lighting rig is one I used a lot when I first did lighting for plays at school. We didn’t have many lights and we had even fewer channels for controlling them on our lighting desk. A single spot light is aimed so it is pointing down from the front at an angle of around 45 degrees.

Light falls on the front of the actor illuminating their face and body. Their action and expression can be seen by the audience. This rig, like all the rigs so far, is simple and quick to render with last weeks.

However it has a number of disadvantages. If the actor is close to the backdrop or scenery their shadow will draw attention to the stage and the artificial nature of the light. You can also see that there are unflattering shadows cast under the actor’s nose, chin and neck. This lighting is also very flat, coming from the front it does little to model to the actors form.

All of the above images were made using Poser 7 and Vue 6 Infinite. They could have been made using any version of Vue 6 including Vue 6 Pro or Vue 6 Easel.

This third of my lighting rigs for Vue following on from last Mondays Vue Lighting Rig #2. This week the point light has been moved behind so it shines on the figure including both the top of their head and the bottom of their feet.

With a single light source behind an actor no light falls on any of the facial features. Some light does fall on the top of the head and the shoulders creating highlights.

This rig, like the first two, is simple and quick to render with last weeks. The shadow cast on the stage is small but is longer in length than the first week. The actor’s shadow is cast forward on the stage avoiding the backdrop and any scenery behind them. With a little haze the actor is effectively separated from the scenery.

Since the actor’s face is in deep shadow strong colours and bright volumetric lighting can be used effectively to create dramatic effects. This second example shows the use of both these lighting techniques.

All of the above images were made using Poser 7 and Vue 6 Infinite. They could have been made using any version of Vue 6 including Vue 6 Pro or Vue 6 Easel.

This second of my lighting rigs for Vue and another really snappy title following on from last weeks Vue Lighting Rig #1: Single Spot Overhead. This week the point light has been moved slightly to one side and angled so it shines on the figure including both the top of their head and the bottom of their feet.

This rig shares the advantage that it is simple and quick to render with last weeks. The shadow cast on the stage is small but is longer in length than last weeks. There is more chance of a shadow falling on the scenery. It is quite dramatic.

A figure lit in this way has more of their form revealed and some light may now reach the eyes and the mouth on the side the light falls on. While it is still not a great rig if you want to see a performers expression it may be used if the aim is to create a mysterious mood.

All of the above images were made using Poser 7 and Vue 6 Infinite. It could have been made using any version of the current versions of Vue 6 including Vue 6 Esprite or Vue 6 Easel.