Global Illumination: Exteriors

In this lecture on the subject of Global Illumination lighting techniques, Christopher Nichols discusses the subject of exterior lighting. This DVD covers a general introduction to the principles of Global Illumination, which are essential to the understanding of this specialized form of lighting. While the series primarily uses V-Ray as the render engine in a 3ds Max environment, those using other GI renderers will also benefit from the conceptual techniques described. From the general concepts of reflected specular and diffuse light, to sky lights and image based lighting with HDRIs, Christopher shows how to light scenes using real world lighting in a fully reflective environment. He also demonstrates how to tackle the issues of animation by finding the most optimal way to bake lighting for exterior sets. This series is geared toward the CG artist that already has an intermediate understanding of direct lighting and is making the transition to GI lighting.

• Principles of Global Illumination
• Specular and Diffuse Reflection
• Comparison of Different Techniques
• Sky Lights
• Image Based Lighting
• Using HDRIs
• Animation Issues in GI
• Baking Lighting Animation

1. It Is All About Reflection
2. Methods of Producing Diffuse Scatter
3. Environment Light
4. Image Based Lighting
5. Lighting an Exterior Scene
6. Changing the Mood
7. The Problem with Animation
8. Animation for Large Scenes

• Product Code: CNI01
• ISBN: 1-59762-948-0
• UPC: 805366015534
• Duration: 195 minutes
• Formats: DVD-ROM, Mac or PC only

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Christopher Nichols

Visual Effects Supervisor
Sway Studio

Christopher Nichols received a Bachelors in Mathematics and Fine Arts from Colgate University. He went on to get a Masters of Architecture from Rice University, where as a lecturer he taught the principles of architectural visualization and animation. After a long career in architecture, Christopher entered the world of feature film visual effects, specializing in color and lighting. Having spent several years at Digital Domain and Sony Pictures Imageworks, Christopher has credits on such movies as The Day After Tomorrow, I Robot, Stealth and Ghost Rider. He has spent several years as a cg and visual effects supervisor in commercials at studios such as Sway and Method.