• Working with Lumigons

    Over the past couple of weeks, we have explored many of the traditional light types, like Directional Lights and Area Lights. Luckily for us, we can use a number of different direct illumination lighting sources to illuminate the items in our scene. This week, however, we are going to expand our lighting tool set and explore creating Lumigons.

    Lumigons behave like any other light in our scene but are uniquely special. Instead of emitting light from a single point, like a Spot Light or Point light, Lumigons emit light from the surface of a mesh. We can transform the surface of any mesh in to a light source by assigning special material attributes to that surface.

    There are many benefits to including Lumigons in to our 3D scene, but the biggest reason to include Lumigons is control. Since the light is being emitted from the surface of a mesh, we can create custom shaped lights. Lights no longer have to be circular or square. Let's jump in and explore how to create Lumigons in our scene.

  • Cell Phone - Tex (50pts)

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    Project Due: Week 12

    Last week, we spent a lot of time flushing out the surface topology and shape of our cell phone. In part of this project, we will be finishing the scene by assigning materials, textures and placing lights. Apply materials, textures and create lights for your scene after you finish building the geometry for your phone. Analyze the surface attributes of the reference images of your cell phone and begin to establish a base color, specularity and reflectivity of your phone.

    Creating 3D models and renders for product shots requires a tremendous amount of attention to detail. Closely examine how the light establishes the surface characteristics of your phone. Does your phone have a matte finish? Or polished? Don't forget the classic 3-Point light setup we discussed earlier in the semester. Use lumigons to light your scene, not traditional lighting items. Please ensure your project includes the following required elements before you complete this assignment:

    • Geometry for Cell Phone
    • Geometry for Simple Scene
    • Materials and Textures for Cell Phone
    • UV Map for the keys and screen
    • 3-Point Lighting Set Up
    • Lumigons (at least 3)
    • Final Render Frame Size = 1280 x 720
    • Final Render File Type = JPEG
    Cell Phone Geo - Grading Rubric
    • MODELING

    • 10 Points - Perfect geometry that successfully captures an accurate shape of the object, no technical errors on the model. Clean, well designed geometry.

    • 8 Points - Good geometric structure but needs work on establishing the correct form of the object.

    • 6 Points - Satisfactory work that includes crossed polygons, duplicated geometry, poor construction practices and bad form.

    • 4 Points - Below average model that includes more than 3 geometric issues that are influencing the form of the model.
    • 2 Points - Poor job that includes 5 or more geometry issues that results in the unsuccessful construction of the object. Little or no effort put into the model.
    • TEXTURING

    • 10 Points - High quality textures and materials that accurately represent the surface characteristics of the model; no distortions or warping.

    • 8 Points - Cleanly recreated the surface of the object and included good image maps and textures.

    • 6 Points - Image Maps and Materials barely describe the surface of the object and do not match the size, scale or proportions of the model. Lacks accuracy and definition.
    • 4 Points - Low Quality textures and materials on the object. Noticeable projection issues that includes warping and distortions.
    • 2 Points - Textures and Materials are applied incorrectly and the surface does not match the reference. Poor job on applying accurate materials.
    • RENDERING

    • 10 Points - High Quality Render that includes the correct placements of lights and application of the GI system. Composition beautifully showcases the scene.
    • 8 Points - Good composition and lighting set-up, but lighting and camera placement does not showcase the models in the scene.
    • 6 Points - Average render that includes poorly positioned lights, inaccurate Global Illumination settings. Camera placement does not showcase the model.
    • 4 Points - Does not include the assigned lighting set-up or inclusion of the Global Illumination system. Camera is not focused on the model.
    • 2 Points - Poor render quality and that does not meet any of the assigned rendering requirements. Does not illustrate the model or scene.
    • CREATIVITY

    • 10 Points - The artwork demonstrates original personal expression , goes above and beyond the requirements of the assignment. Perfect portfolio piece.
    • 8 Points - The artwork demonstrates some personal expression and added a few extra elements that were not included in the assignment.
    • 6 Points - The artwork demonstrates an good amount of personal expression and included a creative approach to the assignment.
    • 4 Points - The artwork demonstrates little personal expression, problem solving skills and creative application of the tools.
    • 2 Points - The student put forth no effort on the project; class time was not used well; did the bare minimum amount of work.

    Examples of Successful Projects

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    Check out these awesome projects! The images below are examples of successful student projects. Use the following images to help guide you to your end results. The textures, materials and lighting on all of these projects really make these images shine!

    All Finished with your Homework?

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    After you have saved the project file on your personal external storage device (like a thumb drive), please upload your Luxology Scene File (.lxo) and your rendered image (.JPEG) to the Cell Phone Tex dropbox on D2L.

    Before you upload your files to D2L, please ensure your files meet the following naming conventions:

    • lastname_gcom_402_cell_phone_tex.lxo
    • lastname_gcom_402_cell_phone_tex.jpeg
    Submit Your Assignment
  • Lumigon Lab (25pts)

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    Project Due: Week 12

    Using what we learned in class, create a series of Lumigons and use them to properly illuminate a vase. You can find a series of vases or table decoration in the Mesh Preset library that comes with Modo 501. Please employ the 3-Point lighting technique when establishing your lighting set-up. Once you have placed your Lumigons in the scene, fire off a render at 1280x720.

    Examples of Successful Projects

    homework_icon

    Check out these awesome projects! The images below are examples of successful student projects. Use the following images to help guide you to your end results. The textures, materials and lighting on all of these projects really make these images shine!

    All Finished with your Lab Assignment?

    homework_icon

    After you have saved the project file on your personal external storage device (like a thumb drive), please upload your Luxology Scene File (.lxo) and your rendered image (.JPEG) to the Lumigon Lab dropbox on D2L.

    Before you upload your files to D2L, please ensure your files meet the following naming conventions:

    • lastname_gcom_402_lab_lumigon.lxo
    • lastname_gcom_402_lab_lumigon.jpeg
    Submit Your Assignment
  • Videos

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    Here are some important videos for this week's learning materials. I've created these videos to help you navigate the instructional content we covered in class. Make sure you add these important assets into your personal learning library by bookmarking them!