Catching The Shadow in Lyghtwurx

[Dwight]

You will all know about the shadowcatcher shader that lets you plop an object into a context photo and capture the shadowform.

The stairs and a wall element to block the shadow as it goes behind the baluster are surfaced with the shadocatcher shader. Column to the right is an ArchiCAD model.

Right in the glove.

[Dwight]

and this shadow can be given any color. any color at all.

[Vitruvius]

Enough of columns in the kasbah: What about that book?

[Dwight]

That is an exercise from the book I'm posting today because it is not clearly documented in the GS material and many users could apply this trick right away to good effect.

Since this book project has to fit into my other professional work, I hope that you'll all have patience. It will be worth it.

A fellow still must earn his keep with the uncertainty of how a book project might go.

Attached is a public art proposal from yesterday - I, too, have given up on trying to make photo real proposals when a quick sketch render will do. That's a standard graphite setup with a graduated LightWorks background.

[Vitruvius]

That is a really compelling presentation drawing and very much along the lines of what I am endeavouring to produce.

I kind of eschew photorealism in favour of a more artistic approach because I think the less defined perspective is more emotive (or Less is More as some old duffer is claimed to have said). And the reality is that the less photorealistic approach is usually quicker and more fun to produce.

And I was kidding about the book - I know the life of the scribe is solitary and impoverished.

Cheers,

[Dwight]

My head is exploding with this project because it is so non-linear. It was one thing to have the nice ArchiCAD alpha channel dial-it-in materials with those rudimentary lites.

This lightworks is, in contrast, a squealing greased pig. I am eminded of trying to level a sextant with three mounting screws. You can't ever get it right. Like the GAIA principle, everythingaffectseverythingelseallatonce.

Like, go figure this dielectric material.

[__archiben]

Dwight wrote:
I'm posting today because it is not clearly documented in the GS material and many users could apply this trick right away to good effect.

ahem. call me stupid and paint me purple, but did you actually document it either?

would love to know a little more about shadowcatching. d@mn thing's always sneaking up on me . . .

~/archiben

[Vitruvius]

Simple Ben,

12:58pm GMT + 7 = about midnight + Vancouver time.

The poor guy is sleep deprived....

Cheers,

[Dwight]

Sometimes it is hard to know how low to pitch a thing. Some guys just need a hint. OTHER GUYS NEED IT SPELLED OUT.

Like if users know that the shadocatcher exists, the rest should be pretty obvious.

"Shadocatcher" is right there under reflection. Make the material, assign it to the tings you want to be invisible, yet reflect shadoz.

You build the model for that scene like this.

Did anyone NOT get it? This is 1000 words in the book, so yes, it IS a thinly disguised ad.

Taking paypal now. Send a PM for details. US$90.00 shipping in.

[Dwight]

To Ben:

You can temporarily escape your shadow by jumping from a high place.