General light settings before rendering?

[Anonymous]

Hello.

I have used ArchiCAD 10 for about 6 months, and as I get better at it, I have higher expectations to my renderings.

Is there any general light settings you should have before rendering? Now I haven't changed anything with regards to ambient, camera or sun, and I think that my rendered images are a bit bright, almost over exposed.

How many % should my ambient be at? I have changed the color to yellowish.

I have the light at yellowish, warm color, and not at full light intensity.

Should the camera-light-thingy be on or off?

Thank you for your time!

[Anonymous]

ju§titia wrote:
Should the camera-light-thingy be on or off?

"Camera Light Thingy Bad" - courtesy of DA

[Dwight]

ju§titia wrote:
Hello.

I have used ArchiCAD 10 for about 6 months, and as I get better at it, I have higher expectations to my renderings.

Is there any general light settings you should have before rendering? Now I haven't changed anything with regards to ambient, camera or sun, and I think that my rendered images are a bit bright, almost over exposed.

How many % should my ambient be at? I have changed the color to yellowish.

I have the light at yellowish, warm color, and not at full light intensity.

Should the camera-light-thingy be on or off?

Thank you for your time!

Thank you, junior.

Light settings are adjustable since rendering situations change.
Darker materials need more light, etc.

It is good you understand that light needs color, but ambient should be sky color since it fills shadows.

If you post something, I will say more.

[Anonymous]

OK, here's my point:

This does not - to me - look like a pleasant room to be in, in spite of what is (in my opinion) a nice interior for a business cafeteria.

I think this is because of the lighting! I'd like to give it a nice, warm feeling. Any suggestions?

In this image:

Sun: 80% - colored light yellowish
Ambient: 60% - colored very light blue
Camera: 100%

Lights: Light cone down, yellowish light, reduced light intensity.

HELP?!

[Dwight]

CAMERA LIGHT BAD.

Well, we DO have a problem if you think bland institutional colors like that make a nice environment. At least the wage slaves have a nice view.

CAMERA LIGHT BAD.

Institutional spaces usually compensate for their sterility with deep floor color and pattern.

CAMERA LIGHT BAD.

Generally, a one point perspective doesn't enhance space, especially when identical things are repeated in rows. Can you find a better viewpoint to de-emphasize these elements?

CAMERA LIGHT BAD.

For light: You've created a ghostly glow in the space that doesn't give it form - the chairs don't cast shadows.

CAMERA LIGHT BAD.

Pick a sun angle to shine through the windows. The bright areas of sunlight falling into the room will model it.

CAMERA LIGHT BAD.

DO NOT use architectural light fixtures to illuminate the space. They are just props - bring other lights to fake the illumination - think like a photographer - several large diameter light cones down usually do the trick.

CAMERA LIGHT BAD.

Roughen your walls- they are mirrored. Generally, rougher surfaces react better to light.

CAMERA LIGHT BAD.

Invest in a good book on this subject.

CAMERA LIGHT BAD.

[Anonymous]

I don't know if you "own" this board, but it wouldn't kill you to be nice. I asked for a reason, didn't I?

The walls are actually white. There is some wrong setting somewhere, but I don't know where. I have used light cones, but obviously they aren't intense enough?

When I turn the camera light off, the whole image turns grey-ish. Too little light, then?

[Dwight]

Why not put a large diameter light cone down up against the ceiling and see what that does.

And arrange the sun to shine through a window.

Think like a photographer.

[Dwight]

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS WHITE.
Let that be my second yell of the day.

You really make it hard for yourself to render a space when it is "white."
You already know that from the greyness of your space.
That's because the wall reflects too much light and, as i said before, your walls are shiny.

No real wall paint is "white" either - usually a complimentary or contrasting tint. In my house, we tinted the white to contrast the warm wall color. It makes the white seem whiter. Since wall paint is applied with a roller, the tiny dimples make interesting reactions to light. This is where soft shadows come from. Try tinting your walls yellow or brown slightly. This will warm the space.

Attached is an example of what light cone down can do - three in a row are capable of lighting a space.

[Anonymous]

I understand that I might seem really stupid to you, and maybe I am.

1) The sun DOES shine through a window. It is set to an altitude of about 40.

2) The walls do have a bit of yellow in them.

I said I had only been doing ArchiCAD for 6 months, so I think it's actually not that bad.

But I will try moving my light cone down's further up against the ceiling, and change my wall "paint", and see if it makes a difference.

[Dwight]

Another way to light a space is with general lights - this example has three general lights floating in the space and the sun in the sky. See how light penetration models the volume?