We have supplied a number of HDRI (High Dynamic Range Images) for your use.
Eight of these images have kindly been made available by Paul Debevec. Paul is Adjunct Research Professor at the University of Southern California, Senior Staff Engineer at Google (VR) and a Co-Chair on the Science and Technology Council at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Over the years Paul has been involved is some of the foundational breakthroughs for the VFX industry including the use of Photogrammetry (1996), Image Based Lighting (1998), the Light Stage (2002), Diffuse and Specular mapping of human skin (2007), the Digital Emily Project (2008) and most recently the creation of a real-time digital actor (2013). For further reading, see Paul's research paper 'Rendering Synthetic Objects into Real Scenes', or visit his website.
http://www.pauldebevec.com/Research/IBL/debevec-siggraph98.pdf
http://www.pauldebevec.com
These HDR images can be used as part of the lighting processes within a 3D application. The whole or part of the image can be mapped to either a Spherical/Dome or Area Light.
In the example to the right the HDRI has been mapped to a Spherical/Doom Light.
This technique is called Image Based Lighting and can be done in the following render engines for Maya.
• Mental Ray: Image Based Lighting (within Indirect Lighting render settings)
• V-Ray: V-Ray Dome Light (within the Create / Lights tab)
• RenderMan: Standard Env Light (within RenderMan / RMS Lights tab)
• Arnold: Skydome Light (within Arnold / Lights tab)
You can also cut out your main light sources from the HDRI plate and apply them to Area Lights to create a more physically plausible setup. This method increases realism because the lights are positioned locally within the CG space, matching that of the live action plate.
