Lighting Tutorial for Gmax

[Gn_leugim 858]

Hello everybody =)

I've take some time in making this kind of tutorial, because I see a lot of people with some issues about lights.. so, after reading this I hope they can improve somehow..

Lets get started.. first we need a model to light up.. here is what we gonna use on this tutorial.

you should know hot to make something like this.. no, way better than this.. I made this in 2 minutes for the tutorial only, as I hadn't any model being done at this time

As you can see, we have a box, with two floors and four windows.. the tow from the left side have frames, but the right ones don't.. why? well,

 Step number one on lightning is how you texture your windows!!

for the left windows, we are gonna use a transparent glass texture.. like this:

after applied  we should get something like this:

How will the others be textured?

with a special texture.. both transparent and opaque.. like this:

as you can see on the material navigator, we have for the new material navigator two different maps, a diffuse colour and a opacity map.. this last map will tell where you will see the texture, where you will not see, and where you sill see it, while able to see through it, in this order, where the map is white, black and grey.. the final result can be seen at the viewport

after both textures are applied lets see how it looks..

both windows are a bit dark.. that's because the background can be seen through, so we have to change that too

we will do that by creating two rectangles (the same number of floors) and extrude them by 0,0m.. so we get flat planes which we put on the beginning   of each floor like this:

 

now let's do a preview:

Don't know what was better.. the dark or the pink

2 step is to texture right the floors!!

so we are going to select the pink planes and texture them.. with what? well, the best textures are more yellow, but also have all kind of colours on it.. shall have shapes on it too. having things that you should see on the building you are making is also good.

this is the one I'm using:

so, when you do a new preview again we should get this:

now they are much better now it looks like the house has life

Final step on lightning is the actual lights!

now we are going to compare the standard night maps used by many with the method we are using from the beginning.

first select both glass planes and change them names to: nite_window or something alike.. this will enable the night maps to these planes. after this, create a omni light, and add some colour to it, I usually make them like this:

and change its name to nitelite_1 for instance. copy it as much times as much windows you want to light up. place them centred with the window and put them ~1,5m away from them, next to the ceiling. through trial and error you will be able to adjust the multiplier to best results, and then you should get something like this

As you can see, there are some differences.. My method is more alive

and for now is everything hope I was useful

any questions are welcome =)

[JakeMD 107]

Would you like to see this in the Omnibus?

Great tutorial, would help any new BATer!

Also, you may want to change the topic title to "Lighting tutorial in Gmax" not LightNingt

[Gn_leugim 858]

Hi there

is it possible to make it there? After making it I had doubts about is utility ^^

also, the title was changed and some other mistakes on the text

[nihonkaranws 88]

Great tutorial. It will definitely be useful to new BATters, as Swat mentioned. Do you plan on putting up a tutorial for illuminating the outside of a building, like a deck/roofdeck etc?

[Gn_leugim 858]

and it is on the omnibus

nihonkaranws: sure that is a possibility.. I'm thinking in one about to fake neons on Gmax.. which is not so simple as it is in Max.. I think lol

[mntoes 271]

Nice tutorial and of great use. Where did you get the two maps from?

[Gn_leugim 858]

well, the window map you can take it from multiple sources.. cgtextures, Real life photos, images at web.. be creative the opacity map was made by me on photoshop.. just pick up the window map, new layer, and fill as you think it should.. where you can see 100% through it you make it black, where you have frames or other objects white.. grey for the middle

look at the attached pics

[mntoes 271]

OK  thanks, I'll give that a go.

Edit. I take it that we are ok to use your examples?

[Gn_leugim 858]

ya, no problem

[mntoes 271]

Ok thanks.

Sorry to be a pain but how do I apply 2 maps to one surface.?? I can only get one texture applied.

Thanks

Mike

[Gn_leugim 858]

you are no pain ^^

well.. to apply both maps, you have to open the material editor (the red globe) and on the bottom you have the several maps you may add to the material.. one of them is the opacity map or, double click on the material navigator on the material (sphere with the material) to open the material editor with that material already loaded

[kant01 5]

Great tutorial Gn_leugim! This is just what I needed

[mntoes 271]

Sorry still having trouble with this. Can you attach you model as an example please?

Thanks for your patience.

Mike

[Gn_leugim 858]

unfortunately  that's not possible because I don't have it anymore ^^

but I'll leave here step by step how to do it

First open gmax..

Then Click on the Material navigator button as shown in the picture. then open the material editor for the material you want to apply the second map to. Open the Maps tab.

Find the Opacity map, enable it and open the map. Ask for a new bitmap.

Find and open the new bitmap you want to apply.. and you are done

hope I can help now =)

[mntoes 271]

Ahh... Thank you my friend much appreciated.  You have been a big help.

[Gn_leugim 858]

I see you already know how to work it around