3D Scanline Tutorial

Some 3d friends are bugging me to write a tutorial.. So here go my two cents in the 3D world (concepts not entirely mine, if you really want a better tutorial visit the 3D God Montree on this site. And also his latest work here.)

Anyhow, here's how to mimic a radiosity/GI render using 3dsmax's standard lighting - scanline rendering. I apologize, this tutorial is intended for those who already know the basic concepts of 3D Studio Max.. not entirely for beginners :D.

First, set up the scene using the following parameters. The light positions can be seen on the first image: Click on the image for a larger version



Below is the configuration of the different omni lights. As a rule, there shall be two main omni lights at the center of the room, one that illuminates the entire wall (light blue), ceiling and floor, and another omni (yellow) for casting shadows. There is also an omni light placed by the window to simulate the blue light filtering inside the room, and another omni light on the other side of the room to compensate for the red tint that emanates from that area. This tint can be any color based on the mood intended for the scene.

The red light below the floor is set to -0.2. Negative tints produce an inverse shade on the hue spectrum. Hence, -0.2 light blue in this example will produce a dark red in the scene. Click on the image for a larger version



The initial GI is set. Here's a rough preview: Click on the image for a larger version



Now you can add the position of the other light emitters. I used cove lights and another set of cooper lights to compensate the light spot on the floor. Click on the images for a larger version





After adding a few more elements, here's a sample test scene (no materials): Click on the image for a larger version



Hope this helps.. I think it's a pretty tedious effort for faking radiosity.. Vray would still be my GI plugin of choice, but for fast renders with a lot of revisions (and even an intended walkthrough), this style of rendering might do the trick. :)