The focus of today's post is how we can use scripts to automate a repetitive task. The more we can optimize our workflow and scenes the more energy we can put into the creative tasks. Look at it like leveraging the computer to free up space to focus on our renders.
TL;DR
Use a script to render thumbnail renders of each light angle.
Review renders and select the desired angle.
Useful for selecting what angle to have your HDRI light dome in exterior images.
Alternative to doing it manually, now it takes less than 10 seconds.
Being able to create photorealistic renders is a great skill to have. But it is only part of the skill set you need when working for a client or part of a CGI team. Hitting deadlines, staying organised and working efficiently are the other parts. Workflow can be overlooked when working on personal projects where there is no deadline or client making changes.
Some times you don't know what you're looking for until you see it. Typically adding an HDRI and rotating it bit by bit until you reach something that you like may seem like the best method. But what if I told you we could render each angle of a HDRI dome, preview the thumbnails and then choose the best one?
Seeing thumbnail renders of various light scenarios has been added to V-Ray 5 for SketchUp with a tool called Light Gen. I wondered how hard this would be to implement this into 3ds Max.
Light Gen. Image credit jung hoon Han
It's not the first time I have thought about this. The first mention was in 3D Artist back in 2016, and then again in 2018's post, 5 Tips To Create Your Best Exterior Visual Ever. Both times, I animated the V-Ray light by hand. Keyframing the rotation 10 degrees at a time and rendering the animation.
Now with a script, we can do this in just under 10 seconds! Watch the video below to find out how I did it.