ER: "Floor" for shadows/reflections

[tlehnhaeuser]

This is a enhancement request to somehow make the relection plane a useable entitly in which I can have shadows rendered to but the HDRi background can project light through.

 

In other words, now I put a piece of sheetmetal under the object I want rendered to get the shadows as if its sitting on a floor or tabletop. The problem with this approach is depending on my Field of View I have to make the sheetmetal so big to fill in the background of the rendered image that it "blocks" alot of light generated from the 3D background. Make sense?

[Cary OConnor]

Not really... There is always ground so you can really have light coming from the 3D world from under it. Radiosity is what you need to turn up to get the underneath to be more visible. But we can always see if it is possible in the future.

 

Cary

[Guest EricFoy]

Okay, here's another version of Tom's request that I think might give the same result...

 

I'd like to be able to render my subject (say, a car) within a 3D environment (featuring, say, a road). I'd like to be able to have the car cast a shadow "onto the road" by putting a solid shape under the car which would "stand in" for the road as a 3D surface to receive shadows, but which would not itself render in the final image - it would be invisible, except that whatever shadows it would have received are transmitted through to the 3D environment.

 

Oh, yeah... and if it could do the same with reflections, that would be uber-kool as well.

 

Could this be accomplished with a couple hours of IronCODING?

Edited April 30, 2010 by EricFoy

[Cary OConnor]

Hi Eric,

 

I understand what you are asking for. Not sure if reflections could work that way but shadows could reflect onto the 3D Environment invisible plane. Couple of hours, probably not

 

Cary