Anybody use Lightwave for compositing?

B

Bill_Bolton

Well-known member
I'm planning out a greenscreen scene that I want to have different backgrounds. I've got LW8 and am thinking about designing up a Elizabethan period room and inserting my talent into it.

Are there any big gotcha's I should know about?

Thanks,
Bill
 
Re: Anybody use Lightwave for compositing?

Be careful of shadows and floor lighting. You want to make sure you've got props the same color as your background (green/blue) if your actors are going to interact with your virtual set (ex. a green block as a placeholder for a virtual chair youre going to create). I generally like to shoot with a very high depth of field and add shallowness in later cause it results in a cleaner key. Proper lighting is essential but depending on your keying software you might be able to do screen correction. Check out the American Cinematographers Manual chapter on Travelling Matte Composites. Good luck!
 
Re: Anybody use Lightwave for compositing?

Well one gotcha- are you sure Lightwave does compositing? I use Maya and AE, and I bring my rendering media from Maya into AE to composite with video footage.
 
Re: Anybody use Lightwave for compositing?

You're correct in one sense. I'm building a virtual set and then combining that with the talent in AE. Right now I'm just trying to get the geometry and camera angles right.
 
Re: Anybody use Lightwave for compositing?

first storyboard it out, then film your actors. then design your virtual set around the actors using imported image sequences so you can line things up right.
 
Re: Anybody use Lightwave for compositing?

do your best to make sure the lighting matches!

i would say make sure you have a good idea of what your virtual set is gong to look like before you shoot. make sure you know where light sources are...so that you can mimic them when you shoot the actors. say for instance you have a room with a window on one side and a bunch of floor lamps on the other...try to mimic that light setup on the day. this way your scene will look more integrated with the cg set.

also, it might not hurt to go to a place that is like what you are makng (if thats possible) and take many pictures for textures, as well as even lighting references. lightwave has a great render, and i would try to make use of its image based lighting/radiosity rendering...so maybe you can go out and pick up some 8inch chrome xmas tree ornaments and take pics of them on your set and as well as in an enviroment that has the lighting that you may like. and use the images of the chrome balls to light your cg set...

anyway, just some ideas...
 
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