In this eight chapter "How To" guest contributor Leif Pedersen will break down a production pipeline in RenderMan Studio and RenderMan Pro Server. We will specifically focus on the advantages of RMS and how it can help us decrease setup time without compromising efficient render times.
We will divide the training into two distinct approaches to rendering via RenderMan Studio's RIS and REYES rendering architectures.
The training will cover the interactions between RMS and Maya for general rendering workflows, Mudbox and Zbrush for importing texture and displacement maps, as well as Fusion and Nuke for Compositing. With this in mind, previous experience with these applications is helpful.
This is the pipeline we will be covering.
Before we start
To fully understand the training, it is very important to understand color management in RMS.
For this reason, I have written a Linear Workflow lesson to aid this training.
CHAPTERS
Preface
In this introduction we will discover the motivation and thought process behing the training and how it all came to be.
1 - Rendering a Car
Our hero character gets around in a cool retro-future hovercar. In this chapter we will shade the car and go over the best RenderMan import and export options for Mudbox UV texturing. We will also make several plausible shaders in the hypershade including anisotropic metal, leather, plastic and a cheap glass shader. We will also discuss direct vs full raytracing and bit of sub surface scattering. Read now ...
Sub-Chapters:
2 - Rendering a Tree
What's a compelling cliff without a tree? in this chapter we will discover RibArchives and Alembic caches, by shading poly converted paint effects with the GP shader and caching them efficiently with the new Rib Archive system in RMS. We will also see how PTEX can help us overcome the complexities of shading a tree without UV's. Read now...
Sub-Chapters:
3 - Cliff and Vegetation
Our scenery in Point Reyes is full of rocks and bolders, including our main rocky cliff. In this chapter we will discover the best displacement map export options from Mudbox and Zbrush and how to effctively use them within RMS. We will build a nifty GP co-shader with occlusion driven texture mapping and map-driven secondary specular for a wet floor look. We will also look into asset optimization and Ri round curves for our grass. Read now...
Sub-Chapters:
4 - Character
Our character's personality lies with his fur and beady eyes. In this chapter we will study the plausible hair shader and talk about some tips for oily SSS skin. We'll also dress him up and go over some cloth tips while we take a look at primvars and how they can help us create our chain links. Read now...
Sub-Chapters:
5 - Volumes
Plausible shading doesn't stop at hard surfaces! In this chapter we will shade Maya Fluids and discuss RenderMan Fluid attributes, including the new minlength attributes. We will also discuss the workflow differences between raytracing volumes vs. using deep shadows. Also, we will use the dynamic shader editor to separate the car's dust cloud. Last but not least, we will go over some Slim tricks to shade a volume cloud teapot! by shading nParticles with a Slim volume shader. Read now...
Sub-Chapters:
6 - Lighting
This is where the new plausible system really shines. We will be playing director of photography by lighting our scene with an unclipped HDRI and Geometric Area lights. We will talk about Ray traced shadows vs. Deep Shadow maps and efficient shadow sampling. We will also be discussing the use of Trace Sets and Light Groups. Read now...
Sub-Chapters:
- Plausible lighting
- Geometric Area Lights - Shapes
- Geometric Area Lights - Blockers
- Geometric Area Lights - HDRI Lighting
- Render Time VS Setup Time
- Light Grouping and Linking
7 - Compositing
In this chapter we will learn about color management in compositing and how to use AOV's, add post effects and color grade our animation. We will also re-light our animation by using world position passes in Fusion and Nuke, as well as using FBX and 3D camera data to add some extra flare to our Point Reyes scene. We will also overview workflows for Deep Compositing. Read now...
Sub-Chapters:
- Color Management
- Fusion Comp
- Nuke Comp
- Relighting
- 3D compositing
- Deep Compositing
- Color Grading and Finishing Touches
FUTURE INSTALLMENTS ...
The chapters below will be released in periodic installments. Please watch this space for more lessons from The Grand Tour.
8 - Rendering
Coming Soon...
In this chapter we will be looking at output image formats, color depth and AOV's. We will also discuss scene optimizations as well as some tips and tricks to get the best balance between render time and intended visual effect.
About the Author
Leif Pedersen
From pitch to delivery, Leif Pedersen is a CG Generalist who's worn many hats in production for almost 10 years. His background in traditional arts mixed with technical foundations in computer graphics has allowed him to work with a varied client list in both television and commercial work. Fortunately, Leif has recently developed an obsession for learning and teaching all things RenderMan.
From pitch to delivery, Leif Pedersen is a CG Generalist who's worn many hats in production for almost 10 years. His background in traditional arts mixed with technical foundations in computer graphics has allowed him to work with a varied client list in both television and commercial work. Fortunately, Leif has recently developed an obsession for learning and teaching all things RenderMan.
via-https://renderman.pixar.com/view/TheGrandTour
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