Consistent Lighting

During the course, we had the chance to study what differences produce applying Ambien Occlusion (AO). By the way Pay attention to AO, because it produces an alteration of the real light direction, and of course this affects the Chiaroscuro.

The light direction is one of the most important aspects in a render, because a clear direction is fundamental for a good Chiaroscuro (the key!).

AO is a good tool to enhance the tridimensional effect, but it’s also a fake, and in my personal opinion it’s not so good nowadays. It produces shadows in all directions reducing the realism feel.

Sometimes its effect is very clear, sometimes it’s subtle but in any case, it affects your lighting. That’s why in my lessons I always suggest masking AO, using it only in some areas.

In the image below you can see some evidence:

UPPER PART
you can notice shadows is strange directions, compared to the entire lighting. This produces a fake feeling

BOTTOM PART
lighting looks more natural because of the consistency of the light that clearly goes in one direction

I hope this can help to feel more and more the importance of a consistent lighting.

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Ciro Sannino
Author & V-Ray Mentor
Creator of the 5SRW Approach