Blog

Easy HDRI Map rotation in Blender

Tired of finding Mapping node in Shader Editor just to rotate hdri map ? CTRL + ALT and drag your mouse to rotate an HDRi Map inside Blender 2.81 with the free addon. HDRI Map rotation in Blender could be easier, much easier done. I like how it works in Marmoset Toolbag or inside Substance […]

HDRi basics

It is a technique used in imaging and photography to reproduce a greater dynamic range of luminosity than what is possible with standard digital imaging. What does HDRi mean? HDRi stands for High Dynamic Range Imaging. It is a technique used in imaging and photography to reproduce a greater dynamic range of luminosity than what […]

Blender 2.81 and new Intel denoiser

Quick instruction on how to use new Intel Open Image Denoise function in Blender 2.81 Blender 2.81 is not yet here, but you can download the latest build from Blender Experimental Builds and use it. It is not recommended for production work. I am using Blender 2.81 daily because it has improved Outliner and new Intel’s denoising […]

HDRI set-up in Octane Render standalone

A quick tutorial on different environment setups inside Octane Render standalone.  Easy to follow steps for beginners and advanced users. To reproduce this short HowTo, I am using the latest version of Octane Standalone available without paying monthly subscription fees: Octane version 4.04.   Setting up a simple 3D scene HDRi setup with nodes only Shadow […]

Improved shadows with HDRi Sun Aligner

Quickly add light to hdri in Blender 2.8 with Sun Aligner plugin, to improve hdri shadows. 1. Starting with a simple testing scene: cube on the plane, and basic HDRI Environment setup. I am using Blender 2.8 build from 25 May 2019. 2. Select plane and in Object > Visibility check Shadow Catcher. For Cube […]

A new way of previewing hdri skies

There is a new way of displaying hdri skies implemented on the website. As you can see now, all hdri sky domes are displayed as spherical maps using Krpano Player. All previews for HDRI Sky domes were rendered in Blender 2.8. Scene setup was very easy: huge plane mesh was added for the floor and […]

Blender HDRI setup

Last version of Blender 2.79 comes with Shadow Catcher feature. Let’s check how it works along with HDRI lighting and backplate image used for background.  You can download complete tutorial project file from here Preparing test scene 1. Remove default scene and create UV sphere. Go to tab Tools and choose Smooth. Press N key and zero […]

HDRI lighting in Modo

Tutorial about hdri lighting in Modo 801 including some set-up tips. 1. Let’s start Open a new project in Modo and switch to Layout view, add Meshes > Miscellaneous > Mech Lux model to scene. Create a new plane and place just under the model like seen on the picture. Later on, it will be used […]

HDRI lighting in Cinema 4D

In this tutorial, you will learn how to set up hdri lighting in Cinema 4D for interiors and exterior scenes. 1. Beginning Add a model to the scene or open your project where you want to add hdri lighting. To be sure that you can see any changes it is recommended to turn off any […]

Change white balance of hdri map in Natron

Natron is an open source cross-platform nodal compositing software. It looks like Nuke and it’s completely free. Although I used version 1.0 it’s more stable when working with large hdri maps than Colorista free plugin for After Effects. You can easily tune 15.000 x 7.500 hdri map in this software. It’s fast and stable. 1. […]

Tweaking hdri in Photoshop

In this short video tutorial I will explain you how to enhance hdri map, so it will produce nice sharp shadows in your renders. Some of the hdri maps are really poor quality, taking for instance 3 exposures 2EV apart doesn’t guarantee that you will achieve sharp shadows in your renderings. In situations like this, […]

sIBL GUI and Blender setup

In this video tutorial, I will show you in just a few steps, how to install and use sIBL GUI with Blender 2.69.It will allow you to use your sIBL hdri sets and render in Blender with Cycles rendering engine with just one click.