I used Blender some years ago, when Ton was desperately looking for financial funds. I tried to help him, because he’s from my home town: Eindhoven , The Netherlands. In that time I did some amateur-blendering, like: http://www.wta.nl/blender/primitives.html
Since that time, I didn’t use Blender that much. Python scripting etcetera, I didn’t understand anything of it. Too difficult, I must be dumb.
Now, at least 3 or 4 years have passed, I’m trying to learn Blender all over again, because I want to create my ideas through Blender. But it’s hard. I forgot most of the basics, especially the lighting issues. So - I hope you Blender-pro’s won’t mind - I want to ask this question:
I want to make some simple blends with a white background, to use in a webpage. A white bunny, but I don’t seem to get the lighting right. Edges of the meshes seem too hard (going to black). I’ve tried every lighting option, with spots and lamps from the front and behind.
So my question is… does anyone have a blend-file with a sort of standard lighting grid? I love Blender, but the lighting options frustrate me, as they did in the past.
For your immediate problem… have you tried making (at least) one of your lamps a Sun or a Hemi?
For templates… this is difficult because there is no ‘template scene’. Scenes could be indoors, outdoors, landscapes, close-ups, day, night, etc…
I use a template only for modeling: one lamp top-right, one bottom-left and one parented to the camera. Spotlights are for shadows and their lights can be turned on or off so they should be moved/adjusted for their shadows and not their light.
Lights IMO are no different than textures and should be used like textures. They should be tweaked 1) to properly display the modeling and textures (for each object and for the whole scene) and 2) to set the mood for the scene. So, even if you manage to start with a template it will eventually have to change and evolve.
Search the forums and the web for ‘GI’ (global illumination) or ‘fake GI’. A dome made from half a sphere with a lamp dupliverted to each of its vertices that straddles the whole scene.
Also search for posts by ‘Landis’ on lighting. Specifically where he talks about using blue in front of objects and yellow/red behind them. I think it’s in the ‘Airman’ thread in WIP.
Also go here: http://www.download.blender.pl/
and download the ‘Tutor’ demo files some of which have setups that you could use as templates from which to begin.
Great reply and advice, Fligh. Thanks a lot. I remember now. One of your tips - use standard lights from demo files - was way back also my starting point with Blender.
It’s amazing how fast earlier software skills disappear, when you don’t practice them daily anymore.