Is there a way to create a ground shadow in the Render workspace?

[polyxo]

I've tried importing a ground plane, that helps avoiding the model being lit from underneath, but the

shadow I got didn't look good / give the model the appearance as if it was sitting on the ground.

[digman]

Add an extra light for your shadow... Look at the right toolbar to find the extra light section. You can adjust the light intensity plus other settings as well.

 

Also you can adjust the Hdr image if you start to get too much light in the scene. 

Plus you can rotate the HDR image so more light from the extra light is noticed better and your shadows deepened.

Edited November 5, 2015 by digman

[polyxo]

Thank you Digman. I have now tried this but found very hard, likely impossible to get the result I'm after: Not a large drop shadow as in your

sample but just a subtle shadow near the object, just enough to make it appear sitting on on the ground as in typical for High Key Product shots.

In Zbrush it's a push button action (see attached). I think adding a Lighting Preset which spits something similar out would help greatly for anyone

who wants to composite 3DC render output.

 

PS: I guess it was not you who added the best answer badge – but shouldn't this (if at all) get done by the one who asked the question?

Edited November 5, 2015 by polyxo

[digman]

Not me on selecting this as the best answer, I only answered to what you can do in 3DC, other than putting the light height at 90 degrees that is about it unless another users knows of a way. I do not use the render room very much except to check how hdri lightning overall effects the shadows on the model. HDRI sometimes washes out details and you might have to push your details some, depending upon the final render application you use. 

 

Andrew has not given the render room an overall in a long time except it supports HDRI lightning now... What the development plans for the render room are, I would not know...

 

Edited November 5, 2015 by digman

[polyxo]

Thanks again!

I too don't use that room a lot  but sometimes a material appearance in the paint room looks so nice that one wants to have a good snapshot of it without

first re-engineering that look in another render engine. A simple to use control about ground shadow which even worked without an actual plane loaded, an

alpha channel and a Zbuffer pass sure were helpful.

[digman]

 

Now the below pictures are not meant to be the answer... for my own enjoyment started to run some test to see what I can do in the render room... Hopefully Andrew will look at the render room for improving before 5.0 is released. It would be a nice part of the undating and selling feature for 3DC 5.0 whenever it is released. I have no idea when that is though...

 

Got part way there, now I have to go and cut my yard... LOL... I will do some more test later...

First picture with a little multiply layer added in photoshop.  Second picture straight out of 3DC.

 

I would like a shadow control added so we could darken or lighten our shadows without adjusting the lights...

 

Edited November 5, 2015 by digman