Aesthetic 3D Lighting

History, Theory, and Application

Lee Lanier

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781351733649
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Film & Video

Aesthetic 3D Lighting: History, Theory, and Application delves into the history, the theory, and the practical and aesthetic application of lighting in the fine arts and 3D animation.

In this book, animation industry veteran and lighting expert Lee Lanier examines the importance of lighting and its ability to communicate information to the viewer. Lee examines the history of lighting as applied to the fine arts, film, photography, and 3D animation. He discusses the use of light color, light location and direction, and light shadow types to recreate specific locations and to generate moods. He includes guides for successful lighting in 3D animation. Software-agnostic examples lead you through useful 3D lighting set-ups. Chapter-long case studies step you through more complex 3D lighting projects in Autodesk Maya. An accompanying eResource (www.routledge.com/9781138737570) features 3D model files, scene files, and texture bitmaps, allowing you to practice the discussed techniques in Autodesk Maya and many other 3D programs.

The lighting techniques covered in this book include:

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• History of lighting as used in the fine arts

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• The scientific mechanisms of light

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• Light types and light application in 3D programs

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• Light qualities including shadows variations

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• Basic and advanced 3D lighting approaches

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• 1-, 2-, 3-point, naturalistic, and stylistic lighting techniques

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• Replication of real-world lighting scenarios and locations

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• Overview of advanced 3D lighting and rendering systems

Chapter 1: The Importance of Light and Lighting

Light is a critical part of human experience. It permits us the sense of sight. It communicates information about our environment. It can alter one’s mood. Light, as a natural phenomena, is complex. Nevertheless, its basic properties can be mastered and applied to the arts.

This chapter includes the following critical information:

•Information communicated by light

•Scientific underpinnings of light

•Goals of lighting

Photo copyright Rungaroon Taweeapiradeemunkohg / 123RF Stock Photo

Light and Lighting

Light, as a general term, is a natural agent that stimulates sight and makes objects visible. Lighting is the process of placing and adjusting lights, whether those lights are real, as in stage and film lighting, or virtual, as in 3D lighting. Before we begin the lighting process, however, it’s important to examine the information communicated by light and the natural phenomena that generates light and allows it to interact with the world. It’s also useful to have a specific goal when lighting, which we will discuss at the end of this chapter.

Information Communicated by Light

Information is gained through the presence (or absence) of light. As such, light is able to:

•Indicate the time of day

•Reveal light sources

•Infer the general location

•Instigate a particular mood

Time of Day

As a human living on the planet Earth, we have learned that various lighting scenarios are linked to certain times of day. In the simplest way, we can differentiate between daytime and nighttime. If we examine additional clues, we can identify a sunset, sunrise, or mid-day. Sunrise and sunset generally produce more saturated colors that tend toward reds and yellows (Figure 1.1). Sun light from a sunset or sunrise arrives at a lower angle as the sun nears the horizon. (The only difference between a sunrise and sunset is the sun’s relative direction of travel—whereby it arrives or departs from view.) In contrast, sun light at mid-day arrives from a high angle. Depending on the season and the location, the mid-day sun approaches at a perpendicular angle to the ground. On a clear day, sunlight at mid-day appears more blue.

Figure 1.1 Several frames from a time-lapse video of a city reveal differences in sun light direction, sun light color, and shadow length. Starting from the top-left and going clockwise, the frames transition from mid-day to afternoon to sunset to twilight.

Four frames from “Tokyo Tower” by mrhayta licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Time of day is not limited to natural light sources. If the sole source of light is an artificial source, such as a lamp, one can assume that it is night. Alternately, one can assume that the location is in a closed space that prevents sun light from entering. Examples include a cavern, a theater auditorium, or a room with shuttered windows.

Light Sources and Location

Through life experiences, humans learn that various lighting qualities are associated with particular light sources. In addition, clues on the location can be taken from the light information. Table 1.1 includes a few common examples.

Table 1.1

Light Quality	Light Source and Possible Locations
Strong, overhead light arriving from a single source creating a single distinct shadow (left side of Figure 1.2).	Sun, most likely outdoors.
Strong, overhead light arriving from multiple sources and creating overlapping shadows or a single soft shadow (right side of Figure 1.2).	Banks of artificial lights, such as overhead fluorescent lights in an office or groups of flood lights in a stadium.
Flickering light with red, orange, and yellow color and soft undulating shadows.	Fire light. Based on the intensity of the light and its relative motion, you can extrapolate how the fire is used (e.g. bonfire, fireplace fire, torch, candle flame, match flame, and so on).
A “wall” of light arriving from one location and traveling in one direction.	Light from a television screen or monitor, sun light traveling indoors through a window, or light reflected off a large surface, such as a floor.

Figure 1.2 Left: Woman photographed outdoors with the sun as the light source. There is a single, distinct shadow. Secondary light is reflected off the ground. Right: A woman is photographed in an office with banks of overhead lights creating soft shadows. In addition, a wall of sun light arrives from windows at the left side of the frame. Reflected light also arrives from the floor and nearby walls.

Left photo: Copyright avemario / 123RF Stock Photo. Right photo: Copyright dotshock / 123RF Stock Photo.

Note that moon light is another major source of naturally-occurring light. However, moon light is sun light reflected off the moon’s surface. Hence, moon light can be treated as a weaker source of sun light.

Mood

Mood is a temporary feeling. Moods are often triggered by particular lighting scenarios. For example, people generally associate happiness with bright sunlight. In an opposite way, people associate unhappiness, dreariness, or gloominess with the dim lighting of an overcast sky. The soft, warm illumination of fire light or candle light often enhances beauty or attractiveness and is thus associated with romance. Along the same lines, fashion photography often employs various forms of stylistic lighting to maximize beauty while minimizing the natural defects that all humans carry (such as wrinkles, scars, and so on). When I use the term stylistic, I am referring to light scenarios that generally do not occur in the real world without manipulation.

You can alter mood with artificial light sources. This is a common trick of cinematographers and videographers. For example, to portray a moon lit scene in film, a blue light or blue color balance is sometimes used. To increase tension within a horror film, highly saturated and stylistic lights, such as those with red or green color, may be employed. These lights are sometimes placed at unusual locations so that the lights create exaggerated highlights and shadows (Figure 1.3).

Figure 1.3 Detail from a frame of the motion picture Frankenstein (1931). The actor is lit from below, creating grotesque shadows across the face.

© 1931 Universal Pictures.

SIDEBAR
Points-of-view

When discussing lighting, it’s assumed that there is a point-of-view. That is, the lit scene is viewed from a particular point in space. The point-of-view affects how the light is seen. Two different points-of-view may cause the lighting to be perceived differently. When discussing lighting in the arts, the point-of-view is selected by the artist. With classic arts, such as drawing or painting, this view is recorded on paper or canvas. With a stage play, the view is the general view of the audience. With modern arts, such as photography, videography, and 3D animation, the view is the view through the camera lens.

SIDEBAR
Light Shadowing

A shadow is a dark area created when an object comes between a light source and a surface. In this scenario, light is block...