[ENDED] BC4-1810 - October 2018 Class Homepage - Shading & Lighting with Blender

Collaborations
Kent Trammell

I published a collection of my light match .blend files, as was discussed during the class. You're welcome to reference those if you'd like. Also here's links to the reels shiennar put together:


CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT #4 (Oct 31, 2018): Class is officially over! Please check the closing post and don't forget to fill out the questionnaire 🙇🏻‍♂️


CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT #3 (Oct 9, 2018): Grades for week 1 homework are recorded. Feel free to keep an eye on this spreadsheet (BC4-1810 tab at the bottom) throughout the month. Please let me know if I miss anything!


CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT #2 (Oct 3, 2018): 4 mighty Citizens have heeded the call to become Volunteer Assistants (VA's). They are: silentheart00, thecabbagedetective, csehz, and galledark. This means that between the 5 of us, there should always be a helpful presence both in this homepage thread and your individual homework threads throughout the month. Thank you VA's!


CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT #1 (Oct 1, 2018): Class is officially in session! Check the syllabus below for Week 1's focus and assignments. Begin watching the pre-recorded courses if you haven't already and I'll see you tomorrow at the first Live Event! 💡


SYLLABUS

Welcome to the CGCookie Class: Shading & Lighting with Blender! The art of shading and lighting your Blender scenes and models can make or break your renders. It's a very important - even enlightening - skill to develop as a 3D artist.


This "Class" format invites all Citizen members to focus together on a particular topic/skill for a month. Participation looks like this:

  • RSVP and attend the Live Events
  • Watch the pre-recorded education outlined below
  • Ask questions, answer other's questions
  • Submit homework by creating a unique forum thread to contain all your homework submissions for the month.
  • Generally be active in this homepage thread and other's homework threads.

WHEN? The class will take place from October 1st - Oct 30th.

✅  WEEK 1: Shading & Lighting Primer (Oct 1-7)

Zoom feature_1280x720.jpg

Abstract: There are some core concepts to lighting and shading (S&L) that need to be understood first. Things like global illumination, render engines, shaders, materials, and node networks some of the things we will be over-viewing this first week. I

Goal of the Week: Familiarize (or re-familiarize) ourselves with core S&L concepts.

Pre-recorded course to watch:

Week 1 Live Event (Remember to RSVP)

Homework:

✅  WEEK 2: Vehicle Shading & Lighting with Eevee (Oct 8-14)

Zoom feature_week2_1280x720.jpgAbstract: The Eevee render engine is the latest and greatest rendering tech in Blender and we're going to stretch its legs for week 2. The subject is going to be a sports car, but any vehicle will do. After all many of us spent this past June modeling vehicles and we're eager to get them lit and pretty!

Some topics we'll cover along the way include materials like car paint, rubber, metal, and leather along with HDRI environment lighting.

Pre-recorded courses to watch:

  • Shading the Sci-Fi Helmet - While this course isn't a vehicle, the aspects taught are very relevant (metal, paint, wear and tear). The first two chapters are about texturing which you can skip. Chapter 3 is the important stuff for this class

Week 2 Live Event (Don't forget to RSVP)

Homework:

  • Find a vehicle model, use one of your own, or download this vehicle modelThen light it and shade it with Blender 2.8 and Eevee in a manner that's meant to impress.[Post a screengrab/render to your BC4-1810 homework thread]
  • Lighting Match #1: This light matching exercise is based on this thread where the assignment is to find a 3D render we like and do our best to match it. Use your own model of anything, find one on blendswap.com, or use the same attached vehicle model. [Post a screengrab/render next to your chosen source render (post to your BC4-1810 homework thread)]

✅  WEEK 3: Lighting Characters with Blender (Oct 15-21)

Zoom feature_week3_1280x720.jpg

Abstract: Character lighting is a very intentional art and how to do it well is often a mystery. This week we'll look at how to develop striking character renders, build simple materials that accentuate your model, and even the concept "painting" you character with light for surreal effects.

Pre-recorded courses to watch:

Week 3 Live Event (Don't forget to RSVP)

Homework:

  • Find a character model (from sketchfab or blendswap), use one of your own, or download the this goblin characterThen light it and shade it in a manner that's meant to impress.[Post a screengrab/render to your BC4-1810 homework thread]
  • Lighting Match #2: Just like the week 2 light match but with a different source render for a new light setup to match. Repetition makes the exercise stick, plus it's just fun.
         

✅  WEEK 4: Shading & Lighting an Arch Viz Scene (Oct 22-28 )

Zoom feature_week4_1920x1080.png

Abstract: Arch viz rendering is often a coveted skillset among lighten enthusiasts. This week we're looking at lighting interior architecture for realism, featuring natural outdoor light from windows and artificial light from light fixtures. We'll also explore creating the necessary materials for our interior.

Pre-recorded course to watch:

Week 4 Live Event (Don't forget to RSVP)

Homework:

  • Find an interior model (from sketchfab or blendswap), use one of your own if you've built one, or download this bathroom scene or this kitchen scene. Then light it and shade it a realistic manner. [Post a screengrab/render to your BC4-1810 homework thread]
  • Lighting Match #3: Just like the week 2 and 3, find a third source render to match its lighting.

✅ Class Wrap-Up Stream (October 30th)

We'll be doing a 5th live stream to review week 4 homework and close out the class.

This thread is reserved for CG Cookie Citizens that are participating in the "Shading & Lighting with Blender" class. Its purpose is to serve as central communication for all participating Citizens (excluding Hobby plan Citizens) to ask Kent and fellow participants questions and to post homework. As the instructor of the class, Kent will be monitoring this thread on a daily basis (especially Mon-Thurs) throughout the month of October to review homework and answer questions.

Free members are welcome to observe the thread but please respect that communication and participation is reserved for Citizens.


  • Kent Trammell replied

    ssmurfmier1985 Whoops, I messed up the instruction about where to post week 1 homework. I'll update it to say "your thread" only (not this one).

    You're certainly welcome to use any textures of your choice this month. I'll mainly be focusing on material properties with some occasional procedural textures. But you can use whatever textures in your scene 👌

  • smurfmier1985 replied

    @theluthier Awesome! Will look for some good textures then 😊 Pretty excited about these homework assignments, I think especially the light match exercises will be fun (and challenging!), glad we get to do those multiple times will be good practice 😬


  • Kent Trammell replied

    ssmurfmier1985 I'm glad you think so! It's my favorite lighting exercise :)

  • bun-bun replied

    Hello everyone,

    had to take a pretty extensive break from Blender and CGCookie.
    So glad to be back and looking forward to this exercise.
    Your monthly Blender-Classes look really amazing!

  • Kent Trammell replied

    Welcome back bun-bun - Glad to have you in the class!

  • silentheart00 replied

    It's October!  Woohoo!  Really psyched for this class!

  • Morten Fjellheim(arev) replied

    Question: What do we do with the blender render part of the basic shading course. Even though the render enigine is in 2.79, it will be                          removed in 2.8. So can we skip that part?

  • Aaron Rudderham(thecabbagedetective) replied

    aarev Personally I'd say so, it's outdated even in 2.79 (though it did have its occasional use). I'd hop straight on over to the Cycles part, as the shaders function very similarly in Eevee.

  • Kent Trammell replied

    aarev Yes, you can skip the blender render portion of that course. I'll update that in the description. May it rest in peace..

  • Nathan Foster(blenderrender1993) replied

    Awesome! Looking forward to improving shading techniques.

  • Umberto Oldani(umberto) replied

    Hi Kent,

    Is it necessary to attend live or can I follow later by recording lesson?

    Many thanks

  • smurfmier1985 replied

    @gasteropode Welcome Umberto! While I'm not Kent I've participated in a class before, there are always people who can't attend live due to different time zones or work etc. and it's absolutely no problem if you watch the recorded version livestream later 😊

    Usually it will be uploaded within 24-48 hours after it took place. Hope this helps!

  • Grady Pruitt(gradyp) replied

      @gasteropode I'll second what ssmurfmier1985 said, you don't have to be there live. If you do have any questions, feel free to ask in the forums. If something should be demonstrated, we'll try to remember to ask Kent about  it during stream to remind him.


  • Kent Trammell replied

    @gasteropode It's not required; you can get through the class fine with the recordings. I know the time slot isn't ideal for everyone.

  • smurfmier1985 replied

    Question, 

    Blender 2.79 / Cycles

    Can't figure this out.. how / where do you add an AO map when using the principled shader? Or do you no longer need that? 

    I know the principled shader automatically takes care of fresnel, maybe it also takes care of AO? 

    Or maybe there are better ways to add AO that I don't know of.. 

  • John Sanderson(procyonlotor) replied


    ssmurfmier1985 you can add it to the base color with a mix rgb node set to multiply.  That's what I usually do, though ;there may be other/better ways.

  • smurfmier1985 replied

    pprocyonlotor Thanks John! 😄

  • Paul Briggs(pbriggs) replied

    When will the recording of the live stream be available?

  • Aaron Rudderham(thecabbagedetective) replied

    ppbriggs It's typically made available within 24 hours of the stream ending, though occasionally it make take 48 hours. 

  • Paul Briggs(pbriggs) replied