How can you integrate a 3d object into a photograph (simple setup)?

I think this is a straight forward workflow. Maybe you will find this too simple. 🙂

This is what we have:

• an HDR Image (you can download some from HDRLabs)
• a 3d object

Wow, that was short.

This is what we want:

• Nice lighting from the hdr image (IBL – Image Based Lighting)
• Reflections on the 3d object
• Shadows on the ground
• Indirect lights on the ground
• Reflections on the ground

How you do it:

• Create an IBL node, turn on Emit Environment Light
  (mental ray Render Settings -> Scene -> Environment -> Image Based Lighting -> Create)
• Load in the HDR image
• Create a plane (this is the shadow catcher)
• Assign an mip_matteshadow shader to the plane
  (to find this node turn on production shaders – see previous post)

Almost done.

• Connect an mib_opacity node to the Background slot (mip_matteshadow node)
• Set Opacity to black (mib_opacity node)

Done.

Render with mental ray new GI system.

Important settings for the mip_matteshadow shader:

• Set Ambient to black
• Turn off “Ao On” (If you using the new GI system you don’t need Ambient Occlusion)
• Turn on Catch Reflections, set reflectivity attributes
• Turn on Catch Indirect (than use the slider 🙂 )

Cheers, D