image-node as environment

[oliver]

What is the recommended way to use a picture via the Arnold image-node as a scene-environment?

Issues:

When I insert the image node directly in the Environment Map-slot it is rotated (y-up?) and can't be corrected. (btw: is there a reason for this orientation?)

When I insert the image node via the Arnold-Skydome I can rotate the light to correct it's orientation but can't see it in the viewport as background.

[RGhost77]

Are you sure that you use latest version of MAXtoA? I can't reproduce this behavior in 3.2.66. Image node works correctly in env slot.

https://www.arnoldrenderer.com/arnold/download/

[oliver]

Yes, I have.

Here some pictures to clarify.

This is the 3dsMax-bitmap in the Scene-Environment-slot:

This is the Arnold-image-node in the Scene-Environment-slot:

This is the 3dsMax-bitmap in the Arnold-Skydome:

This is the Arnold-image-node in the Arnold-Skydome:

This is the Arnold-image-node in the Arnold-Skydome, rotated 90°:

[madsd · Accepted solution]

A couple of things.


Make sure you use the Background override in the Arnold render window, you can inject a map there as well to push pixels to the background if nothing is defined.

You need to inject an OSL Environment mapper set to spherical in the Arnold image nodes UVCoord slot, the map knows nothing about UV beforehand except some general concept, so we just dictate a new rule.

I wouldnt spend a lot of time on the Legacy bitmap node, its a horrible construct.
You can use this script I did, it can convert all legacy maps to Arnold image via scene converter.
https://github.com/gkmotu/ArnoldSceneConverterScripts3DSMAX/blob/master/Scene%20Converter/Conversion...

If you want both viewport background and reflections on sphere, and also arnold and background, so the 2 environments are virtually identical?
Use OSL Bitmap lookup and use same Environment node in its UV Coordinate slot, and inject it in the max legacy environment tab slot ( the old one )

This will return a situation in the HQ viewport, where the map is now tracing shadows and light and reflections in the viewport, while doing the better version in arnold render view since its much more accurate.

NOTE!: Last example is not supported on the GPU yet, since we lack the string call from OSL on the GPU. But it will come.

[oliver]

Thank you, Mads!

Is the tooltip-information about not generating MipMaps when using the CustomUV-input relevant in this case (Environment)?

[madsd]

no that wont change anything if I understand your question correctly.