BG Color tints the base color on AItoon shader

[matto.schmidt]

The BG Color tints the base color on AItoon shader? How can you have a BG color without it change the base (diffuse) color of my shaded object in Arnold (maya)?

[lee_griggs]

I don't get this issue. How are you lighting the scene? What are you using for the backgrourd. Can you provide more information about the scene (images too)?

[matto.schmidt]

PROBLEM 1:

So when I use a BG color from the settings in Arnold renderview the aiToon base color really takes on the color of the BG image. I know it is GI, but I just wanted a BG color to see what it would like (I intend to comp this over a flat red BG). In addition, you can not see the Toon Outline against a Black BG. The black BG color settings seems to be providing the correct intended color output, but it has the problem with Toon line visibility.

I have tried lighting this various ways but settled on a dir light.

I tried this other ways (a skydome light with a physical sky plugged in per the Tutorial on the Arnold documentation 'Sophie') and it still took on the color of the skydome. I lit it with a regular skydome and HDR as well and that seemed to work but then the aiToon base color lost its stepped toon look - which I believe will be the case with arnold lights.

In the examples with BG color below I simply have a directional light as well as a hidden dir light that is plugged in to the aiToon rim.

So if I want to preview a BG color the solution is to add an aiRay switch node? I am not sure what I plug that into? Maybe the Backround slot of the camera?

PROBLEM 1:

Also, when I batch render (as per below) it does not render the Toon Outline? I am not sure why this is the case?

[matto.schmidt]

I tried adding a BG sphere with a surface shader and shadows and idff/spec reflection turned off. And it seems to be the desired result, but it would be nice to do this simply with a render setting. Although, now I also need to figure out a shadow and reflection catcher that will pick up the toon shader in the reflection - becuase from the tutorial I did it required a plane with an aiToon shader to get a reflection that has a toon look?

[matto.schmidt]

Here I took the ground aiToon shader and eyedropper sampled the BG color which ended up darker (I assume from light and shadow contributions) and then just manually slid it lighter till they matched.

So this would work if there is not an easy way to just to do in the render settings, but I still have the issue of the aiToonline not rendering in a batch render. Perhaps I need to activate a full license to see this feature?

[matto.schmidt]

More progress with the Shader but I still have the issues I mentioned above!

[lee_griggs · Accepted solution]

Use the ray_switch here.