How to bind a car on a track ? Well, I think there are serveral options.
When I had to make a F1 animation, I wanted to use max only without any plugins.
I could find the following solution:
Space Warps-->Conform Object as target object pick your track.
For easy animation, I created a simple plane, and I bind this plane to space warp.
So it runs along the track.
What ever vehicle you choose, you simple can link it to the plane.In my case, I used an attachment constraint,because my track has a soft noise so the car looks in the animation more realistic.
Animation-->Constraints-->Attachment Constraints
Motion Blur - Vray vs. Max:
The motion blur in Vray calculates perfect but maybe the calculation isn't the fastest one, because it's a real 3d motion blur.
I personally use the Motion Blur inside max, which is a post effect but looks very good and very often get's lost.
Rendering-->Effects-->Add-->Motion Blur
used in my spitifre animation test:
you can adjust the motion blur from any object, by selecting the object, right mouse click:
Object Properties: Motion Blur, Image-->Mulitplier
0 means no motion blur on that object.
simple test:
Max Camera Export to After Effects Pro:
One of my latest job was animating and rendering the F1 Ferrari and McLarren Bolide for a Broadcast Station.
More challenge was the try to get the 3dsmax cam into After Effects.
The solution: RPF Files
Rendering a rpf filve gives you the oppertunity to import the camera datas straight into AE.
Add the sequence to a composition, and select its layer in the Timeline panel.
Choose Animation > Keyframe Assistant > RPF Camera Import.
Note: To create an RLA or RPF file with the camera data in 3D Studio Max, save your rendering in RPF format with Coverage, Z Depth, and Alpha Channels enabled.
Additional to my RWF I wanted to get a setup, which allows me to create a digital reproduction.
Very often, clients send me a picture, showing me a specifi look, athmosphere and design of
an existing Interior. And they would like to have the same materials, and look in the new presentation.
So, it was time to test my RWF for that purpose. And here is the result.
Photo one: Bank of America Lobby
RWF: The Rieder Work Flow
To get an easy light control, especially for Interior shots I tested different render settings.
Like everybody else, I started with the Linear Work Flow (LWF). After a while, I made more research work and
tests, and created the so called RWF (Rieder Work Flow).
First test results: single object
no interior lights:daylight only
Convert Revit to Vray Materials - Script Fix:
If you work with Revit, Max9 or higher plus Vray and you want to convert all your materials to vray materials,
you need to get sure that the revit materials will not convert the vray materials
into render killers.
Use my updated script to ensure revit materials will be translated as vray standard materials:
Download and save in your max scripts folder: http://www.bernhardrieder.com/blog/vrayutils.ms
Organic Modelling/Scultping:
A while ago, I started my first tests in digital sculpting.
Using high poly meshes, creating displacment maps and assigning on low
poly meshes.
One of my earlier results:5.756 polys with displacement map
Vray Displacement Modifier and some shift issues:
Keep in mind, I've used 2d mapping, and the resolution and precise can be used to get better results, depends on how fast you would like to have you render. I could find out that the amount and shift value is very important. What ever you use, I could see that you get the best result if you always use the half amount in the shift value in the opposite way. So 100 Amount / -50 Shift.
I did a lot of displacement tests, and could find a good way to fix the shift problem many user do have, and I had before. That means, if you do have a original geometry, it can happen that after applieng the displacment map, it will pump up your mesh, getting thicker or thinner. Here an example showing that issue:
Finaly it worked with the right settings:
Making realistic grass:
While making my render "Sunday morning", I was asked how I did the grass.
I used displacement mapping and a mix material. While working on a grass wall for an interior project I used the same technique:
@geometry:
you can see, very easy geometry, flat surface, just a box.
@material:
just a mix between the textures, you can mix it until you think it's okay for you. I just wanted to avoid to see some tiling. I make a very roughly uvw test, and set a brutal uvw map, very quick, makes no circumstances. no displacement map used in the material, because I use the map directly on the Vraydisplacement modifier.
no glossy, no reflection, just the mix between the textures.
@vraydisplacement modifier:
here you have the main options, to make it look best for you.
keep in mind, I've used 2d mapping, and the resolution and precise can be used to get better results, depends on how fast you would like to have you render too. the map for the displacement is not very special, if you take something else, you can make bigger leafs as example. I could find out that the Amount and shift value is very important. What ever you use, I could see that you get the best result if you always use the half amount in the shift value in the opposite way. So 100 Amount / -50 Shift.
I did a lt of displacement tests, and could find a good way to fix the shift problem many user do have, and I had before. That means, if you do have a origianl geometry, it can happen that after applieng the displacment map, it will pump up your mesh, getting thicker or thinner.
@maps:
these are the original maps used, not really high res images to lower the use of ram. I am sure you can find some better images on the www, but in my case it works fine for me with the low res images.
Also keep in mind that you work in the right unit setup - sometimes it can happen that your model is really huge, and after adding the dsiplacement map, you can't see any effect, because maybe you've choosen a wrong unit setup, and a little hedge is maybe 1km long, and 1km high.
I know it's not 100% perfect and it's up to you if you would like to use the displacement way or not - just wanted to show my way.
I like it because it's pretty fast to use on almost every geometry, fast in rendering, you can keep low ply meshes, and you don't need any plugin.
You can read much more about that topic here:
http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/sho...highlight=capu
Making a casino dize material:
I tried to recreate a fancy casino dize with some caustic effects.
a) VrayBlend Material
b) Caustics
c) Bokeh Effect
d) DOF
I think the Bokeh effect plus DOF can be made in post, but I couldn't find any equal solution for the caustics.
Organic Modelling/Scultping finding a working edge flow or so called topology for animation:
Today, I tried to sculpt my own head. It was a challenge to get the right look
of my face.
You need to have experience in sculpting a random face and if you
want to sculpt a specifc
face it takes much more efforts in getting the right shape and surface.
As you know, for animation it's very important to have the right topology.
So I made my personal research work in finding a flow that hopefully works for facial animation.
I got different opinions and sugestions from Robert Chang and Steven Stahlberg and based on the information
they gave me, I created my own flow. Here a toplogy face solution from Steven:
Here is my head, with my first edge flow: adding the correct flow:
Vray Proxies & RAM:
If you run out of RAM, only the Vray Proxies can help you to manage your scene file.
Some tests showing the power of using vray proxy mesh.
General render issues with intersecting or overlapping surfaces:
Usually it causes many render problems.
Vray Glass is one major material, that shows these kind of render issues very clear.
Solution: Avoid always overlapping or intersecting surfaces.
scene file:
http://www.bernhardrieder.com/blog/2sided.rar
Bernhard Rieder & Sarkissian Mason New York:
"This project was a lot of fun. From contacting MAZDA Hiroshima & Tokyo in Japan, mission status and coordination with Matt Mason and Andy Gray in Phoenix, to start a new cooperation with Michael Seidl. All togehter a powerful mix for producing a high poly 3d model for web, print & commercial use.
I´d like to thank Matt Mason the Creative Director and Andy Gray the Senior Art Director. Also Michael Seidl, my friend and partner, in supporting me in all technical challenges. You really rock !!! ", Bernhard Rieder.
RITTER TWISTER:
This short clip was started as a little project to show the possibilities getting 3D models animated.
Using a low poly mesh, including a biped with a skin modifier. Rendered with global direct and indirect illumination and using a hdri as skylight.
I want to thank Novomatic AG and the Austrian Gaming Industries for the opportunity to produce this little short.
The nightshot in Monaco was a new cg study with using photometric lights. It took me about a good week for the research work, and understanding how professional light technician work and using the right lights for bringing a good looking atmosphere. Due to the fact that I am from Austria and german native speaker I searched for a very professional light technician company here in Europe. And I could find a very good house called www.erco.at. So, I decided to visit this company in Vienna and I had the chance to talk to a reall life light technician. He was wondering why I have sooo many questions, and I don´t wanted to buy some lights.
So I explained him my cg studies and told him, that I think that it would be a good idea to use lights from his program for a 3d render. I had a lot of questions, which lights were used for what field, interioir, exterior, how strong is the light, what effect you will get, how you have to position the lights so that you´ll get a very close result in the 3d environment compared with our real life. After hours, I´ve got a 10 kg package of light materials, prospect and the full programm book with 777 sites.
Wow... after I studied all the books and papers I was very impressed about the projects and using the lights for architecture. It´s such an interseting field, it´s absolut awesome. It took me a while to understand the light system of this company. The next step was to get the right lights and his IES files. That was really a very hard searching job, but thanks to erco they do have a very good online databse where you can search for every IES file you need. It presupposes that you know which lights were usually used in real life. For me it would be great to make a workshop in this company to understand more and more the system and technic of this lights. Let´s see if I can get a date.
As instance here is a description of one focal flood I used for the Exterior light.
As you can see you´ll get a lot of product information and details of the lights you can use. After choosing some lights, I decided to make my first light tests with a simply box, turned off all default lights in my 3d environment and started testing with GI.
The intesity, the reflection from the objects, and how the rays will bounce is very different. It took me a while to get the right feeling and I´ve experimented with GI, HDRI and Sun & Sky System.
I think it is more important to know which lights were used in real life and to talk to a professional light artist from erco. Understanding the basic is more important than testing around in your 3d environment with different settings. Of course it takes more time for the preperation, but I think it´s really worth it.
For me it was my first test and cg study using photometric lights and using all together with global illumination.
But it was a lot of fun and it´s such an interesting field... yeah, I think now I am really addicted in nightshots.
I could find out that the light for architectural visualization is more important, and more complicated than for single products like rendering your HiFi dolby sourrund player.
Light creates a new reality or better yet: new realities, for light allows a space to be continually reinterpreted. And this precisely is what makes light so fascinating for me.
Hope you like my little description and render.
Snapshots from my lovely family in Monaco. Photographed from my biggest son and star Florian.
Bernhard Rieder - 7236 Rock Island Road - Charlotte - NC 28278 - USA 
adding the correct flow:
