[Guide] Rendering LDraw models using POV-Ray

[hrontos]

Thank man but no change ??? ...

I think your problem is that the ini section name [1280x1024 ....] does not correspond to what is defined in that section. The name of the section can be anything. Open the resolution ini file using the Tools menu and find the section named as your selected resolution and check the values of Width= and Height= statements. Make corrections if necessary. And start the rendering using the render menu (not the render button, to make sure ini is reloaded).

[C3POwen]

Thank man but no change ??? ...

I think your problem is that the ini section name [1280x1024 ....] does not correspond to what is defined in that section.

@hrontos is right. The "Messages" tab contains conflicting information. The label for the resolution is "1280x1024", but POV-Ray sees 320x240:

Preset INI file is 'C:\PROGRAM FILES\POV-RAY FOR WINDOWS V3.6\RENDERER\QUICKRES-B.U.INI', section is '[1280x1024, No AA]'.

Output Options
 Image resolution 320 by 240 (rows 1 to 240, columns 1 to 320).

Try using my version of quickres.ini instead: quickres.ini

Make sure you browse to wherever it's stored in the Render > Edit Settings/Render window before rendering, and select the desired output size.

[FMP]

I copy your quickres.ini & then set resolution to 1280x1024 but POV-Ray always render it in 320x240

But I found solution for this problem ( just copy those ".pov" files to "\POV-Ray for Windows v3.6\scenes\advanced" & then select file to render ...

And now it render perfectly in high-res ...

Thank guys ... for helping me alot ...

[C3POwen]

But I found solution for this problem ( just copy those ".pov" files to "\POV-Ray for Windows v3.6\scenes\advanced" & then select file to render ... And now it render perfectly in high-res ...

I'm glad you got it working, although there is definitely something odd going on there.

Have you thought about upgrading to POV-Ray 3.7 at all? A fresh install may fix your issues, and it's much quicker on multi-CPU systems.

[FMP]

I'm glad you got it working, although there is definitely something odd going on there.

Have you thought about upgrading to POV-Ray 3.7 at all? A fresh install may fix your issues, and it's much quicker on multi-CPU systems.

Yes , I agree with you about that strange thing ...

I will try 3.7 , may be it will fix this problem

And I have 1 more question for you : - Look at my screenshots :

[image]

[image]

How can I fix it ? ( I can't rotate the model in its right position )

Edited June 18, 2012 by Calabar
Oversized image converted in text link (maximum size allowed is 800x600)

[C3POwen]

And I have 1 more question for you : - Look at my screenshots :

[...]

How can I fix it ? ( I can't rotate the model in its right position )

If you look at the beginning of the guide that this thread has carried on from, then directly under 3. MLCad, I advise on different rotation settings and how to set them up. This will allow you to rotate the model with more fine-grain control.

There are plenty of guides online to using MLCad and LDraw. Perhaps you should have a look at Holly Wood's tutorials for more tips.

[FMP]

Thank man - Those informations are very helpful for me

Thank again ...

And sorry admin for "Big size of these pics"

Edited June 19, 2012 by FMP

[FMP]

I follow your tutorial & meet some troubles with shadow : ( Render without "Transparency" mode )

With - Default "Floor" setting : ( Too bright )

With - Your "Floor" setting : ( Too bright + Lost almost shadow ) - as " Transparency " mode ?

How to get the shadow like your pics ?

Edited June 19, 2012 by FMP

[C3POwen]

I use radiosity on my more recent renders, which produces better general lighting as well as allows simplified shadows that don't leave parts of the model blacked out. I've run a render of your model using these settings to show you the outcome:

You can find info about it at the end of the second post, under 7.6 Radiosity.

[FMP]

I use radiosity on my more recent renders, which produces better general lighting as well as allows simplified shadows that don't leave parts of the model blacked out. I've run a render of your model using these settings to show you the outcome:

You can find info about it at the end of the second post, under 7.6 Radiosity.

So can you give me your setting ? ( " .pov " file ) . Look good ...

But I think we need more reflections each parts of the model ( exclude 4 wheels ) & how to do ?

Edited June 19, 2012 by FMP

[C3POwen]

So can you give me your setting ? ( " .pov " file ) . Look good ...

But I think we need more reflections each parts of the model ( exclude 4 wheels ) & how to do ?

My settings are in the guide -- I feel it is fairly well explained, and all anyone really has to do is simply copy and paste the settings into their POV-Ray file.

I may update my lg_color.inc file to make the parts slightly more reflective when I've done some testing, as I do feel that they are a little too flat.

To get other reflections would perhaps require the use of HDR lighting, which I do not plan to cover at the moment. There are plenty of sites that explain how to achieve this. A good start would be bricks'n'gears.

To make the wheels look like rubber, you need to set them to "Rubber Black" in LDraw/MLCad before exporting the model to POV-Ray.

[FMP]

Thank man but ...

I did it "step by step" but I can't make the shadow look like in your pics ...

So I need your setting , please upload it ...

Hey C3P , I can't see any reflections in your example

Edited June 19, 2012 by FMP

[C3POwen]

Thank man but ...

I did it "step by step" but I can't make the shadow look like in your pics ...

So I need your setting , please upload it ...

The exact settings that I used are in the guide. Under "7.6 Radiosity".

Hey C3P , I can't see any reflections in your example

The link I posted is a starter for HDR, which is mainly for creating realistic lighting.

For a non-LEGO example of using HDR to create reflections, please have a look at the right side images on this page.

[FMP]

Thank for that resources ...

I have just found the reason why my model's shadow did not like your pics ( "coordinate" did not correct )

I view your model & I see that they were set to "0" ( coordinate - x,y,z ) - right in its important ...

Can you tell me how to do that ?

[C3POwen]

I have just found the reason why my model's shadow did not like your pics ( "coordinate" did not correct )

I view your model & I see that they were set to "0" ( coordinate - x,y,z ) - right in its important ...

Can you tell me how to do that ?

I might need you to be a little more specific about which bit you're referring to. I did notice that your model is not technically facing forward but to the left, which I corrected prior to exporting from LDView for the purposes of my render.

I've also clarified the radiosity section. You need to ensure that you are using a fresh POV-Ray file before copying and pasting the settings in, and this should allow the render to produce something similar to the image I posted.

[FMP]

Do you mean 16 or 32 bit ?

I have made new model which looks different from the old one ?

[C3POwen]

Do you mean 16 or 32 bit ?

Again, you're going to have to be more specific. 16 or 32 bit what?

If there is something from a previous post that you are referring to, it would help both me and the length of this thread if you can use the "multiquote" function so that you can include whatever it is you're referring to (excluding previously-posted images) in your post. That way I do not need to create a new post just to find out what you're asking about.

If I'm able to, I'm more than happy to help with any POV-Ray questions (even though I'm by no means an expert and the answer might mean redirecting you to another site with more information), but would appreciate some clarity to the questions being asked.

[FMP]

I'm a non-English guy & sometimes I misunderstand what are you saying ... so that is the big problem

And I have asked you this question :

- How to move Ldraw model's coordinate to "0" ? - mean ( X=0 ; Y=0 ; Z=0 )

Edited June 22, 2012 by FMP

[C3POwen]

I'm a non-English guy & sometimes I misunderstand what are you saying ... so that is the big problem

Not a problem. A lot of people here are non-English, it being Eurobricks. However, the "16 or 32 bit" question does not seem to relate to any previous posts or your current query, hence the confusion.

And I have asked you this question :

- How to move Ldraw model's coordinate to "0" ? - mean ( X=0 ; Y=0 ; Z=0 )

When I first create my model in MLCad, the first piece is always laid at the 0,0,0 and I build from there. If you need assistance with MLCad, then I would recommend the link I suggested earlier.

If you mean within POV-Ray, I can see no real need to force it to be positioned at these co-ordinates, as LDView works the rest out automatically.

[FMP]

Thank alot ... man

Have you ever tried to render Ldraw model in Blender or 3DS-MAX ? ( If you know , please write some tutorials about it... )

In many ways , I think it's better than POV-Ray

[C3POwen]

Have you ever tried to render Ldraw model in Blender or 3DS-MAX ? ( If you know , please write some tutorials about it... )

In many ways , I think it's better than POV-Ray

I'm afraid not, and I currently have no plans to start experimenting with Blender or 3ds Max. A Blender import script seems to exist, but is quite possibly incredibly out of date, and 3ds Max is paid-for software, which I feel automatically excludes those who do not wish to purchase it (i.e. me).

POV-Ray is free, can utilise the LGEO library, and the latest version works without any real issues, so that's good enough for me.

[FMP]

Yes , I agree with you ...

POV-Ray is a free render program which takes quick-render screenshot in short-time

With 3DS-MAX , it takes more times to render ( ~ more than 30m, may be ~ 1 hours ) & very hard to set light value in order to have a nice result :

If you want to use 3DS-MAX ,you can use "crack" instead of buying it ( bad way ).

You should take a look at it

[C3POwen]

With 3DS-MAX , it takes more times to render ( ~ more than 30m, may be ~ 1 hours ) & very hard to set light value in order to have a nice result :

The results look very realistic thanks to the lighting, although the colours look a bit washed out.

If you want to use 3DS-MAX ,you can use "crack" instead of buying it ( bad way ).

You should take a look at it

I certainly wouldn't advocate doing this in regards to any software.

[FMP]

You should try one more time ( in old version )

New test ...

[C3POwen]

GUIDE UPDATE: I have updated the LGEO-Update.zip file in the Downloads section with a new part, and slightly updated the included "lg_colors.inc" and "LGEO.xml" files.

The "lg_colors.inc" file now contains some POV-Ray version-specific coding so that I don't have to affect the "global_settings" section of a POV-Ray file (which can have an affect on radiosity and HDR lighting), but can also force the colours to display properly in any version of POV-Ray without having to worry about gamma issues.

The "LGEO.xml" file includes the new parts, as well as correlations to some new colour definitions.

The FIXED and NEW LGEO parts from 2012-07-14

EDIT: Added parts image.

Edited July 14, 2012 by C3POwen