RealHDR Tutorial

A written tutorial that decribes the primary features of the RealHDR application and demonstrates its practical applications.

Estimated time to complete is 15 minutes.

RealHDR is an application made by Playsys that allows you to paint lights on a 32-bit high dynamic range image. High dynamic range images provide the primary light source for 3D objects in image-based lighting. Although image-based lighting is the most common form of lighting for professional-grade photo-realistic renders, conventional high dynamic range images do not allow for multiple light sources with different intensities, colors, directions and degrees of softness. For jewelry and product visualizations of metal objects, studio lighting has been the only means of creating multiple specular highlights that accentuate the aesthetics of the product. But studio lighting arrangements require skill and time. RealHDR provides an inexpensive way of creating this kind of photorealistic lighting. The program is simple to use and good lighting can be made quickly and with precision. RealHDR also solves the problem of dim or night lighting in the image-based rendering environment, and it can be used to construct background skyscapes for architectural visualization.

Because the progam is not well known, I thought it might be good to introduce other professional visualization and lighting artists to it by writing a short tutorial for the program. I have no affiliation with Playsys: I am simply an admirer of the application.

Package includes the document in *.pdf format, the example jewelry in *.fbx file format and materials in *.sbsar format, and the jewelry, materials and Maxwell Render scene in Maxwell formats.

Minor typo corrections to primary document.