Started a new #MagicaCSG scene. I love that 3D editor so much. The SDF (Signed Distance Fields) approach gives you total modeling freedom, without worrying about polygon structures, edge flow, etc..
The screenshot shows part of a snake-like alien, existing of two curves. The mouth curve is Boolean-subtracted in real-time, including auto-filleted edges everywhere.
The platform will become the bottom of a cylindrical glass container.
MagicaCSG is particularly suitable for hard-surface modeling, as Booleans are a core tool, and with the SDF approach you never have to worry if fillets / chamfers are going to work out, like they can often fail in NURBS 3D editors.
The rendering is pure MagicaCSG, but in the mean time I replaced the image with a slightly post-processed version, adding some texture.
When it comes to lighting, first choose a fitting HDRI image. I used one from an Alex Senechal studio pack I bought: https://acms.gumroad.com
Then add objects with 100 percent Emission materials, place them strategically, and set them to invisible, so you can move them close to the subject in the scene for maximum influence.
@metin Thanks for the tips! I have some free HDRI packs lying around, but it is rather hard to find good ones in them. Maybe I will invest in a versatile professional pack.
Whenever I try to use invisible light sources, I get these sharp edges on the light reflections. Is there a way to make them softer on, let's say, metallic surfaces?
@daniel To avoid aliasing, such as around sharp reflections, try the following:
Increase the (voxel grid) resolution of the object(s).
Increase the roughness of the material(s).
Increase the Blend value(s).
Also keep in mind that the latest MagicaCSG versions render in a relatively low resolution, so what you see on screen is probably an upscaled image display without AA.
For a correct image view, save the rendering, then open it in a viewer at 100% scale.
@daniel 👍 I thought of one more piece of advice this morning, to avoid aliasing in reflections:
Try lowering the light intensity. If you've got multiple lights in one object and don't want all lights to get dimmer by lowering the shared material's Emission value, just lower the value of the individual light's color.
@CWernerArt Me too! Although with the current polygon detail level that's allowed by modern hardware I mostly use vertex colors. I've always hated UV unwrapping, UV island arranging, separate texture files, etcetera. 😅
Add comment