Realistic Vray Glass with fog around corners [3ds max V-Ray]

[sumit_3dads]

Hi Guys,

So I have this lamp model with it's reference image, 
how do I achieve this black fog color around the glass ? I tried different glass materials and studio lighting setups. but nothing worked.

Also tried various values of fog color but not getting this effect.

I've attached 3ds max 2023 version file and reference/render.

In my render glass corners doesn't have this black foggy effect which is show in reference image, 

how to achieve this effect, any help is very much appreciated.

Thanks & Regards,

[RobH2]

The modern world of 3d brings us closer to the way things are in the real world more and more. When lighting glass in the photo studio we know that glass photographs better if it's lit from above or behind. It's the same when lighting food. Both benefit from top and back lighting. You can see in the reference by the highlights on the metal that the light is above and mostly behind. 

Looking at your render, it appears the light is mostly in front. Some of the best 3d artists I know excel by using lighting techniques that are employed by studio commercial photographers. I don't have Corona but I took your scene and converted it to V-Ray. I used standard V-Ray lights and glass and put light behind and above and was able to achieve something close to what your reference shows. I tweaked the refraction and IOR settings a little to enhace the edges. With a little more time in it I imagine I could get nearly identical results as your reference. 

I suggest you try lighting differently, from behind and above. A tiny bit of front fill light might help but keep it as low as you can. I've attached an example of my V-Ray scene so you can see how I set it up. 

Edit: Before I trashed the file I played with it a bit more. I lit the Edison bulbs and it even accentuates the effect you are after a little bit more. Good luck....  🙂

[wernienst]

Sorry, couldn't resist! 😊

Since I don't own any of the mentioned renderers, I tried to recreate the scene using Arnold shaders and lights.

I could emphasize the glass edge (fresnel) effect by wiring a Facing Ratio map to the Transmission Weight channel

(left: without, right: with):

In other renderers, it's maybe called Falloff or Fresnel map/Shader.

[RobH2]

If I'm correct, you are also lighting from above and behind primarily. That's the trick, more than the Falloff or Fresnel parameters. The point I'm making is that lighting glass is more about the light and less about the parameters as long as the refraction is set to make transparent glass with a normal IOR setting. 

[domo.spaji]

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@RobH2 wrote:

 The point I'm making is that lighting glass is more about the light...

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Whatever!

It would be better to say that lighting has absolutely no effect on transparent objects, in 3d and real life.

[RobH2]

Incorrect. Light has a dramatic effect  on the refraction of glass depending on the angle it comes from. If glass had zero refraction you'd be correct, but glass refracts. In the 3d world, you can have glass with zero refraction, but in the real world you cannot have that. 

Having been a commerical photographer shooting food and products for more than 30 years, I can with an unlimited amount of confidence and experience guarantee that light dramatically affects how glass looks when lit from various angles.  

[domo.spaji]

Angles of reflection and refraction are relative to surface (normal)...

In case of cylindrical obj. like in this scene, you cant change that angle by orbiting light source front, left, back...

Correct?

For every other cases:

Everything (and all) we and camera see is light (reflecting of some obj.),

every obj. is light source

Have that in mind if/when you read/hear something about  reflection, refraction...

hopefully less confident  in your theory