Using a 360 image as background in Maya 2016

[yipchoya]

Hi Folks, my school has purchased a new Rico Theta S 360 camera. I would like to be able to use the 360 images both still and eventually the moving images as backgrounds in my Maya files. Can someone direct me to a knowledge source that shows how to incorporate those images please? Alan

[tl]

Hi

There's a couple of different ways to do what you want. Image Based Lighting Is the one I'd try first.

http://youtu.be/VtNWC1k-unU
Skip to 7 mins in for the specific portion.

Hope that helps.

[yipchoya]

Hi,
thanks , this is great. Can you also steer me to a source that shows how to use the actual image as a background image in addition to using it as a light source?
All the best,
Yipchoya



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[Anifex09 · Accepted solution]

To make a renderable background - go to Render Settings - click the Arnold Renderer Tab - scroll down to Environment - click on the checkered box next to background - select Sky Shader - in the attribute editor add your HDRI map to the Color - if you are already using Arnold Skydome light to light the scene - under the render stats uncheck everything but Primary Visibility and check Visible in Refraction

[tl · Accepted solution]

There are quite a few factors.

It should appear in both HW2.0 renders and also MentalRay renders. my IBL image always shows up both in viewport and renders.

However when saving/exporting images with Alpha channels, the background is masked out by the alpha channel so if you don't interpret the alpha channel it will disappear.

If you are using After Effects for your footage then render PNG sequences and then in AE do this:

Import the file sequence (or still) as per usual. Then in the PROJECT window right click on the sequence.: INTERPRET FOOTAGE>MAIN and tick  'ignore alpha'

If you save your Maya files out as a format which doesn't support Alpha such as Alpha then it should show up. Be mindful of the Gamma settings.

Notice in Maya you may get 'pinched' pole vectors (funny join in the sky/floor apex) in the interpretation of the square-to-sphere. this is pretty hard to avoid but its possible to instead place your 360 map the texture on a sphere with 'best effort to outsmart the pinch UVs' (I've included an MB file attached for you to see, you just need to put your 360 image in the colour node of the sphere's material).

Still this is not perfect in terms of pole pinch but then I would be tempted to re-capture the 360 as a skybox (cubemap) and then you can fix the top/bottom sections more easily in photoshop. In my experience cubemaps are the only satisfactory solution to this.

I use this rig to re-capture scenes as skybox panels

https://www.creativecrash.com/maya/script/cubemap-skybox-6-camera-setup

Console yourself that mapping/projecting spheres out of rectangular images is a problem far older than CG, it's been a problem for a few hundred years to cartographers 😉

[yipchoya]

Many Thanks,
I willcertainly give it a go.
yipchoya


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[yipchoya]

Thanks for the great tip.
I will give it a go.
yipchoya


NOTICE OF CONFIDENTIALITY: This electronic communication may contain confidential information intended solely for school business by the individual to whom it is addressed. Any disclosure (verbal or in print), copying, distributing, or use of this information by an unauthorized person is prohibited, and may violate Spring Branch ISD Board Policy FL (Legal), the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Should you receive this electronic communication in error, please notify the sender immediately. Thereafter, please delete the message.