Overloading Predefined Ambiences and Cameras

You can customize some ambience and camera parameters when using predefined ambiences. This lets you enhance performance and visual quality.

This task shows you how to:

Click Play to watch the video:

Access the Ambience and Camera Panel

The Ambience and Camera panel is accessible from the action bar.

From the View section of the action bar, click Ambience and Camera... .
The panel is divided into two independent sections: one for the current ambience, and one for the current camera. In each section, several areas that you can expand or collapse are available.

Define Ambience Parameters

You can overload some ambience parameters to fine-tune the display of your model.

Before you begin: The parameters you define are applied to the current ambience. If you change the current ambience, your new parameters are applied to the new ambience.
  1. In the Ambience list, choose the current ambience.

    For more information about the available ambiences, see Applying Predefined Ambiences.

  2. From the Parameters list, click either:
    • Default to keep the default ambience parameters.
    • Override to modify some ambience parameters. The Ambience and Camera panel is dynamically updated to display the parameters you can override.

      These parameters are grouped into the following categories:

    Important:
    • The reset command next to Parameters lets you reset all the parameters in the panel to their default values.
    • Overridden parameters apply to the current ambience. Therefore, if you modify some parameters, then choose another ambience in the Ambience list, its parameters are overridden.
    • Your changes are simultaneously applied to the active tab and are kept throughout apps in the current session. If you close, then reopen the panel, you retrieve the values you have previously defined.

Global

The Global area lets you overload the global position and orientation for the ambience.

Choose a mode and if you click Override, define the appropriate options.

Option Description
Mode Default Override
No overload. Lets you change the up direction and the rotation for the ambience.
Up Lets you change the up direction by clicking a vector from the list.
Z+ (default)

Y+

Rotation Lets you specify a rotation in degrees around the up vector (between 0 and 360).
No rotation

Rotation about Z+

Ground

The Ground area lets you hide the ground, or display it with a custom position and radius.

Before you begin: These parameters are relevant only for ambiences with a ground.
Define the appropriate ground options.

Option Description
Mode Lets you select how the ground is displayed.
Default None Fixed
No ambience overload.

This means that the current ambience properties are applied to the ground.

Hides the ground and the grid of the current ambience.

This mode is relevant only for ambiences with a ground or a grid.

Specifies the position and radius of the ground and of the grid using a fixed value.

You define these fixed values through the Position and Radius options detailed below.

Position Defines the ground and grid's position along the X, Y, and Z axes.

Note: This option is available in Fixed mode only.

Radius Defines the ground and grid's radius to tune the visual quality.

To do so, you can either use the box, or enter a value directly in the box, and then press Enter.

Note: This option is available in Fixed mode only.

Tip: When in Fixed mode, click to apply the position and radius defined in the current ambience to the scene.

This might be useful if you want to automatically adjust the Position and Radius values to reflect changes made to the scene.

Background

The Background area lets you apply a uniform or graduated background.

Choose a background mode and, depending on your choice, define the appropriate options.

Option Description
Mode Lets you select how the background is displayed.
Default Uniform Gradient
No background overload. Sets a uniform background for the ambience.

You can either click the color square to pick a color from the color chooser, or use the color slider.

 Sets a graduated background for the ambience.

In that case, the Zenith and Horizon options are available.
Zenith Specifies the sky color by clicking the color square to pick a color from the color chooser, or using the color sliders.

Note: This option is available in Gradient mode only.

Horizon Specifies the horizon line's color by clicking the color square to pick a color from the color chooser, or using the color sliders.

Note: This option is available in Gradient mode only.

Lighting

You can vary ambience lighting effects and global environment lighting using directional light sources (that is, light sources coming from a given direction, generating constant-intensity parallel lighting).

  1. Click the appropriate lighting preset.

    Preset Description
    Default No overload. The initial ambience lighting is restored.
    One Light Adds a single directional light to the current ambience.
    Two Lights Adds two directional lights to the current ambience.
    Neon Replaces the ambience environment lighting by a neon-style environment lighting.

  2. In the Sources list, click the appropriate option to add or replace light sources.

    Option Description
    Default No overload. The initial ambience lighting is kept.
    Remove all lights Removes all the light sources defined in the current ambience.
    Replace by one light Replaces all the light sources contained in the current ambience by one user-defined light source.
    Important: All shadows associated with the removed light sources are also removed.

    Replace by two lights

    		 Replaces all the light sources contained in the current ambience by two user-defined light sources.
    Important: All shadows associated with the removed light sources are also removed.
    Add one light Adds one light source to the current ambience.
    Add two lights Adds two light sources to the current ambience.
    Intensity Defines the global intensity of all added and replacing light sources.



    		Drag the handles up or down, or toward the right or left to change the direction of the light sources.

    The 3D area is updated simultaneously. Below is an example with one light source:
    Tip: Click to reset the light sources to their default intensity and direction.

    Below are examples of added and replacing light sources with the Blue Design and Outdoor ambiences.

    Ambience Default Add Replace
    Blue Design
    Outdoor

  3. From the Environment list, click the appropriate option to remove the environment lighting, or replace it with a neon map.

    Environment lighting, also known as Image-based Lighting (IBL), is a rendering technique that simulates the lighting in your scene using images of real-world lights.

    Option Description
    Environment Default None Map
    No overload. The initial ambience lighting is kept. Removes the environment lighting from the current ambience. Replaces the current environment lighting by a new predefined environment lighting.

    When you choose this environment type, additional options are available.
    Intensity Lets you define the global intensity for the Map environment lighting.
    Main Axis Lets you choose the main axis for the neon map.
    Z

    Y

    X

    The main axis corresponds to the cylinder axis.

    (1) Zenith

    (2) Cylinder axis
    Rotation Rotates the environment lighting around the main axis.
    No rotation

    Rotation around Z

    Map Lets you choose a predefined environment lighting.
    4 Neons

    10 Neons

    18 Neons

    Skyline

Ambient Occlusion

Ambient occlusion displays shaded surfaces by considering light attenuation from nearby objects. When an object is surrounded by many other objects, it appears darker because less light can reach it.

Before you begin: This area is available only if Use with SSAO is activated in the Visual Quality Manager.
Click the appropriate mode.

Mode Description
Default No overload.
Override Lets you define the intensity and radius used by the ambient occlusion algorithm.
Radius and Intensity - Default values

Radius and Intensity - Increased values

Define Camera Parameters

You can customize some camera parameters.

From the Camera list, click either:
  • Default to use the default camera.
  • Override to override the current camera through customized parameters.

Exposure

You can specify a fixed or automatic exposure for the current camera.

Before you begin: This area is not available if you activate cameras defined through Rendering Scene Design or Live Rendering.
Click the appropriate options.

Option Description
Mode Default Fix Automatic
No overload.

The original values are kept.

 Uses a fix value for the exposure.

This value is defined through the EV option.

 Automatically computes for each frame the exposure value from the current scene luminance.

The darker the screen, the higher the exposure. This enables the a correct visualization of the scene whatever the context.

This simulates the eye adaptation when looking in the direction of the sun, or when moving to a dark place, for example.
Original values

EV 1.50

EVC -0.50, EVMin -4.00, EVC -5.00

EV Specifies the fix value for the exposure.

Note: This option is available in Fix mode only.

EVC Sets the number of exposure value stops by which to adjust the exposure.

More negative values result in darker images; more positive values result in lighter images.

Note: This option is available in Automatic mode only.

EVMax Specifies the exposure minimum.

Note: This option is available in Automatic mode only.

EVMin Specifies the exposure maximum.

Note: This option is available in Automatic mode only.

Camera Motion Blur

You can override the default motion blur of the camera, and define your own shutter speed.

Choose a mode, and if you click Override, define the appropriate options.

The motion blur effect is applied to all objects in the scene, when the camera is moving. The more camera moves, the more blurred the objects.

Option Description
Mode Default Override
No overload. Activates motion blur (only on a camera’s point of view).
Shutter speed Sets the amount of time the camera shutter is open per frame.

Save Your Customization

When satisfied with the result, you can save your customized parameters to keep them for later use.

Click to save the customized ambience and camera parameters.
The saved ambience is a combination of the selected predefined ambience with overloaded parameters. It is named Custom Ambience and is available at the bottom of the Ambience list.

If you change the current ambience, or next time you open the Ambience and Camera panel, you can click the custom ambience from the list and apply it to your model.

Important: There is only one customized ambience. Therefore, when a customized ambience has been saved, you cannot overload its parameters anymore.