Corona sun with "hdr loader"

[arqrenderz]

Hi i have a request for a more intuitive HDR loader and rotation of the map, Right now we can load an HDR file but in order to rotate we input some numbers (45º,60º etc...)
What i ask is for a Corona HDR loader with some visual input of the map rotation, Like the Corona Sun were we have a very intuitive sun position We can have the same gizmo for hdr and some Horizontal rotation (vertical one can be locked)
And a more precise control of the Hdr like the one in vray (gamma , intensity, and so on)

[rampally]

+1 form my side too

[Ludvik Koutny]

Loading environment map into sun light source? Really?!

[snakebox]

Loading environment map into sun light source? Really?!

Never crossed my mind... to even consider this. eh?! 

@daniel266 why are you doing this?

[arqrenderz]

Ok let me explain myself better :)
When WE use an HDR as light source we need to rotate it in order to get the sun were we need to , and as far as i know its done in the Horizontal rotation box (0º, 50º, etc etc) but this is done with no visual input just a numeric value were we think the sun will hit BUT it would be SO much easier if the loader has some kind of arrow pointing were is the hdr going. Is just that,
(i know the hdr can be set to the viewport but in interior scenes and exteriors to this method would be easier) 

[romullus]

Usually HDRI used as enviroment light source is 360° by 180°, so where that magical arrow you propose, should point at?

[borisquezadaa]

Hmmm really i found no use to this cause every hdri is aligned in different way. Some companys have standards like the sun always to the "North" but not every hdr maker has a preffered orientation.

So what do you suggest?

[blank...]

So what do you suggest?

For keymaster to come up with some super intelligent piece of code that will analyze HDRI selected for the sky, and figure out where the clump of pixels with highest values is. Then ask if that is the correct location, at the same time pointing to it with some sort of gizmo for us to visually confirm. If yes, we confirm, if not, it repeats the process for the next clump of high pixels value.
Once we confirm that the position of the sun is correct it ask us whether we want to use HDRI only, or should it link coronas sun to position of sun on HDRI.
If HDRI only
  leave aforementioned gizmo
else
  create corona sun & link it
end

It's keymaster, how hard could it be, five minutes work. Tops! :D

[Ludvik Koutny]

Three things you really should know:

Ever since Max 2012, environment can easily displayed in viewport at high quality, and adjusted (rotated) in real time.

It's super easy to wire sun rotation to HDRI rotation using wire parameters dialog

It's really easy to automate this by a script. I will ask scripting guy at our work to make the script.



It's really pointless to clutter UI just because of few people who wan't to automatize thing you do like once every day. Only tasks that are performed very often are worth automatization. And this one already has a way (by wiring parameters)

Btw, if you have HDRI with correctly captured exposure, and you load it properly, then there is absolutely no point of using CoronaSun. It's only when you have incorrectly captured HDRI, incorrectly loaded it in Max, or just low dynamic range 8 bit map, that you need to use CoronaSun aligned with the spot.

[Ludvik Koutny]

It's just sooo easy to either align light source to map, or vice versa.

[blank...]

Three things you really should know

Haha, i know all of that, it was a joke :D and a chance for me to show of my fantastic programing skills, didn't you see that glorious IF - THEN - ELSE :D
Now i feel bad that you wrote all this :)

[arqrenderz]

I dont want Corona Sun linked to hdri, i just want a Damm Corona hdri loader (some like vray dome light were you put hdri) with a damm Arrow pointing at a fixed position (most of hdris have the sun in the center, otherwise it can be modified) In order to KNOW better were is THE damm hdri is pointing at (then sun IN the hdri, or light whatever it has .
thats all

Im not a render noob guys, im not a super star but not a noob, i just cant express myself ...
Im sending a private video to Rawalanche, i hope he can pass the idea to keymaster or something..

[Ludvik Koutny]

Well, if you display environment map in the viewport, then you know where your sun is and which direction it shines from. And also, you can add skylight into the scene, and set it to "use scene environment". It will give you HDRI illumination right in the viewport, and it won't affect rendering as Corona ignores Skylight light object.

[Juraj]

I could imagine this being in form of script outside of Corona tools. Personally I think it could be really helpful, since judging environment direction is only possible from perspective, but it's far more useful to position precisely from camera above or orthogonal flat view.

Perhaps, something like a helper (with same visual representation in viewport as CoronaSun has, a gizmo) that would be wired to map parameter. So exactly like Rawalanche suggested, but with dedicated visual gizmo in viewport in one step, since I think that's what OP is after, and something I see can be quite useful. Could be a good script. Of course, it's possible to do already in one form or another as outlined , but something straight-forward for dummies like us ?

[Ludvik Koutny]

I already mailed it to daniel266. In recent 3ds Max versions, it's easily possible to display actual illumination of HDRI map right in the viewport, including shadows, so not only you know where your light comes from, but also which areas are in shadows, and where sun beams hit. It's simply done using Skylight object, and since Corona ignores this light object, it does not affect render output.