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 CLICK-VR VISUALIZER
Getting started
Walk through with collisions
Adding precalculated reflection
Using automatic reflection
Using lightmaps for photorealistic lighting
Improving rendering quality and performance
 TUTORIALS
Click-VR Visualizer
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USING LIGHTMAPS FOR PHOTOREALISTIC LIGHTING

About

This tutorial will show you how you can use lightmaps to render advanced lighting features of 3dsmax (including global illumination, softshadows, VRAY or Mentalray and so on) in the Click-VR. Note however that the lighting situation created herein will be static. A seperated tutorial for real time dynamic lighting is available as well.

Using lightmaps

1. Assigning lightmap types: Select an object or a list of objects. (Note that you must open a group to access objects inside a group). Open the Lightmap Editor. Select the 2x Range Lightmap in the Object Lightmap list box. This way you assign the specified type to the selected object. Lightmaps are assigned individually per object. If you select another object you will see the currently assigned lightmap type in the Object Lightmap list box as shown above.
 

2. Rendering the lightmaps: After you have assigned the lightmaps you can render them. You can render the lightmaps either for all objects or only for the selected objects. Further you can choose to render a preview (low quality) or you can choose to render in production mode. In production mode the the quality of the lightmaps depends mainly on the Total Lightmap Size setting in the Application Editor. The bigger this value, the higher the quality of the lightmaps (and the longer the rendering of the lightmaps takes though) Note:Lightmaps are only rendered for objects that have a lightmap assigned (see step I.) After you have rendered the lightmaps you can interactivly walk around in the Click-VR viewport. You only have to render the lightmaps again if you change the lights or move objects around.

Defining specular properties

If you have objects with a specular lighting component you can use the Click-VR real time lights to specifiy the light source.
The Click-VR lights can be found in the entity modifier under Effects. Note that typically you will want to select the "Specular Only" checker box in the rollout of the click-vr light. This way you only apply additional specular and no diffuse lighting, as the diffuse lighting is already applied though the lightmaps.

Faq

Q: How can I render lightmaps on objects that are grouped?
You have to open the group. Then you either render all lightmaps or you select the nodes inside the group you want and then render lightmaps for the selection.

Q: Is it possible to take over 3dsmax Global Illumination, like Radiosity?
Yes, all 3dsmax lighting features including GI and softshadows can be used in realtime using Click-VR. Therefor you have to assign and render a lightmap for the objects. See Lightmap Editor for more details about this. The complete lighting solution of 3dsmax is then playable in realtime.
Q: Is it possible to take over lighting and especially global illumnination from the VRay renderer?
Yes. You have to do two things. First you have to assign the VRay renderer as production renderer for your scene. Then you only have to assign the lightmaps as usual. The complete lighting solution of VRay is then playable in realtime. Note that VRAY itself does not support 3dsmax standard materials when rendering lightmaps. So you have to use the VRAY materials.
Q: Can I combine Lightmaps and real-time lighting
Yes you can create your static lighting solution (typically some sort of global illumination) by rendering lightmaps. Then you can add as many dynamic Click-VR Light Entities to your scene as you like. The Spot Light just add their light to the scene. Note however that this will only work with a correct lighting result if you use lightmaps and not complete maps.