Camera Matching in 3ds Max

Camera Matching in 3ds Max 2014

In this 3ds Max 2014 series video tutorial, you will learn how to match the perspective of your 3D camera to the background picture.

Video 1: Perspective Matching

In this tutorial, you learn to integrate 3D objects into real-world imagery. You learn to match the perspective of your 3D camera to that of the background picture used as an environment map. You then learn different techniques to adjust the lighting of your scene to match the background and fine-tune the materials for a good integration. You also learn about the pros and cons of different workflows and how to overcome various problems you may encounter. Finally, you jazz up the scene using the Populate tool, to create animated pedestrians that bring your scene to life.



Video 2: Scanline Renderer

In this movie, you add a lighting scenario that works with the Scanline Renderer. Although the general workflow is the same between Scanline and Mental Ray, some values and adjustments work better in one than in the other. Here, you experiment with lighting adjustments that work well with Scanline.

Video 3: Mental Ray Renderer

In this movie, you use the Mental Ray renderer to render the same scene you used previously. Mental Ray is the renderer of choice for many 3D artists and you will set it up to use the same Daylight System you used earlier. 



Video 4: Mental Ray Materials and Reflections

With the mental ray-based lighting in place, you now turn your attention to materials. To make the most of the mental ray engine, you will use mental ray materials accordingly. There are many to choose from but you will concentrate on the Arch & Design material, the most common and arguably most powerful mental ray material available in 3ds Max.



Video 5: Environment Reflections

In this movie, you learn to dissociate the image rendered in the background from one that is used for reflections.



Video 6: Matching the Environment 

In this movie, you finalize the material work and render the solution prior to populating the scene with animated pedestrians.

Video 7: Populating the Scene

In this movie, you use the Populate tool to add animated pedestrians to your scene. You need 3ds Max 2014 or newer to access this tool.