PBR is making me go insane


EvanDesign
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Go to solution Solved by Alaskan_Son,

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I'm sort of new to CA and I've noticed that every time I go to set up my PBR it takes me FOREVER to get it looking good. This time however it has taken me forever to make it look good and I still cannot figure out how to fix this.

Can someone help me figure out what I'm doing wrong, I find PBR to be so challenging.

Showroom-Outdoor Kitchen - Evan - AUG-04-21.jpg

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2 hours ago, EvanDesign said:

I'm sort of new to CA and I've noticed that every time I go to set up my PBR it takes me FOREVER to get it looking good.

What version are you on? What video card do you have? What have you tried for settings? Do you have a roof and a foundation? And an enclosed room? (that helps) have you looked at the resources available here?

https://www.chiefarchitect.com/search/?default_tab=all&q=physically+based+rendering

This one started by Graham is long with lots of information and troubleshooting.

https://chieftalk.chiefarchitect.com/topic/16430-physically-based-rendering-exteriors/

 

For X13 look at this one

https://chieftalk.chiefarchitect.com/topic/31160-real-time-raytrace-rtrt-tips/

Or find Scott Harris webinar on that. (but also be sure to check off cap live samples)

 

Once you get something that works set it for your default to make life easier and faster next time. In the meantime after checking the available resource, or if you have already, let us know what you're settings are. Might even strip down a plan and post it for advice.

Off the top of my head you have too much light but there is no way to tell why from what you posted.'

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In addition the questions Mark posted above, I would also inquire as to what exactly you mean when you say...

 

19 hours ago, EvanDesign said:

it takes me FOREVER to get it looking good


Is it your own time adjusting settings that takes so long or is it the time it takes Chief to render the scene?  If it’s things you are doing, what are the things that take you so much time?  PBR is tricky in that lighting is basically handled in aggregate and relative to other lights in the scene meaning you can get the same exact view with the sunlight set at 4 lumens as you can with the sunlight set at 400,000 lumens.  It’s easy to run around chasing your tail.  
 

My suggestion is to just hire someone (not me) to coach you through it at the start.  You may get there eventually on your own and by gleaning tips from the forum with MANY MANY hours of practice,  but but but...if your time is valuable, I suggest you contact @Renerabbitt to see if he can squeeze you in for a training session or 2.  There are just far too many nuances.  Shoot, read through some of the threads here on the forum and you’ll quickly see that even guys that seem to know what they’re doing can spend a ridiculous amount of time futzing around and experimenting with settings.  You can spend hours reading through all the tips coming from different directions and many times the methods conflict with each other due to some of the various nuances (particularly the lighting thing I mentioned above).  At the end of the day, there are a handful of universal rules you’ll want to follow but in large part, you really need to work within your own specific system, and learning a system from a specific coach who knows what they’re doing is a good way to do that.  Just my 2 cents.  

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It takes most of us "forever" to get professional grade products until we learn the right settings and adjustments (join the club!). Perhaps it is just my new PC which CPU-wise is a little faster than  my old one but my Ray Traces (not PBRRT) but just old fashioned Ray Trace just about two minutes (after set up and adjusting lights and sunlight, just as in PBR). No one just clicks a button.

 

DJP

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22 minutes ago, Alaskan_Son said:

If it’s things you are doing, what are the things that take you so much time?

The way I do it is I set my camera and then change it to PBR then I mess around with the lighting and everything else until I get it looking as realistic/nice looking as I can. It usually takes awhile to make it the way I want it too, AND..I have to repeat that whole process every single time I move my camera to a new location and the settings are usually different then the first time camera angle. 
 

Thank you for you suggestion on getting a trainer, I have had one once and he was very helpful I will portably get another session soon. 

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2 hours ago, EvanDesign said:

...then I mess around with the lighting and everything else...


....and there’s your main problem.  If you’re not making relatively deliberate and educated adjustments then you’re just as likely to be making things worse with any given tweak.  Anyway, I hope you have a good coach.  

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5 hours ago, EvanDesign said:

The way I do it is I set my camera and then change it to PBR then I mess around with t

I copy paste once I have a camera I'm happy with; yes the settings are different but it's a better start. (Be sure you are using light sets)

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11 hours ago, EvanDesign said:

AND..I have to repeat that whole process every single time I move my camera to a new location

 

NOoooo !  :) ..... Make dedicated Cameras just for Client Views ( I also use them for some 3D pics in Layout )  and DON'T Move them...ever, copy them as Mark mentioned for a close as you'll get starting point .....

 

M.

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15 hours ago, EvanDesign said:

The way I do it is I set my camera and then change it to PBR then I mess around with the lighting and everything else until I get it looking as realistic/nice looking as I can. It usually takes awhile to make it the way I want it too, AND..I have to repeat that whole process every single time I move my camera to a new location and the settings are usually different then the first time camera angle. 
 

Thank you for you suggestion on getting a trainer, I have had one once and he was very helpful I will portably get another session soon. 

Is this X-12 or X-13 and what video card?

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3 hours ago, Kbird1 said:

 

NOoooo !  :) ..... Make dedicated Cameras just for Client Views ( I also use them for some 3D pics in Layout )  and DON'T Move them...ever, copy them as Mark mentioned for a close as you'll get starting point .....

 

M.

Okay thanks 

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7 minutes ago, Renerabbitt said:

Will you share a .plan file with a clearly labelled saved camera so we can take a look at your various settings?

I can upload a .plan file however the next day when I went to the camera (same exact camera with no changes) it looked completely normal. It was no longer black everywhere and I still don’t know why it did that. 
 

I noticed that PBR sometimes does odd things, for example it will turn the ceiling black or 2 of the exact same colours won’t look the same at all.

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3 minutes ago, EvanDesign said:

I can upload a .plan file however the next day when I went to the camera (same exact camera with no changes) it looked completely normal. It was no longer black everywhere and I still don’t know why it did that. 
 

I noticed that PBR sometimes does odd things, for example it will turn the ceiling black or 2 of the exact same colours won’t look the same at all.

This usually points to a driver issue or a memory cache that needs to be cleared on the VGA controller. Simplest solution is usually to reboot

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1 minute ago, Renerabbitt said:

This usually points to a driver issue or a memory cache that needs to be cleared on the VGA controller. Simplest solution is usually to reboot

That is probably how it got fixed, thanks I’ll look into my drivers 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 8/5/2021 at 12:59 PM, Renerabbitt said:

This usually points to a driver issue or a memory cache that needs to be cleared on the VGA controller. Simplest solution is usually to reboot

I've had similar odd issues with PBR and it always seemed to be something that was cleared by rebooting.

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