Underwater scenes and thoughts.

[Anonymous]

So I put this together yesterday and gave it a good solid day of rendering. Overally, I am happy with the result with one exception. The skin of course. I've never had this plastic issue with this specific model, which is the main reason I used her for the scene. But finding this after work today, I am at a loss as to what to do to remedy this sort of issue. Any thoughts??

bc

[Aftyrbyrn]

Not sure what is causing it but when i get stuck on something like that, i'll apply another characters texture and see if it does the same same thing. And try a new scene in a new DAZ window with the original character and default lights as a comparison too. I don't really have an easy answer for that one.

If the alternate materials work, then I'll compare the surface settings for each one, the original and one that produces a better render. Then, see what the differences are, and apply the settings to the original map, maybe gloss, specular settings are different for that texture?

What character and texture are you using? I could try on my side as well.
Bump and normal maps can also break apart the 'glossy' plastic feel as well.

[Anonymous]

Good ideas that I will play with tonight when I get to settle down and play around. The model is Layla from renderosity.

Layla

All base stuff, I didn't fiddle with a single dial or morph for this particular photo aside from posing. Fantastic rocker girl look and renders great nicely under every other condition I've tossed at her. I'm certain I'm just overlooking something as this is my first underwater human render.

[Aftyrbyrn]

Is it a underwater plane or some sorta volume effect? I haven't messed around with any below the surface renders yet either. Got me kinda interested

[Anonymous]

It's a volume, waiting for this next attempt to get more iterations in with different skin settings before i try pulling the volume, as I fear that may be the culprit and then I'll fiddle with the settings of it. Render with a different skin netted similar results, so I've changed up the trans and spec on the skin and it's looking a little better but still not great, although it's currently less than 100 iterations in right now. I'll give it about an hour and have another look.

[Yan]

maybe add some caustics? the "plastic" effect isn't technically a problem, as the engine understands that it's organic skin underwater. But, it lacks the subtle caustics, that will get the realism. a fast google search, as an example of what I mean

[Aftyrbyrn]

@yanmartyn, is that a render?!?! 🙂

[Yan]

LOL! I wish!
No, it's a google images search result for "underwater", just to show the caustics that skin gets underwater, when you're under, but close to, the surface. That, and an amount of white-washed barely visible coating over the image (done during post-work, I'd suggest), are what the original render is missing to hit realism
You see, light underwater refracts. A LOT. That causes the caustic effect, and it also causes the white-washing coating.

[Bot101]

@ladyburger, your renders always rock! this wetlook needs some skin wet look to it.
For some reason that @Yanmartyn is blown my mind away!!! The lighting effects really do the trick. Perhaps you should consider some of those wet body iray or wet hair effects on yours.

(https://zonegfx.com/genesis-3-females-wet-body-iray/)

(https://zonegfx.com/short-wet-hair-for-genesis-8-males-and-females/)

or even this one looks more realistic

(https://zonegfx.com/actual-wet-hair-genesis-3-female/) from renderosity

I also think that @Yanmartyn has the advantage because the face looks like it is believable as underwater - despite the Bono glasses. The squinting face looks like it is responding to being wet. I think all your rendering is well done! both you and @Yanmartyn. true artists to say the least.

[Anonymous]

It looks real because it is. 😀 I'm working on the caustics, it does seem to be doing the job. If it continues the way it is going, I'll do some postwork in the morning.

[silverboaX]

Turn the specularity map down.

DAZs iRay isn't good for volumetrics at all (it's caustics setting seems to be pretty much "oh you want me to pass light through stuff, ok, rather than refracting the lights properly), if you want good underwater you are going to have to do post work, or use another renderer.

[ADAM]

notice the light on the floor in the real picture also.
Light goes all over the place in water when it hits an uneven surface like waves + ripples.

lots of bubbles near the butt. Did she fart? 😉

[Yan]

If you are going to work the caustics on photoshop, I'll put a couple brushes on free resources, that I use for caustics, or underwater effects. As a rule of thumb, I usually strike single brush strokes on an empty layer, above the image, them wrap, or puppet wrap to set them in the proper size and angle to fit the scene, and, then, assuming you have used white, set blending mode as color dodge, and play with opacity to taste

[Anonymous]

So having both the caustic and architectural optimizations really slowed the process alot. But after 16 hours, it's still grainy. Anyway, this is straight from Daz.

And this was some light postwork I managed in the 10 minutes I had to spare between getting kids off to school this morning. Wasn't going for perfection but rather conceptual realization.

Still a far cry from the end result I am looking for, but it's getting there.

The thing that annoys me the most is the fact that the rendered caustics are only visible in the foreground. There are three identical caustic effects and lights spanning the length of the pool.

[ADAM]

As said by several other, if you run it HUGE with slightly lower settings then shrink, it takes about the same time and reduces a lot of noise.

It looks a lot better with the light on the ground.

Id break up the bubble pattern near her nose. looks a bit like a mustache atm.

[Author]

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