HDRE Moofe kit
Kit for MODO 701, 601, 501 & 401
Moofe Ltd. is a UK-based photography company who specializes in supplying images and backplates, which they have photographed all over the world for CGI projects. These guys are obsessed with quality and have a tremendous collection of great shots from their many treks around the globe. They are also MODO users; and through special arrangement we are able to offer a handy collection of their imagery – along with rights to use in your own projects – in our latest HDRE kit for MODO.
What are HDRE kits?
HDRE kits are collections of photo-based environments that provide subtle and realistic lighting to your models. By combining high-quality HDRI panoramas with matching background plates, these high dynamic range environments provide MODO users with the power of image-based lighting with an incredibly simple workflow. Simply choose your location from the Assembly preset browser, select a background plate from the visual HDRE card view, and then fine tune the shot with the HDRE heads up display (HUD). Photorealism has never been so simple.
How does HDRE work in MODO?
Select one of five supplied locations
Just click on the desired location (perhaps the mountain road) then pick your preferred camera background plate (maybe a close-up of one curve on the mountain). Your MODO scene is automatically pin registered to the background plate. A ground plane is automatically created for you to drag and drop your mesh items on top of – and as you do they are placed “in” the photo with accurately cast shadows, lighting and reflections. You can now render your car or other items in this rich new environment without ever having to create a light, adjust a camera, or even having to access the Shader Tree.
Fine tune your results
To further enhance your renderings, embedded controls are presented right in the MODO viewport to adjust things like the amount of indirect vs. direct illumination. For example, moving a slider will enhance the shadows in your rendering by increasing the lighting contribution from physical sun that is available at this precise geographic location. You can also adjust the amount of saturation for both the environment and/or the background – even to the point of turning your background plate into a black and white image.
When you select a new environment, it is added to your scene in a non-destructive way. The supplied scripts simply limit the visibility or effect of your existing settings without deleting anything. This workflow allows you to experiment with different locations or mix the effects you obtain from a new location with ease.
What’s included in the HDRE Moofe kit?
This kit includes 5 different locations: Desolate beach, abandoned industrial building, rooftop parking lot, mountain road, and an urban park. Each of the supplied locations includes the following components:
Render-ready camera background plates
Each location includes 18 - 25 custom camera background plates at 3,608 x 2,706 pixel resolution. Each background plate includes a ground plane and a pre-calibrated MODO camera. There are 113 background plates in total.
High-Resolution spherical panoramic image (4k x 8k pixels)
Image provides source for accurate reflections and refractions from the environment.
HDRI image
HDRI image provides source of indirect rays.
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
What are these kits for?
They are designed to help you light and place your models in interesting locations with no fuss. Even the simplest models look great with the use of these kits. They are great for pitching your work, building a portfolio, and learning about HDRI lighting. If you are a professional, the Moofe kit gives you additional flexibility, in that you have a source where you can license high-resolution images from Moofe for specific commercial use, exclusively if you prefer.
Which HDRE kits are currently available?
Currently, there are three. We are offering the new Moofe kit plus the original HDRE Urban and HDRE Landscape kits.
How many locations do I get in these kits?
Each kit has five locations. The Moofe kit has 18 - 25 backplates (for each of the 5 locations) and the Urban and Landscape kits each have 6 - 12 backplates (for each location). For example, the first location in the Urban kit is an industrial warehouse area. Six backplates are provided for that single location including a wide expanse of asphalt, a cul de sac, a street with adjacent warehouse, a close-up of the street and two more backplates showing a paved area with barricades. The Moofe kit backgrounds are 3,608 x 2,706 and you can contact Moofe to license even higher resolution backplates, all shot with a Hasselblad H3D Mark II camera.
What happens to my existing lights in my scene when I activate an HDRE?
All of your lights are still there but they are turned off automatically to make way for the new lighting provided in the kit.
Are these kits useful for people who do not use MODO?
The supplied imagery would be useful, but the kits are far more valuable to MODO users because we have made the kits extremely simple to use inside of MODO through the use of scripts, rigs and custom user interfaces.
Is there documentation provided?
Yes, we provide extensive video tutorials (English language) which cover how to use the kits and also how to create custom effects.
