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Glow Keying Elements – Sources in the 3D World

The Glow module of Lens Effects is a great way to glow geometry, rather than light sources, which are the Flare module’s specialty. The secret to making a glow look correct, however, is by keying off of the right elements. Your 3D Application enables you to key your glow off one of several components-or sources-within a scene. In this section, you explore the common elements to key from, as well as why you would and should use them.

Glows and Lens Flares in the 3D World

New 3D Applications introduce a new level of realism in rendering with its new Lens Effects module. Artists and animators can now easily simulate camera flare effects using this new feature. Oddly enough, the effects simulated by the Lens Effects module are usually considered undesirable artifacts in traditional film making or photography.

Glowing Unclamped Colors in the 3D World

Unclamped colors represent the pixels in your rendered image that are brighter than pure white. Your 3D Application always renders images at 64-bits but displays them at 24-bits of color. Other information-unclamped color values, Object ID, Material ID, Z-buffer, and such might be stored within the image, but your 3D Application does not display it unless explicitly told to do so. Now, unclamped colors values will be used much more within your 3D Application thanks to the program’s new Ray trace material.

Glowing Material IDs in the 3D World

Glow also enables you to glow objects using the Material Effects Channel. In the Material Editor, you can assign a material or sub-object material a specific channel from 0 to 15. You can use the Material Channel The Material Channel Assignment area of the Material Editor. Use it to assign Material Effects Channels to any material in your scene.

Perimeter Versus Perimeter Alpha in the 3D World

The difference between the two perimeter options is how they determine where the glow starts. The Perimeter Alpha option essentially uses the Alpha channel to determine where the glow is going to start. Because the Alpha channel contains anti-aliasing information, the glow will also be anti-aliased around the edges of your source.