Capturing HDRI Spherical Images with Canon 5D and Nodal Ninja

Software tutorials of interest.
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jstenner
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Capturing HDRI Spherical Images with Canon 5D and Nodal Ninja

#1 Post by jstenner »

So, a fundamental component of rendering objects in Maya to be composited with photographic background plates is a technique called HDRI (High Dynamic Range Imaging) using spherical images captured on a film set or film location. Color information is stored in these images with enough dynamic range that they can be used by rendering software (V-Ray, Arnold, Mental Ray, etc) to simulate real-world lighting and reflection information. To capture this information A+T has a Canon 5D Mark III, a Sigma 8mm Fisheye lens, and a Nodal Ninja M2 tripod head.

GETTING STARTED
Here are a series of getting started tutorials.

Setting up Canon 5D Mark III for multiple exposures:


Strategy if you don't have tripod, 5D, or other limitations:


Here's the definitive video tutorial using our equipment and software:


Here are a couple of other tutorials that might fill in some detail for you.
This is a good overview of PT Gui Pro, BUT, it is not a workflow for producing an .hdr for image-based lighting. The focus is on making a seamless panorama:


Using PT Gui Pro to stitch the panorama. This video does a good job of showing how you can mask/unmask fill areas around the poles of your image:




PTGui Pro and Photomatix Pro, discussed in the videos, are installed on the machine in the Sound Room.

CONFIGURATION PICS
Using our Canon 5D mkiii and Sigma 8mm fisheye lens, these are the positions of the camera on the Nodal Ninja that locate the camera at its nodal center:

Bottom Bar:
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Side Bar:
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The master of disaster!

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