ENDA Episode 183→ The time when ENDA faces a Multipass Challenge (Part 8)
The answers almost always come down to the same two reasons: to make it more photorealistic or to support the narrative.
In a previous episode, we mentioned that we would start adding nice-looking details and… we will, but not in the way you might expect.
As always, we need to start with the most important question: Why?
Why are we adding these details to our shot?
The answers almost always come down to the same two reasons: to make it more photorealistic or to support the narrative.
First, the ember particles are not there just to show how “cool” our particle system looks. They exist because the lava is emitting embers, and those embers are being carried by the wind.
The lens flare highlights tell us that our light source is being captured by a real camera lens, rather than a 3D camera, where light doesn’t create those kinds of “imperfections”. For example, the subtle bubble-like shapes give a soft bokeh effect in the corner where the light is coming from.
The spot flare is the final touch that reinforces the idea that we’re viewing this scene through an actual lens, one where the light source hits the glass and creates that distinctive spot flare.
Finally, the volumetric lights add the extra depth we need to push our lighting into more cinematic territory.
But don’t be mistaken, our cinematographic treatment doesn’t end here. We still need to make this shot feel less like a CG render and more like real footage.
And the key to that will be in the type of lens we choose to emulate.
But that will be for a future episode.
The journey continues...
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