Blender-School Render Raw 1

Vi I need to get back into more structured learning. I have too many urgent things to learn than I can count using my fingers. 

• I should do a minimum of three 1-hour training blocks per week.
• These blocks must include note-taking and exercises.

I think the following are a priority:

• Render Raw
• Photographer 5x
• Lens-Sim
• Hard-Ops
• Substance Painter
• Geonodes
• Geoscatter
• PBR Material and Material Generator (revision)
• Extreme PBR

More general learning:

• Environmental and terrain tutorials
• True-Assets revision

This list was pulled from the air. I may suddenly realise there's something important missing.

So to start, let's take a look at Render Raw.

Render Raw (Featuring Creative Shrimp's mini-course on colour correction)

See Render Raw's full documentation.

Basics

In Blender, outputs are generated in RAW but are then baked into a colour space for display. This baking happens through a View Transform model, such as AGX or the older Filmic. These view transforms take the Colour Gamut (colour model that handles chromacity (measures hue and colourfulness) and filter them through a transform process that we often refer to as "baking", which indicates a one-way process that can't be reversed because it loses data. If you don't use a View Transform, then your high-bit-depth output simply gets clipped as it transitions into the Closed Colour Space. It often results in blown-out images that just look bad.

Colour Gamuts set the range of colours that can be displayed. Blender uses sRGB (standard RGB) because it offers a good, easy-to-use and accurate colour presentation across various devices and formats. Note: Internally (pre-output), Blender uses the Linear Rec.709 because it's physically accurate and linear, so good for the technical aspects.

Colour Gamut (1931 CIE)

Default gamut sRGB through the AgX View Transform.

RAW is the uncompressed high bit-depth image format, such as EXR, that contains "raw" colour data. This format yields extremely large files. It's normal to use a View Transform to bake the colour data to match the expected view formats.

ACES is the Academy Color Encoding System and was designed for the film industry to provide a standard so that different creators could have consistency as they worked on each other's outputs. ACES isn't better than AgX; it has limitations like Filmic, but it is the industry standard, and sometimes consistency is better than capability when you know how to work around limitations.

In Blender 4.0 the View Transform moved from Filmic to AgX. This caused a bit of a stir because AgX tended to make outputs "pop" a bit less. However, AgX is just objectively a bitter and more sophisticated View Transform model. Filmic doesn't support wider gamut colour spaces, such as P3. It also has a lower dynamic range. With middle-range colours and intensities, the two View Transforms are very similar. For more information, Christopher's 3D's excellent introduction to AgX.

In a nutshell, rendering to RAW instead of through a view transform preserves light and colour data that you can modify to enhance the look of the output. Previously, this tweaking would be done outside of Blender in a separate image processing app, such as Photoshop/Photo/Lightroom or a compositor, such as Premiere or DaVinci Resolve.

Render Raw

It is a Blender addon that provides tweaking tools, similar to those found in external apps, within Blender and available in the viewport to preview. However, they are still applied at the end of the rendering pipeline.

Pre-grade: A change made before the render pipeline (and View Transform) as part of a scene's setup
Post-grade: A change applied to a render output, usually in the compositor

Render Raw works with both Pre and Post-grade changes as they are applied through the compositor (but under the bonnet, as you don't need to touch the compositor yourself).

Nodes and their grade position

Post-formation changes are more lossy because they are applied to pixels that have been baked out of a View Transform. They also are not protected from breaking out of the available colour/intensity. Post-formation colour tweaking allows you to achieve the colours you want; however, you need to be careful as you make your changes.

Once Render Raw is installed, you enable it through the N-panel. Its tools then appear within the panel, or under the Render tab's Colour Management panel.

N-Panel view

Transform: The View Transform, as listed above.

Presets: A set of parameter adjustments that get general effects, such as a contrast punch

Exposure: Light levels. Lower for moody, higher can look washed out. It's safer to be slightly above as you don't lose too much definition.

Gamma: Not intended for mortals. It's not an exposure setting, it's not a colour grading instrument, it's a technical setting. Leave it at 1.

Colour correction example

You'll see in this example how post-formation tweaks could filter out the flame's form and avoid AgX's "salmon" colour profile. This is why Render Raw uses both pre- and post-formation adjustments.

Starting point

See the colour in the visor highlights has clipped with artefacts on the fringes.

Colour boost is less likely to blow out colours.

Moody with saturation

Back to learning, back to focused output

 I have work to do, but I make excuses to do something else. Usually, what I do is not focused and leads nowhere useful. Let's get back on track!

1) More planning and discipline... complete a training element at least twice per week. So, more Blender School!

2) No more starting something and fizzling out.  Although it is okay to abandon a project that has run its course, if you just stop every time you hit a creative roadblock, you'll never finish anything.

3) Work towards a more iterative and reflective workflow. It's been a while since I've completed a critique session. More of those!

generative Cthulhu statue 

Treading some water

 
Over the weekend, I had a play with various terrain projects. Lots of potential for a nice scene, but I still insist on moving on and limiting my output to quick sketches.

Cyberpunk tower (not mine). Amazing, but I wanted to showcase my own build work, so onwards...

Dusted off the Texas Tower and added a first round of materials

True-Vault grass and a tree. Needs a lot of dressing, but could turn out nice.

Road to progress

 
I submitted an update on the service road. Some adjustments are required, but they're in the fine details; the overall effect was favourably received.

Back to work, damn it!

 
I need to complete the Service Road element but I keep finding excuses to play with World Creator -- which, in fact, just entered general release. Not a massive number of changes from the Beta. The cliff filter is no longer in an experimental category.

True-Vault asset tests

I wanted to do a scene that showcased the True-VFX  asset library available through their very cool new add-on, True-Vault. I still suck at scattering! But maybe I'm getting a bit better when I keep things simple and slowly build up.

Nature Generator cliffs. Nicey nice, yes?

Grass from the GraSSy knoll collection

Cameo by Bagapie's basic ivy

I'll go back to the service road on the next session, maybe tonight.

S.A.D times

 In the first few weeks of the new season, I often suffer a bit. My diet is less controlled, my exercise regimen falls to the side, and I'm being less productive and creative. It shouldn't last too much longer. Hopefully!

I've returned to my safe haven of knocking together terrains without fully developing them.

This one is going to be developed!

True-Vault assets (GraSSy knoll)

Service Road - another stretch

 This morning, I completed the first pass on the rock scatters on the "Sniper Alley" section of the service road.

Rocks from Nature Generator

Small scatters need to be improved.

Overview

The rest is weekend

 I decided to put down my tools over the weekend. I wish it had been for a noble cause, but I ended up playing Civilisation 5 for too many hours. 

 TrueVault

True-VFX have released their very cool asset library system. It's both a repository of your owned assets and a shop window for buying new things from the TrueVFX library.

I took the plunge and bought some credits, picking up a collection of grass assets.

Grassy knoll 

Rocks need a lot more work, but I love how Nature Generator's rock procedural material lets you quickly colour-match to your terrain.

Nature Generator procedurals absolutely rock!

This week

I have received feedback for the next section of the service road, so I will be building that. It's more like two sections, it's twice as big as the previous parts.

Ambush on the service road

Thought for the week: For gawd's sake, finish something!

I need to regain some discipline and not leave part-finished mini-projects in a growing discard pile.

Warning: End of Civilization!

 I lost a significant amount of productivity over the last couple of days, thanks to an impulsive decision to reinstall Civilisation V. What a terrible mistake. That game is such a driver of the "one more round" compulsion in me. I completed two full playthroughs and two games that were discarded or lost.

Some game time...

Best game so far!

I have somehow managed to play this game for many years with only a minimal understanding of the mechanics. This last game introduced me to elements such as deal-making with the city-states and the finer art of military conflict.

I was set upon by my imperialistic neighbours, Napoleon and Catherine the Great. I managed to hold out on their expansion and refused to sign any peace treaty. This appears to disrupt their strategy, as they ended up fighting each other instead of advancing their attack. Perhaps a kink in the AI was introduced to make the game less challenging? I concentrated on economic and technological growth until I had artillery, at which point you could sweep through any nation that was less developed. I ended up turning them both into rump states, taking possession of Paris, Moscow, and St. Petersburg. A long and drawn-out conflict that makes me realise that war is shit. In fact, I think I only won the game by not pursuing a maximal military victory and instead shifting my huge empire towards technological progress, allowing me to secure the space-race victory with a perhaps 20-round lead over the Ottomans.  

Mini-Project

Always respect the time-box. This probe (the lander element) was supposed to be a single-day/couple-of-sessions project. It wasn't to be. Note the space probe in the foreground is not my work, it's from the Big/Medium/Small Astronova collection. That stuff is absolutely mind-blowingly good, but too expensive for me to get the whole lot.

Next

I must complete the service road section and submit it, then begin work on the third section, which is quite large.

On the way to a quick Blender project...

 I started an entirely different quick Blender project.

I decided that I needed to finish my "pile of rocks" quick project, but that a chrome ball wasn't enough of a subject to justify the effort. What should go there, instead? A hard-surface model, a space probe!

I was eager to create a hard-surface model, so I began developing the idea of a lander/probe. I didn't bother to do any sketches; I got most of my inspiration from the escape pod that featured in the first Star Wars movie.

Thruster package

Propulsion Unit

Landing Leg. Meh!

I knocked together a set of landing legs. It was functional, but the design quality was poor. None of the components related effectively to any of the other parts. I decided to down tools and have another go this morning.

Much better

I finished off the session by cleaning up the scene, assigning basic materials and arranging the model elements more effectively, such as creating a set of landing legs in both the up and down positions. This lets you stage the probe in both configurations by turning one set off and the other on.

 Next...

Finish the model, adding details such as arms and sensor projections. Might I take inspiration from the probe droid from The Empire Strikes Back? We'll see!

And then...

Optimise the Tunnel section of the Service Road, then begin work on the next section.

A day for Odin

 Progress Report

I invested a considerable amount of time creating "hero" assets with Nature Generator. It's great, and it seems more stable than I first thought. 

Little rocky heroes

The only screaming limitation is the lack of a built-in material-baking tool. These assets are now plain meshes with the Nature Gen Geometry Node trees applied. Ready to share! However, the materials are still using the addon's procedural systems. To make these rocks easy to share, I'd need to turn the procedural results into PBR textures, which would require that the objects be given good UVs. I may run some tests to see if I can create a UV map for an object while maintaining the great texture results, and then use the baking tool I have from the Sanctus Library.

Quick practice scene

Service Road

I haven't forgotten about the tunnel section of the service road. I had put it off, as I thought the scatter step wasn't going to be much fun. Turns out it was okay.

From above - near cave entrance

View from within the cave

Overview

Next

That scene will need to be optimised. I used detailed assets because they give a much better sense of how much the tunnel is obscured, but at the cost of a very big scene -- about 1GB.

More Blender School! I have courses! I have the last section of the environmental design course to complete.

Mensis Septem

 We're here at the golden gates of autumn. Ready for 2025's final slog.

Over the weekend, I created the base meshes for the second stretch of the service road for the film project. I need to get proxy scatters in place. I should get this handed over in the next couple of days, then jump onto the third section, which is a bigger piece of work.

"The Tunnel"

Meet the anti-climax monster.

More time with Nature Generator

I've spent a bit more time learning some of the ins and outs of Nature Generator. I've been getting system hangs on start-up and after baking objects from the Geonode systems. It could be bugs with the addon, or it might be a coincidence. 

We experienced a very brief power cut on Friday, which caused my systems to shut down. I feared that I'd spend many hours getting my older system back up and running, but it only took a couple of minutes... phew!

Nature Generator Stuff

Nature Gen ground scatter on my existing test scene.

The Nature Gen ground scatters come with a ground layer which interferes with the scene's terrain. I think I managed to suppress it by manually tweaking the material's alpha channel.

Still great for baking procedural rock assets

I experienced crashes while creating multiple rocks and then baking them (applying the geonode tree).

Log message

> [NatureGen] Panel build error: too many values to unpack (expected 2)

> WARNING: Context is restricted!

> [NatureGen] Panel build error: too many values to unpack (expected 2)

> [NatureGen] Panel build error: too many values to unpack (expected 2)

> [NatureGen] Panel build error: too many values to unpack (expected 2)

> WARNING: Context is restricted!

> [NatureGen] Panel build error: too many values to unpack (expected 2)

> Info: Deleted 1 object(s)

Later crash log

>🧹 Removed asset library (4.0): Nature Generator Assets

>✅ Registered asset library: C:\Users\mark\AppData\Roaming\Blender
> Foundation\Blender\4.5\scripts\addons\The_Nature_Generator\asset_library

> register_class(...):

> Warning: 'TOT_MatB_UL_items' doesn't have upper case alpha-numeric prefix

> register_class(...):

> Warning: 'TOT_ImageResizer_UL_items' doesn't have upper case alpha-numeric prefix

> addon_utils.disable: ui_translate not loaded

> addon_utils.disable: viewport_vr_preview not loaded

> Error   : EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION

> Address : 0x00007FF6763FA082

> Module  : blender.exe

> Thread  : 00001ef0

> Writing: C:\Users\mark\AppData\Local\Temp\blender.crash.txt

Nature Gen is great for creating quick background terrains. To be fair, True Terrain is a lot more flexible, but I have a well-established workflow where I design my heightmaps and then work from there, rather than using True Terrain's terrain sculpting tools. Still, it's nice to have a set of parameters that are specifically tuned to terrain deformation rather than having to work out how different noise systems can mimic erosion, etc.

Two Nature Gen desert terrains with True Sky (3 minutes work)