Design Life- Kinito's Perspective: Modelling and Rendering Lights in Alias and Bunkspeed

This tutorial is on how to model and render lights for Alias and Bunkspeed Hypershot. It covers ever step from the model in Alias Studio, the HDR image in Photoshop, to rendering set up in Hypershot.

Modelling Phase

Step 1

Go to the front view. Create a circle curve with an Object Degree of 1 and 16 sections

Step 2

Copy and paste the circle curve, making each copy smaller than the other and each one going farther back

Step 3

In the front view, select all the curves and rotate them 11.25,0,0. This step will help you out later on in the modelling process.

Step 4

Make a new curve by edit points. Use ctrl+alt to snap them to the circle curves. It will follow the curve but it won’t snap to the sections so just hover your mouse over the corner and it should stop at the point.

Step 5

Put curves on all 4 corners and keep going down the middle of the headlight

Step 6

Delete all the circle curves except the smallest one.

Step 7

Make a rail surface for every section

Step 8

Select the top surface and activate the inner Cv/Hull, which is located in the control panel. Click on the 4 interior CVs. Go to the left view and pull them forward. This was the reason why we rotated the curves in step 3.

* this is what it looks like after all is said and done

* this is what it looks like when you pull the CVs back not forward, but i have to warn you, if you decide you like this pattern better, it doesn't look too good at different angles.

Step 9

Do it for all of them.

Step 10

Select all the surfaces and go to edit>duplicate>object. Number 15 Rotation 22.5,0,0. See now its starting to look like a light reflector. I would also like to point out that if you just skin all the initial circle curves, you'll find that the results aren't exactly what you would imagine. The light doesn't really bounce anywhere. With the concave surfaces you guarantee some light reflecting off most of them

Step 11

Click on the smallest circle curve and go to surface>set planar

Step 12

Add a cap using circle curves and skin and just a sphere for the light. see image in step 14

Step 13

Load your favorite, retro looking bad ass man van, with a flame job, wing and preferably a side exit exhaust and pleas don't forget to add the license plate labeled MANVAN1

Step 14

Attach new light model to the MANVAN

Step 15

Go to save as, and change it from wire to Iges

Photoshop Phase
* whats that you say,you don't have photoshop, send me an email at Raymundo302@gmail.com, and I'll send you the file I made.

Step 1

File new, pixels 512 by 512

Step 2

Image mode 32 bits per channel

Step 3

Click on the color tool, and pick white as your color and move the intensity to 5. You can chose another color for like lets say your doing something awesome and classy like neon green glow kit for under your model car, or some sweet purple neon around 15 inch speakers. Or like in my case, I decide to make my sweet ass flames glow red, so I just put it in red with complete saturation.

Step 4

Shift Backspace to pop open the fill tool option and choose use foreground color, and click ok

Step 5

File Save as. Radiance Format, Hit save

Bunkspeed Phase

Step 1

Load the Iges file into your Bunkspeed HyperSHot

Step 2

Apply all the materials for the rest of your car

Step 3

Hide the glass to get access to the inside of the light

Step 4

Use a highly reflective material for the inside materials of your lights. In my case I just used chrome

Step 5

Double Click on the sphere that will serve as the bulb. Once the material options pop up, make sure it is set as general. Then click on the texture and choose the hdr image you made in photoshop. Click on the ambient and make it into a slightly dark gray, the higher you go, the more light it will emit.

Step 6

Right click mouse and choose show all parts. Put any clear material you would like for the glass.

Step 7

Go to settings, click on Detailed Indirect Illumination. Go to render and basically go as high as you can with your computer set up, the higher you go, the better the picture, Samples/Ray Bounce/Anti Aliasing/Shadow Quality/Global Illumination get as high as you can and render the image.

Ive used this technique with just about all my cars and motorcycle. Here are a couple more examples. Its great for Audi looking LED's, BMW looking Angel Eyes, anything really, I'm sure if you set up the rendering for all its got, I bet the results are breath taking, all i need now is a 10,000 dollar workstation and I'm good to go, or maybe i can leave my computer rendering for 5 days. Remember to check up on my blog for new tutorials and articles, if you have any questions or comments send me an email at Raymundo302@gmail.com take care and good luck.