Since the background image linked at the Render Settings does not contribute to lighting, you can use any file here (also regular 8 bit jpeg images). If you have decided to use a HDR image for lighting you can use the same HDR file as background image. The aiPhysicalSky node is only available here if you have it created in the previous step with the Skydome Light. At the tab > Arnold Renderer > Environment click on the Background checkerboard icon and select the aiPhysicalSky. Switch to > Render Using Arnold Renderer. To add a background go to the Render Settings with the little icon from the shelf. Once we have a light in the scene it would render without background: I’m interested in a more artificial look and will continue with the aiPhysicalSky. Find out more about the new Maya 2017 color management in the Arnold User Guide. Jpeg and everything else should remain at sRGB. exr) make sure to change the Color Space to Raw. When you load 32bit HDR images in Maya (.hdr or. You can downlad free HDR samples from the sibl archive. With their higher bit depth (32bit) HDR images are able to capture the lighting information from real world environments which is helpful to illuminate photorealistic scenes.

Alternatively you can select the > Maya > 2D Texture > File node and load an external HDR (High Dynamic Range) image. Add > Arnold > Lights > Skydome Light.Īt the Color attribute of the aiSkyDomeLightShape click on the Texture checkerboard icon and in the Create Render Node popup choose the > Arnold > Texture > Environment > aiPhysicalSky. Every render engine has its own set of lights and materials therefore it is important to pick lights for rendering with Arnold always from the Arnold menu.

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