02.07 Photo Matching Site Specific Render Assignment

Assignment Deliverables

1. Composite image of 3D model in outdoor location. (.jpg, .png)
   • Label file YYYYMMDD Lastname Firstname 3D Composite outdoor.png
2. Composite image of 3D model in indoor location. (.jpg, .png)
   • Label file YYYYMMDD Lastname Firstname 3D Composite indoor.png
3. Composite image of 3D model in location from Google Street View. (.jpg, .png)
   • Label file YYYYMMDD Lastname Firstname 3D Composite street view.png

Overview

This assignment is designed to help you develop skills in using fSpy, Blender, and Google Street View to create realistic visualizations of potential public art installations. You will learn how to photo match images for outdoor public spaces or indoor gallery environments using fSpy and utilize your previous modular form arrangements as large-scale sculptures. The goal is to understand site context and how your sculpture interacts with the environment.

Instructions

Collect Photos

1. Choose three different potential sites for public art installation:
   • A photo of an outdoor location where public art might be installed. This photo should be taken by you.
   • A photo of an indoor gallery or public indoor space (e.g., a museum lobby, a large hall, or a gallery space). This photo should be taken by you.
   • A screen shot from Google Street View to choose a location in a distant city or country for a potential public art installation.
2. Use Photoshop tools and generative fill to remove unwanted elements from the photos and correct levels and white balance.

Photo Match with fSpy

1. Import each image into fSpy to set up the correct camera perspective
2. Import the fSpy file into Blender with the fSpy Blender Addon.
3. Append the 3D models of your modular form arrangements from the previous assignment.
4. Scale and position the 3D models within the Blender scene to simulate how they would look as large-scale sculptures in the real-world environment.

Texture and Lighting

1. Apply the image texture from your reference image onto simple 3D geometry that matches the scene (e.g., ground planes or building facades).
2. Create an emissive texture using the image texture to simulate a pseudo HDRI lighting setup. This will allow your sculpture to reflect the colors and light from the environment.
3. Adjust lighting and shadow settings to match the scene’s natural light conditions (e.g., sunlight for outdoor, gallery lighting for indoor).
4. Use HDRIs for the sky for outdoor images.

Rendering:

1. Render and composite an image for each site.
2. Use Photoshop and other image editing tools to composite and touch up the renders.

Assignment Resources

Notes

• Pay close attention to scale when placing your 3D models in the scene.
• Experiment with different lighting setups to see how they impact the interaction between your sculpture and its environment.
• Try using Blender’s compositor to enhance the final render, adjusting color grading and exposure as needed.

Guides

• HDRI Background Blender
• Photo Matching with fSpy
• Place 3D Model in 2D Photo Blender
• Reflections, Shadows, and Materials for fSpy Compositing
• How to Rotate HDRI Environment Texture

Grading Rubric

Video Guides