How do I use HDRI?

ellen

Re HDRI, every document & video says to select Render Settings & then "Environment" - but I have no "Environment" option listed (see image attached).

I have NVIDIA Iray selected; I'm using Daz 4.2.1 on Windows 11.

Can someone please explain how I can use HDRI?

SofaCitizen

Those settings are not added to new scenes by default. To add them you can do either of the following:

1. Unde the "Create" menu, click "New Environment Options Node"
2. Start the Nvidia Iray Preview (Click the circle icon in the top-right of the Viewport to the left of where it says "Perspective View")

ellen

Great - thank you!

Halcon Bluesky

@ellen, play around with the controls, I wish I can have some more time to explain it.

I have been busy trying to use HDRI from PolyHaven, these are really good, the render time will be less than you think, unless you have more characters in the scene window, this will increase the time but I believe it will not affect you so much.

Take your time to get to know the program.

I am not producing anything yet, but want to make sure everything goes well.

Also get the freebies and try to familiarise with the way to use them until you are 100% sure, then you can buy anything you really like, good luck!

Fishtales

Go to Window/Panes/Render Settings and that will open the pane that you want. They are also under the Scene Tab and can be set using the Parameters Tab, I don't know why they did that. It was supposed to make it easier to change the parameters, it just caused confusion :)

Open up a blank scene, remove the default HDRI from the Environment Map, set anything else you would want in a scene every time you open DAZ Studio or click on the New tab, open the Render Tab and save as _default-scene. 

Open Edit/Preferences and under Startup/Load File choose the scene you just made and click in the small box and make sure it is ticked. Click Accept at the bottom. Open the Scene Tab next to it and under On "new"/Load File choose your default scene again, click Accept and then Apply. Close and reopen DAZ Studio and that scene should load each time with the Render Tab opened. It will still have the Environment Options and Tone Mapping Options in the Scene Tab and you can use them or the Environment Tab whatever you feel comfortable with.

Halcon Bluesky

@Fishtales, glad to see you input again, the HDRI or background images are in a folder other than Daz, I have saved several nifty ones from PolyHaven (Indoors and Outdoors) I have been experimenting with the scaling and the placement, some of the controls X, Y, Z are used to move around up and down, while others may control the brightness and shadows.

So I will try to figure out and screen capture it to not forget that.

While I would love to put these in a permanent folder inside Daz, I am not sure where to put them.

Fishtales

Halcon Bluesky said:

@Fishtales, glad to see you input again, the HDRI or background images are in a folder other than Daz, I have saved several nifty ones from PolyHaven (Indoors and Outdoors) I have been experimenting with the scaling and the placement, some of the controls X, Y, Z are used to move around up and down, while others may control the brightness and shadows.

So I will try to figure out and screen capture it to not forget that.

While I would love to put these in a permanent folder inside Daz, I am not sure where to put them.

 I put them into a folder called HDRI (of course:)), in my library and just go there when I click on the Environment map. I also put them into folders with a descriptive name so I know roughly what images they are. 

Halcon Bluesky

@Fishtales