ClydeSight Productions - Bryce Negative Lights Tutorial - Making the Candle Scene- The Holder

Making the Candle Scene: The Candle Holder

What We Need:

The Candle Scene is made up of three compound objects: The Candle Holder; The Candle; and the Chessboard. This part of the tutorial is broken down into three sections, one for each of the compound objects.

All we need is a version of Bryce that supports negative lighting. I know that Bryce 5 can do this, but I am not sure about Bryce 4 or earlier versions. Bryce 5 works the same way on MAC and Windows machines, but this tutorial will show MAC screens for Bryce 5. They should be similar on Windows versions of the product. This tutorial assumes that you know how to get around in Bryce and are familiar with most of its terminology.

In this tutorial, I will tell you what I have done to make the Candle Scene. You can, of course, use other methods if you like. But I will take you step by step through the way I did it, and we'll do most of it by the numbers, using the Attributes Box. I also use the SOLO mode to show the individual objects, as it would look very confusing if they all appeared together in wireframe!

Note: All negative values appear in RED for clarity.

To make and light the scene we need to set up Bryce and make the candle holder parts:

The Base;
The Neck;
The Top

Let's MODEL!

Step 1: Set up Bryce

Launch Bryce.

Use the DOCUMENT SETUP and pick SMALL (320 x 240) resolution. (You can use a larger resolution if you like. I am using a small one because I am taking screen shots.)

Make sure Antialiasing is turned ON and NORMAL.

Click the Check Mark to close the Setup.

Switch to the TOP view (press 2 on the keyboard) and move the camera to the bottom of the screen so it is facing UP.

Later on we'll position and make the camera track the candle, but for now, let's keep it simple.

To match my set up enter the following data in the Attributes Box:

Position: X = 0, Y = 30, Z = -100
Rotation: X = 0, Y = 0, Z = 0
FOV = 60
Scale = 100

Get rid of the Ground Plane (we don't need it.) Click on it and press the DELETE key.

Click the Check Mark to close the Camera Attributes Box.

Remove the Sky!

Click on the Sky & Fog Palette.

Click on the little cloud on the right of the palette to open the SKY LAB dialog.

Make sure you are in the Sun & Moon tab.

Turn off everything BUT the Disable Sun Light feature.

The Sun no longer has any influence, so leave its settings alone.

Click on the Atmosphere tab.

Turn OFF everything BUT Disable Sun Light. (We did this before, I know)

Click the check mark in the Sky Lab to save the settings.

Click on the Sky Mode box (leftmost box of the Sky Palette) in the main workspace window and turn ATMOSPHERE OFF.

Click just below the picture in the box and set the color to black.

This sets our environment to black with NO shadows and no sun influence. The Candle and its lights will provide all the dramatic lighting for our scene.

Step 2: Make the Candle Holder Base

You don't need to be in the SOLO mode for this object as it is our first one.

Select the CREATE Palette and pick the Sphere. You may need to enlarge the image so you can work with it. Press the magnifying glass to do this.

When the Sphere appears in the working window, click on it and then on the Attributes Box (A box) and enter the following data:

Position: X =-0.27, Y = 0.80, Z = 0.73
Rotation: X = 0, Y = 0, Z = 0
Size: X = 40.52, Y = 10.78, Z = 40.52
Name = candlebaseplate
Boolean = Neutral
Click the Check Mark to close the Attributes Box.
Pick a "simple" metallic material for the base. I used the brushed gold.

Step 3: Make the Candle Holder Neck

The Candle Holder Neck is made of two parts which are Boolean Grouped.

Select the CREATE Palette and pick the Cylinder.

When the Cylinder appears, click on the SOLO button to see only that object. In the working window, click on it and then on the Attributes Box (A box) and enter the following data:

Position: X =-0.27, Y =13.67, Z = 0.73
Rotation: X =180, Y = 0, Z = 0
Size = X = 22.84, Y = 23.98, Z = 22.84
Name = candlebaseneck
Boolean = Positive
Click the Check Mark to close the Attributes Box.
Pick a "simple" metallic material for the neck. I used the brushed gold.

Select the CREATE Palette and pick the Torus.

When the Torus appears in the working window, click on the SOLO button to see only that object. Click on the Torus and then on the Attributes Box (A box) and enter the following data:

Position: X =-0.27, Y =14.69, Z = 0.73
Rotation: X =90, Y = 0, Z = 0
Size = X = 40.09, Y = 40.09, Z = 30.53
Name = candlebaseneckKO
Boolean = Negative

Click the Check Mark to close the Attributes Box.
Pick a "simple" metallic material for the knockout. I used the brushed gold.

Click on the Edit Box (E box) and set the Torus to 354 Radius and click on the check box.

Last, select the cylinder and the torus and GROUP them.

Call the group anything you like, such as Candlebaseneckgroup.

By creating a Boolean Group using the torus and cylinder, we are able to make the torus "cut out" a portion of the cylinder, resulting in a tapering neck that is more elegant than a simple cylinder, as you'll see in a moment!

Step 4: Make the Candle Holder Top

The Candle Holder Top is made of two parts that sit on top of each other and don't have to be grouped.

Select the CREATE Palette and pick the Cylinder.

When the Cylinder appears in the working window, click on the SOLO button to see only that object. Click on the cylinder and then on the Attributes Box (A box) and enter the following data:

Position: X =-0.27, Y =28.20, Z = 0.73
Rotation: X =180, Y = 0, Z = 0
Size = X = 22.84, Y = 5.30, Z = 22.84
Name = candlebasetop
Boolean = Neutral
Click the Check Mark to close the Attributes Box.
Pick a "simple" metallic material for the top plate. I used the brushed gold.

Select the CREATE Palette and pick the Torus.

When the Torus appears in the working window, click on the SOLO button to see only that object. Click on the Torus and then on the Attributes Box (A box) and enter the following data:

Position: X =-0.27, Y =31.19, Z = 0.73
Rotation: X =90, Y = 0, Z = 0
Size = X = 22.87, Y = 22.87, Z = 2.54
Name = candlebasetopring
Boolean = Neutral

Click the Check Mark to close the Attributes Box.
Pick a "simple" metallic material for the top ring. I used the brushed gold.

Click on the Edit Box (E box) and set the Torus to 118 Radius and click on the check box.

Click on the SOLO button again (to release SOLO mode) and you should see all your objects assembled for you.

It's a good idea to group all the objects for easier reference later on. So, select them all (but NOT the camera!) and Group them. Give the group a name, such as Candlebase Group.

Because we made the non-Boolean items NEUTRAL, they aren't affected by our Boolean group, and will render faster than if we had made them positive. You can render the scene in any view you like to see the results.

Congratulations!

You have made the candle base! If you did everything right, it should look like this (I adjusted the lighting and viewpoint so you could see it clearly.)

Introduction

Lighting and Shadowing the Scene

Applying Magic Mirrors

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Making the Candle Scene: The Candle Holder