Category Archives: HDR Panos

Blender Institute HDRI

Download Free HDRI - blender_institute

I don’t know how useful this HDRI will be to anyone, but it’s a fun one to have anyway :)

Downloads:

Licensed as CC0 (basically public domain, do whatever you want with it :)

This was shot in the Blender Institute in Amsterdam, just after the Blender Conference 2016. The Monday after the conference was reserved for a sort of open-day at the Institute, hoards of people could come and see what goes on there and spend the day chatting about all things Blender. This was of course a bit later in the evening when most people had already gone home, with just a few devout acolytes and the institute staff remaining.

More photos from the conference if you’re interested.

How to Create Your Own HDR Environment Maps

Update: I’ve written a new HDRI tutorial that covers some more advanced stuff here:
http://blog.hdrihaven.com/how-to-create-high-quality-hdri/
It’s aimed a bit more to professional HDRI creators and assumes you already know the basics, so if you’re completely new to HDRIs you should read this post first :)

garage

A simple 3D scene that was lit using only the HDRI above (no additional lamps)

There is no easier or quicker way to light a CG scene than to use an HDRI. They are essentially snapshots of the real world that contain exquisitely detailed lighting information, which can transport your bland CG objects into realistic virtual environments.

Not only do they provide accurate lighting, but they can be seen in the background and in reflections, which makes them all the more immersive.

Creating a high quality HDRI from scratch is quite a complicated task that requires very specific equipment and a meticulous workflow. One mistake like using the wrong focal length or choosing a slow shutter speed can mean all your time has been wasted and you’ll have to start all over again.

I’ve been making HDRIs for a couple of years now, so I hope I can save you some time and experimentation. This is by no means the only way to make an HDRI, but it is a good introduction to the process.

By the end of this tutorial, you’ll have made your very own 360º HDR environment map that can be used to light a 3D scene.

Buckle your seat belts boys and girls, because this is gonna be a long one!

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What Makes a Good HDRI and How to Use It Correctly

HDRIs are everywhere these days. If you’ve got a half-decent camera, a tripod and some software you can even make them yourself.

But just like creating art in Blender, being able to do it at all is not the same as being able to do it well.

So, after I created my first crappy HDRI and discovered how challenging it could be, I decided to embark on a quest. I wanted to create the perfect high dynamic range environment map that would give you perfectly accurate and realistic lighting as if you had teleported your CG scene to the actual location of the photo itself.

In truth, this is an unending quest, but I’ve made some fair progress over the years. So without further ado, let me explain…

What Makes a Good HDRI

Just like art, the quality of an HDRI can be a subjective thing, but I think we can all agree that there are a few fundamental attributes that define (although not exclusively) how useful or accurate an HDRI is.

Dynamic Range

evs_grid2

Let’s begin with what is, to me, the most important aspect of any HDR image that you intend to use for lighting.

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The HDRI Haven Story

Update: Things have changed – HDRI Haven is now free for everyone.

So last Tuesday HDRI Haven launched :) Grab yourself a bowl of popcorn and a glass of whiskey because it’s story time!

splash

I’ve been shooting HDRIs for a couple of years now and they’ve slowly started to take over this site a little bit. So sometime early last year I decided I needed to make a proper home for them, a dedicated site that contains only HDRIs.

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