![mental ray for maya 2016 ext 2 sp2 mental ray for maya 2016 ext 2 sp2](https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0003267022003439-ga1.jpg)
Give the material a name-we usually use something like ambientOcclusion_mat.ĭouble click the material to open up its material attributes. Open up the Hypershade window and create a new Lambert material. There are multiple ways to implement the effect for slightly different results, but the one we'll introduce here is nice and straightforward, requiring just a single Mental Ray node and a basic Lambert material.
![mental ray for maya 2016 ext 2 sp2 mental ray for maya 2016 ext 2 sp2](https://www.digitalmediaworld.tv/images/stories/Dec-16/3/Nvidia-mental-ray-maya-shaders.jpg)
Of 02 Creating an Ambient Occlusion Shader:Ĭreating an ambient occlusion shader for basic progress images is pretty easy, and doesn't require any UVs, texture maps, or lighting.
![mental ray for maya 2016 ext 2 sp2 mental ray for maya 2016 ext 2 sp2](https://getintopc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Mental-Ray-for-Maya-2017-Latest-Version-Download-GetintoPC.com_.jpg)
Here's a model we made for a workshop last year that uses ambient occlusion to show off the form of the model (weapon concept by Diego Almazan). Ambient occlusion images have occasionally been called “clay renders” because of their resemblance to modeling clay. In theory, it's a rudimentary approximation of global illumination and is meant to mimic the way light spreads around a room or environment.Īmbient occlusion renders have a characteristic “soft-shadowed” appearance with subtle darkening anywhere two surfaces come into close proximity or contact (corners of a room, the underside of objects, fine details, etc.). Not only is AO used (pretty universally) for rendering out work-in-progress images, it's also frequently used as a base pass in compositing and texture painting because it helps bring out detail and “ground” objects in a scene by unifying the shadows.Īmbient occlusion is a form of self-shading material, meaning it works even if there isn't any lighting in your scene. Getty Images for American Gaming / Getty Imagesĭon't let the name fool you-ambient occlusion is actually a pretty straightforward material to build, and it's an incredibly important one.