Have you ever looked up at the sky in your 3D scenes and wished it had a bit more punch? Maybe you wanted that crisp, vibrant blue that adds life to your renderings, especially when you’ve got those fluffy, white clouds perfectly placed. Well, you’re in luck because making the sky bluer without altering the color of the clouds is easier than you think in Chaos Corona 11, using 3ds Max’s OSL maps for color correction. Here’s a straightforward guide to achieving just that, plus a helpful tutorial from CG Viz Studio to get you started.

Step-by-Step Guide to a Bluer Sky:

  1. Create a Corona Sky: The first step is to set up your Corona sky, which will be the base of your scene’s atmosphere.
  2. OSL Color Correction: Next, create an OSL color correct map. This is where the magic begins, allowing you to tweak the sky’s hue without affecting other elements.
  3. Integration: Plug your Corona sky into the OSL color correct map. This connection lets you adjust the sky’s color through the map.
  4. Environment Slot: Move your color-corrected map to the environment slot in 3ds Max. Simply press ‘8’ to open the environment and effects window, and slot it in.
  5. Enable Clouds: Make sure to enable clouds in your Corona sky settings to add realism to your scenes.
  6. Render Setup: Press ‘F10’ to open the Corona render setup. This is where you’ll control your rendering settings.
  7. Interactive Rendering: Start interactive rendering from the scene tab to see your changes in real-time. Stop the rendering once you’re satisfied with the base setup.
  8. Fine-Tuning: Head over to the Slate Material Editor (SME), and within the OSL color correct map settings, find “affect only to hue range.” Pick the blue color from the Interactive Rendering in the Corona VFB (Virtual Frame Buffer). This step ensures that only the blue tones are enhanced.
  9. Saturation Increase: Enable the “color” option in the map and increase the saturation value. This will make the sky’s blue color more vibrant.
  10. Start Interactive Rendering Again: With the saturation up, start the interactive rendering once more to see the effect. You’ll notice the sky appears more saturated, but the clouds and other elements remain unaffected.

Found this guide useful?

Have any tips of your own on making the perfect sky in 3D renderings? Drop a comment below or on our tutorial video: Watch our tutorial on YouTube for a visual guide through each step.

Don’t forget to follow CG Viz Studio on Instagram and YouTube for more tutorials, tips, and tricks that can help elevate your 3D visualization skills.

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CG VIZ STUDIO