Compositing and Rendering: Discussion

By Colin Litster
Discussion Exercise: A Steam Gauge
Although other chapters have contained a more academic discussion section, the c
ompositor lends itself to an extended example. Its usefulness comes not from ind
ividual settings, but from combining components and practical understanding. If
you are interested in a blow-by-blow rundown of Render settings, they can be fou
nd in a third section to this chapter: Render Settings: Discussion.
This section, however, will show you how to approach the compositing process, as
well as several common compositing setups.
To do this, you'll become the compositing and rendering department of a virtual
movie studio, tasked with finishing a shot from the highly anticipated feature f
ilm, "Blender Hothouse." The modeling, texturing and lighting have all been comp
leted by other departments. Your job will be to devise the look and feel of the
scene by compositing its various elements into a completed 10 second animation w
ithout altering the models, lighting or materials.
Figure RCD.01: A steam gauge from the "movie" Blender Hothouse
From the screenplay:
An oily brass steam gauge within a dark steam room. The dial initially increases
from zero to a quarter of its travel as though steam pressure is rising. The di
al hovers at this position, gradually becoming more agitated, as though the pres
sure is about to blow. The dial then rapidly turns to maximum and shakes: pressu
re is at its highest level and explosion is imminent...
Figure RCD.02: The node network for this composite.
The Composite Node network for this exercise appears to be staggeringly complex.
However, it can be broken down into four distinct portions, each one covered he
re in depth. There are a number of files that will help with this chapter, all f
ound in the "examples" folder on the included CD. The first exercise will requir
e you to create the node network from scratch, but later ones will use pre-made
files for you to examine and play with.
Let s start with the file as delivered to you from the production department. Load
CompositeStage1.blend and perform a test render (F12). If you find that the rende
r takes longer than a couple of minutes, you may want to consider working with t
he renderer set to 50% size in the Render buttons.
Figure RCD.03: The file as provided.
If you examine the scene, you will see that some of the materials use raytracing
. A simple textured plane outside of the camera's view provides something for th
e dial's face to reflect.
Creating the Source Renders, Scenes and Components to Composite
Change the wide window at the top of the screen from a 3D view to a Node Editor.
Switch to Composite Nodes with the face icon on the header, and make sure the U
se Nodes button is enabled.
The window on the left side of the screen shows the Render buttons. Both windows
at the bottom have been set to UV/Image Editors for showing Preview and Composi

te result nodes. You'll be focusing on the main gauge for the majority of this d
iscussion, so disable Layers 2 and 11 to hide the background and wall elements.
Figure RCD.03.a: Shift-LMB click on these two layer buttons.
Figure RCD.04: A good setup to begin compositing.
When turning on Use Nodes for the first time, the default is to have a Render La
yers node connected directly to a Composite node. However, you are not limited t
o a single render input. It is possible to set up different Render Layers, each
with their own node input, pulling elements from various modeling layers and sce
nes which can then be dealt with separately in the Compositor.
These controls are found in the Render Layers tab of the Render buttons, nested
into the same panel as the Output tab.
Figure RCD.05: The Render Layers tab.
Render Layers
From this tab it is possible to control exactly what will be rendered, as well a
s what will be passed to the compositor for processing. In short, a Render Layer
is a selection of scene layers that will be rendered in a single pass: a set of
Layers that will be rendered together. Each Render Layer can have its own Input
node, allowing you to perform different composite operations on different sets
of objects from your scene, as you'll see later.
Let's look at the controls on the Render Layers tab:
Scene
Figure RCD.05.1: Scene layer buttons
This refers to the set of layer buttons at the top of the panel. These controls
are a duplicate of the layer buttons found on the 3D view headers, and are inclu
ded here as a convenience. As you will be indicating which layers should be incl
uded with which render input in this same tab, it is nice to be able to check th
e contents of layers without leaving the panel.
Below this is the name and selector for the active Render Layer. Like other name
popups, new Render Layers may be created by selecting Add New and may be remove
d by clicking the "X" to the right of the control.
Layer
Figure RCD.05.2: Layer Layer buttons
Further down is the Layer control, which again shows the familiar layer selector
. Unlike the one above, which controls what displays in the 3D view, this select
or is the one that determines which scene layers will be included in this Render
Layer. When a Render Layer is created, it defaults to including all scene layer
s.
Why would you need separate access to so many scenes and layers? You could, for
example, divide a scene between background and foreground objects, sending the b
ackground objects to the compositor in a different Render Layer for blurring. It s
also possible to have part of your project in a completely different Scene, all
owing you to composite objects with completely different render settings.
Figure RCD.06: A render composited from two scenes. The ocean scene used standar

d render settings, while the mine and buoy scene used the Edge settings.
Render Process
RCD.05.3: Render process buttons
Below the Render Layer selector are toggles for which portions of the renderer t
o use. Blender treats different types of objects in different ways, and each of
these can be enabled or disabled here. For example, if you were to turn off the
Solid button, no objects with solid faces would be rendered, leaving only the ba
ckground.
The other buttons can be used to disable rendering of Halos, Edges, Transparent
(zTra) objects and the Sky background or BackBuffer image, on a Render Layer by
Render Layer basis.
Just below the render process buttons are two text fields: Light and Mat. If the
name of an object group is entered in the Light field, the Render Layer will us
e lamps from that group, ignoring any other lamps in the scene. A material name
entered into the Mat field will cause all objects in the Render Layer to be rend
ered as though they were temporarily linked to that material. These fields are u
seful for doing test renders and special effects. For example, you might need to
substitute a simplified lighting rig and material to test object placement with
out actually replacing lamps and materials throughout your entire scene.
Render Passes
RCD.05.4: Render passes buttons
At the bottom of the Render Layers tab are the controls for render passes. As Bl
ender renders an image, it performs a number of calculations that are combined t
o deliver the final color of the rendered pixel. Render Passes allow you access
to each stage of these calculations individually from within the Compositor. For
instance, you could separate the Diffuse, Specular, and shadow calculations, an
d recombine them in the compositor. By adjusting the way they mix, you could mak
e the shadow darker or blur and lighten the specular highlights. Using a work fl
ow like this gives you the freedom to drastically improve and alter the look of
the final output without re-rending, potentially saving enormous amounts of time
.
On new Render Layers, only two render passes are enabled:
- Combined, which delivers the final RGB and alpha results; and
- Z, the depth information of objects from the camera's viewpoint. Each pixel in
a render has a Z value, which refers to the distance between the camera and the
face that was rendered. If you look in the Node Editor, you will see that the R
ender Layers node has three outputs: RGB, Alpha and Z. These outputs correspond
directly to the Render Pass settings.
Enabling any of the other pass buttons adds additional outputs to the associated
Render Layer node.
The other twelve passes are:
Vec: Provides vector motion data for the rendered geometry. Mostly useful for ca
lculating fast, vector-based motion blur.
Nor: Provides the Normal information from objects in the render layer. If lookin
g at the output of this pass in a Viewer node, the strange colors are the visual

encoding of the Normal.

UV: The UV information from objects that have UV mapping. This pass makes it pos
sible to replace the colors on objects that use UV mapped textures, without re-r
endering or changing the materials directly.
IndexOb: You can assign any object an index value in the Object buttons and use
this to create selection masks.
Col: Provides an un-shaded color pass, as though everything had been rendered wi
th a Shadeless material.
Diff: The diffuse shading of objects, including colors, but without shadows or s
pecular highlighting.
Spec: Specular shading.
Shad: A pass representing shadowing information. This pass is Multiplied with ot
hers to get a final image, so non-shadowed areas appear in white, with shadowed
areas being progressively darker.
AO: The result of Ambient Occlusion, without any materials applied.
Refl: The reflection pass, if Ray is enabled on the Render panel and an object h
as a reflective material.
Refr: Refraction, if Ray is enabled on the Render panel and an object uses ray r
efraction.
Rad: A radiosity pass. Radiosity is another method of lighting that is not cover
ed in this book.
If you would like to see the actual outputs from any of these passes, it's as si
mple as connecting their output sockets to a viewer node and re-rendering. Of co
urse, if you already rendered after the different passes were enabled, no re-ren
der would be needed.
Figure RCD.07, .08, .09, .10 The Col, Diff, Spec and Shad passes.
Recombining Passes
For the first part of this exercise you will recombine the Diffuse and Specular
passes to make the brass of the gauge's body a little brighter and shinier.
You can either follow the simple instructions to set this up yourself, or if you
prefer, load up the completed stage for examination. The file "CompositeStage2.
blend" can be found in the "examples" folder.
If you want the practice of building your own, here's what to do:
In the Render Layers tab of the Render buttons, enable the Diff and Spec passes.
Figure RCD.10.1: Enabling the Diff and Spec passes.
Add a color Mix node (Add->Color->Mix), connecting the Render Layer node's Diff
output socket to Mix's upper image input and the Spec output to the bottom image
input.
Create a View node with Add->Output->Viewer, and connect the output socket of th
e Mix node to the Viewer node. If something was already connected to the Viewer

node, that connection will automatically be replaced by the new one you make.
NOTE: The nodes systems doesn t like loops or ambiguity, and will frequently delet
e connections when you replace them with others, or warn you of problems should
they occur.
The Mix Node
The Mix node is one of the most frequently used and important nodes in the compo
siting system. It defines how color passes or images from two separate inputs wi
ll be blended into a single output.
Figure RCD.11: The available mixing methods.
A list of available mixing methods can be viewed by clicking the popup selector.
In this case, choose Screen.
Screen brightens an entire image, based on the image being mixed into it. Light
areas brighten more, with white turning the other image white. Dark areas bright
en less, with black leaving the image unaffected.
Figure RCD.09: The Specular pass.
The specular pass in the
won't brighten the other
y, though, so you need a
ld be run through an RGB

example is mostly black with some lighter areas, so it

image much. We would like you to enhance the specularit
way to increase the brightness of the Spec pass. It cou
Curves node and adjusted, but there is an easier way.

The Fac (Factor) spinner on the Mix node controls the strength of the bottom ima
ge in the mix. Values of 0 through 1 represent 0 to 100%. The mix factor can go
as high as 5, though, meaning that you can mix the Spec pass at 500% of its actu
al intensity.
Set the Fac spinner on the Mix node to 4.77.
Figure RCD.14: The current node network.
Figure RCD.12, .13 Increased specularity following the Screen Mix node.
As you adjust the mixing Factor, the Viewer node updates without having to re-re
nder.
The brass gauge now looks a lot shinier, but could still be better. To do that,
you'll apply a common post-process effect: bloom.
Bloom/Glow
Real highlights, such a specular reflection, tend to behave differently than mat
hematically calculated highlights in a 3D package. Light intensity in the real w
orld can cover a huge range that our eyes find difficult to view. As a result, v
ery strong highlights can cause our eyes to actually overload in certain places,
perceiving this dramatic contrast between light and dark as a kind of glow. Ad
ding this subtle effect can make a render look more authentic and is a simple wa
y of adding believability without the extra processing requirements of more comp
lex raytracing algorithms.
Load the file "CompositeStage3.blend" from the "examples" folder. The nodes will
appear empty until you render (F12). Also, it's okay that the dial appears blan
k right now. The dial is seen through a refractive object and won't show until y

ou make use of the Refract pass later.

Figure RCD.15: The Bloom Node network. Viewer nodes have been attached so you ca
n easily examine the various stages.
As you can see from the node tree, we have collapsed some of the nodes from the
previous section using the controls described earlier. That should make it easie
r to focus your attention on the bloom effect. Once you are happy with a section
of a complex composite node tree, it is a good idea to collapse it like this to
keep clutter to a minimum.
Source of the Bloom
Although there are several ways to produce a bloom effect, the simple approach w
e've taken is to use the Specular pass again, brightening it and applying some b
lur before mixing it back into the existing image.
Using RGB Curves to Brighten an Image
The network uses an RGB Curves node, taking its input from the same specular pas
s you used before. In the basic back-shadowing tutorial, you used the RGB Curves
node to invert and colorize an image. Here it is used to brighten the Spec pass
by drawing the top right point of the Combined curve over three quarters of the
way to the left.
Figure RCD.16: [no text]
Here's a neat trick: enable the "Backdrop" button on the Node Editor's header. N
ow, clicking on a Viewer node shows that preview right in the background of the
Node Editor. This is particularly useful if you are working with your nodes in a
Maximized window (Ctrl-Up Arrow/Down Arrow), or if there is no room in your scr
een layout for a UV/Image Editor window. The backdrop preview may be moved aroun
d with Shift-MMB.
Figure RCD.17: Backdrop enabled on the header. This preview shows the result of
the RGB Curves node on the Spec pass.
Blurring an Image
After the RGB Curves node, you have a Blur node, which can be found under Add->F
ilter->Blur.
Figure RCD.18: The Blur node with settings for the bloom effect.
Although there are seven different blurring styles to choose from, two of the mo
st commonly used are Gauss and Mitch.
Gauss
Gaussian is a good, general purpose blur. It provides an even effect across the
image.
Mitch
Mitchell-Netravali blur gives a more accurate effect for bright objects. It does
not reduce highlights by evenly spreading them like Gaussian blur. Because of t
hat, this type of blur is excellent for working with highlights, as you are here
.
Of course, other blur methods like CatRom will produce similar effects, so the c

hoice is yours. With the speed of the Compositor, it's easy to switch between di
fferent blur methods to see which works best in your final production.
Blur Settings
In the previous illustration, the Blur node's X and Y values are set to 35. Abov
e the X and Y settings are two buttons that, although not used here, are worth e
xplaining.
Bokeh
This is a more complex blur setting that attempts to simulate optical blurring,
the kind that would happen with an out-of-focus camera, as opposed to the simple
mathematical blurring of other methods. This setting will slow renders and comp
osite updates considerably, but when attempting to fake a camera blur effect, it
is much more realistic.
Gamma
This setting will give bright parts of the blur precedence over darker portions,
instead of averaging them. This will usually lead to a brighter blur.
Figure RCD.20: Using the Mix node in Screen mode again.
Mixing the Bloom Effect
You need to mix this brightened and blurred image with the results of the diffus
e and specular combination from earlier. Notice how the title of the Mix node ha
s changed to "Screen," making it easier to tell the mix type at a glance, even o
n a collapsed node.
Figure RCD.21: A new Mix node, in Screen mode.
We have used a Screen Mix node (Add->Color->Mix), as once again you have to blen
d an image that needs to brighten another. In this case, the Factor has been adj
usted to 0.37, but try taking it as high as 0.80 to see if you like it better.
Reflection/Refraction Adjustment
So far, you have improved the look of the metal and added a nice bloom to the hi
ghlights. You're still missing the reflection and refraction, though.
Load CompositeStage4.blend
sses.

from the disk and render to fill all the buffers and pa

Figure RCD.22: The additional nodes for reflection and refraction.

You have both a reflection and refraction pass available because the brass mater
ial uses raytraced reflections and the glass dial uses raytraced refraction. To
see what these passes produce, follow the connectors to their associated viewer
nodes and select each in turn.
Figure RCD.23: The reflection pass.
Figure RCD.24: The refraction pass.
Neither is much to look at in this state, but there is a lot of information hidd
en in these apparently dark passes.
You need to properly mix these passes with the output from your previous composi
ting result. To do this, you'll need to use another Mix node.

Figure RCD.25: The Mix node in Add mode.

The Add Mix node's lower Image socket receives its input from the Refract socket
the whole way back on the Render Layers node. This makes it the "primary" image
the one being layered over your previous Diffuse/Spec/Bloom network result.
Setting the Factor to 0.50 means that the Refraction pass is only used at half-s
trength, de-saturating the dial. This is actually ideal, because if mixed at ful
l strength (1.0), the reflection pass would not be visible. Try setting the Add
Mix Factor to 1.0 and see what it does to the final composited image. Once you'v
e done that, change it back to 0.5. This is a great example of how using the Com
positor can improve an image without re-rendering.
Modifying a Pass Before Recombining
One of the down sides of using raytraced reflections is that they are razor-shar
p. In the real world, unless a reflection comes from a polished mirror, it will
have some degree of blur. If you were not using the Compositor, the only way to
accomplish blur in a reflection would be to use high Filter settings with Env Ma
ps (see Chapter 9). By now, though, you should be able to see a simple solution
to this problem.
Examine the Blur node that is connected to the Reflect output of the Render Laye
rs node. It uses the Mitch blurring method and only a small value, 4, for X and
Y.
Figure RCD.26: The Blur node set to affect the Reflection pass.
The blurred Reflection pass is then composited with the Diffuse/Specular/Bloom/R
efraction result with a Mix node in Add mode, set to 0.84.
Varying this factor will increase or decrease the amount of reflection and appar
ent oily film on the brass. Experimentation is the key, and you are encouraged t
o modify any of these factors to see how it affects the composite.
Figure RCD.27: The render with reflection and refraction passes added.
Adding the Shadow Pass and Color Correcting the Image
Load the file "CompositeStage5.blend" and render to fill the passes.
The final pass to recombine is the shadows.
Figure RCD.28: A Mix Multiply node to blend the shadow pass into the rest of the
image.
Mixing the shadow pass is relatively straight forward. It uses a Mix node set to
Multiply, with a Factor of 1.0. The lower input socket runs the whole way back
to the Shadow output of the Render Layers node. The upper input socket connects
to the previous Add Mix node that is producing the final composite.
Multiply mode is the opposite of Screen. When multiplied, black turns the underl
ying image black, while white leaves it untouched. As you can see in the next il
lustration, areas not in shadow on the shadow pass are white, so they will not a
ffect the final image when blended in Multiply mode.
Figure RCD.29: The shadow pass.
Screen and Multiply offer superb after-render control of both shadowing and high

lights. If you like, increase or decrease the Mix Factor to change the way the s
hadow blends into the final image.
Color Correction
As it is, the final composite looks a bit milky. Let's raise its contrast with a
n RGB Curves node.
Although the RGB Curves node was used in the basic tutorial to completely change
the color of the drop shadow, it can be used for more subtle effects too. One o
f those is enhancing contrast. In fact, this technique is so common and useful t
hat it has its own name in the world of image processing: the "S Curve."
Figure RCD.30: The Contrast S Curve.
As you can see, it s a subtle alteration to the default diagonal line, but when ap
plied to an image it can significantly enhance its appeal. It works by darkening
the already dark areas (pulling down the bottom left of the curve) and brighten
ing already light areas (pushing up the upper right of the curve), while leaving
the middle areas alone.
Figure RCD.31: A detail of the final rendered, sweetened image.
Even though you have split apart the different passes, tweaked them and put them
back together into a much better image, there is more you can do. Currently, th
e gauge just floats on a black background, rather than existing as part of a ste
am room.
Adding a Background with Render Layers
Load the file "CompositeStage6.blend" and render to fill the passes. You will no
tice that the two layers with additional objects, Layers 2 and 11, have been reenabled.
Figure RCD.32: The node network to composite the layers with different settings.
With the other layers showing, the gauge now rests against a simple plane, textu
red with an altered copy of the brass material, and given a custom paint job to
show oil staining with the Image painting tools. Also, a bunch of duplicates of
the gauge appear in the background, attached to a wall. The main gauge's wall is
on Layer 11. The gauges and wall in the distance are all set to Layer 2.
The node setup in this file uses two separate Render Layers: one for the foregro
und gauge you have been dealing with up until now and its wall, and a separate o
ne for the distant background elements. Having the background appear on a separa
te Render Layer will let you perform a completely different set of composite eff
ects to those objects.
Figure RCD.33: Render Layer settings for the foreground.
Figure RCD.34: Render Layer settings for the background.
Notice that the bottom set of Layer buttons for the "1 Render Layer" layer only
includes objects from scene Layers 1 and 11. The Layer buttons for the "Backgrou
nd" layer include objects from scene Layer 2.
Looking at the node network, a new Render Layer node has been created with Add->
Input->Render Layers, and set to use the "Background" render layer at the bottom
of the panel. As you will only be darkening and blurring this layer, you can st
ick with the default "Combined" pass.

Figure RCD.35: The "Background" Render Layer node.

Immediately after the "Background" Render Layer, we have added an RGB Curves nod
e to darken and reduce the contrast of the render. Contrast can be reduced by pe
rforming the opposite of the "S Curve"
darkening the light areas and brightening
the shadows.
Before putting both layers together, though, you can use an old trick to help br
ing out the foreground objects.
Quick and Dirty Depth of Field
A simple blur applied to the background makes it look as though the camera lens
is focused on the gauge.
Figure RCD.36: The Blur node for the background.
A Gaussian blur has been applied with X and Y settings of 5. We have used the Ga
mma button to emphasize the bright parts of the image, ensuring that the out-offocus dials remain visible. Also, as we're pretending that the background is blu
rred due to camera focus, it might be worth it to use the Bokeh option.
Figure RCD.37: The blurred, darkened background layer.
The combination of the steam gauge with the background can be accomplished, once
again, with the Mix node. This time, however, you will use the default Mix mode
. How can you get the node to not blend the entire area of the images together,
though? As you've already learned, adjusting the Factor affects how much of the
image from the lower input socket is composited over the other. In addition to j
ust being a number, though, the Factor setting can also use an image as its inpu
t.
By connecting the Alpha pass from the original Render Layers node, portions of t
he image that were completely opaque (the gauge itself) receive a Factor setting
of 1.0, while the non-rendered areas receive a Factor of 0.0. The result is tha
t the Alpha pass is used as a mask for the Mix node.
Figure RCD.37.1: The Alpha Channel from Render Layer 1.
Figure RCD.38: Mixing the background with the rendered element.
Figure RCD.39: The rendered, composited image with background.
Before you finish, you'll look at one more excellent use of the Compositor, one
that's suited to animation but that can also enhance single-frame renders.
Vector-Based Motion Blur
Load the file "CompositeStage7.blend" and render to fill the passes.
Figure RCD.40: The node network for compositing the spinning pointer.
With this file, you will produce the animation. However, as the only thing that
moves is the pointer on the gauge's face, it would be a waste of time to render
the entire image once for each frame. The animation for this piece is 250 frames
long, and each frame takes, on the computer used for this discussion, almost a
minute to render. That is almost four hours of render time. If you use a single
minute-long render to produce a background, then render only the pointer as it s
pins, you can reduce the per-frame render time to around two seconds, saving nea
rly three hours and fifty minutes of render time!

In this new file, you will see that only three objects exist: the pointer and th
e main body and face of the gauge. You will only use the render of the pointer w
hen you make the final composite, but the shape of the gauge itself will be usef
ul too.
When producing an effect like this, you will need to have already rendered the r
est of the image, without the animated portions, to use as a background. We have
already done that in the example file, bringing the image into the Compositor w
ith an Image node found in Add->Input->Image.
Also, the only 3D objects left in the file are the pointer itself, the main gaug
e body and face, and the lamps. If you had wanted, you could have simply moved t
he extra objects to a disabled layer.
Blender has two methods of producing motion Blur. The older method, available wi
th the "MBLUR" toggle in the Render buttons, relied on rendering an entire scene
several times on fractional frame numbers, then combining the results. Of cours
e, this came at the cost of having to render your whole scene up to sixteen time
s per frame. Vector-based Motion Blur, on the other hand, uses the Compositor to
examine how the objects in a scene are moving, then builds a new image with mov
ing objects smeared along their trajectories and blended into the scene.
Figure RCD.41: The Vector Blur node.
Vector Blur is found under Add->Filter->Vector Blur. To make it work, you will n
eed to have some sort of image to blur (either a Combined pass or a composited i
mage), and the Z and Vec passes enabled in the Render Layers tab of the Render b
uttons. In this example, all three input sockets connect directly to their outpu
t counterparts on the "1 Render Layer" node.
Figure RCD.42: The pointer blurred on Frame 189, before compositing.
Obviously, objects will need to be in motion on the rendered frame for Vector Bl
ur to have any effect.
Note: As you need a good Alpha channel with which to composite, remember to swit
ch the Renderer from Sky to Key mode on the Render tab.
Figure RCD.43: Key mode on the Render tab.
Completing the Shot
To finish this example, the dial needs to be mixed back over the background imag
e.
Figure RCD.44: The Alpha Over node.
When compositing an image
e pointer), the AlphaOver
lpha Over. It follows the
e base image in the upper

with built-in Alpha (a render of a lone object like th

node does the job. AlphaOver is found in Add->Color->A
same socket stacking rules as the other nodes, with th
socket and the image with Alpha in the lower socket.

In the example, the saved image of the gauge is used as a backdrop in the top Im
age input, while the vector-blurred pointer with built-in Alpha fills the bottom
Image input. You can see from the final composite, though, that something is wr
ong.
Figure RCD.45: Composite with the pointer sticking out.

One last trick, then, to properly mask the pointer. This is why you still have t
he gauge body and face hanging around.
In this file, both the gauge body and face have been placed on Layer 2, and a se
parate Render Layer created for them called "Gauge Body." With the body itself s
elected, it has been assigned an Object Index by using the "PassIndex" spinner o
n the Objects and Links panel of the Object buttons (F7).
Figure RCD.46: The PassIndex of the body set to 1.
In the Render Layer settings for the "Gauge Body" layer, you can see that all pa
sses have been disabled with the exception of the IndexOb pass. You don't need t
o care about colors, materials or shading here: you want a pass that will genera
te a mask of this object to use on the pointer. The PassIndex value of all objec
ts defaults to 0 unless changed by you. By assigning a PassIndex of 1 to the gau
ge body in the Object buttons, you will be able to single it out in the Composit
or.
Figure RCD.47: The node network to build a mask from an Object Index pass.
The IndexOb pass from the Gauge Body Render Layer (note how with no Combined pas
s sent, there is no image at all in the preview) is connected to an ID Mask node
, from Add->Converter->ID Mask.
The ID value in the ID Mask node is set to 1, to correspond with the value you s
et on the 3D object. After that, an RGB Curves node is used to invert the result
ing mask. That image fills in the Factor input socket on the AlphaOver node, cor
rectly masking the spinning pointer and completing your shot.
Figure RCD.48: The final shot, correctly composited with the animated blurred sp
inner.
Getting the Shot Out of Your Department
So, you ve finally finished the job. The managers who have been planning the produ
ction had allocated five hours to your department on this shot for rendering and
sweetening. Because you re a pro with the Compositor, you were able to set up the
nodes in only a half hour (perfectly reasonable once you re experienced), and ren
dered the finished animation frames before the rest of the first hour was up.
Have a sandwich. Grab some coffee. You ve earned it.
Well, the Compositor s earned it, but you can take the credit.
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