TM

hdrlightstudio

Featuring

lightpaint

installation guide

HDR Light Studio 4 - Main App

Installing & Licensing

Page 3

Connectivity

Partner 3D Software

Native host support

Install HDR Light Studio
main app only

V-Ray for Rhino

Maxwell Studio
KeyShot
Visual Enterprise Author / Deep Exploration
VRED
Patchwork3D
Autodesk Showcase Pro

User guide included

in this document

Upto DE 6.5

Install HDR Light Studio

app + additional plug-in
provided by Lightmap

Page 12
Page 7
Page 8
Page 10

VEA 7.1 and higher

Maya
3DS Max
Houdini
MODO
CINEMA 4D
DeltaGen

Installers for additional plug-ins can be downloaded from your store account.
Each includes a dedicated PDF guide for installation and workflow.
Online help is available at: www.hdrlightstudio.com/help/4
or go to the Help menu in HDR Light Studio software

Please consult your VRED, Patchwork 3D and Showcase Pro documentation

for information on the HDR Light Studio 4 integration.

Page 2

HDR Light Studio 4 - Installation & Licensing

Installing HDR Light Studio 4 - Single User License

Please note, if you have purchased floating licenses, Lightmap will contact you shortly after your
order has been placed with installation instructions for the HDR Light Studio licensing server.

Step 1: Run the HDR Light Studio software installer

Install HDR Light Studio 4 software with the provided installer for your platform.

(Linux note: Extract archive to destination folder. Ensure environment variable HDRLS_HOME_V4 points to the base of the
installation folder. This is best set in the users logon script - eg, in ~/.bashrc)

Step 2: Launch HDR Light Studio

Run HDR Light Studio software for the first time.

Step 3: Locate the User Key and copy to Desktop

Go to Help > Open License Directory in HDR Light Studio software.

This will open the directory revealing the location of the user key file on your computer. The file is
called HDRLightStudioV4_User.key . Copy this file on to your Desktop, so its easy to find.

Page 3

HDR Light Studio 4 - Installation & Licensing

Step 4: Register the End User with Lightmap

Log into your account at the Lightmap Store (www.lightmapstore.co.uk) by clicking on the
My Account link top right

Once you are logged in, go to the Purchased Products section

Locate the product you want to get licensed in your list of purchased products.
Each item you buy has a unique ITEM ID that you can use to identify it.

Page 4

HDR Light Studio 4 - Installation & Licensing

Register the name and email address of the Registered User using the Register/Change User link.

Step 5: Upload your User Key file

Next upload your user key file using an Upload User Key link which is now available.
A single user license allows a Primary and Secondary installation of your software.
There is an upload link for a user key generated by each computer.

Once your User Key has been submitted, you will need to wait for the License Key to be created.

Step 6: Getting your License key

Once Lightmap have received your user key file via the store, we will generate a license key
file. Licenses are generated in office hours GMT. The license key will be emailed to you once
it is created. It will also appear in the store account under your user key and can be downloaded from there too.
Please Note: Whilst waiting for License Key creation, you can submit the User Key file for the 2nd
computer. A single license key is created containing the license for both computers. Use the same
license key to enable HDR Light Studio on both computers.
If you already have a license key available for download, please no not assume this license file is
instantly updated when uploading a user key. You will be emailed with the updated license once
ready.

Page 5

HDR Light Studio 4 - Installation & Licensing

Step 7: Installing your License Key
Go to Help > Open License Directory in HDR Light Studio software to reveal the licensing directory
and put the HDRLightStudioV4_License.key file in this directory with your user key.

Restart HDR Light Studio and your software will be fully activated and can render and save your
lighting designs.
Important Note:
If you have purchased HDR Light Studio for MODO, HDR Light Studio for Bunkspeed or
HDR Light Studio for V-Ray for Rhino - the software will report being unlicensed when its run
standalone. This is normal! Please close HDR Light Studio and launch it in a live connection with your
host software, and the license will enable HDR Light Studio.

Step 8: Picture Lights

Download the seperate Picture Lights zip file from the store. Install the Picture Light files
into the correct location using Help > Open Warehouse Directory. The .hdp files in the zip
file provided need to be placed in that folder. A restart of HDR Light Studio is also required.
(Linux note: Please extract the archive to a directory called "warehouse" next to the HDR Light Studio executable).

Please note:

For HDR Light Studio to function it uses TCP/IP communication internally on the computer.
Please esnure these ports are made available for HDR Light Studio in your firewall.
LiveLight is communicated to/from port 9001/9002
Live plugins communicate to/from port 9550/9551

Important notes for pre HDR Light Studio version 4 users:

Installing HDR Light Studio 4 will override the opening of earlier Live plug-ins.
Projects saved with HDR Light Studio 4 will not be backwards compatible.
Once HDR Light Studio 4 is installed, project files embedded in earlier partner projects may
be automatically updated to HDR Light Studio 4 without notice.

Page 6

HDR Light Studio 4 Live - Maxwell Studio

Installing - HDR Light Studio Live for Maxwell Studio

Compatible with Maxwell Studio 2.6.1+ on Windows64 and Maxwell Studio 2.7.20+ on OSX64

1. When installing Maxwell Render - if available, make

sure the HDR Light Studio Live option is ticked and
installed. This installs Maxwell components that enable
Maxwell Studio to work with HDR Light Studio Live,
and this can also installs a demo version of the
Live plugin to play with.
Follow these instructions to replace this demo version
with the full version you have purchased.

2. Install HDR Light Studio 4

3. Launch Maxwell Studio software.
4. When the environment is set to IBL, options now appear for setting HDR Light Studio
in the various environment slots - Background, Relfection, Illumination and Refraction.
5. Press the HDR Light Studio button to launch HDR Light Studio Live
6. HDR Light Studio lighting designs are embedded in Maxwell Studio scenes. Render a production
quality HDR/EXR file and this is automatically used as a HDR file in Maxwell Studio.

The HDR Light Studio Live interface and features found in the plug-in are identical to the standalone
edition. Please consult the HDR Light Studio User Guide PDF included in your installation to learn
about the features of HDR Light Studio.

Page 7

HDR Light Studio 4 Live - KeyShot

Using HDR Light Studio Live with KeyShot 3+

Compatible with KeyShot 3+ on Windows, always use the latest KeyShot build for best stability.

1. Install HDR Light Studio 4

2. Launch KeyShot 3
3. Go to Edit > Preferences

3.

4.

4. Go to the Plugins section and make sure HDR Light Studio is there and
enabled... if not select Install new plugin and locate the file: hdrls_wrapper.dll
This plug-in file is created by Luxion and acts as the link between KeyShot 3 and
HDR Light Studio Live.

5.

5. Go to Project, Environment tab and you should now see a button called edit
thats next to the environment file slot. Press this button to launch HDR Light Studio.

Page 8

HDR Light Studio 4 Live - KeyShot

HDR Light Studio Live for KeyShot - Workflow

3d model: Tim Cooper

The HDR Light Studio interface and features found in the plug-in are identical to
the standalone edition. Please consult the HDR Light Studio User Guide PDF
included in your installation to learn about the features of HDR Light Studio.
Here we describe the worflow of the plug-in with KeyShot.
Once the HDR Light Studio Live plug-in is open, the HDRI environment is replaced in
KeyShot with the HDR Canvas from HDR Light Studio. Now you can design lighting in
real-time directly onto your KeyShot scene. Cool!
To see a higher resolution version of your lighting design on your model press
Render and select from the drop down list under EXR and HDR file formats to select
the Live setting. Now when you render, the hi-res render is sent straight into KeyShot
and not saved as a file.
When you are happy with your final lighting design press Render and select the
HDR file format and you can then save your final HDRI design as a file. This new HDR
file will automatically be used and added to your KeyShot Environments Library.
If you now change your lighting design in HDR Light Studio Live, the canvas data will
replace the saved HDR file, so you will be in a Live lighting session again.
The lighting design in HDR Light Studio is also embedded into your KeyShot file. So
next time you open your saved KeyShot scene, and launch HDR Light Studio Live, the
design is already in place for you so you do not need to save the lighting design
separately.
Page 9

HDR Light Studio 4 Live - Visual Enterprise Author

Installing - HDR Light Studio Live for Visual Enterprise Author
Compatible with Deep Exploration 6.5 and above, and Visual Enterprise Author 7

Visual Enterprise Author comes with a Demo version of HDR Light Studio already installed.
Follow these instructions to replace this with the full version you have purchased.
1. Install HDR Light Studio 4
2. Launch Visual Enterprise Author
3. Make sure you are in HDR Realtime driver mode in the viewport

4. Right click on the top tool-bar and select HDR Light Studio from the drop
down menu to create a button for it on the tool bar. If you can not see it in the list, then
go to Help > Plugin Manager... and make sure the HDR Light Studio plug-in is activated.

5. A HDR button has been added to the tool-bar... press this to launch
HDR Light Studio Live.

Page 10

HDR Light Studio 4 Live - Visual Enterprise Author

HDR Light Studio Live for Visual Enterprise Author - Workflow

The HDR Light Studio Live interface and features found in the plug-in are identical
to the standalone edition. Please consult the HDR Light Studio User Guide PDF
included in your installation to learn about the features of HDR Light Studio.
Here we describe the workflow of the plug-in with Visual Enterprise Author.
Once the HDR Light Studio Live plug-in is open, the HDRI environment is replaced in
Visual Enterprise Author by the HDR Canvas from HDR Light Studio. Now you can
design lighting in real-time directly onto your Deep Exploration scene.
To see a higher resolution version of your lighting design on your model press
Render and select Live from the drop down list of file formats. Now when you render,
the HDR data is sent straight into Visual Enterprise Author and not saved as a HDR file.
When you are happy with your final lighting design press Render and select the
HDR file format and save your final HDRI design as a file. This new HDR file will
automatically be set as the HDR environment in Visual Enterprise Author.
If you now change your lighting design in HDR Light Studio Live, the canvas data will
replace the saved HDR file, so you will be in a Live lighting session again.
To save your HDR Light Studio lighting design, in HDR Light Studio Live go to
Project > Save Project. Here you can create a .HDi file which will store your lighting
design and can be loaded again in the future.

Page 11

HDR Light Studio 4 Live - V-Ray for Rhino

Installation
Install and license the HDR Light Studio 4 main app (requires HDR Light Studio 4.3
and above). V-Ray 2.0 for Rhino will automatically detect an installation of HDR Light
Studio 4, so there are no additional plug-ins to install.

Workflow
V-Ray 2.0 for Rhino has added a live connection with HDR Light Studio. This
enables the real-time creation and editing of a HDRI map for lighting your scene.
This provides a much easier and faster approach to lighting your V-Ray shots, that
will render fast too.
1. Create a V-Ray Dome Light in your scene

2. The HDR Light Studio Live controls are found on the Dome Light's 'Properties'
tab, under the 'Light' section.
Scroll to the bottom of the properties panel to see the HDR Light Studio Live section
(that is displayed if HDR Light Studio is installed on your computer).

Page 12

HDR Light Studio 4 Live - V-Ray for Rhino

3. Let's turn on V-Ray RT in the view port for our scene - so we can see the dome
lighting interacting with our scene and materials with real-time feedback.

Now we can see the scene lit with the dome light.

Page 13

HDR Light Studio 4 Live - V-Ray for Rhino

4. Now let's light this shot using HDR Light Studio. Find the HDR Light Studio Live
controls and press the Show button to start HDR Light Studio in a live connection
with this Dome Light.

The HDR Light Studio app is opened and the content of the HDR canvas in HDR
Light Studio is now being used to light your V-Ray RT render.
Every time a change to the lighting is made in HDR Light Studio - the V-Ray RT view
will update using the new HDR lighting.
HDR Light Studio is providing V-Ray RT with small temporary HDR files that are used
during the lighting design process. These are updated automatically though the live
connection.

Page 14

HDR Light Studio 4 Live - V-Ray for Rhino

5. Lets add a new light source to the HDR canvas in HDR Light Studio, press the
Elliptical light button on the top bar. A light is created in the center of the canvas.
You can see V-Ray RT update using the new lighting (the light in the background
may look pixelated because this is using the lo-res temp file at the moment, at the
end of the process we will render a hi-res, high quality HDR file on disc).

6. So we now have a light on the HDRI map... but how do we position it in the right
place to get the desired lighting effect on our model?
The answer is the LightPaint feature. Let's activate the Light Paint check box so
we can click directly onto the V-Ray RT view to position the active light in HDR Light
Studio.
(You can also click on the Rhino views without using the V-Ray RT renderer, but it is
far more effective to click on the render and see the lighting update before your
eyes)

Page 15

HDR Light Studio 4 Live - V-Ray for Rhino

Now with the light active in HDR Light Studio, left click on your 3D model in the
V-Ray RT view.

Because LightPaint is in Reflection mode, the active light has moved on the HDRI
map so that it 'reflects' in the region of your 3D model that was 'Clicked' on. This
point and click lighting technique is a very fast and precise way to light your shots.
Use the drop down to select Rim mode, this places the light directly on the visible
HDRI map in the background of your image and is useful for creating a background
effect or rim lights to reflect in the glancing edges of your models.
Use the drop down to select Illumination mode, to position a light to illuminate the
region clicked, this works best for matt surfaces without reflections.
Lights can even be selected in HDR Light Studio using the LightPaint modes in
Rhino using the Shift key when clicking on the model. For example, Shift Click on
a highlight using Reflection mode to select the light reflecting in that location. This is
a great way to pick lights when editing your design without the need to remember
the light names or locations on the HDRI map.
When another tool is selected in Rhino, then the Light Paint mode is deactivated
until you turn it back on.

Page 16

HDR Light Studio 4 Live - V-Ray for Rhino

7. Create more lights and adjust their properties until you are happy with the lighting
design (To find our more about the full features of HDR Light Studio for lighting
creation, consult the User Guide).
When you are happy with the lighting design, Press the Render / Close button to
render a hi-res HDR file on disc and to close your HDR Light Studio session. This is
what you do at the end of your lighting session.

The HDR Light Studio Production Render dialog will open where you can Browse
to a location on disc and name your hdr or exr file.
You can choose the resolution of your HDRI map by clicking on the preview area, or
using the drop down presets.
Once you press the Render button on this panel, the file on disc will be generated
and V-Ray for Rhino will use that file for the dome light texture. HDR Light Studio will
also close after the file has been completed.

Page 17

HDR Light Studio 4 Live - V-Ray for Rhino

So now you have a scene lit with a custom HDRI file on disc and you are ready to
produce your final V-Ray production rendering. This Rhino scene can be opened by
other users without HDR Light Studio, as it is lit by a standard HDRI file on disc and
is therefore totally compatible.

The HDR Light Studio lighting project is actually embedded with your V-Ray Dome
Light in Rhino. So save your Rhino scene to store the lighting design, then next time
you open the scene launch HDR Light Studio from the dome light and the lighting
will automatically be loaded in the state it was left when the Rhino file was saved.

Top Tips
1. Multiple V-Ray Dome Lights can be created in your Rhino scene and assigned to
different layers. This way you can store many different lighting designs in the same
Rhino scene. This is useful for creating different lighting for alternative camera
views.
2. Use the Project menu in HDR Light Studio to save and load HDR Light Studio
lighting projects independently of your Rhino scenes. You can move your favorite
lighting setups between projects this way, or to create an archive of useful lighting
rigs for future. projects. Once lighting is loading into HDR Light Studio this way, the
current lighting shown in HDR Light Studio is what gets saved and embedded within
your Rhino scene.

Page 18