Ok, I know this is probably a dumb question, but how do I get a solid white background, like I see in 3d model samples?

Should I just use a grid? What surface material would be best?

For example, the background like the following: from http://www.aversis.be/hdri/bureau.htm [aversis.be]

I would use a grid and then attach a plastic material.

There's also a simple scene here:
http://forums.odforce.net/index.php?showtopic=5469&st=0 [forums.odforce.net]

Never tried it though but it sounds like it might help.

I tried that, not working for me, just getting pink walls.

Anyways, with a 100x100 grid as a backplane, it sorta works. But I can't get global illumination to work at all. Color is always way off and doesn't look realistic in anyway. I tried environment light and the tutorial in Houdini help about ambient occlusion, neither work. I guess I need to learn more about lighting/shading in general, I really don't have a clue what is wrong.


Thanks

Post your file here and i am sure somebody can tell what is wrong with it.

The pink walls will be because it is using a texturemap for the grid and the path to the file is wrong. Try and find the shader that is used and then reset the path to point to where you have the file copied too.

Using an infinity cyc will get you what you want.

Thanks I will try those things.

I was reading the author's tutorial (for images above) at http://www.aversis.be/tutorials/vray/basic_hdri_01.htm [aversis.be]and he mentioned this for ground plane

Create a groundplane (I used a big cylinder), and some simple objects.

So do you think he just makes a huge cylinder and puts the objects inside or something?

Sorry, once again for the noob questions. I found a great book called Digital Lighting and Rendering 2nd edition, and it is helping me to understand this stuff.

you do not need a cylinder (huh?)- use a cyc like the other person said - a cyc if you do not know is just two perpendicular planes connected by a radius and are usually found in photo studios and are made for this reason. Sometimes I will also rather than have two planes, use a revolve - like a hemisphere with a radius ed edge where it meets the ground plane.

Also I would look into ambient occlusion shading…

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Thanks again. Didn't know what a cyc was but figured I was gonna try to duplicate what I had seen in photo studios next.

This is all pretty new to me and seem extra difficult to figure out in Houdini.

I read the Houdini docs on ambient occlusion but couldn't get it to work–probably cause I didn't have a good enough background. I am gonna experiment more this weekend and post hip file. Been reading a book on Digital Light and Rendering to get a handle on the concepts–been pretty helpful as well.