If you want to get the best out of the HDRIs and Background Images available on 3six0.net, the following guide will show you how.

While the majority of the information in this guide will be applicable to any 3D rendering package, it was compiled using Autodesk 3ds max and VRay, and some settings may vary depending on the software used.

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1. Resizing / Transforming HDRI images

All of our High Dynamic Range images come in Latitude/Longitude format, and are available only in the highest possible resolution (i.e. the resolution at which they were taken).

While a high resolution HDRI is beneficial for creating realistic reflections in your 3D scene, you may sometimes want to use a lower-res version of the image in order to light the scene more efficiently. In order to resize a high dynamic range image, we recommend you use either HDRShop (Version 1.0 or later) or Adobe Photoshop (CS2 or later), although other software is available.

To resize an image in HDRShop, open the file, and choose 'Size' and then 'Arbitrary Resize' from the Image Menu (Figure 01).

Figure 01

The number you should enter will vary depending on the amount of memory available to you, but values such as those chosen in the example image (512x256) should suffice (Figure 02). Ensure that you save the file under a different filename to the original high-res image, as you should still use that for reflections in your 3D render.

Figure 02

To resize an HDR or EXR image in Adobe Photoshop, simply open the file, choose 'Image Size' from the 'Image' menu, and enter new values in the Width and Height fields (Figure 03). Again, ensure that you save the file under a different filename to the original file you downloaded.

Figure 03

Figure 04

Should you need your HDRI in a different format than the Latitude/Longitude Spherical Map that 3Six0 provides, for example a Vertical Cross, we would again suggest using HDRShop. To transform the image, simply choose 'Panorama' then 'Panoramic Transformations' from the 'Image' Menu (Figure 04).

In the menu that appears, change the Source Image format to Latitude/Longitude, and the Destination Image format to whatever you require. Select an appropriate resolution, and click 'OK' to perform the transformation (Figure 05).

Figure 05

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