Model too dark after importing from Maya, solution needed!

[Walter Soyka]

Are you using appropriate color space in Ae for your 3D outputs? In other words, are you rendering linear or sRGB from Maya?

Walter Soyka
Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
@keenlive   |   RenderBreak [blog]   |   Profile [LinkedIn]

[Michael Boyle]

To be honest I’m not sure, whichever the default one is as it’s the first time I’m using this. I think it’s down to how I’m compiling each layer when I bring them down onto the composition in AE, it’s probably just getting the right combo but I’m still clueless as what that is…

[Walter Soyka]

[Hugh Donnell] “I think it’s down to how I’m compiling each layer when I bring them down onto the composition in AE, it’s probably just getting the right combo but I’m still clueless as what that is…”

I’m not a Maya user, and it looks like Mental Ray shadow passes are not what I’d expect with my C4D background.

See here for more information:
https://www.pixelcg.com/blog/?p=981

Walter Soyka
Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
@keenlive   |   RenderBreak [blog]   |   Profile [LinkedIn]

[Jp Pelc]

Yeah I would try changing the workspace in AE to linear and see if that helps. Otherwise change the color space in Maya and re export

[Michael Boyle]

Hi, sorry for the late reply. How would I go about doing this? I’m still at the beginners stage so not sure, and I couldn’t see anything online on how to do either of those things.

[Jp Pelc]

No problem. At the bottom of the project window of AE you will see where it reads “8 bpc” or it may be 16 or 32. Click on that and a menu will pop up. Under color settings change working space from “none” to Adobe to just about anything else, although I would recommend HDTV (Rec. 709) or Adobe RGB or Apple RGB. Either way once you change that there is a box right underneath that should become enabled and it reads “Linearize Working Space.” Check it and then hit ok.

I don’t know how to change the color space in Maya as I have never used it, but a search for “change color space in Maya” should yield good results.

The video is a little long-winded but this page is a good way to start to understand what linear color space even means:

https://greyscalegorilla.com/blog/tutorials/what-is-linear-workflow-and-how-can-it-help-your-renders-look-better/

[Michael Boyle]

Excellent, thanks for the help. I think I figured out why it was all so “Dark”.
My object was being rendered, but all the light sources I had pointing at it weren’t!
Now to figure that out ha :/