SEM Lightbulb Filament
This piece replicates the look of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), which produces images without the use of light. To create this effect, OSL and the occlusion integrator in Pixar's RenderMan were used. I am responsible for all aspects.
Software Used
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Maya
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RenderMan
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Substance Painter
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Photoshop
Reference & Stills
After researching SEM images, I decided on an image of a lightbulb filament. I chose this image because it has a strong composition and an interesting contrast between the complex helix and simple sphere.
Camera Change
SEM Reference Image
Visualizer Integrator
Inner Sphere
Coil
Outer Sphere
Hypershade Networks, OSL
& Textures
Because of the unique characteristics of SEM images, a majority of the shading was achieved with custom OSL nodes. I also created texture maps for the outer sphere, as it would have been difficult to replicate procedurally.
UV Map
Displacement Map
Precense Map
OSL Scripts: Noise and Ridge
OSL Scripts: Directional and Edge