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

• Maya

• RenderMan

• Substance Painter

• 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.

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.