Maya 2011 Software Render: difficulty making shadow catcher

Maya for 3D Printing - Rapid Prototyping

In this course we're going to look at something a little different, creating technically accurate 3D printed parts.

# 1 16-01-2012 , 07:56 PM

Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2012

Posts: 2

Maya 2011 Software Render: difficulty making shadow catcher

It seems that I'm following the direction I've found after a lot of googling, but still I'm unable to make this work.

Using Maya 2011 on a Mac, software render engine.

Just a simple plane that I want to be invisible in a render, but to show shadows falling on it in that render. I created the plane, and assigned a usebackground shader, but in all the renders I've tried the plane just shows up in the render as black. I tried changing the shadow mask and matte opacity to various values, no effect. I still get a solid black plane showing up.

Is there some other setting I'm not getting?

Many thanks in advance!

Quote

# 2 16-01-2012 , 08:51 PM

Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2012

Posts: 2

Okay, if I create a new scene with just a sphere and a plane to catch the shadow, it works. The problem seems to be something in the scene I got from my instructor, because I go through the same steps there and I get the black plane.

Weird.

Time to go ask him WTF.

Thanks anyway!

Quote

Reply to this thread