hdz file format

[rimi]

hi, ive never come across this file format of hdz, and theres a lack of info and support it seems, is there any way to convert these back to hdr? or a plugin to open in photoshop etc? or you could possibly provide them in hdr format?

thanks

[guest84672]

Not right now. This is a proprietary encrypted format developed by Luxion, makers of KeyShot. It has been developed to protect the IP of the suppliers of these HDRIs. You may want to contact www.hdri-locations.com or www.hdrlightstudio.com directly.

[Imz]

So does Keyshot only recognize .hdz environments? I tried to add some of HDR images to my environments folder without any luck.

Also, is it possible to create your own environments? I have a large jpeg panorama I'd like to use in one of my renderings; what are the steps to utilize it?

Cheers,

Imz

[guest84672]

No KeyShot understands .hdr and .exr files. The .hdz format is a specific format that only KeyShot understands.

What are the problems with the HDRIs? You can always use "Load" in the environment tab.

You can create your own HDRIs - just google it. You will definitely need more than one image, though.

[Imz]

Thanks- will try again.

On my Mac I just copied some hdri images into library/application support/keyshot/environments, restarted, and didn't see them, so I assumed it was a format issue.

Will dig deeper.

[jhiker]

What are the problems with the HDRIs? You can always use "Load" in the environment tab.

Not to be pedantic, but that's Edit -> Environment -> Load from the file menu - I was searching in vain for it on the Environment 'tab' - it's not there 

[guest84672]

It is in the Options dialog.

[guest84672]

Thanks- will try again.

On my Mac I just copied some hdri images into library/application support/keyshot/environments, restarted, and didn't see them, so I assumed it was a format issue.

Will dig deeper.

Right click onto the environment tab in the library and select "rescan library".

[waters]

Still no answer as to how to bring in a 360 deg panorama... Thomas, any tips?

[waters]

By dumb luck, not my preferred way of learning, I changed a JPEG to 32 bit in Photoshop and then saved as .hdr. When I load the .hdr file in KeyShot I see that the projection is spherical, so I will next try one of my rectilinear 360 panorama files generated in PTGui, assuming that .hdr projections in Key Shot are meant to be spherical, a match for 360 panoramas.
I would appreciate some feedback, as a $ 1,000.00 piece of software should be accompanied by more than
$ 5.00 worth of instructions!

[guest84672]

You are not getting an hdri image from a jpeg by saving it as a .hdr. A jpeg is only 8 bit, and thus doesn't contain any lighting information. So in the end, your "hdri" is still a jpeg.

Not sure what instructions you are missing.

[Brian Townsend]

Hi Waters,

You may take a look at the the link below for more information on HDRI's for a clearer understanding of 8 bit vs. 32 bit images.  Notice the several exposures that were taken that covers the entire range of exposures for a scene. This ensures that all the detail in highlight and shadow is captured.  That is how KeyShot can determine the light sources in a scene and accurately cast shadows.   These exposures are then merged into a single 32 bit image with software such as PTGUI.  A single JPEG can produce a marginal result but nowhere near the level of quality of an HDRI.  The HDRI's provided on our downloads section are compiled from 84 different images, so you can imagine the difference in quality.  Hope this helps, if you have more specific questions on creating HDRIs just ask.  Thanks!

http://www.gregdowning.com/HDRI/stitched/

Brian

[waters]

Brian:
Good timing on your reply. I have been shooting panoramas for a few years, including ones done with TuFuse to get a better dynamic range. I picked up Christian Bloch's HDRI Handbook, which does a good job of filling in the missing pieces on the use of HDR sphericals in KeyShot. In his book he explains the use of HDR's in rendering. I may be missing this info in the manual. I am assuming that the relationship between HDR's and lighting is similar in Key Shot to the renderers he describes. If this is the case, this relationship is not mentioned in the manual, but it is very important. The manual proceeds from the assumption that users have a familiarity with rendering, so for the uninitiated it is difficult to gain all the information needed to get the most out of Key Shot. In fact, that what you refer to to help me better understand HDR's points out the need for this info in the manual.
Thanks for your reply.

[jeffw]

For me not being able to edit the HDZ format makes them unusable and I will stay with HDR. Most environmental images have too much saturation for all the reflective metal material in our products. With HDR I can knock this down in Photoshop to a level that works for me. Perhaps there could be a way devised to adjust saturation and contrast within Keyshot. Then Keyshot could have propriety of the images, but users could tweak them as well.

[Speedster]

I sure like the idea of adjusting saturation and contrast directly in KS, sort of like we can do now with backplates.  In fact, I'd love to see more adjustment range for backplates.  I don't know if the hdz format can be tweaked in HDR LightStudio- I'll try it soon as I have some time.  I can tweak hdr's, as I've done so to great effect, like bringing soft fill light into deep shadows, etc.
Bill G