Lighting Your Shot Workshop

Lighting, much like dialogue and Foley, adds a critical element to the storytelling experience. Effective lighting sets the mood for a particular scene … and can quickly evoke a change of feeling or emotion. Now, with our six-week Lighting Your Shot workshop, you can add a new level and depth to your projects to stand out.

Register Now: Please visit our Registration Portal to register for Lighting Your Shot. You will be asked to create an account or log in to your existing account before you can register and pay for class.

“I learned quite a bit more than I expected … telling a story with lighting and texture … seeing these pieces come together was a huge ‘AHA’, in fact I think I got more than what I paid for.”
-Dhar Jabouri

SESSION 1 Overview of the Maya Lighting and Rendering User Interface
Get familiar with the Render Settings and Render View windows and Maya’s basic light types.

Assignment: Setup your Maya session for lighting and composite elements together using Maya Composite.


SESSION 2 The Five Principles of Lighting
Learn the core principles of color and light used in storytelling.

Assignment: Create a three-point light rig and light your shot with a variety of moods and styles.

SESSION 3 Devising a Lighting Shot Plan
Learn the key stages to effective lighting, including rough cut, broad strokes, and shadows.

Assignment: Create a three-point light rig and light your shot with a variety of moods and styles.

SESSION 4 Advanced Lighting Topics in Maya
Explore the rendering process in greater detail and learn to use Depth Map and Raytraced shadows.

Assignment: Light or re-light a shot and aim for clean shadows — artifact free — regardless of shadow type.

SESSION 5 The Rendering Process Using Mental Ray
Learn the use of Global Illumination and Final Gather for indirect interior lighting.

Assignment: Apply indirect lighting in a sample interior scene.

SESSION 6 Final Renders, Compositing, and Finishing Touches
Explore exterior lighting, including Image Based Lighting (IBL).

Assignment: Light a scene using an IBL rig or Dome Lighting.

Aesthetic, Technical, and
Cinematic Topics Covered
You will enjoy the same Animation Mentor experience with a small class size and live instruction:
• Instruction provided by industry professional lighters, including six Live Q&As
• Weekly materials include a mix of recorded lectures and demonstrations
• Autodesk® Maya® and mental ray® techniques used within a typical CG lighting and rendering workflow
• Brief overview of Autodesk® Composite® and The Foundry Nuke® techniques
• The process of lighting and its important relationship to compositing
• How a full cinematic approach enhances the animation sensibilities and prepares the animator to think like a filmmaker

Autodesk Education Community
You will receive a three-year active student account to the Autodesk® Education Community where you may access the Maya® animation software.

• Be 18 years of age or older upon the first day of class.
• Have a good understanding of the English language.
• Have intermediate computer software skills.
• Meet the minimum system requirements.
• Achieve a passing score on a basic aptitude test (Wonderlic test). This measures basic understanding in math and verbal skills.

The Same Animation Mentor Experience

• Industry professionals offer live instruction throughout the six-week workshop.
• Six (6) non-graded assignments with production-level assets are provided. Students may bring their own shots.
• Assignments are approached in a tiered manner — starting with the basics and layering advanced topics across the learning path.
• Additional supplementary materials are available each week.