Our Friend, Global Illumination
 

Okay... I'm racking my brains here and I wanna know if I'm on the right track. What does everyone on the list use or what technique(s) do you all use to get GI to work in Maya. I know the expensive way to do it is to get Mental Ray. What I found was a MEL script called... well... Global Illumination v1.1 at High End 3D. I'm not sure what to expect with it and I don't even know if I'm doing the right things I need to with it. I need some mentoring here, everyone! For the most helpful answer, I have a cardboard cookie or a plastic porkchop for you... Ooooooooo.... :p

TIA!!!

Russell Bolding

I use the Sky plug in. It's a Utility that you plug into your material in the hypershade. You map it with an image, usually a panoramic view of some outdoor scene (I'll attach mine). You can get it at highend, too.

How about if you're lighting an indoor scene? :/

Normally, I wouldn't think you'd have global illumination indoors, but it works just as well. I usually use it indoors, too.

I don't use anything, never had a need ;)

Darkon

RealFake GI found at Highend3d.com...
 

Try it.

I use it with the same polar image distortion as mtmckinley said.

Just grab your HDR image, or HDR sequence, or any decent image with decent white and black point vlaues, and map that to RealFakeGI's color or ambient color and you're good to go:)

Then, connect the Real Fake GI output to your shaders ambient channel:)

Make sure your lights ONLY cast shadows.
Otherwise, it messes up your overall light intensity.
(though, sometimes it's not a big deal)

Global Illumination is all around us, inside and out.

If you use it when you render spearate passes of specular, diffuse, etc. it comes in REAL handy for that added extra touch of realism:)