is ambient occlusion a meme?

>le meme
yes memes
awesome memethread

>inb4 serious reply
i fucking hate this place

>>3108931
whats your problem

Why does a box with ambient occlusion look so much better than a typical box?

how do i think for myself?

>>3108920
Yes, and no. There is ambient light and it does get occluded, just like any other light; however, the way ambient occlusion is usually applied in art is a simplification, a shortcut made for 3d programs. In real life, ambient light does not come uniformly from all directions, it is formed by light reflected from the ground, the sky, all objects in the scene and the light that is dispersed in the air. When drawing from observation, you can just see all the subtle value variations and copy them, that will include ambient occlusion. But when drawing from imagination, applying ambient occlusion like it is done in 3d programs is an effective and simple way to make your painting look better.

>>3108931
Honestly, I hate this place too.

>>3108961
Can you show me an image of both a typical box and a box with ambient occlusion?

>>3108995
>>3108931
I love you guys.

>>3108920
I've seen that Chinese painting around SO much, did they eventually find out there was something fishy with it or what? I don't get the filename

File: AOBoxes.png (158KB, 1000x707px) Image search: [Google]

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>>3108999

>>3109140
Nothing about it looks or indicates it's Chinese. What are you talking about?

>>3109217
it looks chink

>>3109140
To me it looks like an ambient occlusion study of a photo, made by painting over a photo.

File: elsa__frozen__by_jiyu_kaze-d78bgxt.jpg (138KB, 719x1111px) Image search: [Google]

138KB, 719x1111px

>>3109230
The final painting is this, OP looks sort of a 3d paintover.

File: elsa4.jpg (84KB, 931x960px) Image search: [Google]

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>>3109231
I don't even like the painting but it always looked like a paintover of a rendering or something
the sketch doesn't fit the final result

>>3109231
Yeah, that's possible too.

>>3109219

BUT IS MY FAVORITE CARTOON FROZEN ELSA WITH SPIDERMAN AND WITH THE PONIES AND THE LOUD HOUSE AND STAR VS YADAYADA?

>>3109250
are you okay?

>>3109219
I'm as chink as it get and no it doesn't.

>>3108920
in a way, because it's a 3d rendering thing. in actual drawing you're sort of supposed to be thinking about it in a different way (modelling in general) which means that it should come pretty naturally.

that's why i think these computer graphics terms aren't very helpful in general, even 'rendering' the way people use it on the internet conflicts with the 'classical' way of thinking about drawing

>>3109145
I'm not seeing it. Is it that black outline at the bottom?

>>3109275

The term "rendering" was used in painting before 3d graphics. Also please explain how the new and old definition of rendering are in conflict if you may.

>>3109234
>become the rendering software

>>3108920
Sounds like pillow shading to me.

File: a49cdd2a0518a75fc651a4c0c2ff3a9b--painting-portraits-portrait-art.jpg (36KB, 237x300px) Image search: [Google]

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>>3108920
It's nothing more than a technique/method of digital painting. It's a very technical method that works for some and achieves a certain look. In the old days and those who still practice traditional oil painting use a series of underpaintings one of those underpaintings is called a grsaille. Other painters traditional and digital use a straight ahead method and others like to build layers of layers refining a little more in each layer.

>>3108920
Personally I don't like that waxy 3D look the final product usually results as, but I can see how it migh my be useful for marketing images, although it would probably be a lot more cost effective to paint over a 3D render that can be rotated to the desired angle than commission a 2D image like this

File: SNielson_OldWitch1.jpg (192KB, 846x1100px) Image search: [Google]

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Bumping so people don't get stuck with the impression that AO applies only to pseudo-realistic styles. When learned it can really enhance already established values of a piece (fill light, rim, core shadows, etc.)

File: tumblr_nrligl1uT61s5mjlwo1_1280.jpg (360KB, 1114x600px) Image search: [Google]

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>>3110107

>>3110111
is that gigachu

>>3110107

Yeah, it can give really good results. In this video Marc uses this technique too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3Eiqm01tMk
I'm trying to figure out a way to use a similar technique when painting backgrounds, but I can't find anything on that... I know if it is applied like when doing characters that the background would probably pop too much, but I think there must be a way to work in that way.
I really struggle to paint if not in a very methodical and technical way, so I think that if I figure how to do it my work will improve a lot.

>>3110107
I feel that some arists overdo AO and make it more pronounced than the actual shadows from the light sources, it just looks like a bas relief like that. Light from the sources should always be brighter than ambient light.

>>3109518
NGMI

>>3110135
>it can give really good results
>posts video with shit art

??

>>3110798

lol... The guy worked for blizzard.

Post your work.

Ambient occlusion is just a method for approximating ambient lighting conditions and occlusion shadows. It's no more a "meme" than any other form of lighting.

>>3110147
Oof
Do you have any examples of artists making that mistake?