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How to create a "PinScreen"

(I know this script do just the same. If you want to learn how to do this without the script, continue reading)

We can create a pinscreen with not too much steps. We need to build our displacement map and apply to a plane, no more.

The steps for getting a correct displacement map are the next.

1.- Look for the 3D model you want to use. In this case I will use this face.

This face has been downloaded from the free stuff of 3D Cafe (www.3dcafe.com)

2.- Crate a frontal camera as in the next picture.

3.- Using the measuring tool "Tape" measure the distances: 1.-  from the camera to the nearest point of the face (the nose); and 2.- from the camera to the most distant point of the head (the source of the ear).

4.- With these measures, go to the "Render Scene" window and enter in the "Render Elements" flange.

5.- There, add the "Z Depth" as render element and set it up with the two distances get before with the "Tape" tool.

6.- Launch the render. You must get something similar to this. If the Z Depth picture is OK render it with a big resolution (2000 x 2000 in this case).

Just save the final "Z Depth" image in TIF format, and with no compresion.

7.- Open the image in Photoshop and apply the "Mosaic..." filter of the "Pixelate" group.

8.- Use a cell size of 19 pixels, that is a good value for this example.

9.- Create a new document with the previous mosaic's cells size (19x19).

10.- With the "Elliptical Marquee Tool" create a circle saving a margin pixel in each four sides and use the "Paint Bucket Tool" for filling it with black.

11.- Select the entire image and enter in the "Define Pattern..." options, into the Edit menu. That way we create a new pattern that will be tiled over the "Z Depth" image imported from MAX.

12.- Enter a descriptive name.

13.- Return to the "Z Depth" image and create a new layer over the original background.

14.- Fill the new layer with the pattern just created.

We will get something like this.

15.- Invert the colors of the new layer.

16.- The pattern will be like below.

17.- Now, change the blending mode of the new layer to "Multiply". We will see the bottom image (the "Z" face) thought the white zones.

18.- This could be a valid displacement map, but we need "pins" in the black zone too. We can get them modifying the darker parameter of the curves. This way the brightest gray dots will be similar and the darkest ones will go brighter.

19.- The final look will be like this.

Save the image as a TIF or GIF (with no optimization  and 256 colors)
 

20.- Back to the 3D Studio MAX and create a Plane, check the "Generate Mapping Coords." check box and apply the "VRayDisplacementMod" modifier.

21.- Go to the Materials Editor and, with a the cell of a material selected, do click on the "Get Material" icon. Select "Bitmap" and use the just created image on it.

22.- Drag and drop the new material over the "none" button of the "Texmap", into the RayDisplacementMod's  Common params. Select "instance" and set the parameters up like the shown below:

* 2D mapping (landscape): suitable mapping for a plane.
* Amount: amount of displacement. For a higher value, a taller displacement.
* Resolution: resolution of the mesh. In this case must be very high for representing all the details of the original image.
* Tigh bounds: smooth the bounds to avoid possible problems.

WARNING: if you have problems with this method, you can use the "3D mapping", adding a high value in "Face subdivs" (512 or 1024).

23.- Select the VRay as render engine, "Adaptive subdivision" as antialiasing method in the flange "VRay:: Image sampler (Antialiasing)" and if we want, a G.I. effect (shown in the Tutorial 1).

24.- Once all the steps followed, we must get an image like this.

If you like this tutorial, please write a comment or a suggestion in the "Suggestions" section. Thanks