Lighting, look-dev & rendering
Light, shade and render shots to a reference look and spec.
20 project-authored proposals · taxonomy v1.1 · 0 new benchmark runs. Verifiers and partial-credit rules below are designs, not executed results.
- Typical applications
- Blender · Maya (Arnold) · Cinema 4D (Redshift)
- Class GUI-need label
HY· Hybrid
Task proposals · 20
Expand to inspect the complete original wording and proposed checks. Original proposal text remains English in both interfaces.
R06.06.03.03-T01 Light a product with three-point lighting to match a reference
Original instruction
In fixtures/headphones_studio.blend (camera and materials locked), add and place key, fill and rim area lights so the Cycles render matches ref/headphones_lit.png: soft key from camera-left, fill at about 1/4 intensity, cool rim separating the headband from the black background. Save output/headphones_lit.blend and render output/headphones.png.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Blender
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
G2· GUI-essential- GUI need · ordinary access
G2· GUI-essential- Interaction primitives
geom· Precise geometryvis· Visual judgmentnav· Pan/zoom/scroll- Work product
WP05· Time-based media- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
Grader re-renders at fixed seed: LPIPS <= 0.12 and SSIM >= 0.9 vs reference; key:fill luminance ratio on GT face region 3.5-4.5; rim highlight present on GT edge mask (>= 2x background); camera/material hashes unchanged. Blender's Python console, Text Editor and --python are disabled; the Info log is also scanned for scripted light placement.
Proposed partial credit
45% render similarity; 25% key/fill ratio; 20% rim separation; 10% locked items untouched.
R06.06.03.03-T02 Rotate the HDRI so shadows match the plate
Original instruction
In fixtures/plate_match.blend a CG mailbox sits on a shadow catcher over backplate ref/street_plate.jpg. Rotate the world HDRI (Mapping node Z) so the CG shadow direction matches the real lamp-post shadow in the plate within 10 deg, and set strength so the shadow density matches. Render output/plate_match.png.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Blender
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
G2· GUI-essential- GUI need · ordinary access
G2· GUI-essential- Interaction primitives
vis· Visual judgmentdrag· Drag & drop- Work product
WP05· Time-based media- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 2 / 5
Proposed verifier
From the saved file: HDRI rotation implies sun azimuth within 10 deg of GT; rendered shadow principal axis (shadow-catcher alpha) within 10 deg of GT plate shadow direction; shadow darkness ratio within 15% of plate shadow. Only the world node values may differ from input. Blender's Python console, Text Editor and --python are disabled; .blend writes outside Blender are logged and fail.
Proposed partial credit
50% shadow direction; 30% shadow density; 20% nothing else changed.
R06.06.03.03-T03 Render a frame with denoising and AOVs to multilayer EXR
Original instruction
Configure fixtures/kitchen.blend to render 1920x1080 with 128 samples, OpenImageDenoise, and passes Diffuse Direct/Indirect/Color, Glossy Direct/Indirect/Color, Z, Normal and Cryptomatte Object into one multilayer EXR (half float, DWAA) at output/kitchen_0001.exr. Render frame 1.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Blender
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & forms- Work product
WP05· Time-based media- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 2 / 5
Proposed verifier
EXR header parsed (OpenImageIO): resolution, half float, DWAA compression, all 9 pass layers present plus Cryptomatte manifest; Image layer denoised (noise std in GT flat patch <= threshold); render samples 128 recorded in metadata.
Proposed partial credit
20% resolution/samples; 40% all passes present; 20% format/compression; 20% denoised beauty.
R06.06.03.03-T04 Build an Arnold look-dev turntable for an asset
Original instruction
In Maya + Arnold, set up output/lookdev_turntable.ma for fixtures/sneaker_asset.ma: grey ball, chrome ball and Macbeth chart in frame, 3 HDRIs (fixtures/hdri/*.exr) switched every 120 frames, the asset rotating 360 deg per 120 frames, camera at 50 mm. Render frames 1, 60, 121, 241 to output/turntable/.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Maya (Arnold)
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clickdrag· Drag & dropvis· Visual judgment- Work product
WP05· Time-based media- Conditions
licensed· Licensed pro app- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
mayapy: reference spheres and chart present and visible in camera; skydome texture switches at frames 121/241; asset Y rotation 0/180/360 at frames 1/61/121 (linear); focal length 50. Renders exist; chrome ball reflections show the correct HDRI per frame (template match).
Proposed partial credit
25% reference objects; 25% HDRI switching; 25% turntable rotation; 25% renders delivered.
R06.06.03.03-T05 Light a daylight interior to a target exposure and noise level
Original instruction
Light fixtures/living_room.blend with sun + sky and window portal lights so that the GT 18% grey card on the sofa reads 0.18 +/- 0.02 linear in the render, windows are not clipped beyond 2% of pixels, and noise in GT flat-wall patches is below threshold at <= 256 samples. Render output/living_room.exr.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Blender · 3ds Max (V-Ray)
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
geom· Precise geometryvis· Visual judgmentclick· Point & click- Work product
WP05· Time-based media- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 4 / 5
Proposed verifier
Render: grey-card patch mean 0.16-0.20 linear; clipped (> 1.0 after view transform) window pixels <= 2%; wall-patch noise std <= GT threshold; samples <= 256; sun azimuth within 20 deg of the brief time of day (notes/brief.txt). Portal lights at the 3 GT windows.
Proposed partial credit
30% grey-card exposure; 20% highlights controlled; 25% noise budget; 25% sun/portals per brief.
R06.06.03.03-T06 Set up Redshift AOVs and light groups for compositing
Original instruction
In fixtures/car_studio.c4d (Redshift), configure AOVs Diffuse Lighting, Specular Lighting, Reflection, Refraction, Emission, Z, Motion Vectors and Cryptomatte, with light groups key, fill, rim and env on lighting AOVs, written to one multipart EXR. Render frame 0 to output/car_0000.exr.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Cinema 4D (Redshift)
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & forms- Work product
WP05· Time-based media- Conditions
licensed· Licensed pro app- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
EXR parsed: all listed AOVs present; lighting AOVs split per 4 light groups; sum of lighting AOVs reconstructs beauty within 2e-3 RMS; Cryptomatte manifest names match scene objects; multipart single file.
Proposed partial credit
35% AOV list; 30% light groups; 20% beauty reconstructs; 15% Cryptomatte and format.
R06.06.03.03-T07 Match CG lighting to a plate from a chrome ball
Original instruction
Using ref/plate_chrome_ball.jpg and ref/plate_grey_ball.jpg shot on set, light the CG robot in fixtures/robot_plate.ma (Arnold) so its key light direction, color temperature and fill level match the real grey ball. Render the CG grey ball 'cg_greyball' and the robot over the plate to output/robot_plate.exr.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Maya (Arnold) · Blender
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
G2· GUI-essential- GUI need · ordinary access
G2· GUI-essential- Interaction primitives
vis· Visual judgmentgeom· Precise geometryclick· Point & click- Work product
WP05· Time-based media- Conditions
licensed· Licensed pro app- Proposed difficulty
- 4 / 5
Proposed verifier
CG grey ball vs plate grey ball: key light direction estimated from shading within 10 deg; key color temperature within 300 K; terminator position and fill/key ratio within 10%; mean ΔE2000 over ball <= 3. Robot render present with the same lights. Maya's Script Editor/commandPort/mayapy, Arnold's kick CLI and Blender's Python console are disabled; renders written outside the apps are logged.
Proposed partial credit
35% key direction; 25% color temperature; 25% fill ratio and ball ΔE; 15% robot rendered over plate.
R06.06.03.03-T08 Halve render time without visible quality loss
Original instruction
fixtures/forest_shot.blend renders frame 50 in about 6 min at 4096 samples on the reference machine. Optimize settings (adaptive sampling, light path bounces, light tree, denoising, texture limits) so render time drops by >= 50% while SSIM >= 0.98 vs the reference render ref/forest_ref.exr.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Blender
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clickvis· Visual judgment- Work product
WP05· Time-based media- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 4 / 5
Proposed verifier
Grader re-renders both settings on the same machine: time ratio <= 0.5; SSIM >= 0.98 and FLIP <= 0.05 vs reference; geometry, materials, lights and camera hashes unchanged (only render settings may change); resolution unchanged.
Proposed partial credit
40% time reduction; 40% quality thresholds; 20% scene content unchanged.
R06.06.03.03-T09 Configure ACES output for an Arnold scene
Original instruction
Set fixtures/watch_lookdev.ma to use the ACES 1.3 OCIO config: rendering space ACEScg, textures tagged (color maps sRGB-texture, data maps Raw), view ACES 1.0 SDR-video. Render output/watch.exr (ACEScg linear) and a review output/watch_review.jpg through the view transform.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Maya (Arnold)
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & forms- Work product
WP05· Time-based media- Conditions
licensed· Licensed pro app- Proposed difficulty
- 2 / 5
Proposed verifier
mayapy: OCIO config path and rendering space set; every file texture's colorSpace correct per GT list (color vs data); render EXR chromaticities ACEScg; Macbeth in scene measured in the JPEG within ΔE2000 <= 2 of the reference ACES SDR rendering.
Proposed partial credit
25% OCIO config; 35% texture color spaces; 20% EXR space; 20% review output matches.
R06.06.03.03-T10 Light a night street with IES fixtures to lux targets
Original instruction
Light fixtures/night_street.blend with the 6 provided IES profiles (fixtures/ies/) on the lamp posts and storefront fixtures so illuminance at the 10 GT sample points on the pavement matches notes/lux_targets.csv within 10%, color temperatures 3000 K (lamps) and 4000 K (shops). Render output/night_street.exr.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Blender · 3ds Max (V-Ray)
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & formsvis· Visual judgment- Work product
WP05· Time-based media- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
Grader places irradiance probes (or reads a light-meter pass) at the 10 points: each within 10% of target; lights use the IES files on the right fixtures; color temperature per fixture within 100 K; render exists. Over-bright points (> 1.5x) fail individually.
Proposed partial credit
50% lux at sample points; 25% IES assignment; 25% color temperatures.
R06.06.03.03-T11 Add volumetric god rays through a window
Original instruction
In fixtures/church_interior.blend add a homogeneous volume (density 0.02, anisotropy 0.4) and adjust the sun so visible shafts pass through the 3 GT windows and hit the floor at the GT spots, with the floor sun patches not clipped. Render output/church_rays.png at 512 samples.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Blender · Cinema 4D (Redshift)
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
G2· GUI-essential- GUI need · ordinary access
G2· GUI-essential- Interaction primitives
vis· Visual judgmentgeom· Precise geometryclick· Point & click- Work product
WP05· Time-based media- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
Volume shader parameters exact; sun direction such that window-to-floor projections centroid within 30 cm of GT spots; shaft contrast (shaft mean / adjacent air) >= 1.3 in GT shaft masks; floor patch clipped pixels <= 1%. Blender's Python console/--python and Cinema 4D's Script Manager/c4dpy are disabled; renders written outside the apps are logged and fail.
Proposed partial credit
20% volume parameters; 40% shafts land on GT spots; 25% shaft visibility; 15% exposure.
R06.06.03.03-T12 Look-develop a realistic skin shader for a head scan
Original instruction
Look-dev fixtures/head_scan.ma (Arnold, scan textures provided) under the light rig matching ref/head_photo_lightstage.jpg (same camera). Build an aiStandardSurface skin with subsurface radius per channel, specular roughness map and sheen on peach fuzz so the render matches the photo. Render output/head_lookdev.exr.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Maya (Arnold) · Blender
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
G2· GUI-essential- GUI need · ordinary access
G2· GUI-essential- Interaction primitives
vis· Visual judgmentclick· Point & click- Work product
WP04· 3D/spatial model- Conditions
licensed· Licensed pro applong· Long-horizon- Proposed difficulty
- 5 / 5
Proposed verifier
Render vs photo in GT skin mask: LPIPS <= 0.15; mean ΔE2000 <= 3; subsurface falloff at GT shadow terminator profile within 15% of photo; specular highlight area on nose/forehead within 20%. Textures of the photo itself not used (texture path audit). Maya's Script Editor/commandPort/mayapy, Arnold's kick CLI and Blender's Python console are disabled; .ma/EXR writes outside the apps are logged.
Proposed partial credit
35% perceptual match; 25% color; 25% SSS terminator; 15% specular response.
R06.06.03.03-T13 Batch-render the turntable from the command line (control pair of T04)
Original instruction
Control pair of T04: without opening Maya's GUI, render frames 1-360 of fixtures/lookdev_turntable_given.ma with Arnold from the terminal (Render -r arnold or kick), 1920x1080, to output/turntable_cli/ with names tt.####.exr, overriding samples AA to 5.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windowslin· Linux- Applications
- Maya (Render CLI) · Arnold kick
- Interfaces
term· Terminal- GUI need · task setting
CL· CLI-sufficient- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
code· Code & commands- Work product
WP05· Time-based media- Conditions
licensed· Licensed pro app- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
360 EXRs present with correct names and resolution; metadata AA samples 5; frames match GUI-rendered references SSIM >= 0.99. License log shows only batch checkouts. Scored side by side with T04 for the GUI-vs-CLI delta.
Proposed partial credit
40% all frames rendered; 30% naming and resolution; 30% sample override applied.
R06.06.03.03-T14 Use light linking so a rim light hits only the character
Original instruction
In fixtures/alley_scene.ma (Arnold) the rim light 'rim_L' brightens the wall behind the character. Use light linking so rim_L lights only the character and her hair, and add a shadow-only link so the street lamp still casts the character's shadow on the wall. Render output/alley.exr.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Maya (Arnold) · Blender
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clickvis· Visual judgment- Work product
WP05· Time-based media- Conditions
licensed· Licensed pro app- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
mayapy light linker: rim_L linked only to the GT character set; wall pixels in render differ from rim-off render by <= 1%; character rim mask brightened >= 1.5x; lamp shadow on wall present (shadow mask IoU >= 0.85 vs GT).
Proposed partial credit
40% rim linked to character only; 30% wall unaffected; 30% shadow preserved.
R06.06.03.03-T15 Place reflection cards to shape bottle highlights
Original instruction
Light fixtures/perfume_bottle.blend (glass and gold cap, black studio) with emissive cards and area lights so the render reproduces the highlight design in ref/highlight_design.png: two vertical strip highlights on the bottle shoulders, a gradient on the back face, a crisp catch-light on the cap. Render output/perfume.png.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Blender · Cinema 4D (Redshift)
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
G2· GUI-essential- GUI need · ordinary access
G2· GUI-essential- Interaction primitives
geom· Precise geometryvis· Visual judgmentnav· Pan/zoom/scroll- Work product
WP05· Time-based media- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 4 / 5
Proposed verifier
Highlight masks (threshold on render) vs design: strip highlights IoU >= 0.75 each, back gradient monotonic along GT axis (Spearman >= 0.9), cap catch-light centroid within 8 px; background stays below 2% luminance. Blender's Python console/--python and Cinema 4D's Script Manager/c4dpy are disabled; the Info log is also scanned for scripted light placement.
Proposed partial credit
40% strip highlights; 25% back gradient; 20% cap catch-light; 15% clean background.
R06.06.03.03-T16 Render a cel-shaded frame with line art
Original instruction
Set up fixtures/toon_robot.blend for an NPR look: 3-tone cel shading (shader to RGB + ramp, constant interpolation), Line Art modifier on the robot with 2 px outline and 1 px crease lines at 1920x1080, transparent background. Render output/toon_robot.png.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Blender
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clickdrag· Drag & dropvis· Visual judgment- Work product
WP05· Time-based media- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
Render: robot pixels quantized to <= 3 shading tones per material (histogram peaks); outline thickness 2 +/- 0.5 px along the silhouette and crease lines 1 +/- 0.5 px at GT crease edges (recall >= 0.85); alpha 0 background. Shader graph contains Shader to RGB and a constant ColorRamp.
Proposed partial credit
35% 3-tone shading; 35% line thickness/recall; 15% transparent bg; 15% node setup.
R06.06.03.03-T17 Match lighting continuity across three shots
Original instruction
Shots sh010, sh020, sh030 (fixtures/seq_*.ma, Arnold) are reverse angles in one room, but sh020 was lit warmer and brighter. Adjust sh020 and sh030 lights so the character's face and the GT grey card match sh010: grey-card ΔE2000 <= 1 and face mean luminance within 5%. Render frame 1 of each.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Maya (Arnold) · Houdini (Karma)
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
vis· Visual judgmentclick· Point & click- Work product
WP05· Time-based media- Conditions
licensed· Licensed pro app- Proposed difficulty
- 4 / 5
Proposed verifier
Per shot render: grey-card mean color ΔE2000 <= 1 vs sh010; face-mask mean luminance within 5%; key-light direction relative to set unchanged (no light swapped sides, within 15 deg); sh010 untouched.
Proposed partial credit
40% grey card match; 35% face luminance; 15% light continuity; 10% sh010 untouched.
R06.06.03.03-T18 Configure Lumen lighting in Unreal to illuminance targets
Original instruction
In fixtures/ArchvizUE (Unreal Engine 5) configure the sky light, directional sun (10:00, azimuth per notes) and Lumen GI/reflections so average illuminance in the 3 GT rooms (measured by the grader's light-meter actors) is within 10% of notes/room_lux.csv, with auto exposure locked to EV100 10.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Unreal Engine · Twinmotion
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & formsvis· Visual judgment- Work product
WP05· Time-based media- Conditions
multiapp· Multi-app- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
Grader runs a headless capture: per-room average illuminance within 10% of targets; Lumen GI and reflections enabled in post volume; exposure min=max=EV100 10; sun rotation within 3 deg of brief. Editor scripting transactions flagged.
Proposed partial credit
45% room illuminance; 25% Lumen settings; 15% exposure lock; 15% sun orientation.
R06.06.03.03-T19 Look-dev and light a hero key-art render
Original instruction
Produce the poster key art per notes/keyart_brief.pdf with fixtures/knight_hero.ma: look-dev armor (layered metal, scratches from provided maps), cloak velvet sheen, a dusk rim-lit setup with atmosphere, 4k render with AOVs. Deliver output/keyart.exr, the scene output/keyart.ma and a 2k sRGB preview.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Maya (Arnold) · Cinema 4D (Redshift) · Blender
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
G2· GUI-essential- GUI need · ordinary access
G2· GUI-essential- Interaction primitives
vis· Visual judgmentgeom· Precise geometryclick· Point & click- Work product
WP05· Time-based media- Conditions
licensed· Licensed pro applong· Long-horizon- Proposed difficulty
- 5 / 5
Proposed verifier
Deterministic: 4096 render with listed AOVs; rim intensity on GT silhouette band >= 2x key side; armor metalness/roughness in brief ranges; atmosphere present (depth-correlated haze); composition subject on GT focal box. VLM rubric calibrated on lead lighter scores vs the brief's reference board (35%). Maya Script Editor/mayapy, Arnold kick, C4D Script Manager/c4dpy and Blender's Python console are disabled; outside writes logged.
Proposed partial credit
15% deliverables; 25% look-dev parameters; 25% lighting criteria; 35% brief-match rubric.
R06.06.03.03-T20 Light a USD shot in Houdini Solaris and render with Karma
Original instruction
In Houdini Solaris, reference the layout USD fixtures/shot050_layout.usda, author a lighting layer output/shot050_light.usda (dome, key, 2 practicals, light linking on the hero), set Karma XPU render settings (1920x1080, 64 path samples, AOVs per notes/aovs.txt) and render frames 1001-1048 to output/shot050/.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windowslin· Linux- Applications
- Houdini (Solaris, Karma)
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
drag· Drag & dropclick· Point & clickvis· Visual judgment- Work product
WP05· Time-based media- Conditions
licensed· Licensed pro applong· Long-horizon- Proposed difficulty
- 5 / 5
Proposed verifier
USD lighting layer parsed (pxr): light prims, light-linking collections, and sublayers per spec, layout layer unmodified; render settings prim matches spec; 48 EXRs with AOVs; key/fill ratio on hero face 3-5; practical light illuminance at GT points within 15%.
Proposed partial credit
25% USD layer structure; 20% light linking; 20% render settings; 35% frames and lighting targets.
Mapped research references
Existing benchmark-to-class links from the research catalog. They are not record-level annotations, executions or product endorsements.