Check out the proper comic page for context!
\n\nDon't forget to click the image for the full-size!
\n\nSince it proved to be rather involved, I thought it'd be fun to detail out how I produced the caustics and darkened background walls of the first 4 shots of the final page!
\n\nS1 - First, after having rendered the image, I had some preparation to do. Not pictured here is the process of taking an in-viewport screenshot of the unshaded scene, with a lime green plane over the background past the tub. This was used to create multiple saved selections, essentially the easiest way to cut out Kean & Yeltsin (and the tub) from the background. When rendering, a file of points called Final Gathering points is created, representing global illumination values of the final gathering model for reuse, editing (never been able to successfully edit one myself), or review in the viewport. Once again, I used the viewport, loading the file in, hiding the polygons, expanding the point representation to 6x so they connected up a bit. Taking that screenshot, I applied a similar process to cutout the background FG points as a layer, over a plain black layer and merge them together.
\n\nS2 - Fractalius is a curious old plug-in I bought eons ago that applies filters according to several parameter ranges and has its occasional uses. It only works on 8-bit layers, but I already had this all in another file anyhow. After fiddling with it for quite some time and deciding that none of it was going to look very good as caustics on its own, I took something that seemed kinda promising. This was that. As with just about everything I do, I judiciously took down notes and parameter values so I can repeat the process precisely.
\n\nS3- Fiddling with the prior result using the build-in filters, I eventually settled on this as being the most promising I could come up with. Admittedly, I didn't know that any of this was going to go anywhere any more than prior attempts had, but I didn't have anything to lose. It certainly didn't work on its own however.
\n\nS4 - What I eventually settled on was using a plain sky blue layer blended through color to apply to the prior result to get something vaguely like a caustic.
\n\nBottom row:
\nLeft - This is the original render output of frame 4, after applying the local adaption settings used for most of the image. In truth, I had to cheat the lighting a bit, as I did with the last page, to create the darker environment I wanted. I took a copy of the same shot but instead of applying local adaption, I applied a small amount of exposure. Then I used my saved selections to cut out the characters/tub, and finally erased out some of the background to let the pool shine through and create a more gradual darkening towards the ceiling. Being that the inexactness of this process causes a sort of glow around characters (particularly noticeable on whiskers) the selection also was used to create a border selection of the background at a middling opacity. Since I learned how to select the transparency of a layer, repeating this process to get the exact gradient progression towards darkness on every shot was easy.
Right - The final shot, just in its original size. that same transparency selection was applied to the caustic effect of S4 (along with re-cutting out the blackout portion of the characters) to create an appropriate overlay. The opacity of the remaining layer was then severely reduced to 3% and the blend type applied as color burn, to give the final look of the shot's ceiling caustics. I have to admit, I don't think it looks particularly good at full size like this, but when shrunken down to page size and situated with all the other shots in the overall-very-dark page, I think it was surprisingly effective for what it is.
\n", "embedlink": null, "favorited": false, "favorites": 0, "folder_name": "Flames - Miscellaneous Shots", "folderid": 115810, "friends_only": false, "link": "https://www.weasyl.com/submission/2534243/process-shots-flames-page-104", "media": { "cover": [ { "mediaid": 9680454, "url": "https://cdn.weasyl.com/static/media/16/ec/e5/16ece5231560c37d7aa9a3921e91b86f3c47418bc140dbdd6650e3fb660eebd1.png" } ], "submission": [ { "mediaid": 9680453, "url": "https://cdn.weasyl.com/~drgravitas/submissions/2534243/cbc152374545b0f99b7d6e1d10be8069063318151dd637913a2609bdaefd6d02/drgravitas-process-shots-flames-page-104.png" } ], "thumbnail": [ { "mediaid": 9680455, "url": "https://cdn.weasyl.com/static/media/73/76/1b/73761bfef14d4e9407ebb933672fae5c3ff51a663138ebc41487077d07437215.jpg" } ], "thumbnail-generated": [ { "mediaid": 9680455, "url": "https://cdn.weasyl.com/static/media/73/76/1b/73761bfef14d4e9407ebb933672fae5c3ff51a663138ebc41487077d07437215.jpg" } ], "thumbnail-generated-webp": [ { "mediaid": 9680456, "url": "https://cdn.weasyl.com/static/media/67/03/44/6703447167b5a663f6a989bbe364e2ce0dd341b8372b13ee2e40f04db865a897.webp" } ] }, "owner": "DrGravitas", "owner_login": "drgravitas", "owner_media": { "avatar": [ { "mediaid": 1323252, "url": "https://cdn.weasyl.com/static/media/16/3f/15/163f1513e7f80c82301545d96a9fa0ca8cb1208d263132db6d08a4f9f7f8556d.gif" } ], "banner": [ { "mediaid": 3074656, "url": "https://cdn.weasyl.com/static/media/ba/8b/32/ba8b329421bb4e0cdf6bce610a033930c2b138f7765b17640e918c88785314e4.png" } ] }, "posted_at": "2025-10-15T01:09:52Z", "rating": "general", "submitid": 2534243, "subtype": "visual", "tags": [ "3d_model", "abs", "comic", "fit", "fox", "hand_holding", "hot_tub", "interior", "intimate", "jacuzzi", "kean", "kiss", "lapsa", "male", "muscles", "muscular", "night", "peck", "pool", "render", "shirtless", "slim", "smooch", "swimsuit", "tongues_touch", "topless", "twink", "whiskers", "yeltsin" ], "title": "Process Shots: Flames | Page 104", "type": "submission", "views": 17 }, ".description.json": { "description": "Check out the proper comic page for context!
\n\nDon't forget to click the image for the full-size!
\n\nSince it proved to be rather involved, I thought it'd be fun to detail out how I produced the caustics and darkened background walls of the first 4 shots of the final page!
\n\nS1 - First, after having rendered the image, I had some preparation to do. Not pictured here is the process of taking an in-viewport screenshot of the unshaded scene, with a lime green plane over the background past the tub. This was used to create multiple saved selections, essentially the easiest way to cut out Kean & Yeltsin (and the tub) from the background. When rendering, a file of points called Final Gathering points is created, representing global illumination values of the final gathering model for reuse, editing (never been able to successfully edit one myself), or review in the viewport. Once again, I used the viewport, loading the file in, hiding the polygons, expanding the point representation to 6x so they connected up a bit. Taking that screenshot, I applied a similar process to cutout the background FG points as a layer, over a plain black layer and merge them together.
\n\nS2 - Fractalius is a curious old plug-in I bought eons ago that applies filters according to several parameter ranges and has its occasional uses. It only works on 8-bit layers, but I already had this all in another file anyhow. After fiddling with it for quite some time and deciding that none of it was going to look very good as caustics on its own, I took something that seemed kinda promising. This was that. As with just about everything I do, I judiciously took down notes and parameter values so I can repeat the process precisely.
\n\nS3- Fiddling with the prior result using the build-in filters, I eventually settled on this as being the most promising I could come up with. Admittedly, I didn't know that any of this was going to go anywhere any more than prior attempts had, but I didn't have anything to lose. It certainly didn't work on its own however.
\n\nS4 - What I eventually settled on was using a plain sky blue layer blended through color to apply to the prior result to get something vaguely like a caustic.
\n\nBottom row:
\nLeft - This is the original render output of frame 4, after applying the local adaption settings used for most of the image. In truth, I had to cheat the lighting a bit, as I did with the last page, to create the darker environment I wanted. I took a copy of the same shot but instead of applying local adaption, I applied a small amount of exposure. Then I used my saved selections to cut out the characters/tub, and finally erased out some of the background to let the pool shine through and create a more gradual darkening towards the ceiling. Being that the inexactness of this process causes a sort of glow around characters (particularly noticeable on whiskers) the selection also was used to create a border selection of the background at a middling opacity. Since I learned how to select the transparency of a layer, repeating this process to get the exact gradient progression towards darkness on every shot was easy.
Right - The final shot, just in its original size. that same transparency selection was applied to the caustic effect of S4 (along with re-cutting out the blackout portion of the characters) to create an appropriate overlay. The opacity of the remaining layer was then severely reduced to 3% and the blend type applied as color burn, to give the final look of the shot's ceiling caustics. I have to admit, I don't think it looks particularly good at full size like this, but when shrunken down to page size and situated with all the other shots in the overall-very-dark page, I think it was surprisingly effective for what it is.
\n" } } }