Introduction

This wiki is a snippet from our Introduction to CG Tools and Techniques course where we cover the process of creating assets, renders and compositing. If you need a step-by-step of this workflow, you can check it out in lesson 10 of the course.

• CG Tools and Techniques 1001

Below is a quick breakdown from the lesson where we also cover:

• The Nuke workspace and navigation
• Layers, transform nodes and setting kets
• The Node Graph
• DOF and grading
• Introduction to AOVs
• Classifying AOVs
• Working with AOVs
• Black levels

Additive Compositing

We’ll be working using an additive workflow where we combine a series of AOVs to recreate the RGBA BEAUTY and then from that, we’ll make our tweaks.

The main AOVs we’ll be using will be as follows, and we’ve also listed some additional AOVs that can come in handy from specific shots.

• Primary: N, P, diffuse_direct, diffuse_indirect, specular_direct, specular_indirect
• Optional: coat, transmission, sss, volume, emission, background, Z

For a full breakdown of the AOVs and what each do, you can find a solid breakdown in the Arnold docs here:

• Arnold – Output AOVs

And here are some notes on the AOVs we are using (descriptions taken from the Arnold docs).

• RGBA: For light groups.
• N: Smooth normal at the shading point (in world space).
• P: Position of the shading point (in world space).
• RGBA: Beauty AOV, containing the full rendered image.
• Z: Depth of the shading points as seen from the camera.
• background: Emission from the background and skydome lights visible to the camera.
• coat: Coat reflection.
• crpto_asset: Creates the same matte for all assets.
• crpto_material: Creates a matte based on the assigned shader.
• crpto_object: Creates a matte based on the object name.
• diffuse_direct: Diffuse direct lighting.
• diffuse_indirect: Diffuse indirect light.
• emission: Lights and emissive objects directly visible from the camera.
• specular_direct: Diffuse direct lighting.
• specular_indirect: Diffuse indirect lighting.
• sss: Subsurface scattering and diffuse transmission.
• transmission: Specular transmission (refraction).
• transmission_albedo: Specular transmission color without lighting or shadowing.
• volume: Volume scattering.

AOV Output

As mentioned above, we’ll be outputting the following AOVs. We are combining them into a multilayer EXR, which we can then shuffle out in Nuke. But should this be problematic, we can always split them out into individual EXR’s.

Where it makes sense, we’d also recommend you split your scene into different elements, such as foreground (FG), midground (MG) and background (BG).

Shuffle out your AOVs and Recreate your Beauty

As we are working with a multilayer EXR, you’ll need to shuffle out the relevant AOVs (in this example: diffuse_direct, diffuse_indirect, specular_direct, specular_indirect, sss) to create a match to our Beauty AOV

Here is the beauty recreated from the individual AOVs.

Tweak your Comp

At this stage, you can tweak your comp to get the desired look and feel.

Where possible, we recommend working with reference so you and your client can communicate the look and feel clearly.

Stress Test your Comp

Once you are in a good place, we recommend you stress-test your comp by pushing the saturation and reviewing your work with a Log2Lin node.

Using a cranked up saturation node and the Log2Lin node should allow you to easily assess any oddities.

Reviewing your Final Comp

If all looks good, you should be ready to submit your work for feedback.

Look Development and Lighting Training

• CG Tools and Techniques 1001
• Creating Digital Studio Look Development Environments 1001
• VFX Lighting Fundamentals 2025

Onset Training

For more information on all things onset related, you can check out our courses here:

• Onset Data Acquisition 1001
• Introduction to Cameras and Lenses 1001
• Shooting HDRIs and Panoramas 1001
• Shooting Texture and Look Development Reference 1001

Support CAVE Academy

Here at CAVE Academy the beauty of giving and sharing is very close to our hearts. With that spirit, we gladly provide Masterclasses, Dailies, the Wiki, and many high-quality assets free of charge. To enable the team to create and release more free content, you can support us here: Support CAVE Academy