The Shading Course

Practice: AO Study 1 (2D)

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1.3K

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Assignments 51Lesson NotesDownloads 2

Practice: AO Study 1 (2D)

Lesson by

Dorian Iten

in The Shading Course

1.3K

Mark as Completed

Assignments 51Lesson NotesDownloads 2

Overview

In this assignment, you'll start taking your shading skills to the next level by understanding Ambient Occlusion (AO) at a deeper level.

Materials Needed

The project image.
A red colored pencil, or a digital painting application.

Steps

Download the project file and A) print it out or B) open it in your preferred digital painting application.
Assuming diffuse light from the sky, indicate in red where you think the occlusion shadows are. Lighter red = less occlusion, darker red = more occlusion.
When you’re done, check the solutions included in the ZIP file. It contains: A 2D solution with ambient occlusion intensity in red. A 3D render to show you where occlusion occurs and better understand the reasoning behind the red areas in the 2D solution.

Duration

This project should take 15–30 minutes to complete.

Notes

This assignment has evolved over the years, so student submissions below might vary.

Christian Zinser

•

4mo

@doublejon

•

4mo

Dedee Anderson Ganda

•

4mo

Roland Karafa

•

9mo

The one that is floating,i was unsure if there is occlusion shadow or not

@rfrimpong3

•

1yr

I graded myself and I have question please from the notes above, is it implying that only ambient light have Occlusion shadow? Because I thought direct light can also have occlusion shadow in its scene.

Woo Joo

•

1yr

I think shadows created by direct light are called "form shadow" or "cast shadow". In this assignment we look at AO, and AO refers to "Ambient Occlusion", specifically focusing on the shadows created by ambient light.

@marq777

•

1yr

Lighter red are the parts I missed.

@kotka

•

1yr

Not sure if I'm missing something but I found no 3D version of the worksheet, only a 2D. I see a lot of people here post a 3D version... I feel that AO is a lot easier to understand intuitively than core shadow.

@drnature

•

1yr

I got confused a bit too, is this what you were looking for? found here https://www.proko.com/course-lesson/practice-simple-ao-study/downloads

Derek Adams

•

2yr

Samuel Sanjaya

•

2yr

My attempt and the fix after seeing the solution. I wonder why the box concave part has shadows in it? I thought the light source suppose to come from above.. Any feedbacks will be greatly appreciated..

@alcyonair

•

2yr

hArtMann

•

2yr

Eager to do the next Ambient Occlusion assignment!

@cindygs

•

2yr

Romain Decotte

•

2yr

Hi @Dorian Iten! Here's my simple AO study :). T'was good fun! Happy new year! Cheers, Romain

Dorian Iten

•

2yr

Well done! 👏 :)

Thieum

•

2yr

Norbert Grill

•

2yr

Karlo H.

•

2yr

Tess Enarsson

•

2yr

Here is two of three. What about the side of the cylinder? AO or not, and if, where and why?

Charles Litz

•

2yr

I did this for this exercise on ambient occlusion and after watching the solution, I am a bit confused, especially about the cube. Like I don't understand why the hole on top should be so dark and why the occlusion shadow spreads so widely on the base plane :/ Maybe watching the modules feedback will help

Bradley Forbush

•

3yr

I did the simple ao assignment in graphite, on computer-print out paper. I assumed there was a lot of ambient light, thereby making the shading and shadow very subtle. I actually broadened the occlusion shadow in this, my 2nd version. (I didn't spread the shadow beyond the circumference of the objects in my first draft). The paper got a bit crinkly when I did this. I had trouble imagining a shadow around the base of the cube, considering light would be flowing all around the object and it was flush with the surface plane.

Bradley Forbush

•

3yr

After watching Module 2 review, I modified my drawing and added a bit more occlusion shadow to the forms. Its still subtle, but I think its much better.

Chris Bodary

•

3yr

Here is my simple AO study assignment done in graphite. J haven’t checked the solution yet, but I do feel confident in my thought process. the cube being close, (touching) the floor plane would be quite dark occlusion but with nothing else blocking ambient light from above, the side planes should stay fairly consistent. The planes in the indentation will likely receive less ambient light as they are in a tighter space exposed to less AL. Also the planes are much smaller therefore will appear to the eye to be darker relative the larger side planes. the cyclinder and the sphere were much simpler to think about, though I should check the solution before O get too confident….

Chris Bodary

•

3yr

Revised after going over the solution. In the box, I missed the cast shadows that are sort of tapered due to the multiple directions of light casting shadows from different angles. I also didn’t account for how much “coverage” AO contributes to the shadows. I’m glad this exercise revealed that me. Also so I can see it in life, I set up a test study subject at work where we have multiple light sources from high up ceiling lamps and skylights and windows as well as white peg board walls. You can see the shadows cast in multiple directions and the inside “walls” of the tape are quite dark.

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Dorian Iten

Former program director at Barcelona Academy of Art. Passionate about teaching craft and exploring the inner game of art.