Lighting plays a fundamental role in defining the visual atmosphere, emotional tone, and realism of animation. Beyond simple illumination, it functions as a visual language that conveys narrative intention and guides audience perception. In stop-motion animation, the use of miniature sets produces a distinctive “small set effect,” where lighting appears denser, sharper, and more dramatic due to the physical compression of space and reduced light distance. This phenomenon has long been recognized by practitioners as a defining aspect of the medium’s aesthetic identity.In contrast, 3D animation employing Physically Based Rendering (PBR) adheres to the inverse square law of light behavior, ensuring that when distance and intensity are proportionally adjusted, lighting results remain physically consistent across different scales. This raises a critical question: if the physical outputs are identical, why do smaller digital scenes often appear brighter or more intense to viewers?To explore this discrepancy, this study replicated the same scene at 1×, 2×, and 4× scales using Autodesk Maya and the Arnold renderer under identical lighting setups. Quantitative analysis through Difference operations confirmed pixel-level equivalence among all scales, validating the mathematical consistency of PBR. However, perceptual evaluations using 5-point Likert scales revealed a consistent bias: smaller scenes were perceived as exhibiting stronger illumination, higher contrast, and a more dramatic lighting mood.These results indicate that the “small set effect” in digital environments arises not from physical variation but from perceptual interpretations influenced by contextual visual cues. The study concludes by proposing a perceptual lighting design framework that integrates factors such as texture density, focal length, depth of field, and reference scale—bridging the gap between physical accuracy and emotional realism in digital lighting design.
목차
ABSTRACT 1. 서론 2. 관련 연구 분석 3. 연구 방법 4. 연구 결과 5. 결론 및 제언 참고문헌
키워드
3D animationlightingscene scalestop-motion lookperceptionphysically based rendering (PBR)
저자
Soohee Han [ 한수희 | Department of Comics and Animation, Kyungil University, 50 Gamasil-gil, Hayang-eup, Gyeongsan-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea ]
Corresponding Author
1. 게임산업을 활성화 하고,
2. 게임기술과 기술 인력을 양산할 수 있도록 교육기관의 교과과정을 개발하고,
3. 관련기술에 대한 연구발표회, 강연회, 강습회 등을 개최하며,
4. 학회지, 논문지 및 관련 문헌을 발간하고,
5. 게임 기술 개발을 위한 국제화, 표준화 등을 지원하고,
6. 산.학.연.관이 협동할 수 있는 국제적 학술교류 및 협력을 지원하고,
7. 회원 상호간의 공동 이익과 친목을 증진시킨다.
간행물
간행물명
컴퓨터게임및콘텐츠논문지(구 한국컴퓨터게임학회논문지) [Journal of Computer Games and Contents]
간기
월간
pISSN
3091-7409
eISSN
3092-3638
수록기간
2002~2026
등재여부
KCI 등재
십진분류
KDC 691DDC 793
이 권호 내 다른 논문 / 컴퓨터게임및콘텐츠논문지(구 한국컴퓨터게임학회논문지) 제38권 제6호