Skydome and Final Gather??

[lestaylor]

I am in the process of creating a skydome in Maya and I am using final gather with a light blue environment background color. My sky .tif file is pretty much the same light blue color with some white clouds. I also have an additional directional light to further mimic the sun light.

Here is the issue. The referenced models render a darker shade with the skydome. If I take the skydome out, it renders correctly.

Is there a way to make sure the skydome does not block the final gather, or am I going to have to render the skydome out separately and compose it in Adobe Premiere/After Effects?

Note: I am trying to eliminate Maya Sun and Sky and IBL lighting as options for lighting this scene. I want to recreate daytime light with a directional light, skydome, and final gathering.

Thank you for any suggestions on this...