Request for ideas to make the render look more photorealistic

[steven talbott]

I am looking for any and all ideas to help improve the quality of the render so far. What I have now I really like although it does take a long time to render across 2 machines to look this good (the grass added a lot since I went with displacement). Lighting is currently using hdri with the sun off because to me it gives it a softer look (I don't know if its more realistic or not but I like it). What I'm looking for from you guys who have used nXt a while is more ideas to mke this pop out and look like a photo so I can use it to sell. Sadly some of the models like the rock on the left hand side I am stuck with a lower quality model so there isn't a lot I can do to change that. Other than remodeling, what type of changes would you make if you could?

Thanks!

[Ian Foster Griffith]

Hi

Idea's - not should I have all the answers but will give it a go.

To me you could look at working on the materials, they look to intense, like autocad colours. Maybe a different shade and gloss so they reflect off the HDRi. Also some of you materials are repeating and create a unrealistic pattern.

Hide the hack of information around the horizon by increasing the elevation or reduce the elevation to eye hieght help's me make my image look like photo shots and not model shots. My clients are always after the person's eye view, the mum and dad shot. People for scale is cool too.

More texture in the playground matting would give perspective and stop it washing out the equipment.

Spin/rotate and change height of the trees to give that random natural look.

Try a 3-colour sky or hdri sky with an horzion along with a ground plane to fill out the model.

I find the setting in the nxt to be pretty good if can fill the model out.

Attached images of last job of a park playground.

Hope this helps.

[steven talbott]

The materials I actually pulled from manufacturer's specifications on the recycled plastic they use. I know I have had a few times when I changed the coloring a bit or made it less glossy than it was and then the client actually complained that it didn't look right. I'm still trying to work more on the materials not repeating and that is an area I am having problems with. Like the rock walls and the grass (pulled that pattern from someone else's post that shared up the displaced grass).

You know originally I had thought the exact same thing about going at eye level to show people what they would actually see but again the client vetoed that idea in favor of showing off more of the structure so they could visually walk through it.

The matting I can work on as well texture wise. It is supposed to be poured in place rubber but haven't found an exact good match for it material wise.

Trees I forgot to randomize before I rendered. Easy enough to change.

I've been having problems getting a HDRI sky to truly render right. I can get it to show up but when I do its always too washed out and I haven't been able to find a way yet to bring up the light level for it. I'm guessing I just don't know enough yet about HDRI within nXt yet.

[akinlolu olugboji]

Increasing the intensity of the HDRi helps.

[Roy Hirshkowitz]

Probably your best bet is to provide a sample model for people to try some things out.  If you don't have a place where you can store a public model for download, upload one to me (under Support) and I'll put it somewhere accessible.

[steven talbott]

Call me crazy but I haven't been able to figure out how to do that Akinlolu

[akinlolu olugboji]

steven talbott said:

Call me crazy but I haven't been able to figure out how to do that Akinlolu

[Roy Hirshkowitz]

That won't make any difference if it's the only light in the drawing.  Use the Brightness switch in that case.

[steven talbott]

Ahhh kept doing auto for the sky and didn't have that option. Let me see what I can do to shrink my model down since right now its running about 50 megs

[steven talbott]

ack now increasing sky intensity is washing out the colors of the drawing in a blue shade because I am using a blue hdri model

[akinlolu olugboji]

you need to balance it with the sun, try putting the sky on another channel from the sun.

[steven talbott]

Attaching an nXt Image file. Ran it 640x480 res 3 passes for a real quick render and this is the result. Sun on chan 0 HDRI on 1. With HDRI off you can see the colors more correctly. Am I just using too blue of an HDRI? I have to multiply the intensity of the sky by like 500 or so to get it to come out even close to looking realistic and then its all awash as far as colors go.

[Roy Hirshkowitz]

You probably have a lousy (uncalibrated) hdri.  Without seeing the model it's impossible to tell.  Upload something and I'll take a look.  This product is made to be used without fiddling with settings a whole lot.  You're just going to tie yourself up in knots taking the current approach.