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!

[George Ioannidis]

I would definitely use path tracer for exterior. Rendered just the model with automatic sky and saved as bitmap with transparency alpha channel. Everything else was done in photosupermarket - e.g. layers, transparencies, colour correction and unification, background blurring, foreground sharpening, some unnecessary grass retouches ;) etc. - all done in about 10 minutes.

[Richcat]

George your probably right, (I updated my avatar) but I suspect you like me started with good old parallel drawing boards, scratching for hours to make revisions, cleaning dried out pens, hand sketches and hand drawn visuals, art classes at uni and college. Boy do I miss watercolouring plans, and those magic markers when it went high tech, and the excitement when we got a fax machine:-). Now everything has to be instant, send instantly, reply back instanly -  gone are the days of send a drawing in the post wait a few days for reply feedback, an couple of days revising send it back, no time for thinking or considering - which means mistakes happen. However the internet is dam good when looking for info and sharing ideas.

George Ioannidis said:

Do I discern small dose of nostalgia Richcat? Don't think you're older than me or some others, real "veterans" here :D

Richcat said:

(it most be my rosed tinted specs, remembering back when I was a child - and that was some time ago)

[George Ioannidis]

Well, you hit some "sensitive" strings here, Rich (right?). There couldn't be better description of older times without internet, when drawings were made by hand using parallel drawing board and rotring rapidograph pencils trying not to screw them up smudging still wet ink of bold lines. :) So after all, making of coloured perspectives was the best part, "icing on the cake", moments of spiritual relax and creativity :D, despite the usually very tight deadlines. You have had always slightly more time than today. I have uncertain and worrying feeling, that computers and software and all the other "modern stuff" instead of making our lives and work easier, add tons of extra obligations and concentrate the biggest part of the workload on single person (...architect)....

Richcat said:

George your probably right, (I updated my avatar) but I suspect you like me started with good old parallel drawing boards, scratching for hours to make revisions, cleaning dried out pens, hand sketches and hand drawn visuals, art classes at uni and college.......

[akinlolu olugboji]

To me the economic situation worldwide cannot just support big firms as it use to do, so with computer and software, we still have people working more, they the work being shared as in bigger offices. All I did in school then and now am still doing, only in school only difference is that I use t-Square instead of parallel rule, paper, pens and pencils and at times crayon and pastel chalks.  

George Ioannidis said:

Well, you hit some "sensitive" strings here, Rich (right?). There couldn't be better description of older times without internet, when drawings were made by hand using parallel drawing board and rotring rapidograph pencils trying not to screw them up smudging still wet ink of bold lines. :) So after all, making of coloured perspectives was the best part, "icing on the cake", moments of spiritual relax and creativity :D, despite the usually very tight deadlines. You have had always slightly more time than today. I have uncertain and worrying feeling, that computers and software and all the other "modern stuff" instead of making our lives and work easier, add tons of extra obligations and concentrate the biggest part of the workload on single person (...architect)....

Richcat said:

George your probably right, (I updated my avatar) but I suspect you like me started with good old parallel drawing boards, scratching for hours to make revisions, cleaning dried out pens, hand sketches and hand drawn visuals, art classes at uni and college.......

[Jorge Javier Lara Domínguez]

Amigos, comparto los recuerdos y añoranzas. Sin embargo creo firmemente que un buen arquitecto necesita esa adrenalina y esa vision de trabajo y creatividad qeu solo dan los trazos a lapiz en un papel, saludos a todos.

[Roy Hirshkowitz]

This one looks great-- by "unnecessary grass retouches" I didn't mean for you-- we just have to limit what someone like Steven can learn to do by the time he has to submit this project. This stuff isn't hard but does take a while to learn.  Small steps first.

You can always go back to the t-square-- as far as I know they do still work.  I suspect you won't have any more leisure time if you do, though.

George Ioannidis said:

I would definitely use path tracer for exterior. Rendered just the model with automatic sky and saved as bitmap with transparency alpha channel. Everything else was done in photosupermarket - e.g. layers, transparencies, colour correction and unification, background blurring, foreground sharpening, some unnecessary grass retouches ;) etc. - all done in about 10 minutes.

[steven talbott]

Well Roy project has been turned in so at this point I am more looking more to what steps I need to learn as far as making them better for future. I'm trying to win over more clients for the rendering and design job I do and want to get as good as possible. I was initally hopeful that nXt would be a one stop for this since my graphic skills are somewhat limited, but it looks like I am going to have to get down and dirty with gimp

[George Ioannidis]

Actually I have mounted the parallel ruler on my working desk (parked between monitor base and keyboard) and is still working great :D Last time it was used by my god-daughter (guess what, she's studying architecture :) ) during small course of hand drawing techniques I gave her....

Roy Hirshkowitz said:

....You can always go back to the t-square-- as far as I know they do still work.  I suspect you won't have any more leisure time if you do, though.....

[Roy Hirshkowitz]

You can't talk her out of it?

George Ioannidis said:

(guess what, she's studying architecture :) 

[Roy Hirshkowitz]

Yep-- all of the suggestions you're getting here are good ones.  It doesn't have to be Gimp, of course.  Gimp is nice because it's free (I use it) and quite powerful.  Just don't try to learn too many new skills when you're facing a deadline-- that's when you get frustrated.  You can use your current model to experiment a little, both with post-processing and with things like HDRi.  Work in low-res when experimenting with the rendering (unless you want an ulcer.)

steven talbott said:

...looks like I am going to have to get down and dirty with gimp

[George Ioannidis]

Of course I can, but you know, youth, they never listen... :D

Roy Hirshkowitz said:

You can't talk her out of it?

[steven talbott]

Spent some time making some changes on textures and dug in a little in Gimp. Adjusted the grass in the foreground (which I think still needs a tad bit of work). Still having problems with the background of trying to find a high resolution treeline with good clouds that I like. Thoughts now?