Miller INDY car revisited in KeyShot2

Started by Speedster, August 17, 2010, 08:28:40 PM

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Speedster

Hi all;

I had to correct some geometry on my 1927 Miller 91 FWD Indy racer, which let me use all the neat new toys in KeyShot2 for new renders.  Modeled in SolidWorks, 1,772,896 polys.  HDR is "Factory" (my favorite), with a backplate rendered out in KS2 from one of my many custom groundplanes.

Many have asked about my paints.  Since most of my projects predate "metallics", I base almost everything on the bundled "White Pearl".  It's called a metallic, but it's really not.  There's an amazing depth of color that looks like it's been polished out, waxed and buffed.  Very flexible color that I also use with some minor tweaks for ABS and styrene plastics.  I can hardly wait for sub-surface scattering in KS 2.1- it will really enhance plastics!

The last two images were just fooling around with "mood" and perspective tests.

Bill G
www.GouldStudios.com

guest84672

Make sure you check "sharp glossy reflections in the environment tab. Other than that - great work as always!!

Speedster

QuoteMake sure you check "sharp glossy reflections in the environment tab.

Thanks, Thomas!  I keep forgetting that.  It's so important I wonder if it should be the default?

These new images are with Sharp Glossy checked.

Some history:  Most racing authorities consider the Miller 91's to be the finest race cars ever built.  Harry Miller is a legend- he invented the Front Wheel Drive, first used on the Cord.  The engines were so precise that he did not use gaskets.  The mating surfaces were hand scrapped and flaked to 98% bluing.  The 91's were designed by Leo Goossen, who was with Miller for his entire career.  The Miller evolved into the famous Miller-Offenhauser, which dominated racing for over 50 years.

The "Packard Cable Special" #18 was campaigned by Leon Duray, one of the greatest drivers in racing history.  Valued at over $10,000,000, she was the first race car to be acquired by the Smithsonian Institution, with the stipend that she be driven on occasion, to "wind her out" as they say.

The white/black paint scheme is as she was first campaigned, after which she was painted in the violet/pale yellow scheme.

Bill G

Imz

Nice work!

Doesn't seem worth another thread with a single reply, but these are a great example for a question I have:

One of the things I notice in these renderings is everything is perfectly crisp, giving a bit of a toy/ synthetic feel... it also makes it tougher to get a sense of scale.

I'd love to see tutorials/ features beyond depth of field/ perspective to help (easily) add a little extra realism to my renderings...


Speedster

Hi Imz;

You are absolutely right.  Depth of Field is critical to realistic photography, and so easy to do in KS2.  But, here's something I never mention, and should have.  Most of my renderings are for in-house wide format printing, for galleries and the like.  I seldom use a KS rendering "as is" for the art that I create, but rather post-process the images in FilterForge and Photoshop, using filters that emulate serigraphs and the like.  That's the reason I don't use DOF, as it kinda craps things out.  However, especially for autos and products, we really should get in the habit of using DOF, especially since it's so easy, there's no excuse.

A trick I also use often is to add (in Photoshop) a very subtle "noise" layer above the master, that goes more toward the "grain" we are so familiar with in film photography.  Usually only about 2-5% max.

Thanks for the reminder!

Bill G

Speedster

Added Depth of Field of 3.500, with focus point being the radiator cap.  Changed the lighting to one I created in HDR-LightStudio.
Bill G