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Friendly Competitors

Started by Speedster, September 11, 2010, 08:37:06 AM

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Speedster

Had a lazy Friday afternoon for a change, so played a bit with the challenge of matching HDR's to a backplate.  Easy for product shots, but a lot more interesting with exteriors.  I call this "Friendly Competitors".  Gould's Market was my grandfather's.  The backplate is a 1940-1941 photo by Louise Rosskam, from the collectiion of the Library of Congress.  I was really struck by the beauty of this early color image.  Of course it's from a much later era, but hey, it's jsut for fun!

Since the Model T (SolidWorks) model is against a backplate, I added and deepened shadows in Photoshop.  No other tweaking of the KeyShot2 render.

Hope you like it, and I always welcome comments!

Bill G

KeyShot

Very nice! I think the rubber on the tires should be a little darker. A nearly black diffuse. More specular with fresnel turned on. A roughness around 0.1. Have you tried the rubber material in the library?

-- Henrik

Ed

Great work as always Bill.

The one thing that tends to detract from car renders in general is when the wheel spokes align perfectly.  I'd rotate each wheel in a random manner.

Same goes for mechanical assemblies when the hex bolts all align perfectly.

Ed

Speedster

Thanks for the comments, Ed and Henrik.  I used rubber from the library, and sometimes I tweak a "soft touch" material- and I've noticed that rubber is a tough nut to crack.  I compared this rubber (tinted of course by the warm HDR) to real car photos and it's pretty close.  Tires are often too black, in my opinion.

Interesting comment Ed about the spokes lining up- I totally agree!  I always mess them up a bit now on these early cars, but forgot to do so on this older CAD model.  Applies to any spoked wheel, old or new.

But...  I disagree about bolt heads lining up.  "Back in the day" mechanics were always taught, as was I as a machinist, to "square your heads" as the foreman called it. In aircraft work it was mandatory, as they were usually wired.  It was a matter of pride in your workmanship, and a sign of sloppy work if you didn't.  It sucked when "square" was just beyond the torque limit!  Thank God for socket head screws!

Bill G

Chad Holton

I'd agree with the tires too. That is a tough nut to get right. How about some dirt/scratches in the outter part of the tire?
I would play with the shadows a little more. The shadow on the building is sharp but under the automobile is really soft. And the other thing is that the vehicle is very clean... I'll just assume your grampa just detailed his ride.  ;)
Product renderings are much easier to render indeed... except for jewlery. My hat is off to those poor guys who have a couple of materials at a very close range to make awesome.
As for the bolt heads lining up... I'm back and forth on that one. You both (Bill & Ed) have a good argument. Quick question though.. am I the only one who has the screw head slots vertical in all the light switch and electrical outlets?

Speedster

Good comment about the "clean ride".  I've never been able to get my head around how to "paint" dirt, mud, crud and just plain dirt in Photoshop.  I've tried to tweak jpegs in KS without luck.  It would be great if there was a webinar on this kind of final finishing.  The Photoshop books don't really cover it, and yet we see great texturing and painting in other apps like Maya, etc.  It's not really a KeyShot kind of thing, though-

Here's an attempt I call "Beater".  Dirt on the tires!  The hdz is the great new "Bridge" from KS that is very neutral yet throws nice shadows.

Quoteam I the only one who has the screw head slots vertical in all the light switch and electrical outlets?
.  Probably.  Most of us line the slots up horizontally!

Bill G

Ed

#6
Quote from: cholton on September 11, 2010, 08:45:48 PM
As for the bolt heads lining up... I'm back and forth on that one. You both (Bill & Ed) have a good argument. Quick question though.. am I the only one who has the screw head slots vertical in all the light switch and electrical outlets?

You're not alone - My home builder lined up all the switch plate screws.  Now I do too.

I understand about craftsmanship and aligning the bolt heads.  But I think when it comes to renders, the brain is very good at detecting patterns and objects that are perfectly aligned.  I think some randomness and flaws are needed in a render to avoid that perfect, artificial CAD look.  If not in the product, at least in the props.  This is an area I want to spend some time on to take my renders to the next level.

Yeah - I like the Beater.  I agree- a tutorial on making things look old and dirty would be interesting.  An oil stain under the car, some partially rusted away panels - wait - that's a description of my truck!


Ed

Speedster

I can't get these darn bolt heads out of my mind!  Which I've changed.  It's all about perception.  Our basic goal as designers and artists is to represent to the viewer (not us) a reality that actually does not exist.  We often make everything too perfect, which is not the real world.  It's the imperfections that convince the mind's eye that something is "really" real.  "Just because it's correct does not mean it's Proper", to paraphrase a Native American quote.

It was once noted by a rendering pro that even adding a tiny bit of noise, like 3% or so, as an adjustment layer can help break perfection and make it more real.  Ditto Depth of Field, which I am very remiss about.

I'm rendering a new image with "proper" shadows as I write this, and will post the results.  BIG difference!

Your truck sounds like the '31 Model A pickup that I drove on Geri and my first date 44 years ago!  In a tux and formal no less, with a clean sheet on the seat.

Bill G

Speedster

Round Two-  Sharp shadows using the "Bridge" .hdz, darker tires (I should have used the correct early-1913 White Rubber and really freaked everybody out!) and a new red with more reflection.  Brass is a little too "brassy", but it's time to move on- back to the grinder tomorrow...
Bill G

Chad Holton

Looking good, Bill!

Quote from: Ed on September 12, 2010, 03:18:34 PM
I understand about craftsmanship and aligning the bolt heads.  But I think when it comes to renders, the brain is very good at detecting patterns and objects that are perfectly aligned.  I think some randomness and flaws are needed in a render to avoid that perfect, artificial CAD look.  If not in the product, at least in the props.  This is an area I want to spend some time on to take my renders to the next level.

Good points, Ed. I will keep these in mind for any future renderings.