braddewald Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 I am just wondering if anybody had tips on avoiding a "flat" look and feel to a rendering. It seems to be something that I struggle with and I have noticed several other people admit this as well. Is there a secret to avoiding this look. In particular I am wondering how and why renderings like the one at the link below look SO NOT FLAT! I would love to know how to do this... http://d-e-s-i-g-n.ru/interiors_classic/seriya97.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyC Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 Lighting most likely, or how you use your AO passes. Upload a wireframe with lights of your scene and we can probably take it from there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Homeless Guy Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 I think you need to drop your camera height down to about 4' to 4'6". I think this will open up the space quite a bit, by creating layering depth with some of the furniture, and making the space feel taller and more pronounced in general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
braddewald Posted October 16, 2009 Author Share Posted October 16, 2009 Great suggestions, Travis. I'll give them a try on my next project. Andy: what do you mean by "upload a wireframe with lights of my scene?"--because I'll be glad to do it...whatever you mean. Also, I forgot to mention- 3ds Max + V-Ray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyC Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 Great suggestions, Travis. I'll give them a try on my next project. Andy: what do you mean by "upload a wireframe with lights of my scene?"--because I'll be glad to do it...whatever you mean. Also, I forgot to mention- 3ds Max + V-Ray. Well, are those your renderings or the ones you want to match lighting quality, maybe im confused. If they are not yours then by uploading your wireframes as an image we can all see how youre lighting the shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Leo Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 I think he's just pointing out someone else's renderings which are of very high quality. I think the renderings you have shown are great, but unless you have a lot of spare time or a very large budget, achieving that look and feel would be considered unrealistic for most realistic/practical budgets on a deadline. That being said... This scene has a lot of reflective surfaces - the bed cover, the flooring, the walls - he/she was not cheap on rendering this scene. It also have a lot of ornate items - wall paper, trim, etc which keeps the eye visually occupied at all times. Third but not last is high contrast - the lighting within the scene is very dramatic yet believable. I wouldn't say that the image is so much "flat" (usually that's more of a function of contrast IMO), but rather has a lot of elements which keeps ones eyes constantly busy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Homeless Guy Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 Oh. I guess I missed the question too. I was simply responding that I thought the camera felt high in the image I saw, and that it would crate a more intimate feeling if lower, while at the same time making the room feel more dimensional. I should have know since desing.ru always posts very nice images. I assumed you were a young artist with them looking for more input. But then again... I didn't read your location either. Man, ...I need to slow down when posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leoA4D Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 Contrast, or the lack of it, is often associated with flatness. I checked with a digital color meter and the linked renderings have small areas of a nearly "0" black and a nearly "255" white. That should result in, and the pics have, a good range of values. Charlesleo has a point. Leonard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 As Leonard said, contrast is very important. I tend to be timid on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyC Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 A find a lot has to do with your lighting strategy. front lighting (behind the camera) always makes everything look flat. Also overhead lighting tends to make everything look plain ugly and flat. Try making sure your camera is at somewhat of an angle of the most predominant light source. The side light will bring out depth and shadow. Also make sure you use a good AO pass. For starters just use one AO, then try multiple with different radius's and falloffs. Most of all, dont flood your scene with ambient light, that will kill everything. Keep the ambient light as just that, ambient. You could try reducing secondary bounce as I often find that Vray has super high amount of GI. Also dont forget materials, they are a good portion of what makes light work well and respond naturally. Good luck!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckymutt Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 Also, the overall composition can make or break the depth of an image. If you notice in all of the images linked to, you are viewing it from near a corner of the room with "hero" objects that are very close to the viewer (more so in the first scene...the wall sconce and bed in image 1, and the side table and lamp in image 2) Also note that there is some sense of space going on in the background. In the first 2 shots it is the outdoors and in the second 2 images there is a hallway that at least suggests there is more space beyond what is shown. I second Andy's comment about light direction in relation to the camera's angle. Picking up the strong fresnel reflections on the floor certainly help to carry it along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
braddewald Posted October 20, 2009 Author Share Posted October 20, 2009 Great tips, everybody-thanks! I was wondering though, if overhead and behind-the-camera lights make an image look flat, what if there are no lights that can be placed on the side of the image to bring out that depth? How do you deal with this then?! (Think a small room with no windows) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyC Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Great tips, everybody-thanks! I was wondering though, if overhead and behind-the-camera lights make an image look flat, what if there are no lights that can be placed on the side of the image to bring out that depth? How do you deal with this then?! (Think a small room with no windows) Try to get out of a 3d mindset an start thinking of how you would do it if you were shooting a photo in the room. So, no windows? You set up light sources, reflectors, accent lights etc If you cant place a side light, make a reflector in the room, just off camera to bounce some more light from the side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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