How do I achieve evening light scene/ambiance?

[benschuetze]

Hey guys,

 

Please take a look at the visualization attached. I´m not sure where to get started creating this type of evening mood. Should I just reduce the strength of the sun, or GI? Should I use an HDRI? Or just use other light sources (lamps, etc.)? I´m using C4D, and I´m relatively new to this.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

Ben Schuetze

[Stephen Thomas]

Definitely you want to use some kind of image based lighting, as the sun has almost gone down in this example and most daylight systems act a little weird as the sun nears the horizon. You can use an HDRI, although sometimes a spherical bitmap can do the job just as well if you boost the multiplier appropriately. This is because there is not so much contrast or dynamic range in the sky at dusk/twilight. Sometimes using a standard bitmap can also exaggerate the colour saturation which works well for this type of mood. You could add a standard direct light with a peachy tone at a low angle too to simulate the setting sun.

[benschuetze]

Thanks for taking the time to reply Stephen. Very helpful!