Creationtwentytwo Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Hey guys, I'm struggling with a bit of self-confidence recently (as you can probably guess by the thread title). Problem is, I regularly visit the likes of Evermotion, Ronen Bekerman, Bertran Benoit websites and see the exceptional standard of work posted there, and it's frustrating me that I can't achieve that level of quality. This is my most recent project where I pushed myself to produce the very best I was capable of, and I still fell far short of where I wanted to be. The thing is, I can't see what is wrong, just that I don't like it very much. It's a scene based on the Azaya Residence by PB Architecture (link: http://www.archdaily.com/239391/azaya-pb-elemental-architecture/). With that said, comments, critiques and suggestions are very much encouraged. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Lighting doesn't match the sky and is bland lacking contrast...More shadows and more highlights, (render and post). Image composition - there isnt much, frame your images as if they were postcards, again think about light and dark, balance of geometry and movement. Images that take the eye on a journey are what we are looking for, (x,y and z), foreground/background. Where does the journey start and where does it end? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creationtwentytwo Posted July 9, 2012 Author Share Posted July 9, 2012 Thanks, Jonathan, much appreciated. Yeah composition is definitely something I struggle with. I need to work on improving that. The lighting was a conscious choice, but I clearly didn't quite get it right. The intention was that it was supposed to be sunlight breaking through after a rainfall. I wanted the decking boards to look slightly wet, but I thought that would look odd if it was super sunny and they were wet, so I wanted to try and keep some of the cloudy sky, but have some sunlight too. As you say though, the lighting just doesn't match the sky! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy L Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 I like it and I think the lighting is fine, i got it. I think maybe a couple more visual clues to hammer home the point. Nothing in the scene looks wet. The comment about the composition are valid, the views do not tell a story and are not well structured. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creationtwentytwo Posted July 9, 2012 Author Share Posted July 9, 2012 Thanks, Tom! Good call, I'll see what I can do to improve the 'wet look'. Fantastic reel on your site by the way, really great stuff. Oh what I would give to work on some of that fun stuff rather than masonry-clad boxes all day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
selos69 Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Dont worry too much mate. I very much doubt they picked up a copy of Vray, 3dsMax and Photoshop and created the images you see now straight away. Consider it a learning curve and what's always great is to compare your current images to ones you did a year ago... In terms of composition, the third shot is getting there. What I would do if I were you is to study architectural photography, composition, colour correcting etc. Forget about 3D tutorials until you completely understand what has to 'go into' an image. Think of it this way - anyone could have Alex Roman's textures, models and plants to produce an image, but very few would be able to turn them into the images we've seen from him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creationtwentytwo Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 Thanks Chris, appreciated. Your reply kinda makes me feel a little inadequate though. You suggest a few things as if I'm very new to 3D. The sad thing is I've got an architectural degree and I've been doing Arch-Viz profesionally for almost 3 years! That is why I find it so frustrating I think! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Hunt Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Three years isn't long, but dont take that as a criticism, rather that it takes time to hone your craft. Consider this time as your apprenticeship, learn and study from the best. .you will never stop learning or developing. Stuff we consider fantastic today will be considered poor tomorrow because we are constantly trying to improve. This is what makes this industry so great and so frustrating at the same time:-) Jhv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creationtwentytwo Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 Thanks, Justin. Yeah I guess it's a constant battle for sure. It's certainly refreshing to get some fresh eyes on it though to offer feedback and advice. It's surprising how much a bit of critique and encouragement can restore positivity! Thanks again, guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
selos69 Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Thanks Chris, appreciated. Your reply kinda makes me feel a little inadequate though. You suggest a few things as if I'm very new to 3D. The sad thing is I've got an architectural degree and I've been doing Arch-Viz profesionally for almost 3 years! Sorry mate - wasn't my intention at all. I suggest those things because I personally had completely disregarded the basics. I was obsessed with getting materials right, the model perfect with every rivet yet I still wasn't happy. I had been doing it professionally for longer than you and it wasn't until I read a couple of great articles that I went back to the basics and found that I was getting happier and happier with my images. Hope that clears things up a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nodar1978 Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 (edited) Hi Tom It is not far from finish the project, just you need a little bit adjustments here and there. Best way is to have a look on renderings of best 3d guys, they are many now days. and look cerafuly and see what they have something which you dont have on a picture. is it lighting? contrast? colors? background? trees and plants? grass? etc .... after that look at you images and you will see what is missing there. i like you pctures, it just needs a bit more work, and with target, and you are there. from what i see is: 1. background is not good, try to use real 3d models of trees, you dont need many. 2. grass is not good 3. bushese on left side are not good. 4. wood material could be better 5. and lighting, do something with lighting. and to have nice picture you will need big resolution textures for objects or background. Edited July 10, 2012 by nodar1978 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ismael Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 :DI like your work and the fact that you don't is good..., in that you will keep improving and surprising us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creationtwentytwo Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 Chris - No worries, I didn't take offence, I just thought I'd better state my case. They're some great tips though and I suppose the basics are indeed overlooked by many of us who have been doing it for a little while. George - Thanks! Good suggestions, I'll work those into my improvements as I continue to work on the scene. Ismael - Thank you. I think you're right, we should never really be 'satisfied' and it keeps us chasing perfection, if such a thing exists! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthewspencer Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Hi Tom. I think one subtle issue that you're running into is a tendency to safely moderate your tonal clarity and contrast. I am frequently guilty of this myself; we are all in pursuit of "clarity" in our images so we make things too perfect. Your lows retain full detail and you're keeping a tight leash on your highs. This results in a well-rounded image that never gets wild and untamed. Don't be afraid to let some whites totally bleach out, or let some shadows get really ambiguous. Our eyes act this way in real life; our pupils are only so nimble, so our visual world is full of over-exposure and muddy areas of darkness. Photographers frequently use this to artistic effect. You mention Alex Roman; his indoor work is full of foggy lows and blasted-out lighting. This is the kind of thing that I'm sure you already know, but maybe could just use a second pair of eyes to remind you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creationtwentytwo Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 Thanks Matthew. Yeah you're totally right. I'm definitely conscious of keeping my values hovering around the middle mark. I do get a bit wary of pushing it either way, resulting in a bit of a bland result. With regards to moving forward with this, I've got plenty of great suggestions from everyone here. I've got some ideas about the texturing and how to sell the 'just rained' look a little better, but I'm really struggling with this composition thing. I really don't know how to compose a shot, I don't understand the fundamentals I don't think. I can look at a well composed photo or render and I 'get' why it looks good, but I don't know the science behind it or 'why it's good'. I know there's a lot of books and coverage on the subject of composition but does anyone have any tips on how to apply it to architectural rendering? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ismael Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 http://fstoppers.com/new-photography-rules-of-composition-by-scott-kelby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creationtwentytwo Posted July 11, 2012 Author Share Posted July 11, 2012 Thanks Ismael, great link. Ok, I've had a bit of a play with it today... better? I'm certainly happier with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthewspencer Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 Mmm...I don't love the "XTREME" angle...I'd try leveling it back out, but throw the main building off to one side. In fact since this is sort of a sprawling compound, it could benefit from a wider view altogether. The lighting is matching the sky much better. The grass and wood boards are both too saturated in color. I'd make the grass slightly duller and more yellow, and make the wood less orange. Looks like you're embracing tonal extremes now, with positive results. The facade looks like it's being pounded by sunlight (which is accurate) and the overhang above the entrance is plunging the interior entrance into believable obscurity. I don't like the tree at left. It needs softening... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noise Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 The dutch angle isn't to my taste but in general your work is good although too saturated. Desaturate the textures considerably. The best advise I could give you is to go and work for a good 3D company and learn all you can from them. Look at photography of similar subject matter to your renders and study the light, tones, contrast, variation in the scene elements etc... Also, as mentioned before - composition. Something that can really help this is to go out and take loads of photography of anything and everything. Keep at it as it can take some time to get proficient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creationtwentytwo Posted July 12, 2012 Author Share Posted July 12, 2012 Thanks, Niall. Just out of interest, and slightly off-topic, how important do you consider it to actually work in-house somewhere? I've freelanced a little bit for the past few years and whilst it's somewhat of a personal battle sometimes (see thread title!) I've never considered working for a studio. Primarily just because of the lack of quality studios in my locality and my unwillingness to move up north or into central London (love the city, do not love the cost of living there). Another thing I think I would have a problem with is probably quite selfish, but having been used to charging clients directly, I would feel uncomfortable knowing my employer would be taking a percentage of the fee where as a freelance artist, 100% would be going to me. That said, I was planning to look into a full-time freelancing career but if a studio is the way to go then maybe I should reconsider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest calumreid Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Hi Tom. First off i am very much a newbie (been using max on a work placement from uni for 3 months) but one thing that really helped me with composition was this film http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1233611/ if you can understand photography, and more importantly architectural photography, then you will be able to compose great shots. Not a fan of the angled shot, if a line is horizontal in IRL then it should be horizontal in your renders and photography, same goes with vertical. Look up the 'rule of thirds' as well. But then again with all that being said, rules are made to be broken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creationtwentytwo Posted July 12, 2012 Author Share Posted July 12, 2012 To be honest I'm considering just throwing the towel in. I appreciate your suggestions Calum but it basically sums up how I've started to feel about arch-viz. I'm so tired of just trying to replicate the work of architectural photographers, making my 3D look as 'real' as possible, marveling at the work we see posted daily on Evermotion/Ronen Bekerman et al. That isn't what 3D is for me. 3D to me is Toy Story, that's what go me into it all those years ago, and now I'm just chasing realism with stacked boxes and too much wood-cladding, trying to emulate photography. I think this thread is just the culmination of many months of struggling, I'm finding myself looking for excuses not to bother trying anymore, looking for ways to make myself hate the field almost. It's certainly not anywhere near as exciting as I found it 5 years ago. That said, it's obviously just not for me, it feels a bit like the last few years have been a waste but I'm burned out, time for a change I think. And with that total derail, I'll make my exit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest calumreid Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Just curious tom, but how did you get into the field anyway? did you do 3d modelling at uni or etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creationtwentytwo Posted July 12, 2012 Author Share Posted July 12, 2012 (edited) All self-taught, a lot of time just messing around and looking at online tutorials, forums etc. I did my degree in Interior Architecture but I was already proficient in Max by that point. We also only covered light SketchUp use. I got into the Arch-Viz field when I worked as an assistant QS in an Architects practice about 6 years ago, saw that they were outsourcing 3D work and thought I'd learn to do it, then a couple years later i started doing my first contracted projects. Prior to that, my 3D interest was film/games stuff. Edited July 12, 2012 by Creationtwentytwo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthewspencer Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Burnout is a very real thing... Try taking a break first before throwing in the towel, though. As long a break as necessary; quitting is too final. I was furious with my lack of sketching skills so I simply stopped doing it. Came back to it 6 months later with a clear head and was improving way faster than during the period of my rut. Either way good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now