Whether you’re a render artist selling your services as a freelancer, or perhaps a small design firm in the process of expanding the business scope to include product visualizations, the best way to maintain your competitive edge in the market is to keep on pushing yourselves to learn new things, stay updated on the latest industry-related technology development, and constantly hone your skills to aim for nothing less than perfection. And in the world of 3D renderings, perfection is just another word for “accurate photorealism.”
If you look at render artists’ portfolios available in the leading freelancing agency, Cad Crowd, you’ll quickly notice the difference between the good, the better, and the best visualizations. Now, the fact that somebody can produce any reasonably good product rendering at all is commendable in itself, but the more skillful and experienced artists take the photorealism effect a notch higher with clever use of composition, lighting, model accuracy, and post-processing.
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Photorealism happens when the rendering looks virtually indistinguishable from a photograph. The problem is that you can’t always copy a photograph and transform it into a rendering, which is a computer-generated image, using some digital wizardry. In many cases, you must generate an image of something that only exists as an idea, a concept, a sketch, or a schematic at best—there’s no physical object to capture using a camera; you need to model the object digitally first, and then render the model to make it appear as if the object is real and tangible.
That being said, proper 3D modeling services are only one major stage in a series of steps involved in a rendering workflow. While the actual rendering process is done by software (some are automatic while others require manual initiation), there are plenty of things you can do before you arrive at that point to improve the photorealism.
Advanced software tools are great with their latest features and sophisticated image-generation technologies to make your job easier, but only if you know how to use them. As far as photorealistic 3D rendering is concerned, whether product or architectural visualization, the first order of business is to get a solid grip of the software you’re using, whatever that might be. Whether it’s the mind-bending realism of V-Ray, the promised precision of Corona Renderer, the open-source reliability of Blender, or the feature-rich 3ds Max, each program carries with it a distinct set of highlight-worthy functionalities.
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Understanding software isn’t only about knowing what every button does. More than just getting used to its user interface and all the available features, having a solid grip of the software means being in full control of what it can do. Bear in mind that every program has its own strong and weak points—if you want to master any particular 3D rendering software, you need to be aware of both its greatest strengths and worst shortcomings as well. This way, you’ll be able to optimize its functions and make them work to their full potential.
Even the professional and the experienced need to read the manual sometimes, so make sure to experiment with rarely-used functionality, read more textbooks about the trade, and challenge yourself with experimental features. The software maker’s YouTube channel can be a great place to start, as it usually contains a comprehensive assortment of practical guides, from basic how-to videos to in-depth explanations about specific issues. Some of the guides here will probably sound a little technical, but that’s where software documentation and YouTube guides should come in handy.
In general, CGI (3D renderings included) are admittedly fake, in the sense that every single thing you see in the frame isn’t a photograph of a physical object. Although the imagery might mimic actual objects and scenes, it’s all computer-generated down to the tiniest details rather than a captured photo. Yet, the task here is to generate imagery that is so lifelike that people think that everything they see is a genuine artifact. One massive giveaway that 3D rendering services are poorly-made mimicry of life is the lighting.
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If photorealism is what you’re after, the imitation shouldn’t stop at the shape, color, and texture of an object, but it must also include how it’s affected by lights. And what better way to achieve photorealistic lighting than taking a cue from the real one? To do this, you must first identify all the light sources to be used in the rendering; think about whether they’re supposed to be natural or artificial light sources (or a combination of them) as well as their intensity, color temperature, and positions relative to the objects and scenes.
The shape of the artificial light source also plays a role; for example, candle-shaped and reflector bulbs have different light distribution characteristics. Interactive Rendering and LightMix features (in Corona and V-Ray) are practical for this purpose. Thanks to the instant feedback functionality, you get the chance to experiment with various lighting configurations and see immediate results without having to wait for a full render after each modification you make.
Also, don’t be afraid to introduce shadows to the scene. Many new render artists tend to use ambient lights to cover a large area in an attempt to get rid of shadows. However, they can actually be useful as a compositional element (such as to accentuate contrast) to help guide the audience to the focal points of the scene.
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Sharp edges (or rather, the perfectly sharp ones) rarely, if ever, exist in real life. At the same time, you’d be surprised to see how many times this rule is broken, especially in architectural visualizations. Geometry with sharp edges sounds brilliant in theory, as they denote precision and uncompromising form tolerance, but they’re not that great to make the case for photorealistic rendering services. Round edges do a better job at reflecting and deflecting light, giving the geometry or the object a more natural-looking appearance.
One of the most common techniques to achieve this round edge profile is to use the Chamfer Modifier tool (in 3ds Max). You can set the tension to 0.5 for a convex chamfer and then add enough segments to get a smooth transition. If necessary, change the minimum angle so that the effect applies only to certain edges. In case the default smoothing option doesn’t give you the desired result, use the “Smooth to Adjacent” and “Smooth Chamfers Only” options.
As an alternative, it’s also possible to use the TurboSmooth modifier; it’s a little faster than MeshSmooth, but a lot more time-consuming than the Chamfer Modifier. In Corona Renderer and V-Ray, you can achieve the same result by adding an edge texture to the material instead of using a geometry manipulation technique. While this method is quick, it will add additional geometry and can still make the edges appear sharp at intersections.
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It sounds cheap and as cliché as they come, indeed, but it’s true. Trying too hard to make sure that every fraction of every inch is perfect in every way might actually lead you to a genuine lack of authenticity. Rather than seeing imperfection as some kind of defect that would ruin a rendering, you should learn to appreciate it as a lifelike quality that contributes to the realism effect. Not everything has to be immaculate—a tiny bit of wrinkle in a silk doesn’t ravage the material; in contrast, a crease in a spot or two makes it look real. Take a look at just about any surface all around you.
There will be dust, dirt, smudges, stains, scratches, blemishes, and every other speck of things that make the otherwise flawless surfaces imperfect. Remember that perfection refers to accurate photorealism with 3D visualization designers? The term “accurate” applies not only to the geometry of the object being modeled and rendered, but also to how it should appear (as perceived by the eyes) in the real world. In other words, you also have to model and render the imperfection. That being said, imperfection will only serve the rendering well if it makes sense in the context of the scene.
For instance, old laptop with a polished metal LCD cover probably has some smudges on it; wooden floor in a decades-old home also naturally has discoloration is various spots; cars in a junkyard need a different kind of imperfection from those in a showroom; even nature like rivers and trees are most of the time not as picture-perfect as you think. Depending on the context, the imperfection might be subtle (such as for renderings of new products) or pronounced (in the case of used/abandoned/old objects).
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Still on the subject of “perfection has to be imperfect” from the previous tip, a common failure in a supposedly photorealistic 3D rendering is that the scene looks impossibly good for its own sake. In addition to a range of acceptable flaws on objects’ surfaces, you might want to look into introducing some randomizations or even adding subtle chaos to the scene.
Imagine how unusual it would be if the books on the shelf in a home office are so well-organized, with every volume standing perfectly vertical on its spine. Think how unnatural it would be if the flowers in a garden were of the same color and size. Even a perfectly organized children’s playroom should look a bit messy. An immaculate organizational system is easy to do in 3D architectural rendering services, but next to impossible in the real world.
Don’t forget that subtle variations between the same objects are not at all uncommon either, especially in nature. For example, rocks on the riverside have different shades of black, and not every blade of grass in the lawn is as green as the next. Use Corona MultiMap (or an equivalent feature) to randomize the hue of a texture, or perhaps introduce a brand-new texture if needed.
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Like every aforementioned tip here, subtlety is key when applying atmospheric fog to your scene, especially for 3D architectural visualization firms. Not only does an atmospheric fog make an exterior rendering more realistic, but it often proves to be an excellent tool for composition. In general, lowering the contrast of the background elements instantly creates a notable sense of depth. It’s somewhat similar to bokeh, but instead of creating the blurry look with a lens effect, you need to make the fog appear as a natural atmospheric phenomenon.
Z-depth render element is often cited as an effective method to achieve the effect. Your scene gets darker as it moves further away from the camera, but to get the desired result, you might still have to top it with other tools, including tint, invert, and composite using the additive blending. Corona Volume Materials seems to be better as it gives you more options to experiment with multi-pass compositing and absorption distance, too.
In most situations, a lot of photographers will want to avoid having glare and bloom effects in their works, but it isn’t necessarily the case with 3D rendering designers. Once again, be subtle about it. Otherwise, it would take the scene further away from being photorealistic. Another thing to remember is that in photography, the depth of the field gets shallower as an object gets closer to the camera; therefore, in 3D rendering, the effect works best when the scene involves a close-up shot as a way to lead the viewers to the focal point.
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Both V-Ray and Corona can handle glare and bloom effects during the buffer, but you can adjust the settings after the scene has been fully rendered as well. A z-depth pass or Photoshop’s lens blur filter also works (post-processing).
Photorealism requires proper object scaling. This is especially true for common objects like furniture pieces in furniture rendering services, cars, home appliances, people, etc. As a general guidance, here are the real-life standard dimensions of everyday objects commonly used as a reference for architectural renderings:
Obviously, this isn’t an extensive list, but you always have Google on your side in case you’re working on an object not mentioned above. Always set the unit of measurement in the software to the system you’re comfortable with, either metric or imperial. As you’re working on the scale of objects, you’ll have to put the textures of those objects into account as well. You have to make sure that the material tiling (repeating texture) correctly represents the scale.
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There are situations where an aerial and bird’s eye view make the rendering more effective as a design communication tool, for example, when a 3D floor plan design expert creates a 3D floor plan or a visualization of an entire residential area. For a typical lifestyle render (the kind where you showcase a product or design in a realistic everyday setting), it’s advisable to set the camera position or viewing angle to something that’s physically possible.
Positioning the camera anywhere from 150cm to 170cm above ground gives the audience a natural viewing angle, bringing the sense of what it should feel like to be right in front of the object or standing in a room. Humans are not used to seeing the world around them from higher than 200cm off the ground—a perspective from these heights can make them uncomfortable.
Physically Based Rendering, or PBR, is a method that aims to accurately represent the natural behavior of light and how it interacts with objects. One of the main principles of PBR materials revolves around adjusting for reflection, diffusion, and refraction of light.
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Getting a good grasp of PBR also means understanding the Index of Refraction (IOR), which is the measurement of how fast light travels through a vacuum (IOR 1.0) compared to how much it slows down as it travels through material. For instance, when light hits transparent glass or water, the speed decreases. Its wavelength is also reduced, causing it to bend. This change of direction is commonly referred to as refraction. The rule or IOR differs for each material/type of surface.
A friendly reminder, creating a photorealistic visualization calls for lifelike imitations of objects and scenes you’re about to render. In the event you get stuck in any of the steps in the workflow, there’s nothing wrong with taking a look at some reference photographs and learn from reality itself. The goal is to generate a rendering that not only looks real but also feels real; by mimicking reality along with all the imperfections that come with it, you’ll be able to infuse an extent of authenticity that your viewers can certainly appreciate.
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