small house extrior

[OPEN_RANGE]

This house is to be built on a property in a lower elevation ranching valley below the mountains. I modeled from 2D CAD drawings. I have @ 12 hours into it (wish it was 10 <g>)

Comments and critique welcome as always!

[Buck]

I might adjust the lighting or choose a different background image that has lighting coming from a similar direction. Mountains have light coming from the right, foreground has light coming from the left

[glorybound]

I usually shadow my garage, which would work for you here. The birds are a little distracting. I use them sometimes, but they are there to draw the viewer to my focal point. The trees peeking out on the left seem unbalanced and do not really add to the image. Modeling is usually underestimated since it is not subjective, but yes, sometimes it takes a while to get a good, usual model. I have been modeling houses for decades, so I usually sleep through that part .

[OPEN_RANGE]

Thanks to you both! I was pretty sure someone would notice the mountains are lit from a different direction, but equally sure the client won’t notice or care. The client provided that background photo from the site.

This is a gotcha kind of situation imo. The front door is facing North. The garage is facing East. I cannot have the sun in the North. If the sun is in the west, like when the background photo was taken, then the entire part of the house that needs to be shown is all in shadow. Sun is on the house in about the only way that seemed reasonable for having to show the North side.

if the background photo was shot with sun in the east it would not be a good photo due to shooting into the sun.

i liked getting the tree shadows on the foreground and then framed the side with a bit of one of the trees so it was sort of tied to the shadows. It seemed unbalanced and I tried some tree branches on the other side but didn’t like it. Put the birds in there to see if that might help with balance. Didn’t really work either.

Not sure where this is going. May or may not get direction for revisions. The plans were drafted by the client. Elevations did not really match with each other and did not really match the floorplan either so….maybe I got something wrong that needs to be corrected.

Still, I tried moving the sun around all over the place and nothing seemed to work as well as this. It needs to be in the Northwest I guess, but…..not sure that’s donna fly.

thanks again!

[damaggio]

I agree, I just don't understand why some people just can't see light direction, it baffles me.

[OPEN_RANGE]

I wish I could use AI to reverse the lighting direction on the client supplied backplate. I don't think that is possible. When best lighting on house does not fit with the best lighting for the background photo, what can be done? Dusk time of day could work but that is not an option for this project.

[Buck]

I mean... you could just flip it? or is that the actual mountain range that is really behind that location?

[damaggio]

You really just don't seem to listen, I've already explained we don't care about the clients, why can't you just render the correct image to post in the forum, your first reaction is always trying to explain the conditions of the job. This is
irrelevant to us, we just wanna see beautiful images done with Vray.
My intention is not to be mean Mark, I'm sorry but is hard to see the same simple mistakes happen over and over again.

[glorybound]

Say what, Damaggio? I at first thought you were being sarcastic. He makes a living pleasing clients, not to please a web forum. So like he said, his hands are tied. Personally, I never place my sun in the real world, and my client never questions it. My light source is always placed where it looks best. For backplates, almost 90% of the time, I can't use what the client sends, and I let them know. Usually, it is their nephew with an iPhone taking the photo.

[OPEN_RANGE]

It is the actual mountain range that is behind the house at that location. Photo taken by client at the actual site where house will be built.

I don’t think your being mean at all, and I am listening. I’m just relating the real world conditions that an arch viz person has to contend and often conform with when working in real estate sales images. I am not doing these “for myself” I am doing them for clients.

I was thinking some might find interest in how the reality of real world contingencies must be accommodated while striving to do the best one can under that reality. If there is no value in that, then you are correct, I should stop posting here.

[OPEN_RANGE]

I just had a thought thanks to your comments. The background photo needs to stay as is. But, maybe I can flip/mirror the house. There was no site plan and just a north arrow on the floor plan. It may not yet be sited or oriented at all and it’s also possible that he just stuck the north arrow on pointed to the top of the page and not necessarily related to the house actual orientation. I will ask about this when I talk with him tomorrow and maybe this can be resolved. Thanks again!

In most of what I do, the background photography is critical. It is much simpler when there is no compelling mountains scape that must be shown and just using some trees and sky as a background is all that’s needed.

And yes, it just about never works to have the client or even a photographer the client hire’s take the background photo. 99.9% of time what they provide is unusable.

[damaggio]

Sure , I understand he's got to please the client but he's not even being aware of his mistakes, this is basic stuff that should not happen at this point.
All he needs to do is pay more attention and listen to the wonderful feedback you guys give him every time.
The basic stuff is the easiest, the hardest is to take to that closer level of reality.

[OPEN_RANGE]

I was 100% aware that the background photo lighting did not match the house lighting. Background photo is nicely lit. House is nicely lit. They do not match each other. I seriously doubt the client will notice or care. I will render out and post a version with the sun in the northwest to better match the background and you may understand why it is not something I would present to the client.

still I think I may be able to flip the house after talking to the client. That may resolve this…..on my dime.

I am listening, it’s not a simple stupid mistake or not caring. I was 100% aware of the issue from the start. It’s trying as best I can to do the best I can with the cards I am dealt.

[OPEN_RANGE]

OK and sorry for generating the controversy. Here is an update with the sun in the North. Looks much better.

A lot of projects t I do would not allow for the sun to be in the North. With this one I don't think it really matters. By the same measure that the client wouldn't notice or care about the mismatch, he won't care if the sun is in the North. Plus, Maybe his North arrow on the plans was not meant to be true north but just a plan north.

It's my bad for sure.

I won't be at all surprised if the client says he prefers the original mismatched lighting version. I am expecting that

Thanks again for your helpful comments and advice!

[OPEN_RANGE]

The client likes the second version better. Likes having the garage more in the shadow (like you said bobby). He is super happy with this and now says he wants to have a rendering of a second house design he is working on.

The issue of which way is North did not come up.