Learning to render photorealistic

[sharon_huisjes]

Hi everyone!

I'm really looking for something like an online course or tutorial to help me improve my Vray render skills. At the moment I work with Sketchup and Vray on my MacBook Pro M3Pro and when I'm done with adjusting the settings, I have the possibility to render on a Windows Machine with GPU. (Also wondering how you guys are working with the Swarm function on a Windows machine).

With my own interior studio I make interior designs and renders. It is important that the renders will give a good visual of what the reality is going to be. And at the moment I am okay with the renders that I produce. All the time I'm looking for how to improve, how to make it more realistic, how can I learn more. But I have the feeling I'm a little stuck here.
I added some of my renders in the attachments so you have an impression of my work. I just don't really know how to improve my renders any further, while everywhere around me all I see is more beautiful and realistic renders.

Then, what I also wonder is, how do you make an animation with Vray? Have tried it many times but it was never any good.

I hope that you maybe have some suggestions. Thanks in advance!

Greetz,
Sharon

[joanna_kulpa]

Hi! Your renders look very pretty now!
So in my opinion, one thing that always improves rendering is setting up the camera on an eye level. That would be my first advice - try different perspective, lower, and try keeping all vertical lines truly vertical and parallel (paraller projection option).
The other thing is details. Really pay attention to this - for example dining table has vertical wood pattern on all edges. Should be horizontal on two sides and parallel to the top surface. Also try adding 'grout' space to the floor (just like tiles) and add bump. Looks very flat now. And last thing from me - turn on Light mix in vray and play with strength of different lights to add deepness to the scene. Hope some of it helps

[glorybound]

I am an old-timer on the forum. The best advice I got was to pick up a camera and go out and take photos. It has since become a hobby for me and is the most significant thing that has improved my renderings. You can browse through interior design magazines and see how they take photos. We create environments to photograph on the computer.

[sharon_huisjes]

I am an old-timer on the forum. The best advice I got was to pick up a camera and go out and take photos. It has since become a hobby for me and is the most significant thing that has improved my renderings. You can browse through interior design magazines and see how they take photos. We create environments to photograph on the computer.

Great tip, thanks!

[sharon_huisjes]

Hi! Your renders look very pretty now!
So in my opinion, one thing that always improves rendering is setting up the camera on an eye level. That would be my first advice - try different perspective, lower, and try keeping all vertical lines truly vertical and parallel (paraller projection option).
The other thing is details. Really pay attention to this - for example dining table has vertical wood pattern on all edges. Should be horizontal on two sides and parallel to the top surface. Also try adding 'grout' space to the floor (just like tiles) and add bump. Looks very flat now. And last thing from me - turn on Light mix in vray and play with strength of different lights to add deepness to the scene. Hope some of it helps

Thanks for your tips. At the moment I'm really playing with all the different options and perspectives with your tips in consideration. And I think the renders look a little more realistic than before.

[joanna_kulpa]

Thanks for your tips. At the moment I'm really playing with all the different options and perspectives with your tips in consideration. And I think the renders look a little more realistic than before.

Glad to see I helped somehow. In general I'm not very focused on realistic rendering, but my job taught me some tricks. I have to prepare a lot of renderings in short time and I figured out how to achieve some level of realism very quickly. And I just thought about one more detail you can try which is making little gaps between objects. For example when you place something on the floor, lift it 1 or 2 mm above the floor. Usually in reality there's a dark line of shadow between objects standing on the floor because things rarely are cut at 90 degrees. Just like glorybound said, look at the photos or just look around you and examine how things realte to each other.
I also often exaggerate some elements when modeling. Like gaps between cabinet door especially when furniture is dark.
Also I recommend using vray materials for fabrics! I think they work very well and if they match your design definitely try them!
PS I think you forgot curtain rail (this is the kind of detail that makes your project look real!)

[suzanne_doherty]

Nice start on the renders, looks like you've got the basics down.

For me, you need to study how an interior photographer would compose, light and dress a shot. It's not a simple case of pointing a camera into a room, and clicking the shutter.

The things that stick out to me are -

Camera height and lens - Having a high camera looking down, with a wide lens isn't the best composition, unless it's intentional, perhaps with a long lens focusing on a part of the room or furniture.

Lighting - Your shots feel like you're trying to achieve too much, without hitting anything. By this I mean you've got strong sun light, but also want the rooms to be illuminated with the wall and ceiling lights.

Contrast - The shots look very flat, as with the lighting, you're trying to show everything in the shot, but in reality even on bright scenes, you'll have dark shadows.


Always refer back to real photography. Find a photographer you love, and drive into that rabbit hole. Here's a good starting point https://www.pinterest.co.uk/search/p...erson&rs=typed

Dean

[sharon_huisjes]

Nice start on the renders, looks like you've got the basics down.

For me, you need to study how an interior photographer would compose, light and dress a shot. It's not a simple case of pointing a camera into a room, and clicking the shutter.

The things that stick out to me are -

Camera height and lens - Having a high camera looking down, with a wide lens isn't the best composition, unless it's intentional, perhaps with a long lens focusing on a part of the room or furniture.

Lighting - Your shots feel like you're trying to achieve too much, without hitting anything. By this I mean you've got strong sun light, but also want the rooms to be illuminated with the wall and ceiling lights.

Contrast - The shots look very flat, as with the lighting, you're trying to show everything in the shot, but in reality even on bright scenes, you'll have dark shadows.


Always refer back to real photography. Find a photographer you love, and drive into that rabbit hole. Here's a good starting point https://www.pinterest.co.uk/search/p...erson&rs=typed

Dean

Thanks for your tips. In the meantime I managed to make some alterations to my renders.

I always find it lighting a difficult thing. Because you really want to show the brightness of the room and all the lights, and I also want to make it look and feel fresh.

What do you think of my more recent render?

[glorybound]

Night and day, well done!

[sharon_huisjes]

Night and day, well done!

Thanks! I'm also pretty happy with the result!

As I'm looking to them now, maybe I could make the fabric on the sofa more realistic. And also what joanna_kulpa said, curtain rail and some other details.

Thanks a lot for all the advice.

Greetz,
Sharon

[suzanne_doherty]

Yup 100% better!

Now if I were you I'd find some reference images, with similar rooms, and a style you like, and try to copy that. At the moment you're still very much out of balance with your lights. The interior lights are too bright for a day time shot. Just go in your house, on a sunny day, and turn the lights on, it really doesn't make much difference, you'll maybe see a highlight on a wall if the light is close enough, but it certainly wouldn't light up the room.

Regarding materials, this is what will give your shot the realism you crave, but without good lighting, it'll just look wrong.

Lighting is hard, no doubt about it. You just need to experiment and play. Turn on each light, 1 at a time, and see the effect it has. Move lights, Light from different angles. Use soft and hard lights. Use spot lights to illuminate objects. Use bounce cards to add light into dark area.

[joanna_kulpa]

You've made great improvement! It definitely takes time to figure out light settings. Maybe turning on lightbulbs in daytime doesn't make a difference in real life, but I think in renderings it looks fine and adds a little magic hahahah
I think you should try making outside much brighter. When you take photo inside the house, the view outside usually is overexposed