How do you set up a decent viewpoint for a render

Al Hart

if you look at the pictures taken by the best architectural photographers, you will never find converging verticals (unless, of course, the viewer is in front of a tall building looking up).

(In camera class we learn how they used to use a special camera to keep the lines vertical even when photographing a building from the ground)

We were discussing this earlier today. Next weeks Rendering Tip will about using more 2 pt perspectives to keep those vertical line vertical. (As long as the camera and eye have the same height, they stay vertical, but sometimes you want to look up or look down and not have the vertical lines converge.)

(Here we are looking down on the framing, but keeping the lines vertical)

dermotcoll

This is what I got after my first attempt and I've shown the view I set up for render - I have absolutely no idea what went wrong - help!!!!

pod kitchen.jpg

1st render.jpg

alpro

To me it likes like either your camera is stuck inside a wall, try to move it forward a little, or if the renderer you're using has camera controls, your zoom is set to high and you're getting a closeup of the oppisite wall.

Mike

dermotcoll

Thanks for the comments alpro. The view I am trying to render is shown in the attached picture and the output was as you can see - a green rectangular square of nothingness. I know my models are very basic but I thought i could get some sort of decent output after spending time trying to get the materials set up in Twilight. Is there someone out there who has a step by step guide to rendering a simple interior shot that I can follow?

Al Hart

@dermotcoll said:

This is what I got after my first attempt and I've shown the view I set up for render - I have absolutely no idea what went wrong - help!!!!

Click Zoom Out in SketchUp and render again.

If what you see in the rendering is a wall, surrounded by the background, then you renderer may not support section planes.

honoluludesktop

Dermotcoll, Not working with Twilight so can't help you there, and I don't think you understand alpo's comment. Hide the wall faces on a off layer, or move the camera (that makes the view). It looks like you placed the camera inside a wall.

Here is something that took about 45 minuets to do. The render needs a lot more work, but its a start. You got to have a good model to begin with. See the diagonal line with the chair, sun light and figure, the rule of thirds, the triangle with the vase, the asymmetrical composition, (like the photo tut. suggest?), etc. Because your floor is a photo image, it will not render much.

I use some lights (this is a interior render), several objects, reflected and bumped some surfaces, Another hour or two would make it for me. Of course there are others who could do much better in that time:-)

dermotcoll

Hi Honolulu and Al,

The view i have set up is shown in the above post - there is no wall!! My question is this - why does the renderer not render the view you see in SU?

I have tried others and they are showing wide angled views of the whole model - it is very frustrating - my screen can consider itself very lucky it hasnt got my shoe through it 10 times tonght!!!!

I am really showing my lack of experience here and I know I have to crawl before I walk but boy is it frustrating. IS there a really dumb user help desk I can seek advice from as you guys are really at a much higher level than me?

honoluludesktop

Hmm......, Can you upload the model exactly with the scene that fails, The original model had no ceiling, and presents a view looking down. I no longer have the model I rendered, otherwise I would upload it to you.

dermotcoll

Hi Honolulu

I have binned it! I am going to start from first principles again and remodel the building so that I can layer the walls etc. I need to try and accept my limits at the minute and get good models produced first and then work towards decent renders.

I appreciate all the community efforts to help but I must "pull my horns" in as they say here and calm down and work slowly to ensure I understand all aspects of this brilliant design medium.

xrok1

have you checked out the Twilight forum? there are some excellent tips and discussions over there and if you post your problems they can advise you or find out if its a bug or not. may be helpful for you and them.

xrok1

whoa! i downloaded your file and wow you got alot going on there.

first of all i notice you have everything textured in Twilight but not in SU. i always texture everything with SU textures first then use those textures in Twilight or whatever renderer (otherwise its a nightmare to see one thing in SU and another thing in the render.. very confusing and hard to keep track of?????). example: put tiles on the floor in SU then open twilight material editor and add template of maybe ceramic gloss or something, then check the linked for bump texture.

also, change your camera to planar (you had it on spherical), render things small (500x500) till you get it right then increase settings and resolution. make small changes then test this way you know which change made the difference; there's nothing worse than getting something right and not knowing how you did it.

notice how the SU image and the Twilight image look similar thus avoiding confusion.

anyways chew on that for a while and see how it goes. keep us posted. hope that helps a bit

xrok1

check the field of view for wider shots:

dermotcoll

Cheers Xrok1

Appreciate the time you have taken over this. I will take everything on board and the help which you guys and the Twilight forum guys are giving will surely result n some half decent images in a few weeks.

Thanks alot