Attached is a second version with additional landscape elements,in this case a reflecting pool.It wasn't part of the original scheme but I have some time on my hands to revisit older projects and thought the original scheme could have been better.I have also changed the external plaster to stone - more expensive but isn't it great that we can actually look at something and decide - err...emm... wouldn't that look better in timber,stone,something else?
Although it does look naked without a foreground overhanging tree- I think I need to stop using those guys!

These were rendered in maxwell,and yes I still use sketchup 6! It does what I need it to do so its good enough for me at the moment.Because Maxwell results in some grain in the render,I usually take it through a denoiser program to reduce this effect.
As Ive said before,I do a lot of post processing and I always find something to add to the original render.Most of the post processing involves vegetation- grass,trees etc which would take forever to render.This is where having a good selection of entourage really comes into its own.
Regarding tutorials,I will start to put one together for both the storm and sunset images next week and will upload as soon as I can,together with as much of the entourage I have used,except for any that were purchased (due to licensing issues).
One thing I will say about post processing,I always build up layers of vegetation,some with depth of field blur,others with different colour tones.It helps to give a more natural image,with elements overlapping each other such as you would see in real life.

Yes I agree Pete,the lighting is a bit too strong,especially with the landscape being very bright,brighter than it actually should be on a moonlit night.I have attached a quick revision with the main landscape toned down,and this works better but I will revise the internal lights later and re-upload.

Another old model with some new landscape elements added and re-rendered,with grass and additional trees added in post-process.The external plaster is a bit patchy,mostly because I increased the contrast of the image to try and pull the colours out,but I think it actually helps.Similarly to a recent "Storm" Image I uploaded,a part of the image,in this case the left hand side,is more successful than the full image,regarding the lighting and feel I was originally looking for.I much prefer small areas of intense light and colour against a backdrop of darker tones.

The quiet after the storm(the same raw render was used for this post processed shot)

Attached is a revised image with the rain on glass removed and some small additions,particularly to the lighting.Also attached is the original raw render before post processing.

A couple of good points Roger,particularly about the rain directly outside the windows being illuminated.But I think the water on glass image you uploaded is too static,it looks more like condensation than rain,I want to add movement,even at the risk of sacrificing detail.I am looking at a few other revisions and hope to reupload soon.

Attached is a first render of the storm.Some parts work,others areas are a bit overdone.In this render,I have overlayd an image similarly to one I've done before with water droplets on glass.What i am trying to get here is a mood,I think I will add some leaves etc blown in the wind,but colour wise,its what I was looking for.The funny thing is,the rear right hand side is much more successful than the full image(cropped second image)(Sky is from Roger,much appreciated

A night time shot with some lights and a slight texture added.This raw render with lights was just dragged and dropped into a previous photoshop file and then all foreground elements and entourage were colour-toned to try and match the render.
Roger, that sky is exactly what I was looking for,something dramatic but with a good cloud texture.

The hardest thing is trying to get the lighting right on this.This original image was very dark but I started burning highlights in the windows and around the house in photoshop and suddenly the original image changed dramatically.

Quick and not so quick question,would any post-processing guys out there be interested in exchanging variations/adding elements over the next few months based on a raw rendered output of this building and basically creating an image that would be finally added to the forum?

All contributors would be acknowledged and maybe we could exchange different photoshop files via emails?It could be used as "a real time" tutorial on post processing, so to speak,but over days,weeks,months?
Anytime,participants would be free to upload their version,while the other participants continue.

I don't know if this would work,as I know some people don't use post processing,and looking at a few images,some don't need them,but it would be great to show different peoples approach to the final image.I would be willing to share a lot of my entourage images ,other than the ones I bought(copyright issues),but I have built up quite a lot of "drag and drop" elements that I would gladly share(see attached images)

Attached is a very quick 10 minute setup for what I want to show in the stormy night view.I think I will have to go in closer to the building and drop closer to the ground,in order to get a good dynamic view.I'm thinking about adding lightning to really make the sky dramatic.I will have to source some better windblown trees(these ones are just dropped in and warped in photoshop.)and vegetation.Ultimately I want to get a lot of movement around the house.

A few more images.The last one,the overcast image, is one I previously uploaded a while back and the landscape is closer to what actually exists.These newer images are just exercises in different lighting and vegetation.What I would really like to do is a really dark,stormy, wet,windy day and am currently attempting some test renders and trying to gather together vegetation that would be suitable i.e. windblown trees and bushes etc.

Attached are 2 more renderings.The first is a new image with some new materials and different lighting.The second is a revision of the image previously uploaded but with the overall tonal values revised as I felt the original was too blue.

I have some time over the next few days to revisit this image,in order to try and photoshop the correct lighting/tones.Because I use a lot of photoshop,I want to try and understand exactly how to fake the correct lighting for a particular scene.I use post processing a lot so attached is the original render.

Attached is an old project,recently re-rendered with maxwell and post processed in photoshop.The foreground grass needs a bit more work I think,the colour tones are not exactly right.

the final images in this series,just playing around with different presentation styles.

and the final image

Maybe a sign that I need to take a break from rendering!(The hand on the left was downlaoded from the DeviantArt website,originally drawn by Rowen Silver)

Another version of the previous image.The foreground was initially much darker but again I burnt highlights to try and match the background lighting.

a jpg of the original render.