Beautiful work. My only comment would be the building is a bit unrealistic with the large sheets of glass. Those would need to be broken up into smaller chunks. That is the only thing holding this render back from being very realistic in my opinion.

Nice lighting and materials now that the pink trees are gone.

Scott

@unknownuser said:

Wow, Lewis, "likely-frauds", "drudge-serf", that is cynical - but real. I appreciate your candor, it's exactly what I was looking for (whether good or bad). You present two paths, professional and academic - neither is appealing from what you describe.

http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/funny-pictures-your-cats-evil-plan-is-working.jpg

Actually, I really don't intend evil. Keep in mind my little preamble about my talk with Tom Kundig, earlier in the thread. After all, he doesn't seem so bitter and cynical now. I'd like to hope I won't be this bitter in twenty years, but then I took a different route than Tom at a later point in my life...none of us really tread the same path.

(Incidentally, Tom really is a great architect, whatever the quality of his advice to me. He deserves every prize he has received...in fact, he got another one since we started this thread.)

Hi Nick,

This is indees a nice render, but like remus already have pointed out, the lightning could use some "love"... 😉

I suggest that you try converting the spotlights to IES lights... 😄
If you don't know the process for this, please check out the Converting spot to IES lights thread...
The process may seem a bit intricate, but once you've tried it a couple of times, it's really not that difficult... 😉

The lights in the bathroom scenes I've rendered in the rendered bathrooms thread are all IES lights... 😉

That came out really nice, Nick..!! 👍
But the render time... 😲
Have you tried with another preder preset..?? One of the PM settings..?? 😕

Thanks for the tips and encouraging words, everyone. 😄

Here's the "final" version. Changed since last posting: some colors & textures, tweaked tile color/position/bump map, softened shadow, ceiling fan, light switches, outlets, tone mapping.

I experimented with HDR on this - output 5 Gamma tonemap exposure steps (1.00, 2.00, ...), merged them in PS, then Shadow/Highlight adjusted. I liked this version better than the product of my previous process (HSV or Linear tonemapping, PS Shadow/Highlight adjustment). It produced a more realistic image; though highlights are more overexposed than with just Shadow/Highlight adjustment, it appeared more like a real photograph for that very reason.

KT MLT 62h - tonemap exposure series - HDR PS - PS PP

Sorry for your unfortunate accident Nick.

My mother used to work on Redstone Arsenal here in Huntsville, AL. She was coming home one night and hit a deer. Totaled the car. After the MP made sure she was alright he asked her if she wanted the deer. She declined and the MP had one of his buddies with a truck on site before the tow truck made it there.

Nick...this has that feel of smudgey fingertips and satisfied grins: I like it a lot!

where it's at right now...

still holding off on post-processing - waiting on info to finish up details, revisions, etc.

larger version here: KitchenNWpspsm

larger version here: KitchenSWpspsm
KitchenNWpspsm[1].jpg
KitchenSWpspsm[1].jpg

Thanks for the comments and suggestions. Here's another go at the wc-ish style.

Strip-Mall-v8-out-wc-800.jpg

Dylan, James, thanks - that's exactly what I was looking for.

Kris, thanks for your tips and encouraging words.

Btw, I found the thread I was thinking of - it was Canoek who had posted a watercolor process. I think I'll give that a shot sometime soon - I like the look. Here's the thread: http://www.sketchucation.com/forums/scf/viewtopic.php?f=125&t=5624

Oops, somehow I missed the updates on this. Great work!

One thing I would tweak - put a soft blur on the tree line across the lake. Not a lot, but some. If you take a look at the fidelity of the detail on the rooftop and check it with the tree line, you'll see what I'm talking about. It looks like the background is more in focus than the house.

Looking good! When do I get to move in?

@nick w said:

Edson, here's a crazy connection for you. My good friend who will be managing this coffee shop is dating a girl from Sao Paulo who will be spending a year at a university in Porto Alegre. I haven't yet found out which university, but she will be in your city and maybe even in your neighborhood.

yes, nick, it is crazy. it would be even crazier if she came to study where i teach and became my student!

tell her to look me up if she needs some pointers (phone numbers at my site).

cheers and good luck with this job.

http://3dpaintbrush.geometricglobal.com/ has a small image and some data - "the first email-enabled visualization and communication tool that dramatically eases sharing of product design information."

later edit: it is the same text from http://edrawings.geometricglobal.com/ 😳

@unknownuser said:

Nick W wrote:
Kim, thanks for tips and for the encouragement.

You're very welcome.. 😄

@unknownuser said:

Nick W wrote:
I'm new at this, so any tidbits of basic information would be very helpful.

Well - I'm also learning new things regarding render techniques every day...
At the KT Forum, you can find many useful tips and tricks... And if you can't find an immediate answer to your question, you can post one and the users there will always try helping you...

@unknownuser said:

Nick W wrote:
I just used a standard glass material for the water (as you said in your tutorial), but didn't apply a bump map because I made the model itself bumpy. Does this answer your question?

First of all, I assume you're mixing me up with Fade..!? Rolling Eyes Wink
I've made the Getting Started tutorial, but not the water/pool video tutorials...
Any way - a glass material will be the right choice...

@unknownuser said:

Nick W wrote:
I have generally been using the Photonmap - Quick render setting, as anything with caustics or AA seems to take multiple hours to render. Is that normal or could it be on account of the many lights and large model?

Multiple hours is normal, especially given the information that you have used many lights (point-, spot- and mesh- lights)...
Also the choice of materials can increase the render time significantly, but it's something you'll learn along the way...

In my opinion, you should only use the Quick render preset for tests... When you're happy with the materials etc., change to a higher preset and let it run during the night, while you're asleep...
For a scene like this, I would use the MLT preset...
It will take several hours to clear up, but you don't need to let it run for all 10,000 passes. At around 200 passes I'm sure it will be very clear, and remaining noise can get removed by using a program like NeatImage...

@unknownuser said:

Nick W wrote:
I had amended the Global Illumination settings as you described in your tutorial, but I gather now that it doesn't matter if you don't use a render setting with caustics... I am gaining understanding every day!

You're absolutely right...
If you have done everything Fade has described in his video-tutorial, it's the render preset that will do the trick for you...

Cheers
Kim Frederik

Hey, Nick W, aren't you going to have desert? 😄

poster-Invader ZIM

I was recognized as an able artist at a very early age in public school. In grade 7 I had an art teacher take me under his wing and he taught me oil painting after school. I was also a very able student and mathematics, though boring, came very easily to me. I actually dropped math after grade 11 (when we had 13 grades in high school, not 12 as elsewhere)
My mother wanted me to be an artist. My father wanted me to be a lawyer. I wanted to be a ballerina. I knew that I wasn't a huge talent as an artist, more a technician actually. I new graphic arts was an option but in my mind that meant doing lettering and product package design for the rest of your life and I would only be happy doing ART with a capital "A". Because we had no money, I started dance very late. I was 15. I was a dance major when I entered University thinking I could be a choreographer. After a year, I could see I would be lucky if I ended up being a secretary. I was taking correspondence courses in commercial art at the same time. I had frightened myself by being impractical and I was afraid that I would disappoint my parents so I decided to enter business school. I had to pick up calculus,stats and economics. In the end I got both an undergraduate degree in business and an MBA. I kept trying to mix it with art by taking Marketing/Advertising courses and Arts Administration courses. It was not to be and I worked at Proctor & Gamble, several large Insurance Companies, at my parent's business. I realized I actually loved things mathematical and when personal computers came out I fell in love with computers and programming. I worked briefly as a Cobal programmer. I was taking a course in classsical painting and drawing when I met an Architectural Illustrator. His work sounded very enticing and he made it seem as though he was earning a nice living. I chucked my job determined to marry math, computers, art and still make a decent living. The timing was wrong. Architetural Illustration as a career for a watercolorist was on the wane, I was no youngster and not prepared to get paid nothing and nothing is what people want to pay you in that profession. I didn't want to throw in the towel after the investment in time in learning Sketchup and Piranesi and whatever else I had taught myself. Many of my illustrations had been hybrid, usind SketchUp, Piranesi and hand painted entourage which had been scanned and digitally cut out. Brian Woodward of Informatix, suggested that I should package my entourage and sell it. I would be the only one on the market selling real NPR entourage. It has been a tough "gig", and I am again in a position where the administration of the business is so overwhelming that I don't get to paint. I have contract workers in third world countries painting to my directions. I have recently added SketchUp training to the roster, being an ATC for Canada and I plan to do some Piranesi & NPR rendering courses as well. I just really want to paint though. Play with SketchUp and paint.

Thanks mirjman, I was wondering what it did.

how 'bout that. it's right there. just one little folder away. 😄

thanks Gai

Aidan Chopra's videos own all:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=-sQ-7dt95yw

Ive been watching alot of them lately.