Lighting and Rendering

[AdrianDuf]

Hello, I'm new to rendering and am having trouble getting realistic shadows and the lighting has been a bit dark. I did the tips in this video. https://www.chiefarchitect.com/videos/watch/10205/3d-rendering-tips-and-tricks.html?playlist=171 I changed the sun angle and then switched to generic sun and those properties. Tried increasing and decreasing light sources and lumens. I didn't see the "Improve Light Quality" check box that was in the "Rendering Technique Options" in the video, she used X12, maybe it isn't in X13? I'm using Interiors. Hoping to get some insight. Does anyone have tips or resources for rendering in 3ds Max? I'm wanting to bring rooms over to render eventually where it looks more realistic. I'll attach a photo with 23 passes and then the same one edited in Lightroom. 

 

[ericepv]

Adrian:

 

Without seeing your plan or knowing your system specs (Chief Version, video card), it's hard to say exactly but In my own experience, I've found that two of the most important parts of producing a nice rendering are lighting and materials.

 

My tip for lighting is to use ambient lighting sparingly (if at all) and focus instead on adding your own lighting. Experiment with sunlight settings (go easy on the intensity) and be sure to turn on shadows. Material properties are also key to creating a realistic look (check the Knowledge Base for some articles and videos on this).  

 

There's no magic setting, you just have to experiment to learn how each setting effects the look of your rendering. Like the old saying about how to get to Carnegie Hall, practice! Once you get the hang of the basics you can get a really nice rendering from Chief. Here's one I modeled and rendered in X13:

 

 

Hope this helps - Eric

[AdrianDuf]

On 2/28/2022 at 6:52 AM, ericepv said:

Adrian:

 

Without seeing your plan or knowing your system specs (Chief Version, video card), it's hard to say exactly but In my own experience, I've found that two of the most important parts of producing a nice rendering are lighting and materials.

 

My tip for lighting is to use ambient lighting sparingly (if at all) and focus instead on adding your own lighting. Experiment with sunlight settings (go easy on the intensity) and be sure to turn on shadows. Material properties are also key to creating a realistic look (check the Knowledge Base for some articles and videos on this).  

 

There's no magic setting, you just have to experiment to learn how each setting effects the look of your rendering. Like the old saying about how to get to Carnegie Hall, practice! Once you get the hang of the basics you can get a really nice rendering from Chief. Here's one I modeled and rendered in X13:

 

 

 

Hope this helps - Eric

This looks awesome, thanks for your tips. I haven't had time to play around with it more but I will soon and let you know how it goes!

[AdrianDuf]

I just wanted to follow up that my graphics card was the issue, I had an NVIDIA 1660 GTX so I was using CPU ray trace. The real time ray trace seems to come out lighter and that requires an NVIDIA RTX 270/280 or AMD Radeon RX 600 minimum specs.