Space Design

10 Tips For a Photorealistic Render

April 20, 2018

Making a render photorealistic is every 3D artist’s ultimate goal. In every rendering process good lighting and materials are essential.
Here are 10 simple tips for creating photo realistic renders.

Begin with choosing a scene or inspiration and build the scene with the relevant models. The first step is to define your focal point – focal point means the function of the render – what function are you trying to show? In our example we are trying to show the function of the bay window as a potential reading and coffee drinking space, a time for reflection, respite, or to get lost in thought – so the objective of the render must clearly be defined from a functional standpoint.

Furthermore, you should spend time modelling objects carefully to achieve a realistic form, otherwise you will end up having an object that looks more like a toy.

1. Materials and Maps

Material properties are very important in photorealistic rendering. Playing around with Reflection, Glossiness and Specularity of materials such as metal, wood or glass can make your render very realistic.

Make sure your textures are perfectly mapped and use reflection, bump and specular maps for the respective objects. For example, giving a bump, reflection and adding a specular map will create realistic properties for the wooden objects in your render.

2. Lighting

Always Use a 3-Point Light System – Key light, Fill light and Back light

Key Light – This is the main light. It is usually the strongest and has the most influence on the look of the scene.
Fill Light – This is the secondary light and is placed on the opposite side of the key light. It is used to fill the shadows created by the key.
Back Light – The back light is placed behind the subject and lights it from the rear, rather than providing direct lighting (like the Key and Fill).
The above image shows only lighting elements activated.

3. Run Test Renderings at Low Quality to Save Time

High quality rendering will slow down your rendering time. So for testing purposes always opt for low quality rendering, until you get the required perfection in your render.

Don’t put all the lights in the scene on at one time; carefully add them one by one, depending on your scene. Set your render engine to a low resolution to give you a snapshot of the final output.

4. Use X-Ref

While working with huge scenes, divide the scene into different areas and save them individually in a different 3ds Max file to work on easily. Then bring them into a single file to render them all together at the end.
Working on X-Ref objects before bringing them into your main scene helps avoid losing render performance when the scene has lots of geometry. This saves a lot of time!

5. Use HDRI Maps

To create a realistic environment I use HDRI maps. This gives realistic material properties like reflection, refraction, specularity and light to your render. Once you select the HDRI map that best suits the scene, use it as your V-Ray environment map along with a V-Ray dome light for best practice.

In the image above, you can see how applying a realistic background, puts the scene in a realistic context by using HDRI maps.

6. Subdivision Value

Realism comes with soft shadows. Use good subdivision values for every light in the scene to create smooth shadows. You can find the subdivision value for lights, materials and GI in the settings. Typically, 32 is the average subdivision value that works best with lighting and global illumination.

7. Use Denoiser

Denoiser can save a lot of rendering time. It reduces the noise in the render and helps smooth light and shadows. It brings realism in the render, because noise makes the render unrealistic.

It is really useful in closed room rendering, because you will find more noise in closed or dark interior rendering. Denoiser is a very powerful tool to reduce noise and creates a clean, smooth shadows in the render.

8. Use Depth of Field

Depth of Field creates a fantastic camera effect. It allows you to create a focal point in your shot, called the Focal Plane. This enables a blurring effect on everything outside the Focal Plane, creating an image that looks photorealistic as seen above.

9. Use Vray Frame Buffer – (VFB)

Vray Frame Buffer has very powerful features in it such as Rendering History, Colour Correction and Lense Effect, to name a few.

Rendering History, for instance, allows you to compare the current render with previous render to observe the changes you have made. This would include things like lighting, GI, Camera etc.
Colour Correction allows for small tweaking to enhance the realism in the render.
Lense Effect creates different opportunities to showcase your render.

10. Post-Production in Photoshop

Post-Production is a very powerful tool to change the whole look and feel of the Render. It’s completely up to you to use it within the scene. For example, adding the Motion Blur and Lense Flare effects for dramatic feel, using Blending modes for texture, adding Smoke and Fire etc.

Certain things are either very difficult or very time consuming to pull off in 3Ds max. Adding these effects does them in a jiffy and can go a long way toward bringing an image to life.

Althaf Khan
3D Visualiser

Space Design

How To Manifest Peace: In and Around You

By admin on

April 17, 2018

- Space Design

Your home is your cocoon, more so on cacophonic days when the chaos and noise just won’t cease. In today’s context of the way our world and people operate, peace of mind is highly sought after, yet seems to elude us most of the time.

So how do you get there…or at least halfway?

Your home is your true identity and completely yours to control. So, what better way than to let your home provide you the peace and solace that you require? We have understood your intrinsic desire to attain peace and bring you seven Japanese Design Principles that are deeply embedded in Zen Philosophy.
These principles have not only inspired the magnificent traditional Japanese gardens but have also encouraged the desire for holistic and better living. The beauty and tranquillity of such spaces leave you feeling calm, connected, and complete.

Sounds tempting?

Well, we have summarised these seven principles into ideas that you could easily incorporate into your home to create a clean and harmonious flow of energy.

Idea 1: Imagine Your Space as an Extension of Your Mind

A heavily cluttered space leads to a burdened and unclear mind. Are you overwhelmed and zapped of energy every time you open your cluttered garage or storage room?
Perhaps a bit of Kanso – or decluttering – can help you put the space to a more purposeful use. Here’s a simple method to give you a jump-start. Make a list of all your things and categorise them into 4 actionable tasks:

A) Need to Keep: All things you cannot ‘survive’ without
B) Want to Keep: All things you cannot ‘live’ without
C) To Give: Things that can add value to another
D) To Throw: Things that need to go

REMEMBER: The decision to declutter may be difficult as it’s tough to part with things. This little list trick simply helps us organise the road to success.
Living in a clutter free space, allows for a clutter free mind that can focus on what matters most.

Idea 2: Embrace Irregularities and Imperfections

We often get caught up in chasing the idea of perfection – the perfect job, clothes, body and home. We want to live up to a notion of what is “ideal”. Not to say we must not strive for improvement, but sometimes things are right just the way they are.

Fukensei encourages acceptance – finding joy in the little imperfections. It highlights uniqueness and drives an emotional experience. So, why not extend this to the décor of your home?

Instead of polishing and refurbishing that old armchair you just inherited from your grandmother, why not leave it as it is – reminiscent of her life? Or repurpose a discarded piece of wood into a storage box or small tabletop. It’s a way of paying homage to beauty as it occurs in our naturally imperfect world.

Idea 3: Practice Restraint Without Compromising on Functionality

In today’s world, extravagance and excessiveness is often considered a sign that you have arrived. The principle of Shibui however suggests that a design that delivers its intended function in a quiet, unobtrusive manner need not be decorated in order to make it attractive. Admiring the design for how well it serves a function, by leaving it as it is, is its true appreciation. It alludes to a refined taste and an understanding of good design. It encourages minimalism, by keeping the focus on what is important.

Keeping this idea in mind, try to incorporate designs that are clean, functional and practical. This enhances focus and alludes to sophistication rather than pretentiousness. For example, if you have a living room with a fabulous view, don’t take away from its panoramic beauty by adorning windows with heavy curtains or walls with distracting paintings.

Idea 4: Strike a Balance Between Natural and Intentional Elements

Living in or close to nature could extend your life. Greenery has been known to have a calming effect and keep your mind focused. Coupled with this are physical benefits such as cleaner air.

The principle of Shizen refers to design that takes cognizance of nature and adapts to it, but always keeps the function of the design in mind. It is possible for you to infuse some of the positive benefits of nature into your home, even if you live in a small apartment. Here are some ways to do just that:

– Introduce potted plants around the house. Even a single plant on your work desk or bathroom sink can bring in a little bit of nature’s positivity.
– Cultivate a micro herb garden on your kitchen windowsill. You’ll be able to use freshly plucked herbs in all your cooking.
– Improve your productivity and enjoy the benefits associated with the natural light of the sun by placing your work desk where it gets maximum sunshine.

Idea 5: Don’t Fear Ambiguity; Invite Discovery

Yugen suggests that when we define something completely – for example, if we say that a dining table can be used only for eating – it leads to stagnation and loss of imagination.

Including elements in your décor that could be open to interpretation unlocks possibilities and encourages imagination. It could be as simple as a painting that provokes thought; or a bar stool made out of a tree stump that could find alternative uses – a side table perhaps. A dining table that has an easy to clean surface, like a granite top, could be used for diverse activities – from art projects to rolling dough. This principle finds particular use in small spaces.

Idea 6: Break Patterns; Encourage Unpredictability

Do you often feel like a hamster on a wheel? Doing the same thing day after day after day, in a monotonous ‘need to do’ cycle?

Datsuzoku encourages moving away from routine and towards surprise and amazement. By bringing this principle into the design of your home’s interiors, you can create spaces – little respites – that allow your mind a break from your otherwise clockwork existence.

Most of us have at least one room or space in our home that we believe is uninteresting, but exists to serve a specific purpose – a small, poorly lit and unengaging guest washroom for example. Bringing in the element of surprise, such as by adding a thought-provoking and strategically lit painting, photo, framed quote or interesting patterned wallpaper can transform the energy of the space.

Idea 7: Find Serenity in the Midst of Disturbance

The world we live in today is hectic, demanding and distracting. Amidst all that distress, what you really need is peace and contemplation. But often we don’t take a “time-out”, leaving us vulnerable to burnout and exposing ourselves to a variety of health problems – a result of our human tendency to procrastinate, delay, and take things for granted.

Seijaku refers to incorporating elements that bring about a feeling of calm and stillness, even in the midst of chaos. So, to avoid the usual “it’s never too late”, fix things today, and create at least one space in your home that is conducive to relaxation, meditation and rejuvenation.
Pick a room in your home – your bedroom or bathroom are good choices – and make it your sanctuary. Think about how you can eliminate disturbances – remove clutter, make it a gadget-free space and include décor elements that help you feel calm.

Zen principles allude to the importance of nurturing your soul rather than materialism. These seven ideas each tie in with nourishing a vital part of your soul and bringing balance and harmony to it.

Manifesting peace might be easier than you think and even a few small changes can make a world of difference.

Which one will you start with?

Space Design

Art Beyond The Skill by Dominic Dubé

By admin on

April 10, 2018

- Space Design

Architecture is unusual among the arts in that it is required to be professional, and arguably alone among the professions in that it is expected to be in some measure artistic. The careers of all serious architects must at some point grapple with this duality.
To completely abandon the creative spirit is to become simply a builder – performing a valuable service, no doubt, but not creating architecture. On the other hand, when the creative architect renounces the demands of the profession – that the building be on time, on budget, keep the rain out and not fall down – that architect gives up all opportunity to actually practice the art they seek to pursue. So some sort of balance or synthesis between the two poles is necessary; the exact nature of that process can give us a deep insight into the path chosen by a given architect.

STRIKING A BALANCE

For me, the equation has become quite interesting. Certainly my practice must and does fulfil all the professional demands outlined above; but it is the art beyond the skill that continues to draw me further in each project. While my work has stylistically been compared to architects that practice elegant and graceful modernism, such as Mies van der Rohe, Tadao Ando and SANAA, I see myself more in alignment with Le Corbusier. This is not merely because I integrate Corbusier’s “Modulor” proportional system, or even because of my past employment under B.V. Doshi, himself a product of Corbusier’s office and one of the finest modern architects in India, but rather because I see myself in alignment with his way of working – that of balancing the art and the skill. Le Corbusier famously divided his working day in half: in the afternoon, he did architecture, and in the morning, he would paint. While I do not keep to so strict a regimen, I do remain an active painter. This practice helps nurture the creative aspect of my professional skill and I feel that the development of a painter’s instincts gets reflected in my work.

METHOD BEFORE MATTER

The word painterly, in architectural discourse, typically follows from Heinrich Wölfflin’s use, which refers to a swirling Baroque sensibility, in which form is suggested through light and shade rather than through drawn outlines.
But here we are interested, again, not in the content of the work but in the way in which it is produced. The painter is faced with a blank canvas, and then with a single stroke of the brush makes an intervention that transforms the empty field: suddenly there are up and down, inside and out, light and dark. With a second stroke, we now have the field plus two figures in dialogue with each other, and so on.
The painter must proceed from instincts but also evaluate the canvas as it takes shape; know when the elements are correctly balanced (or provocatively imbalanced), and perhaps most importantly, know when to step away and declare the work finished.

Dominic Dubé
Principal, Space

Space Design

Minimalist Interior Design In The Indian Context

By admin on

April 2, 2018

- Space Design

What is Minimalism?

More than a design ‘style’ from a visual point of view, minimalism is a principle – that of removing all unnecessary decor or features from an object and leaving only those that serve the purpose of the object. By doing so, the object is left in its pure form to deliver, without hindrance, that which it was created for in the first place.

To quote Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, “Less is More”.

Whether it be living a minimalist lifestyle or designing an easy-to-use website, minimalism is always about removing what is unnecessary and keeping what is essential. This allows for a clearer focus on what matters most.

What Colours Are Usually Used in Minimalist Interiors?

When it comes to minimalist interior design, a muted colour palette – most commonly black, white and grey – is usually incorporated, to emphasise the clean lines, give the feeling of space and keep the look modern and natural, omitting bright colours that can distract.

Such thinking would be hard pressed to find a spot in India, where we are known for our loud colours, ornate decor and intricate patterns.

But what if there were a middle ground? One that understands that the Indian market is ready to adopt the new and the modern, but perhaps not quite ready to let go of the warmth that we are accustomed to in our homes, and indeed, our way of life.

How Can Minimalist Interior Design Find a Place in India?

Zeitgeist’s design strategy when it comes to finding that sweet spot has been to use a Greige palette while incorporating modern minimalist interior design into various spaces, ranging from hotel lobbies to private homes.

Greige, which is basically a mix of the colours grey and beige, offers in its spectrum a variety of colours that are neutral enough to stay minimalist, yet have the warmth that appeals to the Indian consumer’s sensitivities.

With this strategy textiles and patterns can still be incorporated, as can an array of beautiful natural materials like various natural stones and fabric that India is so well known for.

In this sectional snapshot of a kitchen that was designed by Zeitgeist, we have incorporated clean lines and a greige palette, but have introduced copper fittings and accessories to retain an Indian feel.

In this laid back minimalist living room, we have incorporated a greige palette into the patterned decor elements and material like jute, keeping the room Indian, yet modern.

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