Non-photorealistic Renders (NPR)

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  • ToborTobor Posts: 2,300

    3DL is often derided in comparison to Iray and Reality in various ways for being bad at realism.

    Well, it all depends on the pipeline. 3Delight is a Renderman client; the recent animated version of Adventures of Tintin used Renderman as part of the production (the beauty render, according to industry sources). Tintin was so realistic it crossed into the Uncanny Valley, and the film was controversial because of it. (However, it still made a ton of cash.)

    All (or mostly all?) of Pixar's films are Renderman-based, and their latest is up for an Academy Award. In this case, the character design doesn't tempt the beasts who live in the Uncanny Valley, but it has amazingly lighting, volumetrics, and physics.

  • crocodiliancrocodilian Posts: 82
    edited February 2016

    FWIW, my workflow has always been to render in 3D, and then convert to a painterly style in a 2D application.

    There are a few algorithms which actually make good use of 3D info, but most of the painterly effects can be achieved more quickly-- and with iterative control-- as a Photoshop action. The problem with doing the painterly process in the render is that its not interactive or iterative-- you either like what you get at the end or not.

    For Mac users, Studio Artist is particularly fun. . .

    One exotic application that was a great deal of fun, and made use of 3D information is the sorely missed Piranesi (now moribund); intended for the architectural renderings, it was a fun tool for working with characters. . .

    Attached, a very dull render of a steampunk airship, and a version with a little Photoshop tweaking, much more atmospheric; a few minutes in Photoshop, but a real bear to try to get all this as a shader.

    Steampunk airshiorigin.jpg
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    SteampunkAirship1.jpg
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    Post edited by crocodilian on
  • Tobor said:

    Well, it all depends on the pipeline. 3Delight is a Renderman client

    I'm sorry but this sounds somewhat off and potentially confusing to new readers.

    3Delight is not a "Renderman client" in any of the senses actually, it is a totally independent renderer but a "Renderman-compliant" one - which means it conforms to the RiSpec standard that concerns the integration of a renderer and a program in which scenes are set up.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RenderMan_Interface_Specification

    3Delight is also quite widely used in feature films, commercials etc, for work you'd call "photorealistic". The devs' websites hasn't yet been updated with the 2015 projects, but you may have seen the Chappie movie, and the main character was rendered in 3Delight entirely.

    http://www.3delight.com/en/index.php?page=projects

     

  • ToborTobor Posts: 2,300

    You're right, of course ... I struggled with coming up with a term and "client" was the best I could do at the time! Compliant is better. In any case, it points up that photorealistic doesn't always have to mean 100% unbiased. There are tremendous things that can be done with both biased and unbiased renderers.

  • "Unbiased" is actually a majorly misapplied term. Think Arnold: it's marketed as "unbiased", but it culls specular-to-diffuse paths a lot to avoid 'fireflies', which is a form of bias, so it's not 100% either. Among more affordable options, LuxRender has a choice of several integrators, some of which are clearly biased but better for certain cases.

    And of course "photorealism" depends on the artist much more than on the renderer. If an artist sets up materials and lights haphazardly, no unbiased algorithm will remedy that. 

  • Oso3DOso3D Posts: 15,011

    PBR/nonPBR is also not exactly like photorealism. It's possible to make non photorealistic art with Iray or Reality!

    Anyway, thanks to Mustakettu's suggestion, I tweaked lighting and got this better 3DL render:

    http://willbear.deviantart.com/art/Overgrown-Bradley2-593190563

     

    And now I wonder if my realistic 3DL stuff even should be in this thread or another thread. Um. Hmm.

     

  • PBR/nonPBR is also not exactly like photorealism. It's possible to make non photorealistic art with Iray or Reality!

    Anyway, thanks to Mustakettu's suggestion, I tweaked lighting and got this better 3DL render:

    http://willbear.deviantart.com/art/Overgrown-Bradley2-593190563

    And now I wonder if my realistic 3DL stuff even should be in this thread or another thread. Um. Hmm.

    You're welcome, and "that other thread" will do =)

    ...it gotta be hell, though, trying to bend LuxRender or Iray into NPR.

    I keep looking at the Carrara NPR modes, and they scare me...

  • BC RiceBC Rice Posts: 591
    edited February 2016

    Really fun thread. I thought I was the only one who liked to hang out in the NPR world of DAZ. haha ;)

    I've used them in most of my most recent animations --

    3:50 mark -- 

    3:10 mark -- 

    1:50 mark -- 

    And this is a test I did the other day --

    Post edited by BC Rice on
  • Oso3DOso3D Posts: 15,011

    New webcomic page:

    http://thefarshoals.webcomic.ws/comics/59/

    I'm particularly tickled by what I did with the second panel. I think it looks really neat. ;)

     

  • That is neat :)

  • tgracetgrace Posts: 48
    edited April 2016

    I just started exploring Daz... I am a writer/designer working on a graphic novel series (two issues out so far): "The Locksmith" --  http://thelocksmith.me

    I work with an amazing artist (although I'm very proactive in the design and layout) but am thinking about the next graphic novel and experimenting with Daz to see if it's up to snuff for what I'm after. 

    This is a pinup reward I did for the next kickstarter campaign for issue #3. Daz 3d + Akvis Sketch + photoshop post-processing.

    Post edited by Chohole on
  • Mustakettu85Mustakettu85 Posts: 2,933
    tgrace said:
     

    This is a pinup reward I did for the next kickstarter campaign for issue #3. Daz 3d + Akvis Sketch + photoshop post-processing.

     

    Beautiful work. This is the meaning of "pinup" that I fully support =)

  • tgracetgrace Posts: 48

    This is a very quick pose of the same character as a proof of concept and more experimentation with process for another 'pinup' -- Daz + Google sketch up + Akvis + Photoshop. I'm really seeing some possibilities here. 

  • algovincianalgovincian Posts: 2,613
    tgrace said:

    This is a very quick pose of the same character as a proof of concept and more experimentation with process for another 'pinup' -- Daz + Google sketch up + Akvis + Photoshop. I'm really seeing some possibilities here. 

    Looks fantastic, tgrace! I do love me some NPR . . . keep 'em coming!

    - Greg

  • KnittingmommyKnittingmommy Posts: 8,191

    I don't usually do the whole NPR thing.  However, I've really enjoyed keeping track of the images in this thread.  You guys all do an amazing job.  I've actually been thinking of trying my hand at it sometime soon.  I love the images that look like sketches the most, I think!  I do have some NPR type shaders that I've gotten for DS and I have FF.  Just wondering if anyone has recommendations for favorite filters either available to GIMP or FF for NPR images?  I don't have Photoshop, but I think I can use some PS filters inside GIMP, just a matter of if they work with the PS plugin for GIMP or not.

  • Artifaction is a good one : https://www.filterforge.com/filters/9049.html

    You can see how I used it here : http://widdershinsstudio.uk/the-lost-bride/

  • ChoholeChohole Posts: 33,604
    edited April 2016

    and now for something cvompletely different.  
    This was done within Bryce,  no plug in or anything
    http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/1063416/#Comment_1063416

    Not mine I might add, which is why I have linked to the forum post that Horo made.

    He has made a PDF  explaining the process.

     

    Post edited by Chohole on
  • tgracetgrace Posts: 48
    edited April 2016

    This is just about ready for some coloring.

    Post edited by tgrace on
  • Hi :)

    Very nice - what did you use to get the sketchiness if you don't mind me asking ?

  • SammagiSammagi Posts: 137

    Whoah, thats awesome!!!
     

  • Oso3DOso3D Posts: 15,011

    For some strange reason the idea lodged in my brain to take another stab at anime-style stuff. Which is weird, since I'm not a huge anime buff.

    http://willbear.deviantart.com/gallery/58535802/Anime

    The last image (which is the first of this series) was done with core content (and PWToon).

    After that, picked up Anime Eyes and Legacy shapes to get Hiro 4 and Aiko 4 (though I'm not 100% sure either is necessary)

     

  • KA1KA1 Posts: 1,012

    I've made my way back to 3Delight to try my hand at some Anime/Manga/Comic renders, I was happier with my second attempt more so than my first so that's the one I'm sharing here:

  • SammagiSammagi Posts: 137

    I like it!

  • tgracetgrace Posts: 48

    Hi :)

    Very nice - what did you use to get the sketchiness if you don't mind me asking ?

    It was the Akvis Sketch photoshop plugin. 

  • tgracetgrace Posts: 48

    Here's two more tests I'm doing. Combination Filter Forge and Akvis photoshop plugins and a lot of photoshop post-processing.

     

  • KnittingmommyKnittingmommy Posts: 8,191

    So, I mostly lurk here.  I don't usually do anything NPR.  Most people who know me, know I prefer doing realistic stuff in Iray.  I love what you guys have been doing in here, though, and I got inspired to give it a try.  I did some experimenting with an image I made yesterday with the specific intention of starting out NPR.  It helped that I got a new item that went perfectly with the idea I had for a render.  Anyway, I tried a several different approaches to creating the effect I was looking for from ToonyCam to PWToon to several FilterForge filters.  I put all of the better ones up on my thread in the Art Studio, but I thought I would share the final image I put up in my gallery last night.  I really like how it turned out.  This one ended up being one of the ones that came out of a FilterForge filter called Comic Stylize.  It was similar to what the ToonyCam and the PWToon did, but there were some subtle differences that I like about this one.  The others are in my thread if anyone wants to see them, but I think this is the best version of what I came up with.  So, thanks for inspiring me.

  • 3Diva3Diva Posts: 11,527

    Wow! These are really cool! I definitely have to learn how to do this! :D

  • WonderlandWonderland Posts: 6,881

    Hi, I just stumbled on this thread and I've been doing comic style art for a while now, but all in post in Photoshop. I'm also working on a comic book concept but now actually thinking of doing it realistically with Iray... Can't decide which way to go! I'm trying to recreate my main characters that were V4 into G3's... I already have a few pages done that were more comic book looking, but I was thinking of using those as flashbacks. I've been doing the more stylized comic books style art for years, trying to make my renders look LESS realistic and am now finally experimenting with realism! At a recent comic book convention where I was selling my art, I asked a bunch of people if they would accept a realistic looking comic and they all said yes, but comic book publishers are against it, saying there's an "Uncanny Valley," (google it LOL.) Anyway, I'm still on the fence and interested to hear about new shaders and rendering techniques because I'm getting kind of burned out on my usual techniques... I did just purchase 2 toon shaders that I'm looking forward to trying out to see if they'll fit with my concept...

  • algovincianalgovincian Posts: 2,613

    Hi, I just stumbled on this thread and I've been doing comic style art for a while now, but all in post in Photoshop. I'm also working on a comic book concept but now actually thinking of doing it realistically with Iray... Can't decide which way to go! I'm trying to recreate my main characters that were V4 into G3's... I already have a few pages done that were more comic book looking, but I was thinking of using those as flashbacks. I've been doing the more stylized comic books style art for years, trying to make my renders look LESS realistic and am now finally experimenting with realism! At a recent comic book convention where I was selling my art, I asked a bunch of people if they would accept a realistic looking comic and they all said yes, but comic book publishers are against it, saying there's an "Uncanny Valley," (google it LOL.) Anyway, I'm still on the fence and interested to hear about new shaders and rendering techniques because I'm getting kind of burned out on my usual techniques... I did just purchase 2 toon shaders that I'm looking forward to trying out to see if they'll fit with my concept...

    Glad you stumbled on the thread and decided to chime in! Would love to see any of your current work if you can show it (or any of your past work for that matter).

    - Greg

  • WonderlandWonderland Posts: 6,881
    edited May 2016

    Hi Greg, 

    You can check out my gallery here to compare the more recent Reality and Iray renders with some of my older stuff on the bottom. Also you can check out my links in my signature... Daz gallery: http://www.daz3d.com/gallery/users/43257 But here are two quick comparisons of recent portrait reality vs my previous stylized look...

     

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    Post edited by Wonderland on
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