How to improve rendering level

jin62352

Hi everyone, I have been using Daz for over a year.

But recently I feel that my rendering level seems to be declining, especially after watching too many talented 3D artists on X. The characters, light and shadow in their works are always so real. I don’t know where the difference is, whether it’s the texture, the lighting method, or the difference between Iray and Cycles.
For the characters, I will use some PBR textures from the Daz store, and the light and shadow are also HDRI or some classic lighting methods. Later, it will be processed through PS or LR. But the result is still unsatisfactory, the characters look fake.

I hope you can give me some suggestions!

Mod edit: removed formatting to be readable.

SofaCitizen

Like a lot of things, the best way to improve will be: practice, practice & practice. Also, I would say that unless you came to Daz with a whole lot of transferable skills then you should take care not to compare yourself to other artists. Many of those could have 5, 10 or even 20 years experience over you and so the comparison is not fair to yourself - much better to compare your new renders with your own older ones to see the progress you are making.

As you have mentioned, lighting is very important and if you are focussing on portrait-style renders then there are several products in the store offering default setups to get you started. Alternatively, you can watch some YouTube videos on lighting for Photography since there is quite a bit of overlap with 3D rendering there.

There is another thread in the forum where people are discussing realistic renders which may have some more info.

Richard Haseltine

You might want to post some examples of your work (asuming they are ToS compliant).

TheKD

SofaCitizen said:

Alternatively, you can watch some YouTube videos on lighting for Photography since there is quite a bit of overlap with 3D rendering there.

This hear is one of the master keys to unlock hidden rendering potential lol. Seriously, learning about different kinds of classical and cinematic lighting schemes that can be used to set moods.

Another thing to keep in mind, a lot of finished works you see on X or wherever, may not be raw renders. They probably have been postworked in photoshop etc in some way, even if it is just something simple like levels adjustments and such. Some people do a lot more postworking than others.

Masterstroke

My to do list for most possible realistic characters in a most realistic scene:
-Pose your characters right. Limbs have gravity. This is important for your figures' collar bones. Collar bones should always move with arms' bendings. For my character I've the collar bone controlled by the shoulder bone.
-Use the best and convincing hires shaders for your project.
-Don't use to many lights. there seem to be some inaccuracies with the lights, that add up the more you use. Use HDRI for environment lights and only one more key light, when possible.
-Be picky with hairs. We're not there yet, at really convincing hair. Go for OOT, Chevybaby or Lindley hair, and even there you have to choose carefully.
-Camera position is crucial. People will tell you about the rule of three and then they' break that rule. Truth is, you'll have to figure it out yourself by trial and error. Some camera positions will give you that endorphine gut punch.
THIS is, where you hit the render button.
Hope, that helped :-)