January 2016 - 3drenders.co.uk

How to Increase the Level of Photo-realism in Your Renders

A growing number of businesses are now eschewing traditional photography in favour of photorealistic renders, which deliver a number of logistic and cost advantages in the modern age.

Not everything that shines is always golden, however, and leveraging rendering technology to drive your advertising campaigns is no exception to this rule. It is crucial that you have both the knowledge and technical proficiency to execute photorealistic and high quality renders, for example, otherwise you will undermine your marketing efforts and potentially confuse your product proposition.

So, what practical steps can you take to enhance the quality of your images and the level of photorealism that exists in each individual render? Here are three to help you on your way!

Use Bevelling to Refine the Finer Details of Your Imagery

If you are going to follow the path of photorealism, you need to ensure that you pay attention to the finer details of your imagery. After all, it is these small and seemingly insignificant elements that will determine the quality of your images and the impact that they have on consumers.

In this respect, bevelling is an important technique that smooths edges and replicates the roundness that often exists where two opposing surfaces meet. It therefore plays a crucial role in bringing out detail, while creating authentic imagery that can effectively drive a relatable marketing proposition.

Utilise IES Light Profiles for Photometric Lighting

Architectural visualisation remains a key application for photorealistic renders, which places a huge focus on the replication of accurate light sources and shades. While we are expecting considerable developments in the field of photorealistic lighting in the years to come, however, for now 3D artists are using IES light profiles to bring their renders to life.

These files provide an accessible solution that strive to replicate real-world light sources, while they include photometric data concerning shape, shades and luminance. As a result of this, they have become a core feature of most rendering software packages, so understanding their function and knowing how to use them is critical if you are achieve your visual objectives.

Be sure to check that you have access to IES light profiles, however, as they are not a standard feature across all software providers.

Apply Depth of Field While Using Your Primary App

Let’s face facts; the chances are that you are using depth of field to isolate the focal point of your image and enhance the composition of the render. While this is crucial to the creation of a photorealistic render, however, applying depth of field in post (using an application such as Photoshop) causes you to lose some control over the type of effect that you are looking to produce.

So why do render artists apply depth of field in post? The truth is that this is a far quicker process, while it places less of a strain on business servers and allows brands to comply with tighter deadlines. The pursuit of quantity should never come at the expense of quality, however, particularly when you have invested in high-end software to generate photorealistic images.

With this in mind, you are far better served by applying depth of field while using your primary rendering software (where possible) and retaining full control of how your focal point interacts with its surrounding environment.

If you are new to the field of photorealistic renders but would like to know more about how such images can help your business, contact one of the 3drenders.co.uk team today to find out more!

Will We Ever See Photorealism in Computer Games?

0 Comments/in Uncategorized/by Jez EMIN

A quick glance at the image below is all that it takes to confirm just how far computer graphics have come during the last few years. This shot captures a high resolution, 4K screenshot of Watch Dogs’ protagonist Aiden Pearce, while presenting incredible levels of details and the type of facial clarity that is now standard among console games.

Despite this and the incredible levels of power boasted by today’s multi-core processors, video games have yet to capture the true majesty of photorealistic graphics. Even if we take the aforementioned Watch Dogs title and highly-evolved games such as Far Cry 4 into consideration, there remain motion and facial discrepancies which create a clear distinction between computer graphics and real-world imagery.

The Challenging Facing Gaming Developers

This gap is something that even modern technology can bridge at present, as game developers are still faced with considerable restrictions in the virtual world. After all, games strive to create premises that are simulated and largely based in fantasy, while they must also achieve this within a stipulated budget. This makes it prohibitive to showcase the actual impact of an explosion, for example, or evolve graphics in real-time to suit a specific narrative or reflect the way in which characters interact with their surrounding environment.

While we have seen significant movements towards the creation of interactive and real-time gaming environments in titles like Red Faction, however, there are still limitations and in-built controls that prevent graphics from achieving true realism. This will evolve further in time, of course, but for now it represents a clear challenge that developers must overcome to create real-time and photo-realistic gaming experiences.

There are other challenges too, some of which make it entirely impossible for today’s catalogue of games to capture the essence of photorealism. One of the most serious pertains to lighting, which creates issues both in terms of simulating authentic environments (and light sources) and replicating the way in which the human eye interacts with artificial illumination and sunlight. While modern games perfectly simulate some realistic light sources and the nature of interaction between rays and physical interaction, however, developers are still looking to develop graphics that can mirror the internal reflections that take place in the human eye.

The Last Word: Why Photo-realism in Gaming Remains Years Away

In some respects, these challenges represent the final frontier for developers who aim to create photorealistic gaming experiences. Once overcome, we will see concepts such as global illumination and real-time environment shifts become commonplace in games, while systems will be developed to replicate the various ways in which eyes interact with light. This will add an incredible dimension to the typical gaming experience, as players will able to emotionally connect with characters that have suddenly (and authentically) been humanised.

We must also take heart from the advancements that have been made of the last decade, which means that it is more a case of if, not when, photorealistic gaming will become a reality.

On the downside, such technological advances may still be years away, particularly when you consider that we are still not even close to accurately replicating rendered human eyes and skin. So while photorealism may now be at the point where developers can capture still, three-dimensional images, the technology must be developed further if it is to be applied to real-time rendering processes and animation.

Do you want to learn more about photorealism, 3D rendering or animation? If so, why not reach out to our talented team at 3drenders.co.uk who will be more than happy to answer your queries?

The Role of 3d Renders in Advertising and Marketing

0 Comments/in Advertising, Marketing/by Jez EMIN

Marketing is a continually changing practice, and one that is increasingly reliant on visualisation. In fact, studies suggest that 37% of marketers now cite visual content as the second most important communication vehicle for their business, second only to the diverse and rewarding practice of blogging.

While visual content has become increasingly important to marketers, however, the way in which imagery is produced has also evolved significantly over time. More specifically, brands are now far more inclined to create photorealistic, three-dimensional renders that showcase their products in the best possible light, rather than relying on staged photography and time-consuming retouching processes.

With this in mind, it is worth appraising the role of 3D renders in the marketing and advertising space, while considering the advantages that they offer over traditional photos.

What is the Role of 3D Renders in the Marketing World?

In simple terms, the role of three-dimensional renders is to showcase products and their unique features in a visually striking manner, while also eliminating fundamental marketing channels such as language barriers. This is particularly true for brands who are attempting to reach new and globally diverse markets, as photorealistic imagery makes an instant statement that can simultaneously engage, educate and excite customers.

The same can be said for traditional photographs, of course, as they also eliminate language barriers and can be used to showcase the visual appeal of your products. 3D renders build on these natural advantages to increase the visual impact of your products, however, while also creating new opportunities for marketers.

Traditional photographs can eventually deliver an exceptionally high quality image, for example, but only after significant retouching and colour cast corrections. This makes the process of capturing and refining standard images far from cost-effective, while it also consumers a great deal of time and effort. In contrast, 3D rendering processes replicate the concept of photorealism far more efficiently, creating perfect images every time while enabling artists to control external conditions and establish an ideal light source.

Bringing Product Concepts to Life: The Contemporary Role of 3D Renders in Marketing

While these advantages deliver considerable cost and time savings to businesses, 3D rendering has also forged a new and exciting role in the marketing realm recently. As techniques have advanced, for example, brands have also been able to create photorealistic renders of products that do not yet exist, bringing concepts to life and making it far easier to present ideas in the process. The same principle can be applied to housing, where developers can visualise and present layouts before a single wall has been built.

Not only this, but such technology also enables marketers to understand each product’s unique features and selling points in closer detail. This information can also be delivered at an earlier stage of the product’s life-cycle, affording marketers plenty of time to clearly define these features and translate them into benefits that customers can easily understand.

In this respect, photo-realistic, 3D renders are playing an increasingly influential role in the marketing and advertising world, particularly as brands look to define a purpose for their products and communicate these clearly to expectant customers.

If you wish to learn more about this or are keen to make 3D rendering a key component of your marketing efforts, why not contact our team at 3drenders.co.uk today and speak to one of our talented, visual artists? We are ready and waiting to take your call.