For the final step i.e., Texturing and rendering.
Have you ever noticed that every surface has its own texture? It’s fascinating to think about how the texture you choose and the way you use it can completely change how a space feels. For instance, smooth and shiny textures reflect more light, making a room feel cooler. But if you opt for soft, raised textures instead, they’ll absorb more light and give a cozy, warm vibe to the same space. It’s amazing how much difference such a small detail can make!
When creating the texture for the building, I opted to use the principle shader as it offers a wide range of options for customization. To create a concrete texture that looks as realistic as possible, I applied a combination of roughness and height maps.
The roughness map plays a crucial role in ensuring that the concrete surface does not appear shiny. This is because the roughness map controls how much light the surface reflects, making it possible to mimic the texture of real concrete.
In addition, I utilized the height map to add a sense of depth and dimension to the texture. By creating displacement, the height map allowed me to simulate the bumps and imperfections that are present on actual concrete surfaces.
By using these techniques, I was able to generate a highly detailed and lifelike texture that accurately represents the appearance of concrete.
In order to enhance the realism of the scene, I employed a second texture for the shadows of the entire simulation on the base surface. It was a critical step as without it, the objects in the scene would have appeared to be floating, thus reducing the visual appeal. To achieve this effect, I created a shadow matte that was applied to a grid which calculated the shadows of all the objects and their contents, resulting in a highly detailed and authentic shadowed appearance. By employing this technique, the scene was transformed into a more lifelike and immersive experience.
Rendering is a critical step in the process of creating lifelike animations that closely resemble reality. Its aim is to produce high-quality output that mimics the natural movements and texture of real-life objects. The process involves the conversion of 2D or 3D models into a sequence of individual frames, which are then used to generate a series of individual pixel-based frames or a video clip. The end goal is to ensure that the final product is of the highest quality and accuracy by creating visual graphics that closely resemble real-life objects. In summary, rendering is a fundamental process in computer animation that plays a crucial role in producing lifelike animations that are as close to reality as possible.
Our team utilized Mantra as the rendering engine to create the scene. In order to obtain renders of each component, we took a total of 5 render systems. This approach was essential as it allowed us to have complete control over each individual element and make any necessary changes or adjustments during the compositing process. By having separate renders of every component, we can easily composite them together and create a final product that meets our high standards of quality.
We have utilized a render farm to process our output on multiple systems, rather than solely on our own. This system has proven to be highly beneficial by reducing the rendering load on our current system.
To achieve a higher quality output with Mantra’s rendering system, it is crucial to make some important adjustments. Firstly, increasing the pixel samples is necessary as it allows for a more defined and detailed output. Additionally, we can tweak various components such as SSS quality, volume quality, and min and max ray samples to obtain the best possible results.
It is important to note that physical-based rendering and the addition of motion blur can greatly enhance the realism of the output. By implementing these techniques, we can create a more lifelike and immersive visual experience. These adjustments may seem minor, but they can have a significant impact on the overall quality of the rendered output.
To achieve individual renders, there is a crucial step that must be followed, which is the use of the “Force Objects” tool. This feature is designed to render only the assigned object, allowing you to achieve precise results. However, to achieve the best outcome, it is essential to continue this process by forcing other objects that will mask or matte your primary object. For instance, when rendering your primary object ‘A’, if another object ‘B’ overlaps, it will create a hollow part or mask the part of ‘A’ that is not visible. Therefore, it is necessary to repeat this step for all components to ensure that each object is properly masked and matted. By following these steps, you can achieve a high-quality individual render of each object with ease.
Once we have imported all the necessary files into Nuke, we proceed to call each element individually and merge them according to our specific requirements. This process involves meticulous attention to detail, as we carefully analyze each element’s position, size, and visual appearance to create a seamless and realistic final result. The outcome of this process will be showcased in the upcoming blog post, where you will see the final composite we have created.